Juan Ponce de León came over with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. He conquered Puerto Rico and made himself governor of the island in 1509. In 1513, however, he became famous when he landed in the north and named the new place, "Florida." According to legend, as most know, he was seeking the fabled, "Fountain of Youth." It was there, unfortunately for him, in 1521, that he was mortally wounded by an attack by Native American Indians.

He probably didn't know it at the time, but he had a better chance of finding the Fountain of Youth had he stayed in Puerto Rico. According to news reports, on the nearby island of Dominica, people have been living to be over a hundred...well, for centuries. It is there that Elizabeth Israel in August of 2001entered the history books as the world's oldest living human being at 126. "Ma Pampo" as she is affectionately called, is a living legend among the islanders, but attributes her longevity to several things: "Foods free of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, hard work, never missing church, fresh air, no alcoholic drink and a life free of marital discord." Sound pretty good to me!

The truth is, however, that Ma Pampo, along with the rest of us, will meet death someday. Jesus taught that it was not the fountain of youth that people needed but the "fountain of life" that he alone could provide. When we have that, though we die, we will live forever. He is speaking of a relationship with himself. To the woman at the well he said:

"whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."-John 4:14.