The Water Well Project
September 20
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
Matthew 25:35
As church small-groups go, the ‘Empty Nesters’ weren’t that different from most groups seeking to grow in God. What they were accomplishing was. Made up of middle-aged adults whose children were raised and on their own, these fifteen friends set out to impact the world for Christ.
Having recently completed a study of Robert Stearns’ ‘The Hole in The Gospel’, they felt an urgency to pray for God to give them a life-altering project. Several ideas were submitted, but when the ‘Water Well Project’ was proposed they knew…this was God’s directive; drill deep water wells in communities that got their water by carrying it long distances, from polluted streams. The guidelines for consideration were very specific; it had to meet the needs of Christians or be a Christian witness; it had to be an answer to prayer; it had to have local oversight to be maintained and repaired; and the well had to belong to a community so local warlords couldn’t move in and take over, selling the water to the poor.
They agreed to deposit any extra or unexpected funds into a group account. They gave money from the sale of an old car, employment shift differential, work bonuses, overtime and unsought part-time jobs, speaking honorariums, aluminum cans, the difference between buying an item on sale and its regular price; God presented them myriad inventive ways to save. No one missed a meal, a mortgage payment, or tithing. And in less than a year, they amassed over $30,000.
With God’s guidance, they financed the shipping of a drilling rig, and the drilling of two water wells in Serabu, Sierra Leone. To date, they are still drilling wells.
†
The power to impact the world for Christ is within our reach; God is looking for those who will ask for the impossible, believing He will respond. So when we commit to joining Him in projects He is passionate about, things happen.
It’s not the extraordinary who do great things; more often than not they are just everyday people doing what God laid on their hearts.
Do you have a desire to make a difference? Ask God where to start, and then step out in faith!
Prayer
“Show me where I can impact the world, LORD, and guide my steps as I go about the business of being Your implement. Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment