Living Water for India - A Christmas Missions Offering

Living Water for India

Our Christmas Missions Offering

A letter to Friends and Members of RCF from Senior Pastor, Ed Wandling

Little did the staff know when we selected a ministry in India for RCF’s annual Christmas Missions Gift that Mumbai, India would be so prominently and tragically in the news, but that’s exactly what has happened. While no one, including God, would want this senseless loss of life, there is now greater opportunity than before to influence India for Christ.

Times of India, an Indian Newspaper, conducted a survey in which it asked what one thing the people of India wanted more than anything else. Ninety-three percent of the people wanted clean water. Through Sower of Seeds International Ministries, Inc., we are going to be able to help meet this vital, physical need felt by nearly every Indian while spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The typical Indian family’s life revolves around obtaining enough water for cooking, washing, and drinking. Half the day is spent waiting in long lines or walking long distances to contaminated water sources. Thousands of children die every year due to waterborne illnesses, and water is often auctioned to the highest bidder - taking half of a family’s earnings.

Sower of Seeds is an international ministry, based out of Keller, Texas, providing water wells in India. One well provides 1,000 people with water for the next thirty years. Almost always these wells are paired with the ministry of a Christian Church, allowing the people of the church to become the town heroes as they point out Jesus Christ provided them with clean water – something their 30,000 Hindu gods had not been able to do. You can see the power of this approach.

Our 2008 Goal for our Christmas Mission Gift is to supply $4,800 to sink one well that will provide 1,000 people with clean, convenient water for the next 30 years. It’s an aggressive goal, and we have no money in the budget for it. So we will be receiving special offerings throughout the month of December to meet this opportunity. The challenge for us is to give above and beyond what we would normally give so our local ministry does not suffer while we support this important mission.

On January 18, Chase Wilsey of Sower of Seeds and Champions for India will be speaking in our service. It’s my hope we will be able to present him with a check of at least $4,800 at that time. Let’s make a difference, not only in the lives of 1,000 people for a day, but for a generation and for eternity!