Advent Conspiracy is based on these four tenets: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All.

Greg Holder, one of the founders of Advent Conspiracy and a board member of Living Water International, says the movement was a response to the craziness that surrounds Christmas.

“It isn’t even always just about the gift giving. It’s about the sort of rushed and harried nature we get sucked into in this time of year where we have these expectations on ourselves and each other on what it means to quote ‘celebrate Christmas’.”

We’ve already talked about Worship Fully, so today we’ll share the final three.

Spend Less

Let’s start this tenet by examining the problem, particularly in the United States:

The National Retail Federation found that Americans will spend an average of $935.58 during the Christmas shopping season — both for themselves and for others.

A Gallup poll from October found that on Christmas gifts alone, Americans will spend an average of $785. While the increase in sales is exciting for the economy, it’s indicative of our tendency to go big for Christmas gifts.

The numbers are even more shocking when we consider this: According to NPR, 47% of Americans would have trouble coming up with $400 in the case of an emergency. If that’s true, a lot of us are buying presents on credit.

Holder says practicing this tenet of Spend Less doesn’t put the kibosh on gifts. It means we are spending within our means, and with purpose.

“We really do understand the concept of gift-giving — we even see it in the story of the wise men. But the truth is, getting in debt for the sake of celebrating Christmas simply makes no sense,” Holder says.

Give More

This leads us to the next tenet. The concept behind Give More is based on the idea of deepening relationships. We’re not giving more gifts, but we are giving more of ourselves. Our primary example is Jesus himself.

(Image courtesy of Advent Conspiracy).

“For us, Christmas is the story of the most relational gift ever. You know when Paul in one of his letters says, ‘Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift, this indescribable gift of Jesus.’ Well we understand what it means to give relational gifts by looking at the Christmas story. God gave Himself.”

So, what does that look like in our own lives? Gifts with more thought and creativity put into them. As Holder says, they are relational gifts, not just material possessions.

He gives an example: “When we first started the movement, there was a young man who got the whole concept, and so what he gave his dad was a bag of coffee beans.”

For some, a bag of coffee doesn’t seem like a great gift. But it was the note that went along that made all the difference.

“The note said basically this: ‘Dad, you’re only allowed to drink this coffee with me. And in the time that it takes for us to drink through these cups of coffee, I just want you to tell me stories. I want to get reacquainted with you again. I want you to tell me how it is that you became the man that you are.’ Now I promise you, that gift — that bag of coffee beans — meant more to that dad than any number of other really expensive gifts his son could have given to him.”

Love All

(Image courtesy of Advent Conspiracy).

Finally, we come to the idea of sharing Christmas with people around the world.

“What we have asked folks to do is to take some of the money you would have spent buying those sweaters nobody was ever going to wear, and instead, give it to those that Jesus refers to as the least of these.”

Advent Conspiracy encourages co-conspirators to think about fighting the global water crisis by giving to Living Water International. This ministry is a great example of how being the hands and feet of Jesus is truly a celebration of the Christmas story.

“We think that is a way to partner with local churches around the world and a way for us to address what is still one of the leading causes of death in developing countries — the lack of clean drinking water.”

Slowing down and having Gospel conversations

These ideas are pretty radical, but they also have some pretty great outcomes. Are you wondering if Advent Conspiracy could make a difference, not just this Christmas but for eternity?

It can.

Holder says the discussion of doing Christmas intentionally means families will talk and plan together. It’s a great way to instill a giving spirit in your children. And, it’s an opportunity to share the Gospel.

“It also starts a lot of spiritual conversations, frankly, with family members who may not have a personal connection to the Christmas story or to Jesus in particular,” Holder explains.

Where to start

Although this is not a replacement for your current Christmas traditions, nor does it discourage gift-giving, you may be worried about what your family thinks of the idea.

Holder suggests, “You start small. You just start with something very practical. But you do this together and you get to celebrate together. And there’s a richness and a meaning there that might not have been there when you’re tearing through the presents on such a breakneck speed on Christmas.”

And if you’re worried about what your kids will think, Holder says, don’t worry. It’s usually the kids who get it first.

To start, visit Advent Conspiracy’s website. They have an abundance of resources for churches, small groups, or families. Although it’s too late for churches to start preparing for this year, it’s something to think about for next. Consider bringing this practice into your own family.

“For most of us, it causes us to slow down and to actually savor the gifts that are given. And when you can begin to connect it to giving to others, and often times faces and names that you won’t know this side of eternity, it very much sweetens the experience.”

Christmas traditions like gift-giving and parties can be a lot of fun, and they can be important bonding times for family. But often, we’re so bogged down by the busyness, expectations, and plans that Christmas passes in the blink of an eye.

Something different

About ten years ago, five pastors concluded this was exactly what they were seeing in other lives and experiencing in their own year-after-year. Instead of feeling full of joy and hope at the remembrance of Christ’s birth, they left the holiday season feeling as though they’d missed something.

Pastor Greg Holder of The Crossing and board member of Living Water International was part of this group and shared with us how their spoken realization turned into a movement for true Christmas celebration.

He says, “There was this growing sense of somewhere along the way, we were missing this opportunity to celebrate appropriately the birth of our King.”

It’s not as though we aren’t aware of the problem. In fact, Holder says, a common reaction from Christians is anger that we’ve let materialism and busyness overtake this most holy of holidays.

Along with the anger comes fear that our culture is swallowing the meaning of the holiday. Every year we play tug-of-war over wishing others “merry Christmas” instead of “happy holidays.” And we don’t have to think too far back to remember the controversy surrounding Starbuck’s plain red cups.

Making a plan

For this reason, the group of five decided they should do something about the growing distractions that plagued Christmas.

“What if we conspired together and said there was a way for us to celebrate Christmas differently, and to do what Jesus asks us to do in the Gospels when it comes to serving the least of these,” Holder says.

With that in mind, they started with their own congregations, teaching them four tenets of Christmas celebration. In short, the tenants are: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All.

Three of the pastors went on to share this movement with the world — leading thousands of churches, families, and small groups to choose a purposeful Christmas. The intentionality and planning this movement encourages is why they’ve called it Advent Conspiracy. Additionally, this intentionality means that to celebrate Christmas more fully, we don’t have to replace our gift-giving or traditions, but rather, think more deeply about how we do it.

Today, we’ll go into the first and foundational tenet:

Worship Fully.

(Image courtesy of Advent Conspiracy)

Holder explains, “It always starts with us coming back to the idea that we will worship the birth of our King, fully. That is the context and background for all we do, not just at Christmas time, but for all we do. Jesus was born, and that changes everything.”

In other words, the purpose of Advent Conspiracy is to make sure the worship of our savior isn’t the side-dish or afterthought in our Christmas celebration. It’s also to make sure the way we celebrate has an impact for the Gospel. We’ll share more on that — and what a ministry like Living Water has to do with it — as we talk about the final three tenets of Advent Conspiracy tomorrow.

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

She says, “While all of that is fun, it wasn’t until I went on a short-term trip with Living Water and I saw the water crisis first-hand that I just felt like I needed to make a difference.”

Banks now works for Living Water International — a ministry that cares not only about physical needs, but spiritual needs as well.

“We want to bring safe water to people around the world and really try to make an impact on the water crisis. But, ultimately, our goal is to share the hope of Christ. And we feel like the best way to do that is by bringing safe water.”

Banks elaborates, “When people meet physical needs, they are mirroring the grace and love of Christ. It opens up opportunities to talk about Him.”

Over the last few years working with Living Water, Banks has heard countless stories of how clean water makes a difference in people’s lives. Women and children who previously had to walk miles and miles each day just to get water — clean or not — can now spend time doing things they couldn’t before. Girls can go to school, for instance.

“There are always these juxtapositions of people without safe water and the tragedy that can bring, but also just the hope that’s given when safe water and the Gospel are provided, and just to see how these communities can thrive with those two things given.”

You can give clean water, too!

Banks invites you to join them in their work to bring clean water in Jesus’ name to people all around the world. For Christmas this year, there are a couple of fun ways to get involved.

Through today (Wednesday, November 30), when you give the gift of clean water, a nativity coloring page will be sent to a child in Guatemala or Honduras. It’s a simple way to let a child know they’re being thought of, while sharing the Christmas story with them.

But hurry! That’s only through today.

This next Christmas idea you can do at any time. Living Water offers gift cards from $10 to $500. It’s a unique gift to give, especially for that family member who tells you they have everything they need.

(Image courtesy of Living Water International)

Here’s how it works. “When you’re buying a gift card, you’re donating that money. But then you’re also giving the gift to the recipient for them to go and then redeem that gift card for any country they choose.”

You can purchase a gift card here.

Whether or not you support these projects financially, will you pray? Ask God to use the clean water to open the eyes of those who receive it to recognize their Heavenly Father. Pray that the coloring pages would truly bring hope and the knowledge of Jesus to many.

(Image courtesy of Living Water International)

According to their approach statement in relation to being a Christian Witness: Our concern is for whole people — physical and spiritual. As followers of Jesus, we know that he has the power to transform people, restore relationships, and heal factors that lead to poverty, hunger, and thirst. We work with local churches wherever we find them, identify ways we can be part of what God is already doing, and share the good news about Jesus in simple ways — like telling stories and asking questions.

That’s what orality is — the transfer of information through spoken word. It’s conversational. When we’re speaking about orality and the Gospel, we’re talking about a method that makes Scripture accessible, reproducible, and cross-cultural for people who are oral learners by necessity or preference. It’s getting back to the basics of how the Gospel has been shared since the beginning of the Church.

Jerry Wiles currently serves as a consultant for Living Water, as well as the North America Regional Director for the International Orality Network. Over the last several years, he’s watched more ministries utilize this method. And, interestingly enough, he’s watched application take place outside of the traditional mission field.

He says, “You think about the orality methods and concepts and principles that can help people be more successful in business. Ultimately we think about leadership development, team building, relationships — where is our best source for that?

“And, of course, we know where that is… so it’s a way to connect with felt needs and interests and then bring the conversation to Jesus.”

The International Orality Network (ION) is a collaboration of leaders in orality around the world. This group consists of authorities in missiology, psychology, communication, and more. It turns out that removing a dependency on written word takes quite a bit of research and intentional re-learning.

“When we learn from oral cultures and the way God preserves the integrity of His message in oral cultures before it was written down…the better we can see contemporary strategy,” Wiles says.

ION is working on a five-year plan with the ultimate goal of communicating the Gospel in ways people can understand, respond to, and reproduce — all with the goal to make disciples.

They will be holding regional conferences around the United States and provide sub-regional trainings, forums, and consultations. They are excited about how all areas of orality can be used. Wiles says there are even applications within government.

“How do we reach members of the diplomatic community? So, these would like ambassadors, these would be officials in the government…. How do you build relationships and help people understand each other better? Well, it takes conversations.”

Another area orality could be used is in education.

“Orality can be used to address social justice issues, trauma therapy…then in business, and then in education — so, not only theological education and mission training, but also secondary education and special education.”

What’s interesting is the number of people who use orality already, but without conscious effort. Orality training will help those people be more effective and fill in the gaps.

Wiles encourages you to join them on this journey. Sign up for a workshop training today.

Jerry Wiles, a consultant for Living Water International, says sharing stories is an effective way to relate. In addition, it is an avenue to sharing the Gospel.

Living Water International is able to share hygiene information with orality. (Image courtesy of Living Water International)

Stories are just a tiny aspect of orality, the method of sharing the Gospel by word-of-mouth rather than writing.

The concept has been an effective one for Living Water on the field. By sharing content in a way that is easily repeated, they are able to teach entire communities hygiene practices that save lives. In the same way and at the same time, they’re able to share Bible stories. When God’s Word is made accessible to oral learners, they can hear and understand, and share it with others in their life.

But this isn’t just for international missions and oral cultures. Wiles says it can be effective anywhere on the planet. As we’ve shared before, the majority of the world learns best orally either by preference or necessity.  That’s why orality workshops are helpful for anyone.

From mission field to your neighborhood

There are obvious reasons why being able to share Bible stories by memory is helpful on the mission field. In some areas, Bibles and related materials are illegal to bring into the country.

“You don’t have to smuggle Bibles or take equipment in. You just train people with what’s in their heads and in their hearts that can be reproduced in the heads and hearts of others,” Wiles explains.

But what about that moment where you’re sharing in conversation on the bus, or chatting with a cashier at the local grocery store? You realize they don’t know Jesus, but you don’t have your Bible and, anyway, you’re not sure how to start that conversation.

It begins with a question.

“What we found in our training and on this journey is if you equip people with an orality based approach, you engage people, ask questions, you tell stories, tell your story, there is a relational story-telling approach we start by asking a question.”

A simple question is a way to show genuine interest and open opportunity. Ask them about a defining moment in their life, or about their spiritual journey or beliefs. And they might just ask you about yours.

“When you ask questions and listen, sometimes people will say, ‘Well, tell me your story.’ So you start with their story, then you share your story, then you bring God’s story into the conversation. And we’ve seen this work enough places and it just gives people a lot of liberty and confidence.”

With training, an individual can be more attentive and prepared to share a Bible story that relates to the conversation. You learn how to segue into the Gospel naturally.

“You might say something like, ‘Well I just learned a new story. Would you be interested in hearing a story I just learned?’ You tell a story, about Jesus. There are many stories. And then you think, Jesus calming the storm — you think, we all face storms of life — difficulties, problems, crisis situations. Who do we go to in those times of difficulty? Does Jesus care about us?”

You can see how it goes into a discussion about the hope found in Jesus. But, there’s quite a bit of learning that goes along with orality, perhaps more than you’d think. As Wiles says, it “requires a little bit of rethinking and sometimes unlearning and relearning certain things to get back to, because our modern Western literacy-based academic training doesn’t prepare us for that cross-cultural, global context.”

One of the best ways to learn more about orality is to attend a training workshop. Wiles says in the first session of a workshop, attendees are required to put away all computers, phones, and note-taking.

“We want them to enter the world of the oral learner, much like how the Gospel would have been presented and how it spread throughout the whole populated world in the first century before we had radio and TV and the printing press and all the things we have today.”

To learn about upcoming workshops, click here.

Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately-needed clean water, and to experience “Living Water” — the Gospel of Jesus Christ — which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

The death toll, according to Reuters, jumped past 1,000 in Haiti.  Even that number isn’t sure.  Haiti’s central civil protection agency, which visually confirms victims, said 336 people died.  Hundreds are missing.  Survivors still in emergency shelters number in the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands who lost their homes and everything in them need immediate food, water, shelter, and clothing assistance.

‘Back to normal’ isn’t going to happen in the near future for those in Matthew’s strike zone.  Hubert Morquette is the country director of Living Water-Haiti.  “A lot of homes are destroyed, bridges are destroyed, and schools are destroyed.  The government asked for the schools to start again Monday.  We don’t think that is possible because a lot of those schools have been destroyed.  Churches have been destroyed.”

The Haitian government has asked Living Water to bring relief by providing water and hygiene to people in need.  Now, more than ever, proper sanitation and hygiene is urgently needed to halt the spread of deadly diseases caused by unsafe water.

Morquette explains, “We are mostly afraid of a cholera outbreak in this area of Cabaret (the west) because there are a lot of people who got cholera from Cabaret, who died.  We have also programs in the north, where we are afraid of getting a cholera outbreak in those two areas.”  LWI has served in Haiti since 2004.

(Image courtesy of Living Water International)

This year, Living Water Haiti began focusing its efforts in Cabaret, West Haiti (the country’s first WASH Program Area, or WPA) and Dondon, North Haiti, by providing water access points, training Community Health Club members, and developing relationships with local authorities, church organizations, and community based organizations.

The water projects are well protected, he says.  “We don’t think there will be contamination of the aquifer,” however, “the problem is if the people get the water, even though the water is good and clean, they can contaminate the water.”

Cholera has persisted since the 2010 earthquake.  Its presence means it could spread rapidly without a quick response now.  “Right now, what we are trying to do is work with the schools, work with the facilitators in the community, work with the churches to start educating them, to start reminding them of hygiene information, sanitizing them.”

Morquette says the next phase started simultaneously.  “The second thing is to use chlorine, disinfect the water, tell them to wash their hands, tell them to wash everything they will be consuming.”

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

Another day, another disaster in Haiti.  People are rebuilding life, again.  The poorest country in the Northern Hemisphere hasn’t recovered yet from the 2010 quake.  The Haitian people will need the hope that can only come through Jesus Christ, says Morquette.

“We work through the pastors.  We work through the leaders in the community.  They know who we are.  We are there because of Jesus, because we love the people, and because we want them to lead a good life.”

He also says a relief response will take money.  It takes money to buy food, medicine and supplies.  They also can’t afford to wait till all of the funds come in before responding, which is why they’re asking for help.

Their team of 34 is mobilized and waiting for the word ‘go’.  “It will be easy for us going through the church and equipping the church so the church can respond to the needs of the people, with our help.”

In the liturgy of ‘pray, give, go’, he asks you to pray for wisdom for their team, but also, “Be praying for those who are trouble, those who are crying.”

Living Water International has served in Haiti for over a decade. We reached Hubert Morquette, Living Water International’s director in Haiti. He says over 350,000 people need immediate help.

“The three main things right now: it is food, water, shelter. Of course, a lot of people don’t have any kind of clothes, because the flooding got everything they had in their homes.”

The next big issue? Bad water.

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

Morquette says, “We are also concerned with disease they can get because they are consuming bad water. That’s a concern and cholera is the first thing. In less than one or two weeks, we can start having people dying.”

Even while the damage is still being assessed, your support is vital as they mobilize their plan to deliver aid and the lasting hope that can only come through Jesus Christ.

The following is from Mike Mantel, President and CEO of Living Water International:

Hurricane Matthew has unleashed destruction in Haiti. Families uprooted. Homes destroyed. Water wells need repair. About 350,000 Haitians are in need of immediate assistance.’
Living Water is responding now to help communities that have been impacted by this disaster. But we need your help! Please donate now to help the victims of this hurricane.

Now, more than ever, communities will need access to safe, clean water. One of the first priorities after a disaster like this one is to protect the lives of children, who are immediately threatened by deadly waterborne diseases due to contaminated water.

Your support today is vital as we marshal our resources to provide urgent, life-saving relief—and deliver the lasting hope that can only come through Jesus Christ.

The Haitian government has appealed to Living Water and our supporters to bring relief by providing water and hygiene to people in need.

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

We have served in Haiti since 2004. Our team of 34 Haitian staff is committed to helping their brothers and sisters recover from this terrible hurricane. Your gift now will support them as they assess needs in communities in response to this crisis.

Proper sanitation and hygiene is urgently needed to halt the spread of deadly diseases caused by unsafe water. Cholera, which has persisted since the 2010 earthquake, could spread rapidly without our quick response now.

Will you please stand by the people of Haiti with your urgently needed gift? And, please, remember to pray for those whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

Yours in Christ,

Mike Mantel
President & CEO

Click here to help. 

Living Water International has been a proponent of orality methods for several years now. They’ve seen the effectiveness of sharing information orally both in practical matters and in sharing the Gospel alongside their humanitarian work.

As we recently reported, Jerry Wiles of Living Water International has accepted a position as the North America Regional Director for the International Orality Network. One might question the worth of focusing on Canada and the United States — two highly literate populations — but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

“One important aspect in the global Church world and mission movements is the contextualization — looking at the receptor culture. How do we communicate the Gospel and make disciples in ways that are appropriate to the least and the last unreached, unengaged people groups?” Wiles says.

Part of this contextualization is learning how the recipients of the Gospel learn. According to the International Orality Network, over 70 percent of people learn orally by necessity or preference. And these oral learners aren’t just found outside Canada or the United States.

“When we think about the North American context, the United States for example, there are more unreached people groups in the United States than any other single country in the Western Hemisphere. So we think of the U.S. being a sending place, but we need a more focused, intentional outreach to the unreached people groups, [and] also just unreached people in the U.S. and the North American context.”

Partly, it’s because of the movement of people across the globe. Houston, Texas, for example, has become an extremely diverse city with a large number of various cultures coming together.

Jerry Wiles at Orality Training. (Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

Wiles says a big part of it is, “understanding about cross-cultural learning preferences, issues like honor-shame issues are important for us, not just in the foreign mission field, but the mission field we all live in.”

Another reason why many Americans, in particular, do not know Jesus is precisely because they learn better orally than the highly literate way many of us have come to study and share the Bible.

“If you think about the people who need the Lord and people who’ve been exposed to the Gospel, maybe from a traditional church in the North American context, many of them have never come to a relationship with Jesus that is meaningful and is reproducible.”

God gave us the written Word for a reason. But when we look on how the stories of Jesus were shared in the early Church, only a small percentage of people read.

The modern Western approach to sharing the Gospel in a literate way isn’t always effective. So what can we do? Wiles says there needs to be a greater emphasis on getting back to the basics. If we think back to the rapidly spreading Church 2,000 years ago, the techniques used then are highly effective today.

“Much of what we learn in the more rapidly reproducing church-planting movements in the global south, and the underground church in various parts of the world, many of those lessons can be brought back to the context of churches in the United States and Canada.”

These methods are cross-cultural, international, and reproducible. Most importantly, they’re Biblical. Wiles says when we break it down to the basics, these methods are usable everywhere.

(Image capture courtesy of Living Water International)

The focus is the Gospel, shared through Bible stories that help people understand what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus, what a disciple is, and what the Church is.

The truth is, in the modern Western world, many of the intellectual phrases and terminology we use can be a barrier to others. Though we need the written Word and we need scholars, we have to be careful we’re not imposing our modern-Western world on others when God’s Word can better be shared with our mouths.

If you would like to learn more about orality, why not experience it? Sign up for a workshop today! Click here for more information.

If you’ve followed our stories about orality before, you’re aware of how passionate Wiles is about this mission strategy, and also how it is revolutionizing the way ministries function. If you’ve never heard of orality before, let us explain. In short, it is sharing the Gospel in non-written ways. It’s taking in consideration the fact that the majority of the world’s population learns orally either by preference or necessity.

Jerry Wiles has been appointed as the North America Regional Director of the International Orality Network. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Wiles via Facebook)

We met up with Wiles at Missio Nexus, and he has this exciting announcement to make: “I’ve been asked to assume the role as the North America Regional Director of the International Orality Network. The International Orality Network has been around since 2004.”

International Orality Network (ION) is a coalition of agencies and organizations dedicated to making God’s Word available to oral learners.

In 2004, ION was made up of 30 organizations. But the success of orality method within missions has caught on—today there are about 2,000 organizations.

“It’s a pretty significant movement and a major breakthrough and paradigm shift in global mission strategy, church-planting, discipleship-making movements. We’re on a pretty amazing journey with this,” Wiles says.

Wiles has been involved in orality missions for many years, and for the past decade, Living Water International has seen the benefits of it — both practically in matters of disease prevention, and spiritually in the way the Gospel spreads through communities.

“Jesus didn’t say make disciples of all literate people groups. He said make disciples of all people groups. So we need to have a message and methods that will be transferable to all people and all people groups.”

That’s exactly what orality is aimed at — getting back to the basics of sharing the Gospel and doing it in a way that is accessible by all people groups.

From ION Network:

In this role, Wiles will facilitate the North American aspect of this global network of organizations and orality practitioners serving oral learners. Jerry is one of the early orality forerunners and has been a paradigm pioneer in the orality movement. In this new role, Wiles will be facilitating a number of initiatives to increase the understanding of the many applications of Orality methods, practices and strategies in the North American context. He will be leading a team to assist churches and ministries in the USA and Canada to implement Orality programs for more effective impact, locally and globally.

We’ll be sharing more about orality and what’s next for ION Network in the days to come.
For now, consider attending an orality training workshop. Learn more here.

And you can find out more about Living Water International here!

The World Food Programme says that 10.2 million Ethiopians are in need of emergency food assistance. As with most droughts, crops struggle and fail.

Jerry Wiles of Living Water International says, “Experts are projecting that this is the worst drought that has taken place in Ethiopia since the 1960’s.”

He continues, saying that out of almost 100 million people in Ethiopia, there are “42 million plus without access to clean, safe drinking water.”

The situation is likely to get worse, making hygiene and sanitation practices extremely important.

Earthly and eternal impact: the dual mission of Living Water

(Image courtesy of Living Water International)

Living Water International exists to bring sustainable practices and water sources to countries. But more importantly, they want to tell others about Jesus.

Wiles says, “By the end of this year we will have completed more than 500 water projects.”

In Ethiopia, they recognize a great spiritual need, and along with that, a great opportunity to share Christ with the population.

Application of orality method

Many of the people groups in Ethiopia are oral cultures, meaning they depend mostly on word of mouth to communicate. The prominence of oral cultures worldwide is one of the reasons why orality method has grown so quickly the last few years.

Wiles explains, “You can integrate orality concepts, methods, and principles into all the programs.”

Through orality, not only are mission organizations better able to pass on hygienic instructions, but they are able to train leaders to share the Gospel in a way that is reproducible.

“The Lord’s doing a great work, and seems like in some of the most desperate and difficult times and places the Lord does some amazing work. So we’re praying and trusting the Lord that we can be strategic in meeting the physical and spiritual needs there.”

Wiles says it’s part of an integral mission — word and deed, proclamation and demonstration.

Clean water and you

(Photo courtesy of Living Water International)

Living Water International has a variety of ways you can get involved in their projects. Click here for a list of opportunities.

For more information on their work in Ethiopia, look for their August newsletter. You can sign up for the email list on the bottom of this page.