By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Unlike the Tanzanian children, Orion Keg and Wine owner Mike Setto had shoes to cover his feet.
He had 800 rosaries, a handful of soccer balls and a message to spread.
Most of all, he brought with him to Lupanga, Masimbwe, Lihagule and Maramba the gift of water.
The Orion business owner left his company, family and friends for the four villages’on March 25’and the adventure of his lifetime. He returned one month later, 18 pounds lighter with a glow about him.
‘They got water, and I got my dream,? he said.
Setto raised more than $40,000 last year to invest in 16 wells for the four different villages in Tanzania.
Three of the villages had no water to speak of, he said, and one had a shallow pond.
Africa had always been a dream destination for Setto, and when a customer last year spoke of his recent trip, it inspired Setto to make the move.
‘You can’t say you will do something. You just have to go do it,? he said. ‘I was made for this experience, and I finished it.?
After contacting a well-known priest from one of the villages, who helped him, through the aid of a Swiss water drilling company, to determine the locations of the wells, Setto put his dream into action. ?
The priest picked him up in Da re Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, and the two bumped and jostled over Tanzanian infrastructure to the first of the villages, where Setto rested in a mosquito-net with a flashlight for light and a need for sleep.
Over the next several weeks Setto and the priest traveled from village to village bearing gifts, as the priest translated Setto’s message to the crowds waiting for the first spill of water to gush into a bucket.
In each village four crank-wells were installed, one by the village church, one by the school and two next to the general population, of 3,000 to 4,000 people in each community.
After each well installation, the people broke out in song and danced, thanking the man who had taken the time out of his life to help their community.
For Setto, it was overwhelming.
‘I felt like I was going to cry because of the passion they had. To me that was the ultimate.?
Each village invited Setto to attend a mass in honor of his gifts but were surprised with even more.
He doted on each community with a soccer ball, a set of rosaries, and the tale of one of Setto’s favorite stories, the story of Saint Dominic, and how the rosary came to be.
For the communities, where faith was already ingrained into their daily practices, Setto had to remind everyone he was on this mission for a greater purpose.
‘Don’t say ‘I’m great,? I’m not. The man above is great. I didn’t come here on my own, the guy above showed me the way,? he said. ‘Everywhere I went, I told them.?
The most revealing moment for Setto, that miracles move beyond language, time and place, was at the last mass.
Setto was pulled from bed by a group of children, who danced and sung him to a beautiful church courtyard, and sat him in a pew.?
From there, a ceremony was presented, words were spoken, and Setto noticed something familiar.
The priest was holding a picture of his family.
People who Setto hadn’t even met were calling out the names of his mother and father, wife and children, praying on behalf of his family, locking Setto’s journey and perseverance into a beautiful hymn he will always remember, even now back in Orion Township, where living is a vacation.
‘As little as they have, such a great faith they share,? he said. ‘That’s what I brought back with me. I want to thank all of my customers friends and family, their donations and their prayers, because I accomplished it.?