Expanding the understanding of good news.
Do you remember when your Christian faith turned from belief into action? Daniel sure does. This father of four serves as the pastor of the Assemblies of God church in Kagogo, Burera. For years, church activities solely focused on the spiritual well-being of church members. All of this changed when World Relief began working in his community.
Daniel reflectively shares, “Before World Relief, church activities only emphasized the Gospel teaching. I had a problem of drinking uncleaned water coming from the source in the mountains or when we fetched water from Burera Lake. I knew that boiling water was a way of cleaning it, but the cost of charcoal and firewood was the crucial reason we decided to cook food only and drink untreated water. This caused my family members to suffer from waterborne illnesses like diarrhea, especially our little babies.”
Daniel recalls the early training he received through World Relief that brought churches together and equipped them to see the needs in their community. Through the partnership of World Relief and 20 Liters, the Church Network began distributing water filters to people in his village. As Daniel was helping other families obtain clean water, he too was gifted a water filter for his family and their neighbors.
“From that day, my family members and neighbors drink filtered water. Members from the Assemblies of God church also drink filtered water from my house every Sunday. This has enhanced our good relationship. This filter has been the relevant solution to the issue of untreated water consumption in our region.”
Clean water leads impacts more than physical health.
Their water filter is impacting more than just physical health; it is changing financial futures as well. Pastor Daniel shares that he hosts a Savings for Life group at his home, saying, “I also provide filtered water to my savings group members who gather at my home every week.”
World Relief’s Savings for Life program helps individuals save money and take out loans from the group to invest in farms, start small businesses and support their families. At the end of each savings cycle, everyone receives their savings plus interest in a “share out.” From there, group members can take their earnings or reinvest in the group as they begin a new savings cycle. Savings for Life also trains participants in financial literacy and decision-making practices, creating financial freedom for families in Rwanda. The difference Pastor Daniel is seeing – in large part because of the water filters – is tremendous. Daniel says, “Now my family, neighbors, church members and savings group members are happy because we’re no longer suffering from waterborne illnesses. The money which was used for medical treatments or buying charcoal and firewood for boiling water is being saved in our savings group. As an outcome, during the last share out, I saved 135,000 Rwandan francs (equivalent to $103.29 USD). I used my savings to help buy land where this season I cultivated beans. I am ready to enjoy the harvest.”
Caring for the whole person.
What a testimony of changing perspectives as Pastor Daniel experienced the church caring for the whole person. He knew their spiritual needs were already being taken care of but through partnership with World Relief and the distribution of 20 Liters water filters, improvements in relationships, community, health and wealth are taking place in his community in Rwanda. Daniel is proud to be a church leader involved in holistic community development. He expresses his gratitude to World Relief and 20 Liters for empowering local churches to serve the most vulnerable.
