Dear ElijahStreams Family,
Let me say something to you right at the start.
Thank you. Not just for
giving... but for opening this email.
You have no idea what that means to us.
Derene and I are constantly reading reports, hearing stories, and getting updates from all over. And I'll be honest... some of them are hard to swallow. Some of them stay with you. There are moments where you just sit there and think, "God... what do we do with this?"
And then I think about you.
Because the only reason we're able to step into these situations... is because of you. You've stayed engaged. You've stayed faithful.
That matters more than you know... and we don't take that lightly.
You know... I believe something about these stories we share with you. They're not just updates. They're testimonies. When we share what God has done... what He's doing... it builds faith for what He'll do next.
So as you read this... don't just read it.
Receive it. What I'm about to share... I've never heard anything quite like it.
"They came to get water. And they found Jesus." That's what Pastor Ben told the water team.
And when I heard the rest of that story, I had to stop for a moment. Because this wasn't just about a water project.
This was about a church so hungry to see people encounter Jesus... they didn't wait for the perfect setup or a building upgrade. They didn't wait for someone to provide a baptismal tank.
They just wanted people to meet Him.
So they picked up shovels and dug a place to baptize people. By hand. In the dirt.
When the rains came, that hole filled with water.
That's what they used. Not clean, filtered water... just rainwater mixed with red clay mud. But it didn't matter to them.
They just wanted people to meet Jesus.
But here's what's hard to process.
That same water they were baptizing people in... is the same kind of water families are drinking.
Every day.
People from the community started coming to that very place... not because they were curious about church... but because they were desperate.
They needed water. And this was all they had.
Think about that.
The place they dug for baptisms... became the place people came just to survive.
And instead of turning people away, the Church welcomed them. They went back, picked up their shovels again, and dug a second hole right next to the first.
So now there were two.
One where people came to draw water. And one where people were being baptized.
And while people came to fill their containers, they couldn't ignore what was happening right next to them.
They saw baptisms. They heard the Gospel.
They're standing there... holding their jerry cans... lowering them into dirty water... and right next to them... people are being baptized.
Going under. Coming back up.
People from their own village... coming up different. Some of them crying. Some of them filled with the Holy Spirit.
These are people who came because they were thirsty. And in that moment... something shifts.
They don't just stand there anymore. They, too, step into the water.
They give their lives to Jesus.
What they thought was just a trip to get water... turned into an encounter with God.
They came for water. But they found Living Water.
And Pastor Ben said,
"140 people have been baptized here."
That sounds incredible.
It is incredible!
But don't miss this.
NOTHING about their water situation has changed yet.
Those same families... those same children... are still going back to that same contaminated source. Still drinking it. Still living with the risk that comes with it.
So yes, God is moving. Lives are being changed.
But physically? They're still in danger.
This isn't just inconvenient. THIS IS DANGEROUS.
And it's happening right now.
That's why we're stepping in.
Not just with one well... but several. To bring clean, safe water to a community of nearly 2,000 people. And to strengthen a Church that's already been faithfully leading people to Jesus with almost nothing.
And here's what I want you to know.
Because YOU'VE been faithful... month after month, well after well... GOD trusted US to find this village. Your faithfulness is what put the team on that road. Your generosity is what enabled us to say yes when we saw the need.
This moment exists because of YOU.
And now here's where you
come in again.
Pastor Ben's Church picked up shovels with nothing but faith. We have something they didn't have. We can send a drilling rig to provide clean water.
But we need you to help make that happen.
I'm asking you to give your best gift today.
Help us move quickly!
Because this story isn't finished yet. They've found Living Water. But they are still drinking unsafe water.
And that's the part we cannot ignore.
Click Here or call us at 541-967-3665.
Derene and I are so truly grateful for you.
With a full heart,
