Well Reports

We recently received the reports from the three wells that have been provided in India. They are in the villages of Sugarpar Musahari Tola, Chandha Badhar, and Gandhitola. In total 2,150 people now have access to clean water that will revolutionize their daily lives. These individuals will also hear of the saving power of Jesus Christ through the local church in India. See below for some more specific information on each well. We are grateful to God for everyone that has helped make these wells a reality. We pray that you will continue to partner with us as we work with Neverthirst to help meet the urgent physical and spiritual needs of the people of India and Sudan.

The Country The world's largest democracy and second most populous country emerged as a major power in the 1990s. It is militarily strong, has major cultural influence and a fast-growing and powerful economy. However, India is still tackling huge social, economic and environmental problems. The vast and diverse Indian sub-continent - from the mountainous Afghan frontier to the jungles of Burma - was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until the demise of the British Raj in 1947. Health Health is one of the most serious issues affecting development in India. Diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths each day, making it the second leading cause of death among Indian children. The World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water. Latrine usage is also extremely poor in rural areas, with only 14% of the rural population having access to a proper sanitation facilities.
The Church India is as spiritually diverse as anywhere else in the world. There, you will find a tapestry of religion interwoven throughout India's billion residents, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists. Because of its great diversity and immense population, there are more unreached people living in India than anywhere else in the world. Just think - over 300,000,000 unreached and un-engaged people are living within its border. The local church has both a challenge and the privilege of being used by God to multiply His greatness in this beautiful country. Your sacrificial giving allows us to support the church working in difficult circumstances through clean water projects.
Water is Life Neverthirst has been working in India since 2009 and has partnered with local churches to provide access to clean water for tens of thousands of people living in rural communitites. There are three core componets of our Water is Life projects: High quality water supply project, In cooperation and partnership with the local community, Implemented through the local church. Thank you for your partnership in making this project possible!
Project #1
Village Name	Sagarpar Musahari Tola
Picture of Water Committee
Project completion date	2013-03-17
Nearest Town	Gosai Math
District	Nalanda
Number of Hamlets/Clusters/Tolsa	1
Number of Households	122
Number of people served	1100
GPS	Latitude:25.399087, Longitude:85.466462
Illnesses or issues from previous water source	Diarrhea, skin diseases
How many km were being walked to previous water source?	1
Testimony	Armata said that was no well in there village for her to use. She had to travel a long way to get water that was not clean. She is happy to now have clean water close by.
Testimony	Skhu Devi said the old government well in the village is dried up and they have been suffering for a long time.
Testimony	Makesu said, "This well saved our family reputation. Before we were bringing water from a long distance. Now all of us are happy!"
Report completed by	Rakesh

Water Committee Composition
First and Last name	Dinananth
Gender	Male
Postion on committe	Member

First and Last name	Mona
Gender	Male
Postion on committe	Member

Old water source Photos
Previous water source
	This shallow government well has been dry for a long time, forcing villagers to travel long distances to find water. Project #2 Village Name Chanda Badhar Picture of Water Committee Project completion date 2013-05-24 Nearest Town Balumadh District Lathehar Number of Hamlets/Clusters/Tolsa 3 Number of Households 30 Number of people served 450 GPS Latitude:23.821034, Longitude:84.646067 Illnesses or issues from previous water source Diarrhea, dehydration, Typhoid How many km were being walked to previous water source? 1 Testimony  Sonthiya Devi said, “Now that we got this well, we women are so happy because now we are not walking a long distance for water. Now we are getting drinking water in our village. This only happened because of Neverthirst, so thank you!” Testimony  Jasmani Devi said, “Before we used to walk a long distances for water because we used to drink from an open well in another village and also the water is not good. But now we are getting clean water in our village so thank you very much for providing for us through this hand pump.” Testimony  Santos Kumar said, “Yes, we are so happy to have this hand pump. It is nice and it is giving us clean, sweet water. Now we are not drinking from that open well and are getting water from the new well, so thank you!” Report completed by Mr. Lakhan Besra Water Committee Composition First and Last name Rubin Devi Gender Female Postion on committe Treasurer First and Last name Meena Devi Gender Female Postion on committe Secretary First and Last name Jhuri Devi Gender Female Postion on committe President Old water source Photos Previous water source This open well served as the villages only source for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing. Project #3 Village Name Gandhitola Picture of Water Committee Project completion date 2013-05-18 Nearest Town Rahgir District Nalanda Number of Hamlets/Clusters/Tolsa 4 Number of Households 110 Number of people served 600 GPS Latitude:25.030199, Longitude:85.418895 Illnesses or issues from previous water source Diarrhea, skin diseases, fevers and headaches. How many km were being walked to previous water source? 0.5 Testimony “My name is Sunita. I have five children. My husband works in Delhi and I look after the children and the house. I have been struggling to get water for the last 3 years. I have to collect water several times a day and every time I have to wait in line for a long time. Sometimes there is fighting at the well when the water is low. We get headaches and leg pain from drinking the water. I use to walk 2 kilometers to wash our clothes in the canal. The new well saves me a lot of time!” Testimony “My name is Sheila Devi. I have three children. My husband works in Delhi. When my husband comes home he needs water to bathe and wash clothes and we sometimes get into an argument because he needs so much water and we don’t have it. It was very tiring to fetch water and walk far to wash our clothes. Now we have water close by our house.” Testimony  "My name is Rajkumar. I have four children and I work in the fields. The last two years we were struggling with little water. Thank you for the new hand pump." Report completed by Rakesh Water Committee Composition First and Last name Shila devi Gender Female Postion on committe Member First and Last name Minadivi Gender Female Postion on committe Member Old water source Photos Previous water source This open well served as the village's only source for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing. It often dried up leaving the villagers to walk 2 kilometers to a canal for water.

March Update

During the month of February we reached the $17,000 mark, which meant we raised an additional $2,500 to fund a third well in India. This means that since we became obedient to God and began this effort on November 16, 2010 He has provided for two wells in South Sudan and three wells in India. We continue to be humbled and stand amazed at what God has done through this small project. Please continue to pray with us that the Holy Spirit will go forth with power into these villages that have received the wells and those that will in the months to come. We pray that as the Gospel is proclaimed that the people of India and South Sudan would call upon the name of The Lord and worship Him, because He is worthy!

We have updated the webpage to reflect a new goal of $19,500, which would fund a fourth well in India. As you are able, please support this cause to meet the urgent physical and spiritual needs of the people of India.

December Update

God continues to provide funds in tremendous ways so that His name may be made known among the people of India through clean water. In just over a month, we have received about $3,000 in contributions towards our fund. This has allowed us to complete funding for a SECOND well in India. This means that we have now been able to fund two clean water wells in India and two in Sudan.
As of December 19, we have $1,734 towards a third well in India. This puts us $766 away from the goal of $2,500 to finish this well. On the donation page you will see a goal of $17,000. This reflects the $10,000 already raised for the two wells in Sudan and the previous $4,500 raised for the wells in India. As always, you can click on the link to the left of this page and donate. We would love to finish this well by the end of 2012. Would you help?

Fall Update

A lot has happened since the last update on the blog. We have completed our third well project, this one in India. We are now very close to completing a fourth project over all and second project in India. This is in addition to the two wells that are located in South Kordofan, Sudan. It is truly humbling to see that what God has provided over the past two years. Since we began this project on November 16, 2010 there has been a total of $13,722 donated to the cause of sending clean and living water to Sudan and India. Now we are only $778 away from being able to fund another well that will provide a local church in India with an incredible and unique opportunity to reach those around them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There have also been some cool events in Troy that have helped raise funds for the cause of clean water and the Gospel. The first WOD for Water in Troy raised over $15,000 in October. The brothers of the ATO fraternity at Troy University raised over $3,000 during their OcTauberfest party on campus.

We ask that you continue to pray for the wells in South Kordofan and for the church and people that are affected by them. Also for the people that will be impacted by the well that is currently under construction in India. And if you would be willing to contribute towards the final $778 to complete our next project in India you can always do that on the right side of this blog.

Finish It

We are only $428 away from the goal of $2,000 to provide clean and living water to the people of India. This will push the project up to a grand total of $12,000 raised in under two years to provide two clean waters wells in the Sudan and one in India. Each of these wells will be connected with a local church and will be used to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will join us over the next few weeks as we "finish it", and give $428 to help bring the Good News to India.

Sudan Well Reports

Saturday afternoon we received the package in the mail that we have been praying for and anticipating for over a year now. It’s our report from Neverthirst on the two wells that have been completed in Sudan. There is a ton of information in the reports but I’ll try to fill you in on the basics.

Location

The wells are located in the South Kordofan province of Sudan. The population of this province is about 1.5 million with 2/3 of that population living in rural areas. Schools, health centers, and access roads are all generally in poor condition. Both wells are in the region known as Lagawa. The first one was completed in a village called Kayo and the other in a village called Mariam Al-Jughba.

Conflict

Like many provinces in Sudan, South Kordofan has been in conflict for more than two decades resulting in major destruction of infrastructure throughout the region. The conflict settles with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. After local elections in May of 2011 that led to the creation of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, security deteriorated as the two main parties became deadlocked over the future of the area. Neverthirst continued work on these two projects until June of 2011, when the actual military conflict began and they were forced to withdraw. Because of this we don’t currently have photos of the well projects but hope to attain some when the teams are allowed back into the province.

Prayer Requests

Here are the specific prayer requests from the people of South Kordofan:

Peace and stability in the region.

Those living in conflict areas.

Those that have fled into neighboring regions or countries.

Food security and all the new clean water projects in these areas.

The church’s work among the large Muslim population during this time.

Open doors to share the gospel in this time of uncertainty.

Our prayer continues to be that God would use these projects to make his name known among the people of Sudan. As we learn more information about church leaders in these villages or other information we will pass that along as well.

Thank you for your support on these projects! Through your obedience to God’s commands two villages in Sudan will have clean water and access to the Gospel for the next twenty years. It’s truly humbling to be a part of God’s work to ultimately bring about the scene described in Revelation 7:9, 10, and 12:

v. 9After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front o the throne and before the lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. v. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”. v. 12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

We are currently only $628 away from finishing the funding for our third well in India. I hope you will join with us in prayer, thanksgiving, and funding for these projects.

December Update

We are almost halfway to our goal of $2,000 to provide a clean water well to the people of India. I'm currently reading a book called The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg. It's about taking everyday risks to talk with people about Jesus and the unexpected adventures that come along with that. I believe we could accurately describe our efforts to fund these clean water wells in Sudan and India as an unexpected adventure. God continues to surprise us by bringing so many different people from so many different locations and walks of life along with us to bring clean and living water to people throughout the world. What started as three small families from a small town in Alabama has now included young adults in Birmingham, school children in Gadsden, two anonymous matching donors, a children's ministry in Troy, birthday parties, and much more that we're not even aware of. We are so thankful to everyone that has seen the physical and spiritual urgency associated with the world wide water crisis and has chosen to do something about it. May we be careful to give all glory and praise to our marvelous Creator and Savior for everything done through this project, and for the souls that will be saved when His word goes forth.

We would be very grateful if you would consider making a donation towards this project during the Christmas season. You can always do so by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

India

Our second well funding project is underway, and this time we will be funding a clean water well in India. It’s population is over 1.2 billion, and they are  living in a country roughly 1/3 the size of the United States. The density of the population and the lack of access to clean water creates many sanitation, hydration, and poverty issues. At least one billion of these people are not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The cost for a well in India is $2,000. Our page on the NeverThirst website lists the $10,000 raised for the two wells in Sudan and now shows a new goal of $12,000 which includes this new project for India. You can always give by clicking on the link on the right of this page. Please join us in praying for this project and for the people in India that will be impacted by these efforts.

WELL. DONE.

(This video was part of the presentation we watched on October 31, 2010. This was when God placed on our hearts and minds the urgency of the world-wide water crisis. If you have not viewed it before, please take a few moments to better understand this monumental problem facing much of the world. )

In less than seven months God has moved in a mighty way and we have achieved our goal of raising $5,000 to provide a clean water well to a village in Sudan. We hoped to complete the goal of raising $5,000 in one year, but God had even greater plans for this project. Through God’s grace, gifts from many people, and the generosity of a matching donor, we have raised double our goal in nearly half the time. Neverthirst now has $10,000 that was raised through this project, which is enough to complete two clean water wells in the country of Sudan that needs them so desperately. Praise be to God!

Leslie and I visited with Natalie from Neverthirst this week and she gave us some information on what happens next. I will try to be as brief as possible while being as informative as possible.

In short, we can expect the project to be completed in 8-12 months from now. As you may or may not know, the southern part of Sudan has seceded and is now its own country known as South Sudan. There is a possibility that there will be some complications that arise in dealing with a new government, so it could be more than 12 months. The general process of the next several months will be:

Scheduling-Schedule this drilling project along with others that are being funded in Sudan.

Drill Location-Work with the community to choose the ideal place for the well so that the most people can benefit from the location.

Permits-Obtain permits from the region and village. Time to receive the permits varies depending on the local government.

Training-Work with local pastors and churches to help train the community to maintain and care for this new water source.  This helps ensure the sustainability of the water project for years to come.

It sounds a bit complicated, but this is a good thing. By insisting that the project is done right, it increases the chances of longevity and gives the church a greater opportunity to reach the community for Christ and care for the poor.

Once the project is complete, we will receive a finalized report that will include: images of the new well, images of the beneficiaries, testimonies from the community, the technical information of the well, general community information, and how the gospel component was integrated. Unfortunately we will probably not know the name of our community until we receive this report in 8-12 months.

Again, thank you to all of you that have participated in this project through donations and prayer. For these two wells, all that is left to do is pray. We pray for all the components and work that needs to be done to bring these wells to fruition, but more than anything that the Holy Spirit would be at work in these communities stirring the hearts of these people so that they would be receptive to the gospel message when it is presented to them.

While the fundraising aspect of this project is done, we believe that the severity of the clean water crisis throughout the world dictates that we must continue to sacrifice our resources to bring clean and living water to people around the globe. In the next few weeks we will begin another project to raise funds for another well to be placed somewhere around the world. The physical and spiritual needs around the globe are simply too urgent for us to turn away. I hope you will continue along with us as we begin this new journey soon, and join us in praising our Father for what he will do through these efforts.

May Update

Our total is now up to $4,164. We are getting very close to our goal of $5,000. Praise the Lord for the resources he continues to provide through so many people who are obedient to his command. We are now 83% of the way to our goal in 172 days, less than half a year. We are hopeful that we will reach our goal by the end of June.

April Update

We are now over the $4,000 mark in less than five months. God has truly blessed this project and we are on pace to conclude this effort in much less than the one year that we planned.

One of the coolest things about this project has been seeing all the people that God has brought alongside the three families that originally began this journey. The latest group is from Charles Henderson High School in Troy. Karla Johnson is an English teacher that coordinates a Books of Hope project every year to raise money to send student-written and illustrated books to needy children in Africa. This year in addition to the books they are also raising money to donate to our well project for the people of Sudan. They held the first of two five-mile walk-a-thons on Thursday March 31. Eighteen students, teachers, and administrators participated and we are hoping for another good group for the second walk-a-thon. We continue to praise the Father for the many different people he is using to help bring clean and living water to the people of Sudan.

March Update

As of March 1 our new total is $3,701 raised for the villages in the Sudan. We praise our Father for those that have contributed financially and through prayer. We are currently 74% of the way to our goal of $5,000 in only 106 days. Praise be to God

February Update

Our total as of February 1 is $3,375. We continue to make great progress towards our goal of $5,000 through the support of so many different people. We praise God for his blessings on this project and for the many lives that are, and will be, affected through it.

During January Leslie and I were invited to go share with the children of Bush Memorial Baptist Church. We were able to give a brief presentation about our project to bring clean water and the Gospel to the people of Sudan. They are going to partner with us this semester and raise money as well. We are thrilled to have these young ones as part of our growing team that God is using for his purpose in a country thousands of miles away.

When we made the choice of which country we wanted to be involved with, it was somewhat of a random decision. Neverthirst partners with three countries, and Sudan seemed like the best fit for us. Little did we know that we would be getting involved in this country during one of the most important times in the history of the country. As you man know, Sudan held an election during January to determine whether the southern part of the country will secede and become its own country. You can read more about it here, and some insight into the Christians in Sudan here.

Please join us in praying for Sudan as they move through this process, and particularly that the movement would take place without violence. Also please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would move in the hearts of the communities in Sudan where these wells will be placed. We do not know the location yet, but God does. We pray that hearts would be tender to the Gospel when it is presented along with this clean water.

Recession? Not for God.

Happy New Year to everyone. New Year’s Day is a time to reflect on the year that was and look forward to the year ahead. For this project, the reflection does not go back very far. It was October 31 that we felt God calling us to make an impact for His kingdom in Africa through clean water and the Gospel. November 16 was the day we made that “public” by sending e-mails to friends and family and starting this blog. Since that time God has truly accomplished more than we could have possibly imagined. In about a month and a half, God has provided $3,160 for this project. In a period of about ten days in December the total moved from $760 to $3,160. One could make the argument that this is one of the worst times in history to raise funds for a project like this. With our country in a recession and the holidays approaching we weren’t expecting this type of generosity. Early on we were concerned with how much needed to be raised each month, and hoping we could stay “on pace” to have this accomplished by November 16, 2011. Clearly God has blown that “pace” out of the water. We have seen God use so many people for His glory through this project. Not just through dollars, but through conversations and prayers as well. We are so thankful that we chose to be obedient to God’s command for our lives and anticipate what God has in store in the future for this project.

As joyful as it is to reflect on the past two months, looking to the future is so exciting. Possibly the best part about getting closer to our goal of $5,000 is that we are getting closer to finding out specifically which villages in Sudan will be getting these wells. (Notice that was plural. We began this project to provide one well for one village, but because of the matching donors God has brought along to partner with us it will now be two wells for two villages.) This means praying for a specific village, and specific people groups, and specific pastors as they share the Gospel with these people. It will also mean we will all get to see photos of the work being done and the people being impacted. Also it will give us a destination that we hope to one day get the privilege to travel to and continue to impact for Christ.

December Update {God Multiplies}

(Please note that any time you wish to give you may reach our donation page by clicking on the picture on the right sidebar)

We originally planned to update the blog each month with progress and news from this project, but so much has happened in the first few weeks that we could not wait an entire month.

In a little over two weeks God has already used this project in ways we never could have imagined. God has brought people along to partner with us in ways we couldn’t have predicted. Within an hour after we made the first post on the blog, my brother Daryl called me. He graduated from UAB in May at the top of his class and married his wife Haley in August. Haley is still in school at UAB and Daryl has been unable to find a job. On the phone he told me that God had been stirring their hearts about giving above their tithe, but they didn’t really know what they were supposed to give until they read about this project. I would have never expected God to use Daryl and Haley, one without a job and one still in college, to partner with us to meet the needs of these people in Africa, but He has. It has also created many opportunities to have great conversations with believers and non-believers about what God is doing.

The most exciting news came this morning. There is a person who has committed to MATCH ALL FUNDS RAISED FOR THIS PROJECT! We were truly overwhelmed by this totally unexpected commitment. I didn’t mention this in the first blog post, but it seems more relevant now. The cost to drill a well in Sudan is actually $10,000, but the organization we are partnering with (Never Thirst) has a partner that matches all donations used in Sudan. Therefore if this project generates $5,000, the Never Thirst partner matches the $5,000 and there is now the $10,000 needed to drill the well. So now we have two partners matching all funds raised.

My thought went to the feeding of the 5,000 and how Jesus took very little and multiplied it to meet the needs of so many. While Jesus met the immediate needs of 5,000 people, the ultimate purpose was to give glory to the Father. It is overwhelming that God is doing the same thing through this project! For example, when someone makes a $25 donation, the matching partner for this project adds $25 to make it $50. When the project is complete, the Never Thirst partner matches the $50 to make it $100. It is amazing to me that God can take my $25 donation and make it $100 so that people in Africa will have clean water, will hear the Gospel, and that ultimately He would receive glory. We are so privileged that God allows us to partner with Him in this. Essentially God is going to take $5,000, which would normally only be half of what is necessary to drill a well, and turn it into $20,000 which will drill two!

Please continue to be in prayer for this project and for two things in particular. We want to be very careful that ALL glory, honor, and praise goes to the Father. We are thankful for everyone that is involved in this project, from the workers in Africa that will dig this well, to the workers at Never Thirst, to everyone who makes a donation or says a prayer, and for those matching these donations. However, as grateful as we are to them, they deserve no glory and honor from this. This belongs only to God. Next, continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would stir in the hearts of these people in Sudan that they would be receptive to the Gospel when it is presented to them.

As of today, December 1, there has been $635 raised (before any matching contributions). To raise the $5,000 in one year we need to be on pace for $417 per month, so we are ahead of that pace right now.

Finally, several people have asked about whether donations are tax deductible. I should have mentioned this earlier, but all donations are tax deductible. If a donation of $100 or greater is made, Never Thirst automatically sends a receipt for the contribution. If the amount is less than $100, you will need to send them an e-mail or give them a call, but they will be happy to send you the documentation you need.

Giving Life

Leslie and I wanted to let you know about a project we are going to be working on for the next year. God had been preparing our hearts for several weeks with questions and thoughts about the blessings and possessions we have and how we use them for His glory. On October 31 a group visited our church that made us aware of the urgent, deadly problem caused by the lack of clean water across the globe and particularly in Africa. Please follow the link below and click on “Watch Video” on the bottom right to see the video we saw:

http://www.causelife.org/

It truly stirred our hearts to consider that millions of children do not have access to clean water. To briefly summarize, these children spend much of their day walking to a water source, which is usually contaminated, to get water to bring back home. This leaves little or no time to attend school. What water they do have is contaminated and used to cook, drink, and bathe in; literally covering their entire bodies from the inside and out. This leaves these children chronically sick and unable to attend school. Those children that are able to survive their childhood often grow up uneducated due to attending school so sporadically, which leaves them unable to get jobs, which leaves them in poverty. Water truly is the key to breaking their cycle of poverty, sickness, and death.

Of course water only addresses their earthly needs. The greater need for most of these children and people groups is that they do not know Jesus Christ. While the thousands of people that die every day from lack of clean water is a tragedy, the fact that they are dying apart from Christ is an even greater tragedy.

It was clear that God desired us to be involved. There were some monthly sponsorship options, but we felt that was not enough. So Leslie and I, along with the Carson and Renfroe families that we attend church with, have decided to do something about it. Over the next year we are going to sacrifice our finances, time, and efforts to raise money to drill a well in Sudan. This well will provide clean, safe drinking water for approximately 1,000 people per day for the next twenty years for a village in Sudan. The cost is $5,000. We have partnered with a group called Never Thirst Water, primarily because they emphasize the spreading of the Gospel along with bringing water that is crucially needed to these people. We have a page that is set aside specifically for out project at www.neverthirstwater.org/giving-life. If you choose, you can go there and make a donation to help this cause. Leslie started this blog where you can follow the progress.

Why are we telling you about this? For Leslie and I, we are committing a monthly amount to this cause and looking for opportunities each month to earn some extra money to give towards this cause. If you would like to join us in that, wonderful. Maybe you feel like making a one time donation, which would be great as well. The only thing we ask is that you be in prayer for this village in Africa that will be impacted by these efforts over the next year, and that God would prepare their hearts through the Holy Spirit that when the time comes that the Gospel message is shared with them that they would come to know our Lord and Savior. But the biggest reason we are telling you this is because we want God to receive glory from this project. We want you to know what God is doing in our hearts and we look forward to the day in one, two, or three years when we can tell you that a village in Africa has clean water and people there know Christ. We hope that you will rejoice along with us when that day comes. If you will give financially, wonderful. If you will pray for this project, great. If you do not become involved at all, that is fine too. But we feel compelled to share this project with you, so that He will be honored through this project over the next few years.

If you have any questions please e-mail us at derek.irons@gmail.com or leslie.irons@yahoo.com.

Derek and Leslie