Safe water clears the way to ministry in Indonesia.

By June 14, 2006

Indonesia (MNN)–Most of Indonesia’s ground water is contaminated. That means safe drinking water is still an issue throughout the country, even in the zones not affected by the latest disasters.

In the disaster zones, the needs are critical. Water tanks and latrines continue to be installed in villages, and community centres, where infrastructure such as pipes and wells were damaged, to help prevent any outbreak of disease. However, potable water is still a challenge in these areas.

This is where Living Water International comes into play. According to their website, the reason they exist is because, “While physical water is necessary for physical life, the living water of the Spirit of God is necessary for spiritual and eternal life.”

LWI’s Dennis Anderson says theirs is a vision that boils down to this concept. “The operative word would be ‘bridge’. The water systems that we provide, we want to become bridges to hear and/or receive the Gospel, so in most of our other countries, we want to work with the local church.”

Anderson just returned from a trip to Jakarta where the LWI team was inundated with requests for help. Their visit laid the groundwork for longer term ministry opportunies.

However, Anderson goes on to say funding is key to seeing this work succeed as a ministry in this strategic area. “Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, largest in population, some 88-percent, by the CIA estimate, but, as surprising as that is, some tell us that up to 15-percent of the country is Christian.”

As always, he adds, “…we want to come alongside the church and see the church grow.” It’s one more way to cultivate the hope their teams can bring by helping people get clean water and sharing the love of God with those who desperately need both.

Leave a Reply


Help us get the word out: