Beside the Well, Part 1
Beside the Well, Part 1
A well in Togo provides more than clean drinking water.
Can you imagine life without clean water? In the United States, one person uses an average of 80–100 gallons per day. We use it for bathing, laundry, cooking, cleaning, watering our gardens and most importantly, drinking. God is so good to have created one of Earth’s most remarkable resources—one of the most precious assets we have. Without water, life could not exist. Perhaps that is why God created water before He made plants, animals and humanity!
When I visited Togo, West Africa, some time back, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the people in Lassa, a village in the northern part of this small country. The women had to haul water for their families more than a half a mile, and sometimes even further when the hand dug well in the village went dry. This well was very dirty, and from the odors ascending from its mouth, you could tell it had bacteria growing in it. Wells in Togo tend to be shallow, dug at the same depth as the latrines. Many people become sick from cross contamination and some even die from the water that is supposed to keep them alive.
Jesus likened the work of the Holy Spirit to a fountain of water within us. “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.” John 7:38, 39. The soul’s longing after God is likened to thirst: “My soul thirsteth for Thee, . . in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 63:1. And of course, it was next to a well that Jesus offered the Samaritan woman “living water.” John 4:6–14. Clean water is such a blessing and necessity that it is a fitting reminder of these gospel truths!
Today, the gospel is being preached beside a well in Lassa, Togo, thanks to a church in Sandy, Oregon, that donated the money to drill it. The women of this village can now bring home clean drinking water that has been government tested to be free from contaminates. However, providing clean, safe drinking water wasn’t the only objective we had in drilling this well; we also wanted to bring souls to the Lord by giving local workers the opportunity to share the “water of life” with them. Physical thirst can be quenched at the well, but the thirsty also receive an invitation to drink at the well that will never run dry. How? We purposely drilled next to a small Seventh-day Adventist church so that people coming for water would meet church members and become familiar with the Seventh-day Adventist message.
As soon as the well in Lassa was completed, girls, boys and mothers with babies strapped to their backs lined up to fill their containers. People came from far and near to share in the blessing. That’s when the church’s work at the well began! While the villagers wait to fill to their containers, the pastor or a Bible worker preaches to the people. When they have filled their water jugs, they are provided with literature to take home and learn about God’s last warning message to Earth. Because of the well, spiritually thirsty souls are hearing the words of life! Already, we are seeing God bringing souls to the truth through the preaching beside the well. In fact, the project has been such a success that, as funds become available, we are continuing to drill more wells!
“Beside the Well, Part 2” will tell more about this exciting project!
Location
Togo
Author
Mike Bauler is the director of Mission Projects International.
How You Can Help
Pray. Pray for the well in Lassa and the others that have since been drilled in Togo. Ask God to bring souls to the truth through the preaching beside the well.
Give. Wells in Togo cost about $8,000 to drill. You can help drill more wells, support the workers or provide them with literature by sending your donations marked “Togo,” “Togo workers,” “Togo literature,” or “Togo wells” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138
For online options, visit:
missionspro.org/donate
Thank You. Thank you again to the dedicated donors in Sandy, Oregon, and Akron, Ohio, for donating money to drills wells in Togo. Thank you also to each of you who have supported the work in Togo over the years! God bless you.