Baptist Global Response

BGR’s international prayer strategist, Lori Funderburk, shares this prayer request:

BGR partners have been struggling to get three new water wells at the Sanyati Hospital in Zimbabwe.  The large pumps pushing water 7 kilometers from the river are working when there is electricity but we need these three drilled wells in production so we can use a generator to provide water when public electricity is not on.

Partners are drilling the boreholes but seem to get jammed at 25 meters.  Please pray that the men using the drilling rigs will overcome whatever it is that is jamming the bits.  Pray that in just a few days there will be wells pumping water that will pump for many years!

Community development is helping 42 villages on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines where impure drinking water was causing diarrhea – a life-threatening situation for weaker members of the community.

Extension workers had been working among the Higaonon tribe for a couple of years, because they were found to be the most economically depressed people in the area. Many have been helped, but at the conclusion of this project, it has become evident that there is still much work to be done to uplift the physical condition of the Higaonon tribe and the rural Cebuanos.

Five months ago, in a remote village where BGR and partners are working with a Filipino doctor who is sponsored by an American NGO, five children died in a two- or three-day period because of diarrhea brought on by contaminated drinking water.

This past July, Filipino development workers were introduced to a simple bio-sand filter technology that can be produced for around $10. They were able, in cooperation with local officials, to immediately deliver and install four of these filters. Since that time, there have been no cases of diarrhea in the community.

A new project is now ongoing in 13 villages that do not have adequate drinking water. Villagers will be formed into co-ops for training, production, training, and distribution of these filters. Pray that fresh drinking water will be available to all!

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The item above was adapted from “BGR to GO,” a prayer bulletin issued by BGR prayer coordinator Lori Funderburk. A children’s prayer letter also is available. To subscribe the these e-newsletters, visit gobgr.org.

This prayer item comes from BGR prayer coordinator Lori Funderburk:

Tuisoch, an indigenous Mayan community in Guatemala, recently lost its access to a natural spring which was its only source of water. Currently this community is collecting rainfall from the roof of the local church. Water is also being trucked in from three hours away, but the transportation fees are almost double the value of the water. BGR and local partners are constructing a cistern that will be used by the community. All work and supervision will be provided by the community.

Will you pray that the cistern will be developed quickly so this community can have fresh water?

Joshua Guthrie is a 16-year-old high school sophomore who cares about people in need – specifically people in Sudan who don’t have access to clean drinking water.

Our friend Joshua is bold enough to think that, with God’s help, he can make a difference in a faraway place like Sudan, so he has launched a campaign he calls “Dollar for a Drink.” He is raising money to drill a well in Sudan, where clean water will not only make people healthier but also will help reduce conflict in an area where competition for scarce water resources can lead to violence.

Joshua’s goal is to raise $8,000 by Christmas, and BGR is partnering with him to channel 100% of the money he raises into a well project in Sudan. BGR Executive Director Jeff Palmer has enthusiastically endorsed Joshua’s project.

You can read more about “Dollar for a Drink” and make a contribution at http://www.dollarforadrink.org/. Joshua is posting updates on his progress on his blog at http://www.dollarforadrink.org/from_the_directors_desk.

We encourage all our friends to visit Joshua’s site and help his cause along. Maybe you’d be willing to not only give a dollar but also tell your friends and fellow church members about his project too!