Water in the Wasteland

When Pastor Moses and his wife first arrived at the village of Jagadgirigutta, India, it was a mostly deserted area used as a hideaway for criminals. But there was a dream in the couple's heart to reach the people there and build a church.

Water was scarce in the rocky, remote region, and they were beginning to outgrow a tiny rented room in which they shared the Gospel with new believers. So they began to pray that God would provide them with a bigger place to worship so they could share Christ with even more in the community.

And one day, something beautiful and unexpected happened. God answered their prayers by connecting Pastor Moses with our outreach arm, Hand of Hope. Together, with the help of our partners, not only were we able to provide them with a brand-new church, but the community's need for fresh, clean water was also met by digging a well.

"When people got the news that now water is available...that's how people started coming and started living in this area," Pastor Moses explained. "With the water, they started building their houses. That's how, slowly, the area got developed—through the well."

Many came for the water but stayed for church, which made sharing the Gospel much easier and very effective.

"That brought many people to Sunday worship service, not just 20 to 30 people, but gradually the numbers grew," Pastor Moses said.

Pastor Moses' congregation has grown to around 500 people, including several hundred who listen to the message from the church courtyard outside.

"Many have testified that when they come into this church, they have expressed that there is a kind of peace that they have received. There is sanity, a quietness...inner peace and they get connected to God," Pastor Moses said.

Not only that, he used the church to raise up other pastors in the community and train them to also share the Gospel.

"I'm very thankful to Joyce Meyer Ministries, Hand of Hope, for extending all this support," Pastor Moses said. "We have done much more than we could have on our own. We could establish so many churches in these rural villages and it's all because of the support and help that we received."

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Updated: October 2022