Mission Trip 2003
Our Gift to the Prince of Peace
by Tom Logan

        Peace on Earth Good Will to Men. That's what the angels heralded 2000 years ago to announce to the world that the Savior was born.  The Messiah had come.  The King of Kings, the Prince of Peace.

How can we honor God for this most precious gift?  One way may be to build a shallow well or build a school where there is none, teach a child, share your knowledge and expertise with the least of these, share your bounty, reach out to those who are different (get to know them, understand them, love them).

This past fall, in 7 weeks (from September 29, 2003 to November 15, 2003), 495 shallow wells were installed.  465 in Malawi and 30 in Tanzania.  Another 70+ wells are in various stages of construction and should be completed before the end of the year.  That's over 120,000 people with safe drinking water.  Awesome!!!!!!!!   How great our God!!!!!!!!

Year after year Marion Medical Mission builds more wells working together with remote African village communities.  The villagers make the brick, bring stone and sand to the well site, provide unskilled labor and dig the wells by hand.  The Malawian Shallow Wells experts (over 250) provide the know-how and skilled labor, train new village maintenance people sharing their knowledge, and most importantly maintain the existing wells keeping them pumping safe drinking water.  Marion Medical Mission provides the funds for the pipe, pump and cement, and sends volunteers out each fall to cheer the efforts and work hand in hand with the people.

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A typical drinking water source in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia

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Safe, clean, drinking water flows for God's people

 Even though we come from vastly different worlds (cultures, countries, people) by working together something wonderful has happened.  Since 1990 over 2,800 wells have been built providing 700,000+ people with safe drinking water.  Wells not only in Malawi but  also in Tanzania and now Zambia.

The villages get clean safe drinking water and our donors and our volunteers get the satisfaction of being a part of providing it.

Yet, the wells represent something even more significant.  They represent what can happen when the people of God come together and work hand in hand as His people using their differences to support one another -- to lift each other up.

This is the way it should be.

This is the way God intended it to be.

The way to peace.

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