Selfless Faith

"I see a generation, rising up to take its place, with selfless faith."  I witnessed the words to this song, in the flesh, this past weekend.

It is a privilege to know a group of people who manage a charity that is about as near perfection as can be seen on this earth. They are a rising generation. The Living Water Project was begun eleven years ago by a young man who had to return to the United States from mission work in Germany to receive treatment for a rare form of cancer.   He would not be satisfied with focusing on his own health.  As the Samaritan, who could not deny the compulsion in his gut to tend to the man in the ditch, so Shanon could not deny the drive deep within him to help other people.  He had a gift for helping others catch this dream.  As happens with those who really make a difference in this world, the dream did not die when Shanon moved on, at the age of 27, to the next part of his journey through eternity.  It was a devastating loss to his parents, to his friends, to all who knew and loved him, but his death did not devastate his dream.  He left a legacy.

This rising generation picked up the torch.  They know that Jesus is the Living Water we all need.  They also know that words of this Jesus are simply meaningless platitudes if not accompanied with true life-giving service.  It is hard to see or love a Jesus if his followers only offer words.  When children are dying from cholera because of a lack of clean fresh water, and many followers of Jesus waste water to keep their grass from dying, He must seem a capricious god.  But, praise God, we have a rising generation of selfless faith.

This weekend, Living Water had its 11th annual yard sale.  It is brilliant.  People are able to clean out closets, and in turn, those who are less affluent find wonderful buys on items they need, all the while making it possible to build clean water wells for the even less affluent.  Enough money was raised this past weekend to build two wells in Haiti.   Every single penny raised goes to the building of wells.  This rising generation pays its own way to the mission fields to oversee the building of these wells.  They do not misuse the funds with which they have been trusted.

We talk about the trickle down effect of the economy.  Living Water has a trickle up effect.  When villages have clean water wells, women don't have to spend their days tending to dying children and walking miles and miles just to get a jug of fresh water.  They can go to school themselves.  They can work at jobs.  Their lives are changed.  Can you imagine how many lives have been changed for the better by the 39 wells built in 12 countries by Living Water?   

Not only those who end up with clean closets, or those who acquire gently used needed items, or those who receive life-giving water benefit from this charity.  Many members of this rising generation do not say, "look what YOU have done to cause harm, or look what YOU have not done to help someone," but rather they ask, "what can I do to bring about real change in this world."  It is selfless faith.  It is not about them.  They do not live in anger.  Oh, they have righteous indignation over the ills of this world, but instead of griping and complaining, they get to work.  They do something.  And, their lives are transformed.  I see a peace and joy in the part of this rising generation who embrace a life bigger than themselves that I do not see in those who don't.  Those who make themselves part of a community find true meaning.  For, as gifted and determined as Shanon was, Living Water would have died with him had he not lived in community. 

So, thank you, Jon, Linda, Jennifer, and all the rest of this rising generation.  Your selfless faith is an inspiration. 

For today, I wish you community with this rising generation, selfless faith, and

blessings