SEND! magazine Third Quarter 2005: Washing Away Barriers
Washing Away Barriers
Trudging across the parched land of central India, women and children bring their jugs and pots to a spout of sweet, refreshing water. Cool drops splash on a plaque reading, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst" (John 4:13-14). This "Jesus Well" helps Pastor Chandra provide spiritual nourishment along with physical relief to people in need of both.
When Pastor Chandra first came to this village, the people were friendly to him. But soon, some of the villagers became jealous over his growing church. At a religious festival, they created a disturbance and started harassing him.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Who sent you here?" they demanded. As the commotion grew, they dragged Pastor Chandra to the police station, where he was arrested and imprisoned without bail.
Several months later and after much prayer, Pastor Chandra was released. He was again free to minister, but now among people who hated him. The barrier of prejudice against him would somehow need to come down before he could continue sharing the Gospel.
"If I did some kind of good to these people," Pastor Chandra explains, "I could gain their favor again so that I could slowly share the Gospel with them."
Due to a drought, the village water supply was only available 15-30 minutes per day. So Pastor Chandra decided to help meet this need for water, trusting it would lead to opportunities to share about Jesus-the Living Water and the answer to their greatest need.
Pastor Chandra's wife also talks to women who come to the well, and many hearts are opened to the Gospel through this gesture of love. Today, 20 new Christians worship at the Believers Church.
Pastor Chandra's GFA state leader estimates that 500 people bring water to their families each day, which in reality means the well benefits approximately 5,000 people daily. His goal now is to have a Jesus Well in front of each church in the state.
"[We want to provide water], not only to Christians," the state leader says, "but to people who do not know Christ. They will have the water they need and a chance to come to know the Lord Jesus, the Living Water who can eternally quench their thirst."
When you give toward a Jesus Well, you help bring the Living Water to spiritually thirsty souls. Donate online at www.gfa.org/wells or contact the GFA office in your country.
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