Dear ElijahStreams Family,
If someone had told me I'd be writing about a 14-year-old boy named Christopher who was set on fire by his own father, I would've said, "That can't be real."
But it is.
And when I heard his name was Christopher, I felt it in my chest. My son's name is Christopher. I'm telling you, I had to stop for a moment.
But this Christopher lives in Uganda, near one of the water wells you funded.
And here's what started it.
He ate some greens that had been prepared for lunch. That's it. He was hungry.
Now, understand something. In many of these villages, food isn't just sitting around. You don't open a fridge and grab something. Those greens likely took real effort to grow and harvest. It may have been all they had for the day.
And for that...
His father exploded. In a fit of rage, he tied the boy up in dried banana leaves fashioned as ropes and set him on fire.
I can't even imagine the pain that he was suffering both physically and emotionally.
Afterwards, his father ran and disappeared, leaving Christopher to suffer unthinkable pain. On top of that, his mother had no way to pay the hospital bills.
Their friends in the village did what they could. They helped him get care. Enough to keep him alive, but not enough to fully restore the damage.
As his physical body began to heal, the scar tissue pulled his fingers together and tightened around his elbow. His burns affected much of his body.
Fortunately, He survived.
But today, he still can't properly use his hand. He still lives with pain. And he needs expert surgery to help him.
When I think of this boy and what happened to him, my heart breaks.
But you know what? God knew what He was doing when He spoke to us about doing
these wells.
If that well hadn't been funded by your generosity, no one would've been there.
No one would've heard his story. No one would've known a 14-year-old boy was sitting there with fused fingers and a damaged arm from burns. A boy who needed help.
And now YOU and I are in a position to help him.
I don't take that lightly. God opened a door through a water well, and suddenly, we're standing before a boy who needs more than water.
And here's what stunned me even more.
He wants to become a DOCTOR. After surviving fire... after months of pain... he wants to heal others.
That inspires me deeply.
This month, Christopher is scheduled to undergo surgery to release his fused fingers and restore movement to his arm. The surgeons are prepared, and we are moving forward in faith.
When we say yes to a child like Christopher, it's your
generosity that makes it happen.
When you fund clean water, you open a door. And when that door reveals a child who needs help, we don't walk away.
We step in as if it were our own child.
I am asking you to do the same today.
Your gift can cover Christopher's surgery and ensure more children like him receive the hope and healing they deserve. Together, we can continue drilling wells and changing lives.
Every dollar you give matters. Sometimes
your gift opens a village to clean water.
And sometimes, by God's grace, it opens a boy's hands again.
Derene and I are so grateful for you.
Thank you for your faithful support. AND thank you for caring about children you may never meet this side of Heaven.
