What a Difference a Name Makes!

The Club — Drinking alcohol and fighting were about all that was happening in a town called “The Club.” It was named after what is commonly known as an “elder’s club,” which is a stick with a big knot on the end of it that is perfect for clobbering someone over the head. Francis Bii, our CRF director in Eldoret, grew up in this village in Kenya. His parents gave him alcohol for his breakfast every morning. There was so much unnecessary violence in this community that the nearest hospital in another town refused to take care of them. The chief brewer and the source of all the booze was William. The mischief of the village stemmed from his influence…. Read more »


By
In Africa, Child Sponsorship, Clean Water

Bruiser

Bruiser. That’s what Jeremy named him. It was years ago, but I will never forget it. Yes, my youngest son took the money that his grandmother gave him for Christmas and bought a pygmy goat. Why couldn’t he have bought a video game or a CD? No, he bought a goat. The problem was that we didn’t live on a farm. We lived in Seattle. And you can’t keep goats in the city. Or at least you are not supposed to do so. Bruiser made too much noise to keep outside. So we had a goat living in our house. I learned a lot about goats living with Bruiser. I learned goats like to climb. Yes, Bruiser wanted to be… Read more »


By
In Africa, Clean Water, Disaster Relief

The Big Test… Or Taste

The cup was shaped just like a communion cup. But it was a little bigger. A prayer of blessing was invoked before we shared it. We stood in a circle as we passed it around. It was a holy moment for us, but it wasn’t the Lord’s Supper. Nearly every- one from our Ole Miss mission trip had a taste from the cup. But one person was saved for last as we drank. He was different. He was a local man from this community in Haiti. He should not have to go first in this taste test. No, we weren’t drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. But it was pretty dangerous still. We had just spent the last few days installing a… Read more »


By
In Clean Water, Haiti/Caribbean

What Do You Do When You Don’t Have a Preacher?

Sometimes we drill a well, and we go ahead and plant a church without a preacher. We do everything that we can do to get them one as soon as we can. But we drill wells so quickly (in six days on average), and it takes some time to train a preacher (usually a year). So what do we do in this in-between time? That’s where Proclaimers come in. You may not know what a Proclaimer is, but they have become invaluable where we plant churches. A Proclaimer is like a boombox only it has the Bible recorded on it. You can get them in nearly any language with a native person who speaks that language reading God’s Word. They… Read more »


By
In Africa, Clean Water, Education

CRF Got a Christmas Present Too!

WHAT DID CRF GET FOR CHRISTMAS? MORE MATCHING FUNDS FOR WATER WELLS! We are happy to announce that our matching funds for water wells have been renewed for 2018! Every single dollar you give for water wells will be matched! And for every $5,000 we receive, we will be able to drill another well! Over the last few years, CRF’s water ministry has been able to provide clean water to nearly 200,000 people. We never could have come this far without God’s faithfulness, our matching funds, and every donor who has given to help us make clean water access a reality for someone in need. We are so grateful to all of you! We know it can be difficult to… Read more »


By
In Clean Water