On Thanks and Thirst

Yesterday we were blessed at Crossroads to have Christ Winter, a representative from Living Water International, share with us about their ministry.  For years we have given to Living Water as part of our Christmas offering, and Chris helped to make our giving more personal.

Chris told us that when Advent Conspiracy and Living Water teamed up in 2006, there were over 1.2 billion people in the world who needed clean water.  Today "only" 884 million people need clean water.  In just a few years, our giving has made a tremendous difference.  Millions of people now have clean water to drink.  It's working!

Living Water drills the wells and trains villagers to take care of them.  Periodically LW sends representatives to check on the wells, perform repairs, and make sure that the water is accessible to everyone.  All these visits provide opportunities to share with people the good news about Jesus. 

As we keep chipping away at the water problem in the world, I imagine that in 10 years we could virtually eliminate the lack of clean water.  Through LW, this work is done in the name of Jesus.  The wells are a constant reminder that Jesus came to be with us at Christmas.  Jesus redeems from the diseases of dirty water, and he redeems from the dirt and hurt in our souls.

At Thanksgiving we celebrate by giving thanks to God .  With a big meal we feast and celebrate the blessings God has given.  But I don't think I have ever raised a glass of water at the meal, just to thank God that we have it to drink.

This Thursday, I'll do that.