Clean water for rural villages in India

 Watch this video of muddy, bacteria-filled water turned into safe, bacteria-free drinking water in a rural mountain village in India during our mission trip there.

We take so much for granted here in the U.S., and fresh, safe drinking water is something we rarely think twice about. However, in Third World and Developing nations, it's a great concern.

It is estimated that nearly 100 million people in India do not have access to safe drinking water. Experts say 21 percent of all communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe drinking water. During our visit to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, we saw this dire situation firsthand in the rural mountain villages we visited.

One part of our mission was to help alleviate that situation in some mountain villages. We took 25 water filtration systems on our mission trip, and the results were amazing. The muddy, bacteria-filled water instantly became clean and safe to drink.

Many people get sick, and die, there due to unsafe drinking water. Different diseases, such as typhoid, are due to unsafe drinking water. The solution only costs around $30. The biggest task is getting the filters to them.

These little Sawyer filters are amazing, and they last a long time, at least up to 1 million gallons. For small mountain villages that's a lifetime.

When we pulled up to one mountain village we observed women drawing water from a shallow well. As they pulled the bucket of water up, they would pour it through a strainer into another container. That would take some of the dirt and debris out, but not the bacteria.

When it rains, the shallow well get real muddy. Sometimes they are able to boil the water for drinking, but not always. They have no choice but to drink what is there. Thankfully, they have a choice now.

It takes about 10 minutes to install the Sawyer water filtration system using a bucket. Once its installed, the muddy water is poured into the bucket and when the filter is open, gravity draws the water down. It comes out clean and bacteria free. It's amazing, and the villagers were thankful.

They also receive the Living Water, Jesus Christ, when these filters are installed. That day in the mountain village we shared the "Creation to Christ" story and three women gave their lives to Jesus. Praise God!

To provide Living Water and safe drinking water is awesome, and we thank God for this opportunity. There are many more rural mountain villages in India in need of these filters. Many are hard to reach, because you cannot drive to them, you have to walk for hours to reach them.

We are making it to these villages thanks to our awesome brothers in India. Please help us help them. It's a matter of life and death, both now and for eternity.

Please help us provide safe drinking water to people in India. Please mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302.

India Mission trip a great success

Martha giving a child a pair of flip flops.

This young fella was very excited about his new flip flops.

Jim talking with Servant of Christ (left) and Pastor Prasad.

Pastor Prasad interpreting for Keitha.

How do you put everything you experience on a mission trip into words? You really can't, but I'll give it a try. No matter how many mission trips I go on, God never ceases to amaze me. Our trip last week to India was no different.

It was our first mission to India, a huge country with more than 1.3 billion people, and more than 95 percent of the people are unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The state we visited, Andhra Pradesh, has a population of more than 57 million, and more than 98 percent are unreached with the Gospel. That means we, as followers of Jesus, have much to do in India.

Our trip was five-fold. First, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Secondly, to train indigenous pastors, missionaries, and lay church members, how to make disciples who make disciples. Thirdly, to distribute Bibles. Fourthly, to distribute new flip flops to children. Fifthly, to distribute and install new water filters to provide safe drinking water. 

Thanks be to God, I can report our mission was successful.

We saw 28 people come to Jesus from an unreached people group called, "Khond." We trained 45 indigenous pastors, missionaries and lay church members. We used the Training For Trainers (T4T) method. It is the most powerful and easily reproduced discipleship method we know of, and it's used all over the world.

Bibles were given to all of those we trained. They were so excited and thankful. More Bibles will be distributed to new believers as our brothers and sisters in India continue to fulfill the Great Commission.

We were blessed to distribute hundreds of flip flops to children. Eighty percent of the children there do not have shoes, so they were thrilled to receive flip flops. To see their little faces light up and hear the joy in their voices was awesome.

The lack of fresh water is a huge problem in India. They have many health issues due to unsafe drinking water. We brought 25 water filters with us that instantly turns their muddy, bacteria-filled water into clean, safe drinking water. It was amazing to see the transformation of the water.

From safe drinking water to the Living Water, we saw a lot of transformation in India, including within ourselves. God always does something in His people when we respond to His call. There is nothing like living life by our Lord Jesus Christ's Great Commission.

I will continue writing about our India Mission trip in upcoming blogs. Consider this an introduction. I'll break down the five-fold mission in upcoming posts.

This is Love In Action

 

Want to know what we do here at Love In Action to minister to the needs of the homeless and needy here in our hometown of Dothan, Alabama? Check out this video and share it with others. To God be the glory!

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Here's the first installment of the "Love In Action Minute" podcast.
Click on the headline above to hear the podcast.