Mali (MNN) — A ministry that's known for its missionary
aviation is seeing people turn to Christ because of water.
Mission Aviation Fellowship started working in Mali as a non-government organization in 1985. At that time, the government required all NGO's
to dig water wells. Because MAF wanted
to work there, they began digging wells throughout the African nation.
Speaking from Mali, MAF missionary Susan Weatherstone says,
"It was not something MAF had ever done before. The first few wells were
almost trial and error."
Now, Weatherstone says, MAF has trained national Christians
to do the work. Their first well of the season was just completed. "This
was in a completely non-Christian village. Several groups had tried to dig a
well there but were thwarted because of the rock."
The MAF team wasn't told about this and were quite
frustrated when they hit rock at eight meters. Weatherstone says this took
double the amount of time and required dynamite to finish the well. "The Lord
knew that this village needed the extra time to hear the Gospel and to see the
perseverance of these four Christian men who had come to bring physical water
and spiritual water."
Weatherstone says God worked in an incredible way.
"Throughout the course of the dig, six people became Christians. And then toward the end they did a large evangelism program, and they showed the Jesus
Film. They also have a film on AIDS, and another 40 people indicated that they
wanted to follow Jesus."
That wasn't the end of God moving in the village, says
Weatherstone. "There are some pastors in this area, and they set up a
rotation so that they can visit this village and do follow up. So on a Sunday
a pastor came and visited the village and preached, and another 17
individuals committed their lives to Jesus."
Since that time, the village chief donated land for a
church to be built. Pray that these new
believers will grow in their faith and share Christ with others.
