Help Provide Water to the People of Mbutu, Tanzania
The Christmas season is quickly approaching and people have already begun making plans for the holidays. But while these things are nice, Christmas is about much more than giving gifts or having parties. Centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold that God would send a child who would change the world. He told of a Messiah who would heal those who are sick and raise the dead back to life — a savior who would show us the depth of love so that we, too, would know how to love more deeply. And if we loved more deeply, there would be no more hunger, no more thirst. All will share what they have with those who have nothing. Imagine that!
Blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear -- for water will flow in the desert, streams in the wilderness; the dry soil will become a pool of water, the parched ground springs of water.
Isaiah 35
Dear John,
The Christmas season is quickly approaching and people have already begun making plans for the holidays. It won’t be very long before Christmas trees will be decorated, gifts will need to be wrapped, and plans for special gatherings will be made. But while these things are nice, Christmas is about much more than giving gifts or having parties. There is even more to it than celebrating the birthday of a tiny baby in Bethlehem.
Centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold that God would send a child who would change the world. He told of a Messiah who would heal those who are sick and raise the dead back to life — a savior who would show us the depth of love so that we, too, would know how to love more deeply. And if we loved more deepl)2. there would be no more hunger. no more thirst. All will share what they have with those who have nothing. Imagine that!
In October, I received a letter from Brother Kizito Ndunguru — a missionary working in the rural area of Mbutu, Tanzanra, in East Africa. As I read Br. Kizito’s letter — describing the skuggles he and those in his mission encounter in their daily living — I could not help but think about the deeper meaning of Christmas. I wondered if through our sharingo you and I could help the people of Mbutu not be thirsty anymore.
“There are about 300 men, women and children here in Mbutu,” Brother Kizito writes. “The people are very poor, getting by as well as they can. But like so many others throughout rural Tanzania, they do not have access to clean water that can be used for drinking, bathing, and in caring for their livestock. The water that is available is usually found in a stagnant creekbed or watering hole. The water in those places is not safe to drink or even to touch. It is usually filled with parasites. But because they are often dying of thirst, some people will drink it anyway.”
“Our hope is to drill a borehole well that will provide clean water for the people in our village and the surrounding area,” he continues. o’I cannot tell you what an incredible difference this will make in the lives of those who are living here. If people have never experienced life without water, it is nearly impossible for them to understand what it is like to live without it. Believe me when I say that having a source of clean water will change their lives forever!”
Along with his letter, Brother Kizito included an itemized list of all the costs associated with the project: hiring a company to travel to the remote village; drilling the borehole; installing pipes and valves; installing an electric pump as well as electric cables and pipe fittings. The total cost of the project is more than the people of the village will earn in their lifetime.
They need our help!
I am hoping that together you and I can raise at least $38,000 to help Brother Kizito and the people of Mbutu, Tanzania — and others in our missions throughout East Africa — get the water they desperately need to live. What an incredible difference our sharing will make in the lives of those who struggle every day just to get something to drink. I really do not know how much you can send. I do know. though. that you have been incredibly generous and kind whenever I have written to you in the past. I am praying that you will help those in need again — and perhaps even send an extra special gift during this most holy season.
Time and time again, through your sharing and concern you have shown how you are showing that the love of God makes all things new. In essence, that is the message of Christmas. Thank you and have a blessed holiday season!