Updates

One Water of Life Employee’s Goodbye

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:02:06 GMT

Jennifer here! :) I write this blog as a very personal "goodbye” to the Water of Life family.

Since November 2011, I've had the opportunity…no…the privilege to work at Water of Life as its Director of Development. As a whole, I've met many of you, worked with some of you, and communicated with all of you in one way or another. I feel like I know the hearts of the Water of Life family. You all are a group of generous, kind, God-seeking, and committed supporters. I've worked for several nonprofits over the past five years, and I've never seen a group of supporters so dedicated and selfless as Water of Life’s donors. You all are amazing. Because you all, as a group, have touched me and renewed my faith in the generosity of Christians, I wanted to personally say goodbye to all of you.

As of December 20th, I will no longer be with Water of Life. I believe I’ve been called to serve in a different way than I have been. I will be leaving Water of Life to pursue a career in Nursing.

I’ll tell you the personal story I told Roland and the Board when I broke the news that I’d be leaving the organization. From the age of 17, I was determined to be wildly successful according to American standards. I wanted all the material things my heart desired and I wanted to be a "powerful” business woman. Essentially, I wanted things and power. Since I graduated with my Bachelors at the age of 20, I've made every attempt to make that happen.

I've known God was calling me away from that life for a long time. But I wasn't quite ready to give that up. So I "compromised” with Him and got a Masters in Nonprofit Administration. I thought, "I can still help people AND be an executive.” I moved from secular nonprofit to secular nonprofit, gaining rank with each move, but I still felt empty and lost.

Last year, I was told by a friend about Water of Life and its search for a Director of Development. I was asked to apply. I did. And obviously…I got the job. At the time, I thought Water of Life found me. Now I know it was God seeking me out. If I hadn't been with a Christian organization, such as Water of Life, I would've continued to search for that "magic” nonprofit that made me feel like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. It’s because I've been immersed into a Christian culture and surrounded by Christian leaders that I finally realized I've had it wrong all along. I've told God what I was going to do instead of doing what He wanted me to do.

I remember the moment vividly when I surrendered. I was at a Water of Life event where I was supposed to be directing the event, talking to people about Water of Life, and working to add more supporters to the Water of Life family. Instead…I found myself quietly cleaning up the dirty dishes of the people around me. I looked down at the dirty plate in my hand that was smeared with BBQ sauce and baked beans. It was as if a ton of bricks hit me: "Ok, God. I give up. I’m trying to serve others and still be a successful business woman, but that’s not why you made me, is it?”

The moment was humbling. I've known for a long time I was supposed to serve others, but I've always wanted to do it with earned superiority and from the comfort of a desk, computer, and in meetings. I never wanted to actually "deal” with the people, use my hands, or run the risk of getting "dirty” while serving. But I realized that night that it was my flesh that wanted the power and it was my flesh that feared direct service. I surrendered that night and am excited to be moving in a direction that I believe God is leading instead of myself.

So…there you have it. I love Water of Life. I will miss Water of Life. I thank Water of Life. I thank all of you that have shown selflessness and dedication to giving clean water. You have made working and serving at Water of Life an incredible experience.

Water of Life has already secured my replacement. I've worked with her over the last couple of months to ensure the transition is seamless and that my departure will have no negative effect on the organization. Hallie will be my replacement. She is Water of Life’s new Communications Director and will manage all communication with the public and Water of Life family. Hallie comes with a heart for the Lord and years of experience in marketing and communications. She looks forward to working with all of you.

Thank you again. Feel free to drop Hallie a hello (hallie@givefreshwater.org) and be sure to keep in touch with Water of Life on its Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

Happy Thanksgiving! How Grateful We Are!

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:08:00 GMT

Dear Water of Life Family,

We wanted to send you and your family a great big

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We have so much to be grateful for.

Living in America, we can easily take access to fresh water for granted. (Did you think about that as you brushed your teeth this morning? Put water in the back of your coffee maker? Took a shower? Washed the dishes?)

We know we live in over-abundance.

And are beyond blessed to have freedom of religion. To gather together and worship our Savior. To gather tomorrow with our family and friends and give thanks to the Father from Whom all good things come.

So please remember to give thanks for water. For family. For friends. And for the loving graciousness of our God.

Blessings,

Water of Life

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God Who commanded light to shine out of darkness, Who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

II Corinthians 4:5-6 NKJV

Here are some of our family around the world who can now give thanks for fresh water in their villages, and who have heard that same Good News of Jesus thanks to your generous gifts to Water of Life's ministry in India, Sierra Leone & Liberia:

Thank you for giving to Water of Life this Christmas season! Please click here to donate now.

Journal from India: A Study in Contrasts. With Hope.

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:31:00 GMT

Tonight Water of Life is having a "Bring it Home” event for the six gentlemen who recently traveled to India to see God’s work being accomplished over there. We gather a few weeks after returning home and relate to friends and family memories and lessons learned overseas.

Since not everyone will fit in Ken’s living room this evening, here’s an excerpt of Ken’s online journal. He posted when the internet would allow him to over there, and here he shares what he observed in a country surprisingly different from our own.

The last few days have been an incredible learning experience for me. I really didn’t understand the blessing of having been raised in a country founded on Christian principles until I visited one founded on Hindu principles. If nothing else, a trip to India is an exercise in extremes and a study in contrasts. Some of the richest and the poorest people on each can be found here. *[Literally—the world’s most expensive home, 27-stories tall, rumored to be worth over a billion dollars, is in South Mumbai. The second largest slum in Asia is also in Mumbai, with a population of 800,000.]

Capitalism is alive and well and probably freer than in the US, but there is apparently no moral compass to guide it, so there is little concern about the effects of business dealings. The people (particularly the women) wear beautiful clothing and are clean, yet just throw trash out their windows onto the ground. There are streets with laws clearly posted and yet the most chaotic driving I’ve ever experienced.

The people in India are incredibly intelligent, but have some of the most backward ideas about humanity possible. The constitution of India forbids the caste system, but the practice of judging someone based upon their caste is alive and well. The "untouchables” are just that, untouchable because of their last name and their heritage. In this belief system, there is truly no way out other than death. Because of the Hindu belief in reincarnation, you can hope to return as something better. As an American, I found it difficult to believe that it is impossible to change your social standing with hard work and persistence, but (for themost part) it is true here. No matter what you do, what you are capable of doing, or what is given to you, you cannot escape your social standing. If you are at the bottom when you are born, you stay at the bottom.

People in the rural villages that we have visited have not had access to clean water, even if it is located very nearby. The owner of a well will lock it to prevent it from becoming unclean if used by someone who is untouchable. The drilling of a well in a village of untouchables brings unbelievable gratitude and hope. Previously the only hope of an untouchable was for death and the possibility of being reincarnated to a higher caste. Now many have the hope of eternal life and the love of the one true God who makes all peoples equal in His image.

-Ken M.

*We added that bit because it’s almost unfathomable. Praise God that, like Ken said, all peoples have been created in God’s image. Here at Water of Life we are meeting one of humanity’s most basic needs—the need for clean water—and taking the Gospel as we go. Pastors and missionaries are discipling new believers in the villages where we dig wells, providing the Good News of the living water of Jesus Christ.

You’ll learn more about the impact Water of Life has had in India in the end-of-year newsletter being mailed out next month. Until then, please keep in touch via our facebook, twitter, pinterest and make sure your friends are on our email list, too!

www.givefreshwater.org

In the midst of poverty, the most expensive house in the world—Antilia.

Walking to a church on the other side of those trees.

The colorful clothes and beautiful people of India. Here, with a Water of Life traveler.

A little different than Greenville's I-85 traffic over there.

It’s always good to laugh. What a blessing from our Father!

Wonder and Be Astounded...

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:38:11 GMT

Here’s a bit of Mary Claire’s Sierra Leone reflections from her travels and ministry with Water of Life this Summer. Not only was her faith strengthened, but she got to see the Lord’s work right in front of her eyes…. Read on and hear what God taught her in her time away from home, and about the miraculous work God is doing through His Spirit and His people!

Hey ya’ll! Let me tell you a bit about my journey alongside the Lord in Africa this summer…I camped out in the book of Isaiah for my time in Africa and the Lord revealed exactly what I needed day in and day out through reading Isaiah. This passage in Isaiah beautifully encapsulates my daily experience: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) This was a prayer I brought before God frequently. I became fearful of touching and being amongst sick children as my focus started to become myself instead of serving and loving in His name. The following verse in Isaiah (verse 3) says this: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Because of the knowledge and experience of the Water of Life staff, the team was able to dig and build water wells to provide villagers with clean drinking water. In abundant joy over this new resource, the villagers reacted and we found ourselves amongst a great movement of salvation in the villages that was catalyzed by the ‘gift from Jesus’ and by the physical need of water being added to them. The physical well was used as a platform to tell others about Christ and to publicly display that Jesus quenches our thirst and satisfies with a personal relationship.

I am so impressed with the sharp, Christ-loving men who are laboring in Africa for the sake of making Him known in dark places with whom I was privileged to work alongside. These men have to leave their families at times to participate in what the Lord has called over their lives. Their servant hearts humbled my easily grumbled heart.

I was also so impressed with God’s selection of the Hope Point team members-we didn’t know each other very well but by the end of the 10 day span, we were all VERY comfortable with each other! Roland practically became a grandfather to me! I feel blessed beyond description for the meaningful relationships that were built on this trip. I will never forget kicking a soccer ball with precious middle school aged boys, watching the men laboring in the fields to sow the rice, gawking at the amazing women who rise at the crack of dawn to prepare meals for her family, singing songs of adoration to the Lord beside a beautiful sunset that He created for us to enjoy, holding hands with almost every child in villages, hugging, loving, praying, reading, sitting, enjoying, dwelling, participating, watching, and serving. "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would NOT BELIEVE if told.” Habakkuk 1:5

The Right Place

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:13:00 GMT

Sometimes you know when you’re in the right place at the right time. And it’s usually where you didn’t expect to be. Todd recently traveled with Water of Life and got to see the most recent work that’s being done in the country of Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Read his experiences after the jump.

Here are a few thoughts from his travels:

"There were many things that this trip brought to light. One of the things that I realized is just how very blessed we are in this country. From a personal standpoint, I realize even more that God didn’t bless me only to benefit myself, but He has also blessed me so that I may reach out and be a blessing to others in His name.

One of the more profound moments of the trip was on a Wednesday when 150 Muslims came to the showing of The Jesus Film. Thirty to forty Muslims came to Christ after seeing the film. I confronted the reality of the fact that I am exposed to the Gospel every day in the culture in which I live, and these people probably had never heard about Christ before. And they responded after one exposure to the Gospel! Seeing God working on a global basis and watching people that have never heard of Christ learn about Jesus’ love for them was incredible! The life-changing work of the Gospel wasn’t taken for granted amongst the people of Sierra Leone. I was reminded that the God of the Gospel is able to renew and restore hearts that are spiritually dead- even in just one exposure to His truth.

Now I’m excited to have my own local church get involved in the Water of Life model of reaching the unreached people groups with the Gospel through providing clean drinking water. Water of Life not only "digs wells” for people without access to fresh water, but this organization takes the Gospel with them as they go.

After learning more about Roland and seeing Water of Life’s mission in action, I began to understand why the indigenous partnerships in the countries where Water of Life works are so important. It is with Water of Life’s help that indigenous people are working to bring fresh water and the Gospel of Christ to their own communities. Instead of Water of Life just showing up and doing it their own way, Water of Life partners with the local pastors and churches to get the work done. It gives the locals the ability to share fresh water and, most importantly, the Gospel, in their country in a culturally-sensitive way.

When I first asked what we’d be doing in Sierra Leone, Roland told me there was no set schedule. This was very different from the traditional mission trip that we, in the U.S., are used to. I was initially worried about having no schedule once we got there. No VBS? No building a school? What would I do there?

Once I got there, I developed a deep appreciation for Water of Life’s "no schedule” approach. I was allowed to be free to do the work that needed to be done where God was leading me. Whereas, we as men, didn’t have it written out on paper, HE knew our schedule all along.

The people of Sierra Leone accepted us with open arms. It was a tremendous blessing. I had the great opportunity to go on this trip with people from my church. God could not have given me better friends on this trip! Ya know…you go to church with people, but it’s funny to think about how well you really know them. I enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know these brothers and sisters and was very encouraged by the way they allowed God to use them during this trip. They are no longer strangers in an auditorium. We shared an experience together in another culture where God is at work and I will always have a special bond with those who shared the experience with me.

Now that I’m home, I know that we have empowered the indigenous people of Sierra Leone with fresh water AND the Good News of Jesus! I knew through all of it that I was in the right place. God is still working in Sierra Leone through Water or Life. I got to see Him work right alongside fellow church members and the amazing people of Sierra Leone.”

Transitioning to Liberian Leadership and the Adopt-A-Village Program

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:57:27 GMT

Water of Life is excited to announce that we are in the last stages of completely turning over our water project operation to Liberian staff! This means that Miles Coggins is coming home!

In just a few weeks, Miles (the guy you read about in our previous blog) will be returning to the States, and David Weah will be the new Liberian Country Director under Water of Life’s management. From the beginning, it has been our goal to recruit and train a Christ-following Liberian to oversee and manage the Liberian water project crews. WOL’s leadership believes employing the locals of the countries in which we work is important for a few reasons:

1) By employing local people, we are helping improve the local economy, so therefore creating other long-term benefits in addition to providing clean water.

2) Transitioning the leadership to the local people encourages them to take responsibility for and take pride in their water wells.

3) Employing the local people allows Water of Life to keep its administration costs low, which allows more dollars to go directly to drilling and repairing wells.

We are excited about this transition and positive that it's a step towards sustainability and progress for Water of Life. Keep an eye out for a future blog about Miles’ return to the States and more information about Liberia’s new Country Director, David Weah.

Ok… #3 on our list above brings us to the other purpose of this blog: Water of Life’s Adopt-A-Village Program. In the past, to adopt-a-village in Africa, the donation level was set at $5,000, while in India, the donation level was $2,000. The price difference reflected the fact that Water of Life owns all the equipment, employs the water project crews, and funds a secure compound for our crew and equipment in West Africa.

With Miles returning home, we took the time to reevaluate our water project costs and Adopt-A-Village program. Over the last year, we’ve seen a tremendous interest in donors adopting villages in India while the Adopt-A-Village program in Africa has been mostly funded by unrestricted donations. We believe the strong interest in India is related to the donation level being more attainable for adopting a village.

After taking a closer look at our costs in Africa upon Miles return and the current cost of our operations in India, we have made the decision to adjust the donation levels for the Adopt-A-Village program in India and Africa.

Donors, groups, and businesses will now be able to Adopt-A-Village in

Liberia, Sierra Leone, OR India for $2,500.

This donation level adjustment reflects Water of Life’s average cost for drilling a well in all three countries. We have made this adjustment in order to simplify the Adopt-A-Village program for our supporters and to ensure the villages in West Africa and India have the same opportunity to be given fresh water by you, our gracious donors.

To learn more about our Adopt-A-Village program, click here.

Sierra Leone-Kesserie Village: Adopted by Easley First Baptist Church

India-Samanthapudi Darsi Village: Adopted for Allen White by friends and family through our Birthday Fundraiser option

Words From Africa with Miles Coggins

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:05:00 GMT

Check out what Chad Gibbs of Chad Gibbs Dotcom, wrote about our full time Liberian missionary Milles Coggins.

The Missionary Deposition: Miles Coggins

Liberia huh? What are you doing way over there?

I started coming over here in 2006 with my dad. Dad met a pastor from Liberia through another family at his church. Dad had been getting more involved in missions helping out around the gulf after the hurricanes and even in Romania. The pastor was building a church in Monrovia and dad offered his help if he wanted it. So, since I used to help wire houses growing up, my dad invited me to come along. We made two more trips after that one and after the second time, I knew God was calling me to come over for a longer period of time and work for Him. After that, I knew the life I was living, even though I’ve been a believer since I was 10, was more for me than Him. I was comfortable and bearing little spiritual fruit. God quickly took all my excuses away and left me with a simple choice to go or stay. In the few times I’d been to Liberia, I knew the same God that saved me was moving across this country, and I wanted to be a part of it and serve. I wasn’t running away from the US or working in the ministry back home, I was running to a different kind of ministry when God met me where I was. So for the last three years I have been working with a water ministry called Water of Life. Our office is in Greenville, SC, but we run this operation as a local NGO (non-government organization). We partner with other Christian organizations to install hand pumps for safe drinking water. We try to put the church in front so that the hand pump can be a tool to spread the Gospel through the local body of believers.

Your from the south, where we like to fry things. What is the food like in Liberia? Any particular dish you’ve fallen in love with?

They pretty much fry everything here too. The main staple is rice, but almost everything else you put on the rice is fried. We eat a good bit of fried chicken mixed up in different soups to accompany the rice. One good thing about it is just about everything that goes in the soup is grown around here. Different kinds of greens, cabbage, beans, vegetables. My favorite soup is fried beans. The beans look like field peas to me from back home, but you boil them, mash ‘em, fry them with oil, seasoning, liberian pepper and tomato paste. The other is called jallof rice. I don’t know if it is natively liberian but it’s almost like jambalaya or the orange rice you get at a mexican restaurant with beans, chicken and sausage mixed up in it. Everything you eat has spicy peppers in it, which is good for me. I like it. And Lebanese food.

What are some differences you’ve noticed between the church in Liberia and the church in the US?

Most churches here have a lot of pentacostal baptist roots like a lot of african-american churches back home as for as Sunday service goes. A lot of waving, clapping, singing and emotional preaching. Most churches have mics and speakers turned up to 11. You get jaded just like back home at all the different denominations too. Every single one is here just like in the states. Even, catholic, ba’hai, jehovah’s witness, mormons. Mormons have planted a handful of churches just in the last year, but you take most of it with a grain of salt now. A few churches are strong, God-fearing, ministering churches, but they’re are a lot that sell bill of goods to a naive american church for the sake of funding. So many times a pastor here is more of a job than a ministry calling, and a lot of those "ministers” love titles like "apostle”, "reverend”, "bishop”, and "prophet”. A lot of prosperity gospel is coming in too. Usually via a "title above” comes over and solicits the poor to pay for blessings, healing, and what ever else for there money. It’s tricky too because in a relatively poor society, the root of all evil is definitely the love of money. In those ways, it’s not too different from some church back home. What is different is the underlying struggles Liberians have with witchcraft and real spiritual warfare. It is so far removed from us in the states because we have no reason to think witchcraft is serious. It died out there 200 years ago. Here it is still going on because so many people give it credit. You have to look at it from the perspective that the devil is going to attack with an army at your weakest point. In the States we may struggle with sins in a more intellectual way. Greed is advanced on a corporate level and kept hidden. Adultery is taboo, but goes on all the time. Nobody even remotely thinks the consequences of those actions are because sin leads to death. If people get caught, they are put in jailed or divorced and move on without repentance and suffer more. Here the cause of almost every serious effect in someone’s life is witchcraft. If you’re blessed, it’s God. If you’re cursed, somebody witched you. It’s not because you are reaping what you so, it’s somebody else fault. That’s a huge obstacle you have to break down when you witness to and/or disciple people here. The people allow it, so the devil takes advantage.

Your wife, Serwaah, is from Liberia. Is dating in Liberia similar to dating back home? Applebee’s and a Romantic Comedy?

Not really at all. There’s definitely a lot more activities to choose from back home when you’re courting your lady friend than what we have here. It made it a little bit easier on my part because I’m a bit of a home body, but we mainly went out to eat, hung out and spent time together after church on Sundays. The thing that really got me confused about this woman was that when I first met her, she was a certified electrician, in light of that our relationship was a romantic comedy set on the stage of cultural opposites, and lebanese take out. Her sisters/cousins named me "Dweh” which in their dialect (Grebo) mean elephant, so either i did something wrong or did something right. Time will tell i reckon.

What’s the internet/cable situation like where you live? Do you keep up with what’s going on back home?

My dad got a job with a contractor out of Birmingham that built the new US embassy over here over the last 2 1/2 years so we took advantage of his satellite TV. We saw all but 4 Auburn games in the 2009 and 2010 football between Slingbox and ESPN. At our place we have satellite internet so I can keep in touch pretty easily everyday. Day to day current events I get about a couple of weeks to a month behind. When AU won the national championship it was about 5 am here. I was at my dad’s, so I drove home, woke up my oblivious 8 year old Liberian stepdaughter and made her roll the shade tree in the back yard with me.

If I were going to visit Liberia, what are a couple things that I would have to see or do?

See the city and see the bush. From a missions perspective, you’d need to see how to meet the people where they are, and that’s hard because it is so different from what we are used to in middle class America. You’d mostly see people in poverty by our standards, but economically it’s getting better every year. What I would want you to see is how people process values, beliefs and their faith in this culture. In that way you don’t pity Liberia, you gain compassion, and in compassion there is a willingness to help. There is no love in pity, you just kinda observe and pass on by. You’ll see a major need for discipleship where Christianity is popular, a mile wide but only a foot deep. See how people survive on a daily basis, and then be encouraged in how some can be content in what we would call a state of need.

You would have to try at least four different dishes of rice, Liberian style. You would have to drink an ice cold glass bottle coca-cola. You would have to ride on a rotten dirt road for no less than 300km. You would have to go to Sunday worship service. And, finally, you would need to sweat through a premier league (either Man U or Chelsea) match is a ramshackle video club.

Tell me something about Liberia I did not know.

Liberia is the oldest republic in west africa, maybe all of africa. It was never colonized although kept closest relations to the US after a large number of freed slaves were transported here. The set up almost everything in government and administration right after the US. Liberia also has the richest deposits of iron ore, arguably, in the world. There’s enough on the northern border with Guinea to dramatically affect the worldwide demand if it was mined fast enough. Harvey Firestone cut a deal with Liberia to lease about a million acres of land to develop and harvest latex from rubber trees back in the 1920′s to even out the global competition with Michelin, who was developing rubber in South America. Firestone is still running strong but only using about half the original acreage. Liberia elected the first woman president in Africa’s history back in 2005 (Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf). Liberia went through a civil war after a violent change of power in 1989 and finally settled in 2003.

Is there anything my readers can do to help you guys out?

Get involved in missions. "The body of Christ has many parts” is said so often but what it means to me is there are millions of Christian, and if we wake up in the morning as a sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ, and actually seek God’s will, then he has a calling for us to serve Him. He doesn’t need us to fulfill His will because He is God, the God. But the amazing thing about having a relationship with our Creator is that He wants us to be a part of what He is doing. He wants us to trust & obey, to seek and find, so that He may be glorified and we understand why He should be praised. For some that is moving 2000 miles away and sweating our sanity off. Others it’s supporting the missionaries far off, and being a faithful witness to a co-worker or encouragement to a friend in need. It sounds corny but it is that simple. We can’t tell God we want to be missionaries on our terms. Many Christians thinks it’s too mundane just to give money to foreign and domestic ministries. God blesses some with money so because God created them to glorify Him by giving freely. God blesses some with strength and humility so they can work for Him. God blesses some with awesome gifts of word-smithery to write books and delicious satire to encourage other Christians. If people want to get involved with water ministry like what we do, there is plenty of opportunities and amazing results. To meet a simple, basic and crucial need such as having access to clean water, then using that as a tool to show and share the love of Christ is a huge open door all over the world. We have an operation here, Sierra Leone, the Gambia, and India. Talk to other Christians at church, work or neighbors and sponsor a well or get a team together to come over and work for a week or so. Or send money to support those who are on the ground working for God. Born again Christians have no excuse, we must get involved in the Kingdom’s work.

Educating Our Youth-Our Future

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:49:08 GMT

"To the youngsters of today, I say 'Believe in the future, the world is getting better; there still is plenty of opportunity.'"-Walt Disney

Roland and Jennifer recently visited a fourth grade class to discuss water conservation, the effects of the world water crisis on communities and individuals, and how Water of Life spreads the Gospel through clean water. So often our society loses sight of the importance of teaching our youth about global issues. It is easy for all of us to forget that the vast majority of the world does not live with the luxury of running water. The children were fascinated while Roland and Jennifer explained what an aquifer is and the process Water of Life uses to drill wells in West Africa and India. The class was especially interested and impacted by the statistics and demonstration of how unclean water affects people, particularly children. The children quickly realized that the water crisis isn’t simply a matter of not having enough water, but they also learned that the water available to those in the places Water of Life serves is unsafe.

Below we have a few letters with some of the children’s thoughts and feedback about Water of Life and our demonstration.

"Dear Mr. Roland and Mrs. Evans,

Thank you for coming into our class and telling us about water. It taught me so much. I am going to save up some money and send it to you. I had a lot of fun learning about the water samples. We walked on the track with 2 milk jugs and it was hard! Thank you for coming."

"Jennifer and Roland,

Thank you for taking your time to come to our class to tell us about water. That was very interesting. I hope that with the info that you gave us, we can tell other people, and they can make a difference. That would be so good for the people that don’t have our opportunity. I hope we can make a difference."

"Dear Mr. Bergeron and Miss Evans,

Thank you so much for coming and explaining water and consequences of drinking unclean water to us. It’s so sad, 1 minute three children die under the age of five. Thank you for the posters. We enjoy looking at them but it is really sad. Thank you again for coming in."

A Traveler to Sierra Leone

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:55:00 GMT

In February, Water of Life and a small mission team traveled to Sierra Leone to do serious work: Provide clean water and share the Gospel. While WOL has done some work in Sierra Leone in the past, a grant from a local foundation and a generous gift from an individual have made it possible to establish the beginnings of a full-fledged operation in the country. Additionally, the kind gifts of donors and large groups, such as churches, made it possible for Water of Life to drill 5 new wells during its trip to Sierra Leone! We wanted to update you and let you hear from one of the Sierra Leone short-term missionaries, Kevin Johnson.

"That's me at the very end and in the blue shirt. My name is Kevin Johnson, I do marketing for a living, and I went to Sierra Leone with Water of Life in February. Great Trip! It’s awesome to see God at work. We go to Sierra Leone to provide a very needed gift of free water and the Lord uses this gift to continue to build His kingdom.

What I really appreciated about the trip was seeing how Water of Life has purposefully tied its work to the local church and pastors. This was very clearly seen on Sunday afternoon when we made a trip to a local island where 3,000 people live. As we walked into the village with the local pastors, we were greeted by the children and then the women who started singing and dancing to welcome us. We walked through the village and ended up in front of a new church building that has recently been built and the local school. Our presence results in a town meeting, and we are seated in front of a large circle of villagers. On their heads, they carried benches from their homes and gathered around to sing, clap, and listen.

As the local village leaders speak, they ask for things. 'Please help us repair our school, finish the church, provide clean water.' They are looking to the white man to provide for them. This gives Pastor Barry an excellent opportunity to turn the conversation to the Gospel, and he does just that. He tells the crowd that is gathered to put their trust in God and not in the white man; God will provide when you trust in his son, Jesus. A clear Gospel message from the local pastor used by God.

We go look at their hand dug open wells as the crowd follows along. Before we can leave we have to come back to the meeting place where they have cooked a meal for us. Even though these people have very little, they are willing to share what they have, and they do it in love...a lesson I can certainly learn from them.

Another privilege we had was to meet and work with the on-the-ground Liberian Water of Life team as they helped drill the new wells in Sierra Leone. They are great guys! Hard working, self-motivated, God worshiping men. I really enjoyed the morning devotion and singing time. What an excellent way to start the day. I learned a lot about well drilling from the Liberian men. I think they enjoyed "training” us to drill wells. I’ve got to say though, by the end of the trip, we were feeling pretty confident in our "skills”.

I am so glad I went to Sierra Leone with Water of LIfe. It has changed my perspective on a lot of things-not the least of which is knowing that the God we serve is so BIG and so loving. God is building his kingdom in Sierra Leone and a trip like this opened my eyes to it in so many ways.

So if you want to see God at work in a very real way, get on the next trip, you won’t regret it."

Photography produced and owned by Pete Hansen

A Special Event with a Local Nonprofit to Make a Global Impact

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:46:00 GMT

Water of Life and Ten Thousand Villages of Greenville are teaming up in February to promote fair trade and raise funds for a clean water well in India! Please join us on February 9, 2012 at the Ten Thousand Villages retail store for a chance to purchase authentic fair trade products and art while raising money to put a clean water well in India.

Here's the deal:

On February 9, 2012, Ten Thousand Villages will extend its hours until 7:00 p.m., and on this day only, 10% of the store's sales will be donated directly to Water of Life. Ten Thousand Village's goal is to raise at least $2,000 on February 9th for a clean water well in India. During this one-day event, all products made in Inda will be 25% off, including jewelry. (Just in time for Valentine's Day!)

President, Roland Bergeron, will be in Sierra Leone drilling wells, so while he will be unable to attend, Water of Life's Board of Directors will speak! At 12 p.m., Chairman, Sid Tate will speak to guests about the work Water of Life is doing. And at 6 p.m., Board Member, Steve Hall, will talk about his experience with Water of Life in India.

Please join us at Ten Thousand Villages for shopping for a good cause, clean water education, and most importantly, to provide an opportunity for Water of Life to continue its work through clean water.

Date: February 9, 2012

Time: 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. (Special Guest Appearances: 12:00 p.m.-WOL Chairman of the Board, Sid Tate and 6:00 p.m.-WOL Board Member, Steve Hall)

Where: Ten Thousand Villages

2 West Lewis Plaza Off Augusta Road between Faris and Church, Greenville, SC 29605

What's Ten Thousand Villages?

Ten Thousand Villages is an exceptional source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and sculpture, textiles, serveware and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world's largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. Ten Thousand Villages accomplishes this by establishing a sustainable market for handmade products in North America, and building long term buying relationships in places where skilled artisan partners lack opportunities for stable income. Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed

Feel Good Stories and Major Announcement

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:24:00 GMT

It’s no secret that Water of Life exists to provide clean drinking water and the hope of Jesus to those who are most forgotten in this world. On a physical level, Water of Life heals bodies and saves lives. On a spiritual level, Water of Life heals hearts and saves souls. Behind the scenes, Water of Life depends on resources, such as man-power and funding, to accomplish its mission and continue to expand further. Without these resources, the organization and its work would not exist. Currently, with only 2.5 employees, Water of Life stays "lean and mean” in the area of administration costs to be sure that as much funding as possible can go directly towards drilling and rehabilitating water wells and spreading the Gospel. What does this mean to you, though? Essentially, Water of Life recognizes that the work it does is impossible without you, and we’d like to share a couple of inspiring stories that tell the story of our faithful donors, supporters, and volunteers. Oh yeah...and officially make an announcement.

Feel Good Story #1:
North Carolina Church and West Stanley High School Raises Over $7,500 for Clean Water

Every year, North Carolina West Stanley High School clubs compete against each other by raising funds for their chosen charities. Spanish teacher, Justin Eudy, at West Stanley became aware of the world water crisis and wanted to involve his Spanish Club in making a difference. Justin searched the worldwide web for clean water organizations, and stumbled upon Water of Life’s website. He was inspired to bring Water of Life as the charity of choice for his Spanish Club’s participation in the contest. Students bought and sold T-Shirts, gathered donations from friends and family, supported benefit concerts, and created a wave of excitement about raising money for clean water. All efforts combined, West Stanley High School raised over $3,600! Justin Eudy also involved his church, Bethel Baptist Church, which raised over $3,400! With an additional benefit concert held in North Carolina, another $500 was raised!

One high school teacher. One high school. One church. The effort of just ONE group of people in North Carolina raised over $7,500 for two clean water wells: one in Liberia and one in India. As Water of Life is currently in the process of drilling the wells, just one movement has saved thousands of lives. Thank you, West Stanley High School and Bethel Baptist Church!

Feel Good Story #2:
Water of Life Volunteers Work at the WestGate Mall for Water

The Christmas season is usually all about shopping and spending money. The malls hustle and bustle with throngs of people who are looking to save a dollar while spending a dollar. Sometimes, the crowds and chaos can cause the shopping experience to be…less than pleasant. This year, WestGate Mall in Spartanburg, South Carolina wanted to make the Christmas shopping experience a good one by providing ample information, coupons, and even candy canes. With the malls employees busy scanning, packing, and wrapping, the mall engaged volunteers who were ready to work for a cause. This Christmas, Water of Life was the cause, but we had to provide the volunteers.

The deal was: Water of Life had to provide 6 volunteers for 5 hours during several of the Saturdays and Sundays leading up to Christmas, including Black Friday. If Water of Life could provide the volunteers, WestGate Mall would donate $2,700 to Water of Life to be used towards a water well in India.

There was no way Water of Life employees could cover all the timeslots. Only volunteers could help get the $2,700. Dedicated supporter and volunteer, Cameron Walker (and his family), took it upon themselves to volunteer and recruit enough volunteers to reach the volunteer goal and secure the donation. The 5-hour shifts were divided into 2 shifts, so therefore, Water of Life needed to provide 10-12 volunteers for each Saturday and Sunday. Using word-of-mouth, social media, e-mail, and phone calls, Cameron and his family tirelessly worked to schedule volunteers willing to spend their busy weekends before Christmas smiling, talking to shoppers, and passing out coupons.

Outstandingly, nearly 50 volunteers were scheduled, and WestGate Mall kindly donated $2,700 to Water of Life!

This story is an example of how a group of people, many of whom had never met, came together to work for water. Because of approximately 50 individuals willing to sacrifice their time, nearly 1,000 people in India will be given access to clean water and will have the opportunity to hear about the Gospel and hope Jesus provides. Thank you to WestGate Mall and Water of Life Volunteers!

Major Announcement

Water of Life Welcomes New Director of Development

Water of Life is excited to announce that it has a new Director of Development! Jennifer Evans will be replacing April Gray as Director of Development, and will specifically focus on fundraising, event planning, and donor relations for Water of Life. To learn more about her passion for people and the professional experience Jennifer brings to Water of Life, click here. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys running, camping, backpacking, volunteering, and eating Taco Bell.

Jennifer says,"I am so excited to be working with such an amazing organization. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to use my interests and experience for a nonprofit that is radically changing lives. From what I've seen, Water of Life supporters are amazing, and I look forward to personally meeting and working with them."

Water of Life Contest News

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:31:00 GMT

In November, Water of Life asked its supporters to help us win $25K through the Fall 2011 Chase Community Giveaway contest on Facebook. The contest gave nonprofit organizations the chance to win up to $250K by obtaining the most "votes” on Facebook. Organizations with the most votes and ending in the Top 100 would be awarded at least $25K.

Water of Life is thankful for its supporters, and in the areas of loyalty and taking action, our supporters are among the very best and most dedicated! We were confident that our passionate fans would create a strong social media movement that could help carry us to the Top 100 Charities and help us win funding for new water well projects in Africa and India.

Water of Life was right about our supporters. As each day of the contest passed, Water of Life quickly climbed the ranks. With just a couple of days of concerted effort, our voters pushed the organization closer to the Top 100. Unfortunately, while the contest was still ongoing and with time to vote remaining, Water of Life’s participation in the Chase Community Giveaway contest was abruptly ended. Hundreds of votes, many comments of support, and a climbing rank in the contest had suddenly vanished from Facebook with no explanation from Chase.

Water of Life was disappointed about not reaching the Top 100 and losing an opportunity at $25K, but more importantly, we were concerned that the quick action of our supporters’ was for nothing. Further, we understood that all of our voters were forced to accept a Chase Facebook App in order for their vote to count, and because they accepted the App on our behalf, we wanted to find out more detail as to why we were suddenly eliminated.

After weeks of contacting Chase and trying to find some-one who could tell us why our organization was suddenly removed from the contest, a Chase representative informed Water of Life that Water of Life was disqualified from the Chase Community Giveaway contest because of language, such as "Jesus” and the "Gospel,” in the organization’s mission and website. Essentially, Chase made the decision to disqualify Water of Life because we are an openly Christian organization. Water of Life provides clean water to the sick, dying, and thirsty-regardless of their religion. Unfortunately, the part of our work that includes sharing the hope of Jesus with the hopeless disqualified Water of Life and voided your votes.

Water of Life would like to issue a formal apology to those who took the time to vote for Water of Life during the Facebook Chase Community Giveaway contest. We truly believed we were an eligible organization. Since it was a votes-based contest, we also believed that the likelihood of our winning was significant. We did not intend to waste your time or knowingly ask you to participate in an illegitimate effort. If you voted for Water of Life on Facebook and would like to remove the Chase App from your profile, you can do so with the following steps:

-Sign in to your Facebook account
-Go to the Home page that contains Newsfeeds
-In the left-side column, find the area that contains the title "Apps”
-In this column, you will see an icon and title for the Chase App
-With your mouse, hover over the Chase App
-A small "pencil” will appear to the left
-Click the small "pencil”
-Click the "Remove App” option

Thank you to those who participated and helped support Water of Life. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but we do not apologize for being an openly Christian organization. Water of Life is disappointed that Chase could not see past the words "Jesus” and "Gospel” in order to help provide clean water to the desperate and save lives.

Three ways to give back without giving a dime

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:17:00 GMT

This month there are three very special opportunities for you to help Water of Life. While we completely rely on your donations to keep us going, there are times when we ALSO really need some volunteers. Can you help?

Click: Take a few seconds and vote for Water of Life for an online voting contest that starts today, November 8th. The 100 charities that receive the most "like” votes will share part of a $3M prize!! The top charity gets $250k, the next top four get $100k, and the remaining charities get $25k. Voting will literally will take fewer than 10 seconds. Please vote, and please SHARE with your friends. How it works: Click the link and you will be redirected to your facebook page. (You may have to "like” Chase Community Giving to proceed with the voting.) We’re not above begging! Please take 10 seconds and vote for us and ASK others to vote by sharing it on facebook, tweeting, and getting the word out. Your vote counts!
Smile: Help us pass out coupons at the WestGate Mall in Spartanburg. Simply fill a 2 ½ hour time slot any weekend during the month of November. Who doesn’t love coupons? We’ve already filled one weekend, and everyone had a blast. Bring your family and friends to help! If Water of Life fills all of the timeslots each weekend in November, the mall will donate $2,700 to Water of Life. We just need volunteers to be there each weekend! Email Cameron Walker to sign up for a slot or click here to find out more information.
Stuff: Help us send out our holiday newsletter on Friday, November 18^th. We’re looking for volunteers to help stuff, label, stamp and seal WOL newsletter packets. If you’re available to join us at our downtown Greer office that Friday morning (here is a map to our office), or would be willing to help by stuffing envelopes from home, please let us know so we can sign you up. Click here for more information, or email us to sign up.

What can YOU do?

(And, hey, if you'd rather just DONATE, click here)

2012 Mission Trips

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:04:00 GMT

Below is a list of mission trips that have been scheduled for 2012. Click here to for a link to the page that provides additional trip information, including a trip application and frequently asked questions.

Liberia, West Africa:

April 24 - May 4

July 31 - August 10

November 6 - November 16

Sierra Leone, West Africa:

January 31 - February 10

Gambia, West Africa:

June 5 - June 15

India:

March 12 - March 23

September 10 - September 21

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered. It's a command to be obeyed." - Hudson Taylor

India Slave Children

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:58:00 GMT

"My heart is broken.”

Earlier this week, Roland posted an update of Water of Life’s recent trip to India, briefly mentioning his experience at the rock quarries. Today, I’d like to go back and share the entire story of the Untouchable slave children in western India. Approximately six months ago, Water of Life learned that over 3,000 children are being used as slaves to mine slate from 30 different rock quarries. The children, ranging in age from 8 -18, work these quarries in horrific conditions. One meal per day. Few have shoes. Children that become sick are left to die, because it’s cheaper to replace them than heal them. To purchase a child from these conditions is expensive. Boys can be bought out of slavery for $2,500 USD each. Girls are worth more because they can be used for sex as well as mining labor.

The problem became more personal when we met (via facebook) 11-year-old Lakshimi (photo right). Roland sent out a broken plea for help, and within a week, we saw God miraculously provide the funds for her release from mine work and forced prostitution. Roland has since met her in person, and can testify that she is happy, recovering, and growing in grace at a nurturing Christian orphanage. Unfortunately, Lakshimi’s story is one of nearly 1.5 million stories. It’s oppressive knowledge, heavy and dark. It got much worse on September 22, 2011, when Water of Life’s president Roland Bergeron actually saw the mines for himself while on a WOL trip to India. That night, he posted on facebook:

Since returning to the USA, Roland has not stopped pleading on behalf of the children, asking for an audience among multiple churches, groups, and anyone willing to listen.

The problem seems insurmountable. "It’s a God-sized problem,” admits Roland. "But I have a responsibility to share the things that I’ve seen.” Who could possibly afford to purchase all the children? Where would they go? How can the cycle stop repeating? These are difficult questions, and the answer is as big as our God.

And our God is BIG.

People started getting involved, including Fenton Moorhead of Brookwood Church, who prior to our September trip, worked to educate others on the problem and ask for prayer and God’s miraculous provision of a solution.

Volunteers stepped up, asking about international justice organizations and other efforts to shut down the quarry. Praveen, our ministry partner contact in India that continues to open our eyes to the needs of Untouchables, has been praying and seeking an answer to the heart of the problem: salvation. In his regular contact with the owner of one of the quarries, Praveen has seen a shifting, a subtle change to the hardness of heart that allows children to endure such horrid conditions. With assistance from the Indian government, plans were made for the release of some children.

God did it! Last week, 152 children were released into freedom. All 71 boys and 82 girls were allowed to leave with Praveen. No money was paid to get the children released. Praveen attributes this incredible miracle to the hand of God. The photo to the left shows the smiles of the boys as they prepared to leave the quarry. Praveen is in the middle. Notice in the photo below that children are climbing out of quarry (some in bare feet)...to their freedom.

Brookwood Church has been instrumental in helping this first batch of children get settled with Praveen. They have contributed $5,000 for the first month of care including food, shelter, medical attention, education, and Christian nurturing.

Here are some additional photos, including their working and sleeping conditions. Again, most children are barefoot and use large pieces of slate to create a makeshift shelter for sleeping. Photo right: When our ministry partner, Praveen, came to the quarry to let the children know they would be released, be brought branches of bananas and bags of water for each child.

Photo below: Sleeping conditions

Photo below: This raw material gathered is exported around the world and can be found in America.

It's miraculous, and our hearts are overflowing with joy at each life that has been rescued. But there is still SO much to be done. We need help.

Get involved. There is a great need to additional contributions for future months and for future children to be released. Can you sponsor a child for 70 cents a day? There are nearly 2,900 more children in other quarries near Praveen that need to be released. Please pray for the peaceful removal of these children. Pray that the quarry owners will not retaliate or act deceptively to protect their crimes.

Keep praying. Donate. There is more to do in India. We are overwhelmed at God’s miraculous acts for His children in India.

FAQ:

Are children returned to their parents? Obviously, the children cannot return to their parents. The parents would simply repeat the cycle. These parents have been raised in a society that teaches all Untouchables have neither souls nor value. They’ve been manipulated by greedy and cunning loan sharks into overwhelming amounts of debt. To learn more about Untouchables, visit our website information page on India. You can also read our previous blog, hear from Rob (our guest bloggerwho has lived in India, or watch our video. (Video lovingly produced by Pete Hansen)

Can the orphanage support an additional 3,000 kids? No. Although it’s incredibly cheap to live in India (a child can be funded for 70 cents/day), the total bill to provide basic food and shelter for the children is around $10,000 a month. In an emergency, yes, this can be accomplished. But long term, there are some practical solutions that need to be implemented for their own sustainability: purchasing land, planting crops, learning to sew, etc. to earn a living and be self-reliant. None of these children have been able to attend school. There is a need for teachers. Christians and churches are trying to help with lodging, but there is an urgent need for additional space and/or new orphanage. This is going to take some serious investment, knowledge and experience to make this possible. Photo: Girls waiting to be released to freedom.

What about the men that are exploiting these kids? What is being done is a crime of international proportions. Child slavery IS illegal in India (although, so are ‘Untouchables’). We have several connections that are working to shut these quarries down, not just replace the children with new ones. The children are being released to freedom, not sold. The government of India has been cooperating. Awareness is spreading. This is an amazing miracle, beyond what we thought possible upon first learning of the situation. Our God is an awesome God!

Did the slate from my house come from this quarry or others like it? Yes, some of this slate has most likely reached the USA, but it’s almost impossible to track a finished product to the source. The raw material is gathered in India, but from there could be sent anywhere internationally to be packaged, branded, distributed, etc. Be an educated consumer before you buy. Research your product and its labor history. Obviously, no one would buy a countertop that had a picture of a child slave posted above it. Take the initiative to find out where materials originate.

What can I do? This is an urgent need, and we’re asking for prayer, support, and networking. Pray that the other 2,900 children will be freely released. Pray that God will provide the means for the orphanage and already impoverished Untouchable community to provide basic food and shelter for them once released. Pray for teachers. Go. Be a teacher. Be an advocate. Share this story with your networks. Organize a fundraiser to help the children. Donations can be made securely online by clicking HERE, or sent to our office at P.O. Box 24151 Greenville, SC 29616.

-April

Please call 864.469.9500 or contact us if we can talk to your church, work, or community group about temporarily supporing the children, or if you know someone experienced in international land development.

Roland can be reached at roland@givefreshwater.org

India Trip Report from Roland Bergeron

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:58:00 GMT

I led a team of 4 people on a trip to India in late September. Steve Hall and Lisa Worsham (both of Greenville, SC) plus Beth Hines and Julie Fine (from Indiana) made up the team. Steve and Lisa are affiliated with Water of Life. Beth and Julie are affiliated with Nurses 4 the Nations, an organization of medical professionals who provide various health care / medical services to people in the third world. WOl and N4N are working together in India and Liberia, West Africa.

In India, we have partnered with Pastor Chakravarthy Praveen and his Sylom Pastors Association. Praveen (photo left) is a young Christian pastor who has been called to spread the Gospel among the people in India. His primary calling is among the tribal people who are considered "untouchable” (less than human) in Andhra Pradesh state.

The purpose of the trip was to review the work Water of Life has done in India during the last year, witness and participate in the church planting effort, encourage Praveen and his affiliated Pastors, and assess the medical needs of the tribal areas for future N4N work. Water of Life provided money to drill 13 wells in tribal villages during the last year.

While in Andhra Pradesh we visited about 40 different villages where we met the local believers and prayed and worshipped with them. Most of the churches we visited are little more than huts. Many don’t have walls, only a thatched roof. Some are meeting in the open as their church has been damaged by storms or burned by Hindu militants. In each place, you could feel the Holy Spirit at work among the believers. You see, accepting Christ in India often means being rejected by your family and community, sometimes it means a good beating, and even being killed for your faith. We visited one village where the evangelist was recently killed for preaching in the village. There is now another Pastor going there to tell the people about Jesus. We had a water well drilled in this village while we were in the country to demonstrate God’s love for them as they were suffering from the lack of clean water. The church is now planted and growing where the Hindu militants murdered the pastor a few months ago.

We visited nine of the wells that Water of Life had installed during the last year, and saw the difference clean water makes. The people in the village are noticeably healthier. The people tell us that much of the sickness is gone. Typhoid, a by-product of dirty water, is epidemic in the villages. Eighty percent of the people we tested had Typhoid. The nurses from N4N were there to assess the health issues and Typhoid was identified as one of the most common diseases in rural India. I was told repeatedly that Typhoid is now rare in the villages where wells have been drilled. We were also told that there is significant church growth after a water well is drilled. In some cases the church has doubled and even tripled in size. I visited one village where the entire village (nearly 1,000 people) are believers. Many of them believing after the well was drilled.

We also met many dedicated men of God. There are over 1,000 pastors who have affiliated with Praveen’s pastors association. These are ordinary people who have dedicated their lives to telling the "untouchables” about Jesus. They work tirelessly to plant churches. None of them are receiving any support. They walk from village to village to preach and teach. These are remarkable men who have given their lives (literally) to God. We heard many stories of persecution. Beatings and murders are common.

They showed us their scars.

The final leg of my trip was made after the team left for home. I traveled to Markapur, Andhra Pradesh to visit some rock quarries where over 3,000 children are enslaved and work in the quarries. I witnessed and photographed this atrocity in two of the quarries. I also participated in providing about 200 children some food and water. Words just can’t describe the inhumanity. These are children from about 8 to 18 years old who are sold by their parents into slavery. The children are fed one meal a day. They sleep out in the open and if they get sick or injured, they usually die because they are not worth the cost of medicine. They work in the quarries, moving the rock with their bare hands. Most don’t have shoes.

I’m home now, and thanking God for being born in the USA. I am more convinced than ever that God has called us to work with Praveen in India. WOL is a part of the great work of spreading the Gospel in India. Our work is bearing fruit. We are making a huge difference in the lives of people who are "the least of these” Matthew 24:40. I am asking everyone to see how you can help us provide clean water to the disadvantaged and help us to tell them about Jesus.

-Roland

Special thanks to Lisa Worsham for photography

Guest Blog: Life in India

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:00:00 GMT

It probably wasn’t originally a very bad idea at all. It could have been helpful for the son of a carpenter for example to be culturally predisposed to studying carpentry. Especially in a community with little opportunity for an education, studying the trade of one’s ancestors might have been the only viable means for work.

However it is now something much different. India’s Caste System has become the single greatest means of oppression arguably the world has ever seen. India’s current Prime Minister- the Cambridge educated Dr. Manmohan Singh has likened the situation to that of South African Apartheid (Click here to read the full story) Although he did not point out that the oppressed population of India is roughly 15x greater than that of the previously oppressed South Africa, he is still the first major leader to acknowledge the crisis.

The Caste System was born from Hindu ideology. Hinduism teaches that mankind is formed from different parts of God (Brahma). Those made from his head (Brahmins) being the highest caste followed subsequent castes corresponding to lower parts of Brahma’s body. The lowest "caste”, technically not even considered in the Caste System, is the Dalit Caste. Hinduism teaches that they were formed from the dust beneath Brahma’s feet and are therefore sub-human sometimes even considered lower than dogs.

This means they are permitted to only the vilest of jobs. They can pick up trash. They can shovel cow dung. In my apartment complex when the septic tank had problems, a Dalit man would slowly climb into the tank wearing nothing more than his underwear, remain down there fixing whichever problem had arose that day, before slowly resurfacing. It was not uncommon for neighbors to refuse him water just to rinse himself off. (Photo by Pete Hansen)

In one community, young Dalit girls are sold into prostitution to the goddess Yellama. (Click here to read the full story.) As I drove through there I noticed that Police had replaced the traditional "Children Crossing” sign with signs saying "Do not sell your children to the goddess.” Unfortunately the Police were also often patrons of the temple’s child prostitutes.

The Dalits of India number nearly 300 million by some statistics. That is roughly the same as the population of the entire United States. Although this issue is nearly impossible to fully comprehend, it can not be ignored.

There is good news. God is at work in India. He is using this oppression to draw people out of the claws of Hinduism. Many have repented and begun to follow Christ, but even more are still waiting to hear his name for the first time. They have become disillusioned with Hinduism but have no understanding of anywhere else to turn. We must rise to this occasion. We need people to go and live in India, we need people to go on short-term trips and we need people to support the work in India. Financially speaking the US Dollar is so much heavier than the Indian Rupee that we have before us an incredibly unique opportunity to accomplish much with very little resources. In short- $1 in India goes much further than $1 in the US.

The most effective, and some would argue biblical way to reach the Dalit community at this time is through showing them the love of Christ through practical, tangible ways. When Water of Life digs a well on the clearly defined "Dalit Side” of a village it not only provides fresh water but it works to topple their sub-human identity. It proclaims to the entire village that the Dalits are loved and valuable not only to us, but to the God we represent. Water of Life must continue their work in India and they can not do it without our support.

-Rob

Help Water of Life in India. Click here to donate.

October events

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:05:00 GMT

India Trip Update

What: Come out for a quick, informal night and hear about our recent trip to India. Meet team members and other WOL supporters, and learn how you can pray and be a part of the ministry.

When: Thursday, October 6th at 7 p.m.

Where: Brookwood Church - Pod A

Directions to Brookwood

Zumbathon

When: Friday, October 14th The fun begins at 6:30pm and lasts until 8:00pm

Where: Golden Strip YMCA Hwy 14 (Physical address: 100 Adams Mill Rd., Simpsonville, SC 29681). See the facebook event.

Cost: $10 per person (even little people welcome)

Questions: Contact Misty Renfro-Childs at 864-346-0525 for additional questions and pre-registration. Thank you, Misty, for having the passion to lead such an awesome event!

Why? Some thoughts from Misty: Proceeds will be used to plant a church and build a water well near the rock quarries in India. All of this is made possible because of the amazing ministry of WATER OF LIFE. WOL has brought a sect of people in India to our attention. These people are known as "dalits" or "untouchables". Simply put, they are considered so undesirable you do not even want to touch them. They are believed to have been born into their horrible impoverished state because they deserve it. This belief is based around the Hindu understanding of reincarnation.

The Dalit people are denied basic human rights and sadly their children are forced into hard labor in rock quarries. These children are treated worse than animals. They are given only one meal a day and made to sleep outside under trees. The females are often forced into the sex trade as early as 10 years old.

The filthy water they are forced to drink is used for bathing, cooking and is contaminated with rotting carcasses, feces and parasites. The consumption of this water is causing malaria and typhoid as well as other horrible diseases. Here in America this is a hard reality to really wrap our minds around. But I assure you every day there are people living out this tragedy. Our goal is to do what we can to help. One water well will change thousands of people's lives. YOU can help! Come burn some calories with me at our Zumbathon! - Misty

What’s ZUMBA? Zumba is a fun workout that fuses many different forms of dancing with a fantastic, aerobic-type workout. The beauty of this workout is you control the intensity! The music ranges from swing to salsa and everything in between.

Links We Like

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:09:24 GMT

Recently, we've come across some excellent online material to encourage, remind, and challenge us in our daily lives and our view of misisons. Here are three links that are worth a few minutes of your time:

1. Don't Complicate the "Missionary Call" - from Desiring God blog

"Dramatic calls to ministry are the exception. If you have it in your heart to go, then go. Then, lean on the sovereignty of God to get you where he wants you in the harvest. Don’t worry about "running ahead of God.” You aren’t that quick!"

2. Depraved Indifference - an Eric Ludy video

"Your hands? Those are My hands. Your feet? Those are My feet....I rescue the weak and the vulnerable through you."

3. Incarnating the Gospel with Your Hands - from Active Faith blog

"Thank God for experts who are willing to go with their talents. But we all know that most of us are ordinary. Nevertheless, when ordinary Christians use the ordinary equipment that Jesus has given us, He will accomplish extraordinary and eternal good."

WOL Meetup: August 25th 7pm

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for Thursday evening, August 25^th, when you’ll be able to get an update from Roland on his recent trip to West Africa and learn about exciting information on future Water of Life events and opportunities.

This is not a fundraiser. It’s simply an informal way for us to keep you updated on the ministry and thank you for being involved. It is open to all who are interested. There is no need to RSVP. Please feel free to show up and bring friends.

What: Water of Life meet and greet

When: Thursday night, August 25^th

Time: 7 -8 p.m.

Where: FGP - Find Great People business office

Address: 15 Brendan Way, Suite 140, Greenville, SC 29615

We are grateful to Steve Hall and Find Great People for letting us use their offices for this event.

Hope to see you there!