Kuwaa Prayer Letter
January 2010
Dear Friends of the Kuwaa Mission,
God’s grace, mercy, and peace rest upon you, and may Christ, our Lord, fill you with his sacrificial love!
All of us were saddened by the earthquake that befell the Haitians and the tear jerking pictures and video that followed. At the same time that our hearts are convulsing, we are thanking God for the overwhelming generosity and concern that people have shown to them in their time of need. We pray for the Haitians. We praise God for the generosity he is raising in people.
This, however, raises a big concern for me. Why is it that people or governments consider some people and/or countries worthy of help and others not worthy of help. It saddens me that Liberia and its people where denied significant help over the years since 1980 and that they are still hurting. Liberia is one of our closest friends. We helped found Liberia. Because the Kuwaa people are out of sight, living in the remote tropical forest, nobody seems to care even though for 30 years they have been suffering as much as the Haitians have in just 3 weeks. Lord please help us be concerned about all the suffering, not just the ones, for whatever reason, we feel deserve and are worthy of our help. They are so many more. Lord, help those who are able to help themselves do that instead of complaining about what they didn’t get.
There is good news also. Just a couple of days ago, I received a much awaited phone call from Liberia. The 3 person volunteer team returned from their patrol in the high jungle to assess the needs of the Kuwaa Chiefdom villages. God protected them as they walked. For that we are thankful. They are rejoicing over the reception that the people gave them. They are thankful over the happiness the people began displaying after they heard that the Kuwaa Mission is trying to help them. Finally, someone cares about us. Through the Christian volunteers and supporters, the Kuwaa people’s faith is beginning to return. They are realizing that God is really there to help them through their brothers and sisters of the Kuwaa Mission.
The Team – Chris Kowula, Cindy Ellis, Stan Olsen, & Bekki Ellis
The team is now making the necessary decisions on what needs to be done and where to start. They found that some towns already had functioning wells. The volunteers determined where the Mission would help build the first of two wells this dry season. The second one will be determined soon. They have already passed out almost 100 water filters, instructed the people in their use, and did a follow up to see if the people were really using them and if there were any problems. They happily reported that the people were able to overcome tribal taboos. They were using the filters effectively, that they were able to care and maintain the filters by themselves. They found out that the filters were working fine.
The proof! This Kuwaa girl is helping her papa in using the potable water filter to fill a clean plastic jug.
The team found a new challenge for the Mission to pray about. A new challenge to resolve is before us. We are confident that God will help the Mission in meeting the new challenge. Prayers have started to ascend to God, and we are praising God for the new challenge. In the short time that the Kuwaa Mission has been busy promoting the need for helping the Kuwaa people, we have been praising the Lord for the people and funds that have come forward. The team just relayed to the Board of Directors that the Mission cannot rest on its laurels. They have shown us that we need to be busy finding more support. The cost of ground transportation to get the supplies to the Chiefdom has increased threefold. Transporting supplies has gone to $1600 for a one 150 mile one-way trip. As a consequence, the team and the Mission are beginning a study of possible alternatives. We ask you to join us in seeking the Lord’s will in this matter. A four wheel drive Toyota pickup costs about $45,000. Buying a used one is out of the question because they are in such poor repair. We calendarized the purchase of a pickup in about 2 to 3 years, but the purchase may have to be moved up to this year if we are to do significant work in the Jan. to April dry time frame 2011. It seems that the supplies are still within reason. Getting supplies and volunteers is presenting the challenge.