Quenching Physical and Spiritual Thirst

There is a common thread among the people that partner with LiveBeyond. We have a strong belief that in the Kingdom of God, there are no children dying from starvation. Mothers do not suffer from delivering babies alone. People do not die from drinking dirty water.

We work in a remote, poverty-stricken region of Haiti where the average person lives off less than $1.25 per day. The majority of the population lives without electricity, sewage sanitation systems and clean water.

It seems unfathomable that anyone could live off less than nine dollars per week. However, the reality is that millions of lives in developing countries are sustained without electricity and sewage.

Uncomfortable? Yes. Difficult? Yes.

But life without water? Impossible.

Water isn’t a problem just in Haiti. According to the World Health Organization, there are 663 million people across the world who still lack access to clean water sources.

On a daily basis, we witness people barely hanging onto life in Haiti—living in a state of constant thirst—both physically and spiritually. It can be debated which need should take priority, but thankfully, Jesus sets the example for us.

All four Gospels share the story about Jesus performing a miracle to feed the five thousand. Jesus could have easily shared His message to the crowd and moved on, but instead, He is moved with compassion to meet their physical needs first, and then their spiritual needs. He feeds them, heals them, and reveals the Lord to them through His teachings.

We see it day-after-day in our work to care for Haiti’s poor. The sound of starved, rumbling stomachs are one of the greatest barriers to people hearing about God’s love and goodness.

That’s why we follow His example to satisfy physical needs and bring spiritual satisfaction. LiveBeyond installed clean water filtration systems that purify 200 million of gallons of water per year in Thomazeau, Haiti. Today, 200,000 people in our region have access to clean water. Now that we’ve quenched their physical needs, we can share about a pure, life-sustaining gift from Jesus that never runs dry—the well of living water.

“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

Each day, we’re seeing more people refreshed and revived by drinking the “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ. Deep, inner thirsts are being quenched as His people enter into His presence. The Lord chose us to serve His children in Haiti. He graciously led us to this country to boldly advance the Kingdom.

You may be thinking, “That’s great for you, but I not sure I can make a difference.” We have good news for you. When you accept Jesus’ invitation to come and drink from Him, “rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me.” – John 7:38, MSG

This World Water Day, ask God how His rivers of water can flow through you to meet others’ needs. When Jesus fed the 5,000, he didn’t single-handedly distribute the food; He tapped into his disciples’ willing hearts and faith to feed the crowd. Jesus chose to make them a part of this story, and He has stories to write YOU into as well.

Commit to advocating for the needs of the poor. Get your family and friends involved to take action against extreme poverty around the world. Consider donating to LiveBeyond to support our work. And most importantly, continue to drink from the living water, and be filled with His constant presence that will never leave you.

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