This is a followup to the Oct 1st piece I submitted that Don wrote while in Uganda. I pray that each one of us will take action with our Faith. I know that God Almighty will honor and bless our actions.
Men of Willow Water Project
October2011 Update
To the Men of Willow, Our Friends and Family,
This is our update for October 2011. You play an integral part in getting this message out. Don't let it stop with you. Please forward this to anyone you think may be interested. For more information about this project, visit us at http://menofwillow.com.
As of this date we have received $23,429 toward our goal of $30,000 to fully fund our second solar- powered water-purification system through our partner, Water Missions International.
Defending the Gospel
On my return flight from Uganda I found myself in an awkward position. I had a copy of a book entitled “The Book That Transforms Nations.” It is about the power of the Bible to change any country. The man sitting two seats over from me asked if he could look at it. After a few minutes he handed it back to me and asked me if I thought China might become a Christian nation someday. I said I had hopes that it could to which he replied, “I hope not.” He then began to give a dissertation on why he thought that the Bible offers no practical help for the suffering. He cited American attitudes ( from a supposed “Christian nation”) that he claimed did much more harm than good, things such as questionable foreign trade policies, the hypocrisies of those who claim to live by the Bible, and the futility of faith to make any practical difference. He said the real answers come only from the field of psychology.
It was then I knew I was in trouble. If I could, I would have got Tony Campolo on the line and handed the phone to this guy. Tony would have set him straight. But it was just me and him with a fellow sitting between us (an American) who offered a little support. It became obvious that this man was intellectually superior to me. (Contrary to what some may give me credit for, I just ain't that smart.) Like Nehemiah, I whispered a pray to God: “Help!!!” I felt like David against Goliath. But along with David, I believed our cause was worth defending. I just didn't have any stones handy. Or did I?
I pointed out that the majority of humanitarian aid around the world is from people and organizations that are inspired and motivated by Biblical principles. I gave him the example of what the Men of Willow had done in Ndejje and that we were close to funding another water project. I told him we did this in response to the Bible's influence on our lives. I then asked him what he, as an individual, was doing to make a difference; was he part of the solution or part of the problem? He had to admit his efforts were quite limited. I then asked him if he believed in an afterlife... which quickly ended further discussion. I wonder why?
It was a thought-provoking conversation. I have no idea what effect it had on him or the fellow sitting between us, but it has given me a lot to think about. Are we as well prepared as we should be to defend our beliefs? Do we do it by words or actions? The needs are so great and the efforts so inadequate. That is one of the feelings we felt while in Uganda. Everywhere we went we saw poverty and need; yet the people were relatively happy. Maybe it was partly because they have known of no other way of life. But for those we met, there was faith. Not shallow, superficial faith, but genuine, sincere faith. Extreme faith. You could tell by the way they worshiped and prayed. They were aware of their need for better living conditions and they longed for that. But their lack did not affect their faith and joy of life. Yes, there is much hardship and sorrow there, but there is also joy in knowing Jesus and that is what they cling to.
Inadequate
This is one of the words that describe what Bob and I felt when we saw the overwhelming needs in Uganda. Everywhere we went there were people carrying water jugs. They were either going down to get water out of dirty streams, ponds or swamps, or they were coming back with a heavy load of contaminated water. This is a daily task. We are trying to provide one more solar-powered water- purification system. When I saw the need, I thought 10,000 systems would barely make a dent in the overall picture. It seem like so little, for many, too late. From a strictly human perspective, our best efforts offer little hope. But we are not limited to human perspective, are we?
I am reminded of a story that is recorded in all four gospels. It is the story where Jesus miraculously feeds five thousand. And that was just counting the men. John's Gospel tells us that it was “a boy” who provided the five loaves and two fish which Jesus then multiplied to feed thousands. When presented with the need, the disciples thought it impractical for them to come up with the solution. Jesus saw otherwise.
Our approach to promoting the water projects has not been dependent upon our ability to raise funds. We have rarely asked anyone directly to give to this cause. We just inform people of the need and the opportunity to become part of this story. Then we ask God to move in the hearts of those he wants to give to this project. We do our part and God does his. Like the boy with the loaves and fish, what we do seems so little in light of the need. What God does with what we offer is far beyond our comprehension. Out of our hands into his. He turned water into wine, fed multitudes out of a lunchbox, made manna fall from the sky and made water gush forth from a rock in the wilderness. I wonder what he will accomplish with our offering of a solar-powered water- purification system? It is not what we give, but what he does that will really make a difference. We just have the privilege and joy of being a part of the story.
If you are inclined to be part of the story and contribute toward the $ 6,571 still needed to fund the next project you can do so as follows:
For directions on how and where to make your contribution, go to http://menofwillow.com and click on Contributions. Or you can go directly to WMI's online donation page by clicking
https://my.watermissions.org/donate and selecting Men of Willow in the designation box. You can also mail a check to Water Missions International, P.O. Box 31258, Charleston, SC 29417. Write “Men of Willow” in the memo section.
For questions or more information, contact Don Neuman at menofwillow@gmail.com or phone (847) 452-1100.
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