Photo via mnnonline.org

Advent Conspiracy wells to help prevent waterborne illness

As flood waters recede, waterlogged southern India faces the threat of a secondary crisis in the form of waterborne disease, reports MNN.

With stagnant water everywhere, India is in desperate need of clean drinking water. Providing access to this water is among the higher priorities for aid groups.

Living Water International is among these groups, and they are pitching in through the Advent Conspiracy project.

Three years ago, Living Water became involved with Advent Conspiracy, which focuses on Christians changing their mindsets about the Christmas season.

"First, we give relationally. We give our time to each other. We make stuff for each other. Then, we take what we would have otherwise spent on sweaters and fruitcakes and gift cards and distribute that," said Paul Darilek, who works with the communications and development teams at Living Water.

All of this came about when a group of pastors got together to discuss how commercialized Christmas had become and how the focus of many Christians was skewed.

The group looked at four things they believed needed to take place. First, they needed to let their congregations worship fully during this season.

Next, they realized that their attitudes towards giving needed to change.

"God gave a Son, and our tendency is to give gift cards," said Stan Patyrak, Living Water's senior director of development. They asked what it would be like if Christians gave more relationally, like Christ did, rather than the materialism so many are use to.

The third thing the group challenged the Church to do was to spend less. They realized that Christians accumulate debt over the holidays to give gifts that are forgotten within a few weeks.

Finally, Patyrak said they wanted to encourage Christ-followers to devote their time to loving others nearby and across the world.

Through a lack of spending and a new attitude about giving, donations to Living Water have enabled them to restore or provide wells in countries with a severe need, including India.

Through Advent Conspiracy and clean water, Living Water and those they are partnering with across the world are not only preventing the spread of waterborne illnesses, but they are also sharing Christ's love in a powerful way.

Every time a well is repaired or dug, Patyrak said it shows "the declaration of the love of God being available for everyone and that this well that's being provided is available for everyone--regardless of what they believe, regardless of what caste they may be in."

No one is turned away. In fact, when a community well dried up in India where Christians had not been allowed to gather water, the believers in the area reached out to these people and shared water from their own well.

"Water was a powerful testimony--to be able to sit down with a pastor and say, ‘How can you use us as a ministry tool to draw people into your church?'" said Darilek.

Patyrak added that through the churches in India providing these wells for those in need, the size of many churches has doubled, and it has also made the church an oasis of physical and spiritual living water.

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TAGS: India Advent Conspiracy wells waterborne illness Living Water International

[10/20/2009]

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