Claude and Leslie Bing with Water for the Oppressed (which has local connections) will be traveling back to Zambia this month and will be taking with them to add to their ministry personal hygiene products and girls dresses made in South Hill by Susan Carroll and some of her friends that are volunteering to help with this project. Not only does WFTO repair and provide water pumps for clean water in that country, they also teach people about personal hygiene and how to take care of themselves for a healthier life in an under developed country. This is just the first shipment and Susan hopes to continue to make the products with more volunteers as well as being able to send to other locations through various church ministries or mission trips as well as through the Gleaning for the World WINGS project. Pictured: Claude and Leslie Bing, volunteer Midge Shipley and Susan and Rick Carroll (who volunteers with Upper Room Ministries in South Hill). Lisa Clary Photo
Written By Lisa E. Clary
Sun Staff Writer
As American women, we tend to take some everything day things in life for granted. But imagine you were told, that for four...
Greetings! We have published our November 2015 newsletter, and it is available to download below. If you would like to receive future updates via e-mail, enter your e-mail address in the newsletter subscription block on the right of this page.
Miranda Ellis & Emily Ezell are outstanding young ladies working toward their bronze badge for Girl Scouts. Earlier this year Leslie and I sat down with Miranda & Emily along with their mothers to discuss how they could help the children in Zambia. You will certainly hear their hearts as you read the articles. The Lord has something special in store for these young ladies.
Can you imagine having to collect your drinking water in an old antifreeze or motor oil container? What if you had to collect drinking water in an open plastic container (no lid or covering) found by the roadside, most likely discarded by a passing motorist? This is a reality in the lives of many who live in poverty. In 2014, WFTO distributed Jerry cans within the areas where we conduct discipleship training. The Jerry can is a 20L (5 gallon) plastic container with a sealed screw-on cap used to collect drinking water from the community hand pump. Providing a Jerry can is often overlooked when it comes to improving the hygiene of the local community. Why is that? It could be because it is such a simple item, just a plastic container. Is it because when we sort out how to help those in need we have a default setting that drifts toward the headline grabbing item, certainly not a plastic container? The following is how one of our Zambian colleagues viewed the Jerry can distribution.
One of my colleagues in Zambia confronted me and said, "when I first heard about the possibility of distributing Jerry cans I thought the idea was far fetched and would have little impact among...
WFTO distributed approximately 180 bibles in 2014 including 20 study bibles to various church leaders. A few of the individuals who received study bibles are pictured. Words cannot describe the expression of the individuals who received a study bible. We are often told by the bible recipients they have been praying to receive such a gift. There is life changing power in the living-active Word of God bringing change to a person, family, village, community, nation, and world.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Water for the Oppressed recently ministered in Kakote Village of Kafue, Zambia. The hand pump was broken and WFTO repaired it in conjunction with providing a Health & Hygiene training and preaching the Word. We will continue to follow up in this community to further equip the local pastors. This hand pump serves 570 people in the community.
Water for the Oppressed first ministered in the Kanyanja area, of Zambia, in 2010. As recently as July 2013, we repaired several hand pumps in the Kanyanja area as we continue to build a long term relationship with the community. We are now engaging the local church through a monthly discipleship/pastoral training class. Water for the Oppressed currently conducts training classes at two village locations and an additional training class, for approximately three churches, in the small town of Kafue.
Church Camp meeting held August 23-25. The Lord provided an opportunity to teach the Word to church leaders. The teaching revolved around leadership principles as found in scripture. Leslie and I will be involved in a leadership teaching on each Saturday beginning September 7th. The weekly teaching will center around biblical leadership principles.We will also assist with the Sunday school program in one of the local churches. Leslie and I are blessed by the opportunities to encourage and edify the local church body.
Ephesians 4:11-13
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.