PIPELINE REACHING THE WORLD WITH WATER & THE WORD SPRING 2007
HAITI: breaking free
THIS ISSUE...
LOOKING BACK AT 2006
THE LIBERIAN DISCIPLE
REMEMBER WORLD WATER DAY
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
THE HOPE OF SUDAN
LWI GALA IN D.C.
T
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
The very first words in Living Water International’s mission statement are “LWI exists to demonstrate the love of God…” Consider all the ways you can demonstrate the love of God. If you have
tried, you know how frustrating it can be at times. Actually, we don’t have what it takes to demonstrate the love of God apart from the indwelling life of Christ.
The real key to demonstrating the love of God is given to us in Romans 5:5,
which says that “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” That’s really the only way for us to demonstrate the love of God, to let Him do it through us as we make ourselves available to Him. God is not interested in what we can do for Him, but what He can do through us. The fact that clean water saves lives is really secondary when you consider our ultimate mission here on earth. It is a great privilege and a blessing to be able to give a cup of water in Jesus’ name, and to know that LWI is being used by the Lord to save lives and change destinies every day around the world. Our mission is not primarily about saving and changing physical lives, but ultimately about bringing spiritual and eternal life to those who are helpless, hopeless and in need of the love of God. While organizational effectiveness and efficiency, best practices and strategic planning are all important, at the end of the day, our vision, mission and core values are what will keep us on track. What a delight to be a part of a movement that was birthed by God Almighty and maintained by Him. Our desire is to be faithful servants and stewards.
LWI AROUND THE WORLD
SIGN UP FOR OUR E-PRAYER LETTER! Our ministry is built upon faith in God to provide for all our needs, fulfill His promises, guide our steps and protect us from danger. We simply cannot do what we do without faith and prayer. We would love for you to pray for us. Visit our web site (www.water.cc) to become a prayer partner for Living Water International. Just type your e-mail address into the sign-up on the home page.
PIPELINE VOLUME 6
NUMBER 1
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
Executive Director
Gary Evans
President
Jerry Wiles
Vice President
Lew Hough
Vice President
Tim Mulville
Vice President
Bruce Whitmire
Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by providing desperately needed clean water and medical attention, along with the living water of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone satisfies the deepest thirst. PIPELINE is published quarterly by Living Water International to raise awareness about the global water crisis and to inspire Christians everywhere to respond with compassion to the needy of the world. We welcome your stories, comments and/or address changes. Send them to: The Editor, Pipeline, PO Box 35496, Houston, TX 77235-5496 or e-mail the editor: pipeline@water.cc.
4 HAITI: breaking free
Living Water International is a nonprofit Christian organization and tax exempt by the IRS under code section 501(c)(3). Gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. Contributions are solicited with the understanding that the donee organization has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
THE LIBERIAN DISCIPLE One LWI - Liberia staff member shows that providing clean water and teaching hygiene to his people is more than just a job
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All photos by staff and volunteers of Living Water International unless otherwise noted. COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL INC.
THE HOPE OF SUDAN WATER FOR HAITI With the help of Gerard Pintieve, an LWI
Water from the ground and Water from the Word have given hope to villages in Southern Sudan
local contractor in Léogâne, this well in the Haitian village of Chatuley was restored and now brings the residents safe, clean water.
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Combined Federal Campaign # 1197
2006: YEAR IN REVIEW EVANGELICAL
PRESS ASSOCIATION
WORLD WATER DAY 2007
MEET THE STAFF
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
12 14 15
HAITI: breaking free
HAITI CAP HAITIEN
JÉRÉMIE
LÉOGÂNE
POPULATION: 8.3 MILLION POPULATION LACKING CLEAN WATER: 3.8 MILLION (46%) POPULATION BELOW THE POVERTY LINE: 6.6 MILLION (80%) LIFE EXPECTANCY: 53 YEARS INFANT MORTALITY RATE: 71.65 DEATHS PER 1000 LIVE BIRTHS
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Spring 2007
Since the 2004 ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti has struggled and stumbled along to overcome its violent history and build a strong, stable society. Democratic elections were organized by the UN sponsored interim government, but repeated eruptions of violence and technical problems delayed Haitians from electing their new leaders until May 2006. As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80 percent of its population lives below the poverty line and 54 percent live in abject poverty. Two-thirds of the nation’s children have absolutely no access to an education. An estimated 3.8 million Haitians (46 percent of Haiti’s population) do not have access to an improved water source, and 5.8 million do not have adequate sanitation. Although the urban areas suffer greatly, the rural areas are desperate for clean water and sanitation. In July 2004, Living Water International began repairing broken hand pumps in Haiti. The country has thousands of wells that have been incapacitated either by overuse, vandalism or war. Violence has often inhibited our work there, sometimes suspending operations for months on end, but God has enabled us to complete three new wells and rehabilitate 38 broken wells in Haiti since 2004. LWI is currently working in the Cap Haitien area in the northeast part of the country and in Léogâne, located near the capital of Port-au-Prince. Future work is planned for the southern peninsula in Jérémie. Voodoo is prevalent in Haiti. Although 96 percent of the population is nominally Christian, it’s estimated that at least half of the population practices Voodoo. There is a very real, spiritual war being fought for the souls of Haiti. In the following testimonies from Jim Mohney and Jack Vaughn, you’ll read about the reality of Voodoo and God’s miraculous triumphs through faith and obedience. Please pray for the people of Haiti as they struggle through violence, poverty and corruption to rebuild their nation. Pray for LWI’s work as we minister to the most desperate and destitute people in our corner of the world. Pray also for the safety and impact of LWI mission teams that travel to Haiti in the coming year.
the miracle well
by Jim Mohney
Living Water International has recently begun taking teams to the Cap Haitien area of Haiti, located in the northern part of the country, to repair broken hand pumps. We are partnering with an organization called New Life Churches & Bible Colleges of the Caribbean. Their ministry is to train and equip believers to be national pastors. We will also be equipping some of these pastors in the future, teaching them pump repair and drilling skills. This will allow the pastors to go into villages where the gospel is not always welcome. When they bring or restore clean water to a community, they can share the love of God as well. On this particular trip in November 2006, the team worked on three wells in a garden project orchestrated by Hope for Haiti. Hope for Haiti is a Christian organization that works with nationals to teach them gardening and marketing skills. These skills give the people healthy food to eat, as well as a supply to sell. With this project, close to the town of Caracol in Haiti’s Northeast Department, they encountered a major problem with the source of water. Our team had time while waiting for some supplies to arrive, so we offered to look at the wells. We are always reminded that part of being on a mission trip is being flexible, because you never know what God has planned for you. The wells had been put in by a local driller, but only one was producing water. The other two had not had pumps installed for the people to use them. On top of that, the nationals where led to believe that a voodoo curse had been put on these gardens, so they did not have much hope in them. Voodoo is very real in Haiti. After diagnosing the problems, we discovered we could repair all three pumps. Once the team repaired one of the pumps, the people became excited and began to work the gardens. One woman even stood by while we were working, waiting for the water to flow. We praised God that we were able to show that He is greater than any voodoo curse. “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We continued to look at other wells in the area that needed repair. While investigating wells near the town of Cahasse, we discovered there was hardly any water in the wells. The rainy season was almost over, and the rains had missed this part of the island. There was only a foot of water in these wells. Soon they would all dry up and there would be no water in the area, except for a long walk to a dirty, polluted river.It would
do no good to try and repair these pumps. While we were wondering what we could do to bring water to these people who desperately needed it, one of the pastors working with us showed us a well that had been drilled 17 years ago. The group that drilled it had never completed the project. We decided this might be worth looking into. We found the pipe
Left: Children at the “Miracle Well” in near Cahasse, Haiti. Above: A girl pumps water from one of the repaired pumps in the garden project. Top: Jim Mohney and nationals install a pump in the garden project in Caracol, Haiti.
www.water.cc
PIPELINE
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sticking up from the ground, hidden and surrounded by cactus plants. We cleared the area and checked for water. The well was over 140 feet deep, with plenty of water! We hired some local men and a couple of the pastors to complete the cement work, and our team installed the pump. The water flowed like a stream in the desert. The people rejoiced! The team then shared about Christ’s love for them and they all gave credit to God for this miracle of water. The missionary in the community said the people are now calling it “The Miracle Well.” It should supply this community with their much needed water supply year-round. As we left this wonderful group of people we were reminded of the words of Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). God had a plan 17 years ago when that well was drilled – we just needed to respond to His calling today. Editor’s Note: Jim took a team back to this area in January 2007 and reported that the gardens near Caracol are now lush from the water supplied from the repaired pumps. Praise God that Jim and his November team were able to show God’s love, mercy and power through something as simple as clean water! On the January trip, the team was able to repair nine pumps!
Top: LWI team and nationals install the pump on the “Miracle Well” near the town of Cahasse, Haiti. This 140-foot borehole was drilled 17 years ago by another organization. Jim Mohney and his team had the opportunity to finish it with a pump. It now serves a community whose existing wells would have been dry in another month or two. Below: Children who live in the garden project co-op in Caracol. Right: A girl pumps clean water from a newly repaired pump in the community of Mellier.
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Spring 2007
the léogâne project
by Jack Vaughn
Despite continuing security concerns, the Léogâne area water well rehabilitation project had a banner year in 2006, successfully repairing 11 community water wells and bringing renewed hope to some 5,000 area residents. 2006 was our third year of operations in Léogâne, and since inception, we have rehabilitated in excess of 25 water wells. The genesis for the Léogâne Project was born out of my earlier trips to Haiti as a volunteer on mobile medical clinics organized by the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti (CNP), a non-profit organization based in Chattanooga, Tenn. During the course of these trips, I invariably encountered disabled water wells in the villages where we worked. Soon after, I learned of Living Water International and sensed God’s calling to do something about these incapacitated wells. Early on, CNP was instrumental in gathering GPS data towards building an inventory of disabled wells. With data in hand, I approached Gary Evans, LWI’s Executive Director, about the need for an LWI project in Haiti. He agreed, but immediately dispatched me back to Dallas with a mandate to “raise funds”! We were successful, and our fundraising efforts enabled the formation of the LWI North Texas Volunteer Chapter, which endorsed the Léogâne Project with earnest prayer, physical participation and financial support. In July 2004, I accompanied Lew Hough, LWI’s Vice President of Programs, and Brad Saltzman, LWI’s Director of Pump Repair Services, on an initial survey trip of the Léogâne area to locate wells in need of rehabilitation. Since then, Brad and I have led small, intrepid teams to Haiti to repair wells alongside our local contract workers, Albert Point du Jour and Gerard Pintieve. Today, most of the work is performed by Albert and Gerard. The North Texas Volunteer Chapter continues to engage with the project; past chapter president Steve Rogers and chapter member Peter Ferris have traveled with me to Haiti. LWI’s North Texas Volunteer Chapter will remain committed to the Léogâne
Above: Sony, a Leogane resident, repairs a pump in Chatuley for LWI. Top Right: Jack Vaughn and the LWI team reinstall the pipe for a hand pump in Guerin.
Project, with the hope of training nationals in pump repair to continue sustainable work. In doing so, we will gradually entrust the project to the local citizenry, provide recurring work and the opportunity to impart the message in Christ’s Great Commission. Haiti remains the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The majority of residents survive on less than a dollar a day. In the rural areas, Léogâne County in particular, waterborne diseases continue to afflict the communities and villages of some 500,000 area residents. Subsistence agriculture and small entrepreneurial efforts, such as charcoal manufacturing (a primary reason for endemic deforestation), are the main industries. Although nominally Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist, etc., Voodoo and the worship of spirits permeate Haiti’s countryside. We make it a priority during our pump repairs to pray hard and to rededicate the well to the village in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Recently, we even had the opportunity to use a small DVD player to show a Creole version of the Jesus Film during a medical clinic. We trust the Lord to provide us safety and the wisdom to succeed in Haiti. Haiti is fertile ground for spreading the gospel through the provision of potable water. The devil is there, but clearly, so is Christ!
www.water.cc
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n a i r e b i L The e l p i c s Di
T
by Loren Brock
The Lord calls us to go and make disciples of all nations. Looking at this statement, I find myself a little troubled with the enormity of the task. I mean, how are we to “go and create disciples of nations” when we ourselves are still being discipled? It wasn’t until recently that I came to a greater understanding of how discipleship works. A friend shared a story with me about a time in his life when he was a child helping his father with various household tasks. The story was one of great understanding, of how his father did not really need his contribution to accomplish the task, but had asked him to participate in what he was doing because he loved him and wanted to spend time with him. The story revealed to me that God, my Holy Father, is allowing me to work alongside of Him in making disciples of nations. He uses us to impact the lives of others as He grows them into discipleship. I have seen Him growing a disciple right before my eyes. The young man’s name is Alex N.S. Gborlee. He is a 29-year-old Liberian who grew up in a God-fearing home on a rubber plantation in Liberia’s Grand Bassa County. His first language is Kissi, but he has learned to speak several languages, including French. In 1989, civil war broke out in Liberia’s countryside. Only three years later, at the young age of 12, Alex was forced to flee for Cote d’Ivoire to
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Spring 2007
escape the encroaching conflict. Forced to learn another language in order to get by in the French-speaking country, he wasn’t at all discouraged, but excited about the opportunity. Having to face the realities of war and separation from family and friends, Alex seemed to cling to his faith in Christ and look beyond his negative circumstances. As God would have it, Alex found himself returning to Liberia after the war with a job opportunity to teach French. Like most of us, he wasn’t sure how God was preparing him for things to come, but unlike most, Alex embraced the new challenges that were put in his path. Alex came to Living Water International - Liberia as a logistics assistant during the time of our ex-combatant trade school ministry. He really shined during the capitol building clean-up project for the nation’s presidential inauguration ceremony. There was no getting around the tight ship that Alex was running as he maintained the needs of the crew in the field. As the trade school program came to a close, we saw the potential in Alex’s work
Top: After a full morning of football games with the boys of the Ballah Davis Orphanage home, Alex finds time to teach a few little girls how to wash their hands just before lunch is served. Above: Alex and Loren inspect a hand-dug well in consideration for a hand pump installation project. It is vital to access the well to see what materials will be needed on-site. Left: Alex poses for a picture with his volunteer painting crew after the completion of the orphanage home latrine project in Suehn. The kids enjoyed participating as Alex instructed them in the fun activity of putting the final touches on the latrine.
ethic and kept him on staff as LWI - Liberia’s full-time logistician. I came to know him better as we worked together on 15 latrine projects in and around Monrovia. We would talk for hours as we drove to and from project sites together. I enjoyed watching him soak up everything he could about the Lord. As Alex shared with me, I could truly see how the Lord guided his life into serving Jesus. I saw the Lord grab him with Scripture during our morning devotion time and really convict him to do all things to the glory of God. During one of our morning staff devotions I spoke of the joy and blessing to be able to serve God as we do at LWI. I shared with the staff that this was more than a job, in fact, it was an opportunity to serve the Lord and get paid for it. Alex later told me that the Lord used this devotion to keep him serving with LWI, even when he had been offered more than twice his salary by another organization. One day the Lord placed it on my heart to build up the staff’s morale. We had been working so hard for so many long hours. The staff needed to recharge. So, I took the entire staff to an orphanage where we had just finished a latrine. We weren’t there to start a new project, but to play with the kids. I knew that this would lift their spirits and purge the stress of our intense work load of late. Little did I know how God would use this as an opportunity to grow His disciple. After several hours of playing football (soccer) with the children, lunch was served by the orphanage Mother. We all sat down to a great lunch, but off to the side of the orphanage home, Alex was spotted teaching some little children how to wash their hands before eating. I wasn’t there to see it with my own eyes, but when I saw a picture of Alex reaching out to love on these children, I knew the love of Christ was truly in him. Alex was never asked to teach the children hygiene. He was never asked to do anything other than just have fun and play with the kids, yet he took the time to show them something that could very well impact the rest of their lives. He loved them as Christ loved us. He is more than a logistician, he’s our Liberian disciple. I know that the Lord carried me to Liberia to make disciples, and just like in the story my friend told, my Father doesn’t really need my help, but He loves me so much that he lets me join Him in His work. It is such a joy to see young men come to serve the Lord as disciples as we come together to glorify God in our ministry to bring water and the Word to the people of Liberia. I pray that you too can join God in His work wherever He carries you.
www.water.cc
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HOPE
THE
by Dennis Anderson
Top: Chronological Bible storying under the sycamore tree church. Above: A mother cares for her malnourished child (left), while another child gains new hope (right). Right: Timothy Riley repairs a broken well in Mvolo township.
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Spring 2007
OF SUDAN Hope. Hope is the word that was used often on our November trip to work with the Jur people of Southern Sudan. In May 2006, raiding tribes began to attack Jur villages, raping their women, killing their men and burning their homes to the ground. Our team was humbled by the response from the village folks in Kulu and Mvolo who told us that our very presence there gave them hope, something that they had not sensed for quite some time. How could so much hope exist in a land so torn apart by violence, hatred and death? It seems impossible. This is a land where one in ten children die before they reach the age of five, and where an estimated 1.8 million children have been gravely affected by the brutal violence of armed conflict. In this mostly arid, Saharan land, more than 20 million people lack access to sanitation and 17 million have no source of clean, safe drinking water. So, where does the hope come from? Water from the ground and Water from the Word have given the few villages we visited in Southern Sudan hope in a hopeless land. In the late fall, the dry season, part of our team labored under the hot sun in the open area where the broken hand pump was located in Mvolo township. We would find out later, as we pulled up each section of pipe, how badly rusted and worn the pump was. Fifty yards away, the rest of the team had gathered at the community church’s meeting place – a large sycamore tree whose canopy stretched over pews made of tree limbs. One side provided shade for a small medical camp that day, and on the other side, people gathered to hear stories from the Bible. The Southern Sudanese are an oral society and pass things along from generation to generation with an amazing, uncanny ability to recall an entire story by hearing it only once or twice. We were amazed at the crowd’s patience and their interest as they listened to chronological bible stories – from Creation all the way to Jesus’ resurrection – and an invitation at the end to believe in the Savior for eternal salvation. The team was doubly blessed that day in Mvolo. We witnessed many receiving the Word of God for the first time in their own language, and we were successful in repairing the well itself, which will mean the difference between life and death for many. As the last bolt was being put on the hand pump, someone was already pumping the handle to get
Above: Women at the newly repaired well in Mvolo. A large crowd gathered, jerry cans in hand, jockeying for positions to get this new, clean water. Before the last bolt was placed on the pump, someone was already pumping. Right: Children carrying heavy containers of water to help their family. Women and children bare the primary burden to gather water. The weight of water that women in Africa carry on average on their heads is approximately 44 pounds. Left: In Mvolo, and all over the world, people gather water in anything they can find to hold it, even old oil cans.
water. Before we could dedicate that well to the Lord, a large crowd of women and girls had already gathered, jockeying for positions, jerry buckets in hand, ready to glean some of the newfound water. It was amazing to think that they had received the Living Water of God’s Word earlier under the shade of the nearby sycamore tree church, and now they eagerly received this life-saving clean water. Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has a sordid history of civil wars and internal strife. Rape, murder and cruelty have been common occurrences. The village of Kulu was the first Jur village to be attacked by a raiding tribe moving through the area. It burned to the ground on May 19, 2006. Peter Swann, executive director for Aid Sudan, LWI’s ministry partner for pump repair in Southern Sudan, spent two years with his wife, Shauna, living with the people of Kulu. As Peter stood in the rubble of what used to be his kitchen, he couldn’t believe how desolate this once vibrant village had become. All of Kulu’s 5,900 residents fled after the attack. Nine months later, they are just now returning. While the people of Kulu have a source of clean water, they will soon face a famine. Because they had to flee, they missed harvest time and their crops went to ruin. Brad Saltzman, LWI’s Director of Pump Repair Services, and I were privileged to be a part of this mission team with Aid Sudan staff and volunteers. Living Water International and Aid Sudan are indeed blessed to interact with the Southern Sudanese. It brings us joy to meet their physical needs, but providing them with hope is something that cannot be measured. We want to provide that same hope
to all of the people that we serve around the world. Sudan is a place of turmoil, and has been for at least the last two decades. A 22-year civil war raged between the Arab-controlled north and the black south. In January 2005, a peace agreement ended the war for Southern Sudan, but a new one began in Darfur in 2003. Please pray for the people of Southern Sudan as they struggle to survive in that climate of uncertainty and hostility. There is a drastic ongoing need for clean drinking water. Wells are scarce, and many Sudanese told us they are expecting a drought in the region, which will only exacerbate their already serious problems.
www.water.cc
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2006: YEAR IN REVIE
W
With each passing year, God continues to amaze us. His promises and blessings continued in 2006, as we celebrated our 15 year anniversary with a record-setting gala that raised $1.5 million to provide clean water and sanitation to the poorest of the poor. Funds were also provided in 2006 to begin a new project in Rwanda in 2007. Since
2006: THE NUMBERS NEW WELLS COMPLETED:
577
REHABS COMPLETED:
596
BIO-SAND FILTERS COMPLETED:
1676
MISSION TRIPS:
37
inception, God has allowed us to complete more than 3,900 water projects and install 3,500 bio-sand filters in 21 countries. This year alone, we were able to complete 577 new wells, rehabilitate 596 broken wells and install 1,676 bio-sand filters. To God’s glory, an estimated 5 million people have
NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED IN: SHALLOW WELL DRILLING
146
PUMP REPAIR
27
HEALTH & HYGIENE EDUCATION
84
received clean water and been reached with the gospel since 1991.
MILLIONS
PEOPLE SERVED
2006 INCOME
2006 EXPENSES
�
�
�
�
�
37% Individuals
79.5% Programs
31% Grants
12.5% Development
16% Corporations
8% Administration
9% In-Kind 2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
�
7% Church
Financial figures are estimates for fiscal year 2006. Audited financials will be available later in the year. Look for our complete financial report in the 2006 annual report.
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Spring 2007
EW
PROJECTS IN 2006
Ghana Sunyani
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN Brazil
New wells completed:
El Salvador
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations: Bio-sand filters installed:
Guatemala
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
19 8
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
3 17
Haiti Cap Haitien
1 1
51 8 1357
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
60 16
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
72 10
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
1 2
Kakamega
New wells completed:
13
Liberia
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
26 45
Namibia
New wells completed:
16
Nigeria
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
16 2
Sudan
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
1 2
Tanzania
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
13 3
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations: Bio-sand filters installed:
27 10 18
Tema Kenya Nairobi Mombasa
Léogâne
Well rehabilitations:
Honduras
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations: Bio-sand filters installed:
Mexico Colonia Benito Juarez New wells completed:
6 22 13 301 1
Reynosa
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
2 4
Tampico
New wells completed:
3
Nicaragua
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
11 8
Peru
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
21 12
Uganda Lira
Nakapiripiri
AFRICA
* Incomplete
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
1
Angola
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
16 7
Central African Republic
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
22 350
India North
Ethiopia
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations:
61 24
South
New wells completed:
5
New wells completed:
16
EUROPE & ASIA
Romania
New wells completed: Well rehabilitations: www.water.cc New wells completed:
29
PIPELINE 3 38
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Meet the many faces of LWI as our staff and volunteers share a bit of themselves with you. To find out how we ended up at LWI and to read our testimonies, visit our Web site, www.water.cc.
WORLD WATER DAY 2007
LEW HOUGH VP PROGRAMS YEARS WITH LWI: 9 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?: San Jose, CA What I enjoy most about LWI is watching how people’s perspectives and priorities change when they go with us on a mission trip and realize that they can be a tool that God can use to bless others with the gift of clean water.
PAUL DARILEK
COUNTRY DIRECTOR - EL SALVADOR YEARS WITH LWI: 8 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? San Antonio, TX
In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 22 of each year to be World Water Day. The goal of this day is to promote awareness of the 1.1 billion people without access to clean, safe water. On World Water Day, like any other day, women and children in the developing world will spend their entire day collecting water for their family’s needs. On that day, more than 13,000 people will die from water-related diseases and 6,000 of them will be children. Living Water International would like you to honor World Water Day by praying for the 1.1 billion that lack access to a safe water source and consider participating in a one day H2O project. It is a simple sacrifice for a great cause – saving a life! Make water your only beverage (all day), then donate the money you would have spent that day on soda, coffee and juice to Living Water International to provide clean water around the world. To read more on World Water Day visit www.worldwaterday07.org.
WATER FACTS • 66 percent of the human body is water.
I love the smiles on the faces of moms who know their children stand a better chance to live. I love that my four-year-old daughter knows her dad helps the poor and sees that as part of being a Christian.
DENNIS ANDERSON PROGRAM DIRECTOR YEARS WITH LWI: 2
• 2.6 billion people in the world (about two-fifths of the world’s population) do not have access to adequate sanitation. • It is estimated that half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. • An estimated 88 percent of all sickness and disease in the world is attributable to inadequate water or sanitation. • The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is nearly four miles. • The weight of water that women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads is the equivalent of your airport luggage allowance — 44 pounds. • The average person in the developing world uses 2.6 gallons of water a day.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN?: Minneapolis, MN
• One flush of your toilet uses as much water as the average person in the developing world uses for a whole day’s washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking.
I love helping the poorest of the poor to get their most basic of needs and exposing them to the love of Jesus Christ.
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• 75 percent of the human brain is water.
Spring 2007
• Americans consume more water per capita than any other country in the world. • In 2004, Americans spent roughly $92.9 billion on refreshment beverages. Imagine how many water wells could be drilled if every person in the U.S. gave up their beverage money for one day.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED GoodSearch.com
ONE - The Campaign To Make Poverty History
What if you could raise money for LWI just by searching the Internet? Now you can at GoodSearch.com! GoodSearch.com is powered by Yahoo! and operates like any other search engine, except that GoodSearch shares its advertising revenue with charities and schools. There’s even a toolbar to download so you can search from the top of your browser window. Go to www.goodsearch.com and designate Living Water International as your charity of choice. The more people use the site, the more money LWI will earn, so please spread the word!
Living Water International is partnering with the ONE campaign to make poverty history. ONE believes that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world’s poorest counties. Visit www.one.org to find out how you can lend your voice to fight against extreme poverty.
Searching the Web pays off
Take the H2O Challenge! PhilanthroCorp Leaving a lasting legacy Imagine making a gift to Living Water International that will not only bring clean water and the message of Jesus Christ to the thirsty and dying, but would also provide you with fixed, regular income payments for the rest of your life. This is possible through a charitable gift annuity, one of the most popular ways to support the future work of charitable organizations. You will also receive a charitable income tax deduction. To see if a Charitable Gift Annuity is right for you, please call PhilanthroCorp at 1.800.876.7958 or visit the website at www.plannedgift.com.
Moving from consumption to contribution. The H2O Project is a fundraising project offered to youth groups, bible studies and churches that helps create awareness about the global water crisis and encourages groups to be part of the solution! Groups from all over the country are taking the challenge to make water their only beverage for two weeks and save the money normally spent on juice, soda, energy drinks or coffee to donate to a well drilling organization such as Living Water International. The money is not taken out of your savings or tithing; this is money that you were already going to spend. If you are interested in this project, please visit the website for free materials at http://livingwater.theh2oproject.org.
EMMANUEL to a thirsty world What did you give this Christmas? Not quite the question we are accustomed to hearing after Christmas. Our land seems to be one of consumerism, and no season uncovers this more than the Christmas season. Too often this consumerism finds its way into the church. This Christmas season, Ecclesia, a church community located in the heart of Houston, confronted this thief called consumerism – how it robs the purpose of our Christian journey and spoils our call to bless others with what we have been given. Ecclesia’s lead pastor, Chris Seay, asked his community of believers and others to share their Christmas gift with those suffering because of a lack of clean water. He challenged them to examine their budget and pray about the kind of gift the community could offer together to our brothers and sisters suffering across the globe. This call began to take form over the course of weeks, and transformation occurred within not just the Ecclesia community, but four partnering churches as well. At this time, over $250,000 has been offered to respond to “the least of these” with safe, clean water. Stay tuned to future editions of Pipeline and the LWI website for updates on how lives are saved and destinies are changed as these church communities, and others, respond to the Christmas message throughout the year. www.water.cc
PIPELINE
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LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL’S HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
2007 WASHINGTON, D.C. GALA
The Honorable and Mrs. Steve Largent The Honorable and Mrs. Mark Siljander The Honorable and Mrs. Jim Slattery The Honorable and Mrs. Peter Watson The Honorable and Mrs. Frank Wolf
THURSDAY, MARCH 29 Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel
STEERING COMMITTEE Jason Slattery, Chairman Spencer Brand Bud and Jill Harper Chuck and Aino Leedom George and Carol Madison The Honorable John B. Mumford
13869 Park Center Rd. Herndon,Virginia
HOST COMMITTEE Andrew Briggs Edward T. Britton III Andress Boggs Chris and Callie Call Tommy Corcoran Dick and Anne Dingman Mike Donohue The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop John and Vicki Gingrich The Honorable F. Henry Habicht II Samuel E. Hancock Andrew James Joanella Morales John Murdoch Andy Musser Melinda Nettelbeck Jesse Nielson Rick Reiter Robert S. Strain Ollie Thomas Dan and Lynda Thompson Thomas Wear Mark E. Winter
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6 p.m. Reception 7 p.m. Dinner Julien Patterson Gala Chair
Ambassador Tony P. Hall
Guest Speaker
Jean Paul Samputu
Award Winning Rwandan Musician
Please join us for LWI’s first gala in our nation’s capital. For reservations or sponsorship information, call toll free at 877.594.4426 or e-mail sevans@water.cc by Wednesday, March 21, 2007.
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SUGAR LAND, TX PERMIT NO. 298
PO Box 35496 Houston, TX 77235-5496 877.594.4426 info@water.cc
www.water.cc