WILLS POINT TX — The entire community of one South Asian village will join in World Water Day celebrations on March 22 by dedicating their new “Jesus Well” – a well drilled and installed with the support of Gospel for Asia (GFA), and which is the result of more than two years of prayer.
“Wells have been community gathering places and opportunities for God-encounters since Biblical times, and the same is true today,” said K.P. Yohannan, founder and international director of Gospel for Asia (GFA). “A ‘Jesus Well’ is a great place to share love of the Lord and a cool, healthy cup of water in his name, while villagers fill their water pots.”
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported “Jesus Wells” – paid for by donations and built by local contractors — provide clean water for an entire village for only $1,400. A total of 410 new “Jesus Wells” will be dedicated on World Water Day this year. According to the World Health Organization, 3.4 million people die of waterborne diseases each year, many of them children.
Pastor Bablu knows firsthand the damage caused by impure water. When he began working at his first village assignment, he found that many people suffered from dysentery and malaria. Malaria alone had killed 15 in the area, which only had access to polluted water from open ponds and a nearby river.
The pastor began praying for the health of his congregation in 2012, and, later, asked for Gospel for Asia (GFA) assistance to drill a ‘Jesus Well.’ The well was completed in October 2015, and, today, families have easy access to safe water for cooking, drinking, bathing and cleaning.
“This demonstration of Christ’s compassion is also bringing more villagers to hear the word of the Lord,” said Yohannan. “For Christians, though, this well simply reminds us of Matthew 25:40: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Gospel for Asia (GFA) has – for more than 30 years – provided humanitarian assistance and spiritual hope to millions across South Asia, especially among those who have yet to hear the Good News. Last year, this included more than 75,000 sponsored children, free medical services for more than 180,000 people, 6,000 wells drilled, 11,000 water filters installed, Christmas presents for more than 400,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry.