Missions Festival

Every year the boys school has a Missions Festival in late October. You may remember me posting about last years, as it was really amazing! Seriously, you should just click on the link and go back and read about it. Really amazing! Before going on Friday night, I was seriously wondering if they could honestly even come close to topping last years festival. I had my doubts!

Let me just say, it was nothing like last year, and yet so rewarding and thought provoking! The mission this year for Fountain City Christian School is an organization called, Fountains of Hope. Again, I encourage you to go to the link and check out their website, but let me tell you a little about FOH!

Fountains of Hope is a non-profit, faith based organization that is committed to the installation, integration and teaching of safe water solutions for the poor and most marginalized via water purification, well drilling and health and hygiene education. The vision of FOH is to empower and equip the body of Christ to provide life-sustaining water for all of God's children. They will expand this vision by continuing to build relationships with churches as well as other like-minded ministries and organizations.

Let me give you a few statistics:
Did you know?
*Contaminated water is the #1 cause of death in developing countries.
*Bad water kills people: cholera, hepatitis, typhoid, dysentery, guinea worm and more! Over a billion people today do not have access to safe water!
*Less than 1% of the earth's water is fresh water, and only about one-third of this 1% is available for human use. Unfortunately, almost all of this water is contaminated. According to USA Today, "More people die each year from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war."
*Even those who have access to wells are not safe. Often these wells are contaminated by seeping surface water and pit latrines.
*One person in six lives without regular access to safe drinking water. (UN Sec. Gen. Kofi Annan)
*In the developing world, contaminated water accounts for 80% of all diseases and claims the lives of 5 million children a year. (World Vision)

Staggering statistics! And it is part of our world! Do we even realize. Do you know how many gallons of water your household goes through in a month's time? Again, staggering!

So, Fountains of Hope is doing something about it. They have designed a water purifying system that will chlorinate the water and disinfect it in order to provide safe water to those without that luxury. Again you can go to the website to see how their system works and all kinds of details about it.

Bill Farrar, the Founder and CEO, was the speaker for the Conference on Friday night and told much of what they do and what his vision is! He was actually at the school all day with the kids showing them the system and allowing the HS students to put a system together. He showed them how it works and what it does.

He has been traveling to countries and has installed over 60 purifier systems in six countries since FOH's incorporation in 2009.

In one specific community in West Africa the typhoid outbreak was killing an average of 30 people per month. After Fountains of Hope installed the water purification system at the community well, there have been NO cases of typhoid and 40% of the medical cases were eliminated at the local medical clinic!

Not only is that amazing - think about this:
When you come into a community and are able to give them clean water to drink and to change the culture of their families. Think about the opportunity then to tell them about the Living Water. The Purifier of our Souls who can transform lives! What an amazing opportunity!

Ron and I left the Conference excited. How can we help? What can we do?

Treating a single case of a waterborne disease may cost more than providing safe water for a village for a whole year! Depending on the size of the system, the number of people being served, and a few other factors, safe water can be provided for as little as $1 per person per year. One purifier can potentially serve an entire village.

Bill told us that literally for around $5000 (depending on what country and airfare) he can take and install a unit and teach the people to maintain it! And again, then has the opportunity to develop relationships and share Jesus with them! The goal for FCCS is to raise enough money for a system to be installed!

We were excited about the ministry of Fountains of Hope. If you are at all interested feel free to check out their website at www.fountainsofhope.org.

Another fantastic Missions Conference at Fountain City Christian School!