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Well Halts Family’s Troublesome Stream
Fauna’s daughter was sick again. This time it was Cadee’s kidneys, the latest ailment in a steady stream of waterborne health issues. Once again, doctors recommended clean water along with medication. Once again, the news saddened Fauna’s heart, for they had no clean water to drink. Would their stream of waterborne troubles ever cease?
Cadee, like the girl pictured, suffered because her parents could not afford to provide all her needs. Cadee experienced frequent sickness, including kidney problems, because her parents did not have funds to supply clean water or medication.
An Elusive Cure
Living in a remote village, Fauna and her family had no access to clean water, proper schools or proper hospitals. The only water pump in the area was too distant for Fauna to collect water from. Instead, her family drank dirty water from unprotected sources, frequently suffering as a result. They are just a few of the 144 million people worldwide who depend on surface water from ponds, rivers and the like for their daily needs.
Surface water is frequently tainted with arsenic, fecal matter or other pollutants.
Prolonged exposure to contaminants such as arsenic increases the risk of cancer and disorders in the kidneys, liver and reproductive organs.
Fauna longed to protect her children from such sickness, and it pained her heart to helplessly watch Cadee’s suffering. A daily wage laborer, Fauna could not afford to buy a water filter to improve the family’s health. She could not provide the clean water Cadee needed to recover.
Other health issues followed Cadee’s kidney problems. Since kidneys help cleanse the body of toxins and impurities, kidney disease can affect one’s energy, ability to concentrate, sleep, skin and appetite as well as cause swelling or muscle cramps. It can also cause anemia and increased occurrence of infections. Cadee suffered from blood and urinary tract infections.
Fauna’s spirits fell further and further, Cadee’s sickness and her own helplessness becoming an unbearable weight. What were they to do? Where could they turn for help?
Hope for a Cure
One day GFA pastor Silvan visited Fauna’s village and happened to meet the distraught mother. Hope sparked in Fauna’s spirit. She had heard of the pastor. She knew he prayed for the sick and helped people in need. Perhaps he could help her family.
Like this GFA pastor, Pastor Silvan traveled to nearby villages to share hope and meet practical needs . Fauna’s life was transformed through the love shown by Pastor Silvan.
The troubled mother told Pastor Silvan about Cadee’s sickness and their difficult times as a family. They had nowhere else to turn. Could Pastor Silvan pray for Cadee?
Pastor Silvan listened compassionately to the mother’s anguish. He knew One greater than her troubles, greater than Cadee’s sickness. Perhaps Pastor Silvan smiled warmly as he told Fauna of the miraculous power of Christ. All she needed was faith, and Christ could heal Cadee. His words encouraged Fauna’s heart. She yearned for her daughter to be well, and she was willing to do anything to see Cadee’s healing.
After praying for Cadee, Pastor Silvan gave Fauna his phone number so she could keep in touch. Anxious for an answer to her daughter’s ailment, Fauna called him the very next day to request prayer once again.
When Pastor Silvan visited their home, Fauna joyfully welcomed him. As they conversed, Pastor Silvan learned more about the family’s struggles, including their lack of clean drinking water that was a constant source of trouble. Responding with encouragement, Pastor Silvan shared about hope in Christ and about the hope of a hand pump called a Jesus Well that could meet their practical needs.
Fauna’s heart soared. Perhaps a solution to her problems was finally at hand. Putting her trust in Christ, Fauna discovered inner peace. Her faith building, Fauna continually prayed to have a hand pump installed nearby. God soon honored Fauna’s faith with the installation of a Jesus Well , which blessed the entire community.
“I am truly thankful to Pastor Silvan for helping me to get a hand pump near my house and get pure water,” Fauna said. “Now I and my family are leading a healthy life. As a family, we want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for His blessings in our lives.”
Fauna’s entire village (not pictured) benefited from the Jesus Well that was installed in response to her prayers. Her family no longer had to drink dirty water that led to frequent sickness.
Opportunity to Offer Health
Water is essential to life. Yet millions of people, especially in developing regions such as Asia and Africa, lack access to clean water. Like Fauna’s family, they frequently suffer physically from drinking water that’s contaminated. Even if they know the water is making them sick, they have no choice: it’s the only water available.
The simple gift of clean water enables families to live healthy lives. It can even save lives. Every year, 1.8 million people, mostly children under the age of 5, die from diarrheal diseases such as those caused by unclean water.
You can help GFA World provide lifesaving, clean water through Jesus Wells and BioSand water filters. These initiatives not only meet urgent practical needs, but given in the name and love of Christ, they can also transform lives.