So far we've been able to partner with the work there by selling cupcakes to benefit a youth center being built and selling jewelry to help the Babies Without Milk Program.
I am so excited to tell you about our next project because it partners the people we love on this side of the ocean (you and our family at Calvary Baptist Church) with the people we love on the other side of the ocean and the work they are doing there through a well digging initiative.
Meet the Gebhard family.
I was able to have their youngest daughter in the VBS I planned on my very first trip. And Jeremy got to meet their older kids when he went to work with the youth last year.
They work among a people group in West Africa in David's birth country. Their primary work is that of Bible translation. One of the community development projects they are a part of is digging wells to provide clean water.
Marc believes that clean water is important, not only because it keeps people from being sick, but also because, “Sharing clean water opens great doors to sharing living water.”
Check out these photos of past well projects:
In a tiny village of 300 or so a well crew works to turn augur bit as they work on a new well and pump for a village that never had any clean water source in their village before.
Another well project in process in for a literacy center in the forest region.
Going into night mode with the well drilling work.
This village that has had to contend with a 20 minute walk to a spring that goes dry in dry season for generations is about to have a pump in the middle of their village.
In a tiny village of 300 or so a well crew works to turn augur bit as they work on a new well and pump for a village that never had any clean water source in their village before.
Children from the village where a well was dug.
Dealing with African soil.
Don't those pictures just make you want to join in?!
Here at home I have the privilege of being part of the Family Quest lesson writing team at our church. This semester we have been studying the woman at the well. Each unit we challenge our families to engage in a service project. As part of learning about the woman at the well we challenged families to ONLY drink water for one week and to make a donation towards building wells in West Africa. You could give $.25 for each glass of clean water you enjoyed, or be even more generous!
Our family of course went all in on this because West Africa is where our heart is. We allowed our kids to drink milk at school but otherwise as a family we drank water. This challenge came at the perfect time for us. We normally don't have a lot of fun drinks at our house. However, with it being after Christmas our fridge was stocked with Cranberry Sierra Mist (my favorite) and Kool-aid bottles the kids had gotten as a gift. It was fun to watch our kids remind us, "Only water!" when friends spent the night. We didn't have a spotless record but for the most part we stuck to our sacrifice. We enjoyed having our "treat" drinks for breakfast the day we broke our fast.
Fasting with our kids has been a huge learning experience for us as a family and one I wouldn't trade. Our kids (who whine and complain like all kids) are much more willing to sacrifice then I would have thought. I love their reminders of our commitment and I love that as we practice this discipline sacrifice won't seem so foreign to them as they grow into making their own commitments to the Lord.
Breaking our fast at breakfast.
I can't end this post without extending the opportunity to you to join in!
Our church has set our goal of raising $7,500 towards building more wells. We'd love to have you help us. You can take the one week water only challenge (No coffee? Are you brave?!) or you can simply make a donation.
As a Calvary Baptish Church member simply put a check in the offering plate with Wells for West Africa in the memo line.
For far away friends who are interested in contributing to the Gebhard's Village Wells fund, you may send a donation made out to Pioneer Bible Translators (make sure to write village wells on the memo line) to:
PBT-Gebhard
P.O. Box 10184
Terre Haute, IN 47801
or simply click here to donate online. On the drop down menu choose Projects. Then choose Gebhard Village Well Drilling
If you'd like to teach your kiddos more about the need for clean water this is a great video. While this video is not linked specifically to this project its a great tool for understanding the need for clean water in Africa.
If you'd like to read a first hand account of why Marc thinks the need for clean water is greater now than ever before due to the current health crisis in West Africa you can read his post "Water to Wash."
Trusting the Lord to amaze us as we labor together for his work in West Africa!
