Darryn's Blog

2010 Water is Life Documentary Trailer

Water is Life Documentary from Heartland Church on Vimeo.

World Premiere Date: April 17, 2010

7 Wells in 10 Days in Sierra Leone

This past Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009, I completed my third trip to Sierra Leone, Africa. We commissioned wells in seven communities who were receiving clean, safe drinking water for the very first time. Every village, the response was amazing, highly emotional, and powerful to be part of. (Read the backstory Water is Life!).

On this trip I traveled with a team from the Rotary Club of Fishers, Indiana, (FRC) including Rotary District Governor, Judy Hollander (District 6560, Central Indiana), FRC Immediate Past President, Tom Branum, Jr. and FRC Past President, Valory Myers.

Rotary International is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business professionals and community leaders. There are 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. Members of Rotary clubs are known as Rotarians and I have been a proud to be a Rotarian for the last 8 years since Heartland Church began. 

Our 10 day journey was highlighted by the dedication of seven wells;  the inspection of previous wells; the building and strengthening of incredible friendships with the people of Sierra Leone; and topped off with a special and unexpected audience with His Excellency the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.

We inspected the three villages where we funded wells one year ago, installed by our cooperating partner, World Hope International (WHI). The impact was more than expected. We were very pleased at the record keeping, education, maintenance and community pride and  involvement. There were many unexpected insights into how clean water is life-changing for communities.

In one village, the local chief explained since the installation of the well and because of the hygiene training they had received, they were not experiencing the outbreaks of Malaria and Cholera that were devastating surrounding communities. In that village not one child had died in the previous year!

Our team left with even greater appreciation for our cooperating partner, World Hope International (WHI). WHI is responsible for Well Construction, Hygiene and Sanitation Education, Community Coordination and Sustainability Training) WHI is highly respected and regarded by everyone we met.

Traveling with us was Mr. David Erickson, COO of WHI who introduced us to representatives from the highest levels of Government in Sierra Leone, including His Excellency the President of Sierra Leone, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, as well as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development.  All shared with us their respect and gratitude for Rotary, WHI and how our vision of 100 Wells by 2011 fits into their national master development plan.

Our general team consensus is that the people of Sierra Leone possess a level of hope and drive that will put their war years behind them and build a renewed country, that will be what they want and dream it can be.  Our help arrives at the perfect time, and is in harmony and support of their objectives for themselves.

We could not have asked for a better in-country partner, headed by WHI Country Director Mr. Saidu Kanu and his staff. They took amazing care of us, and are doing phenomenal work.  We were humbled by their dedication and accomplishments.

In every village, we witnessed Muslims and Christians living side by side, working together on the well committees, and honoring each other.  FRC Past President Tom Branum, Jr. wrote, "We have been more than pleased about how well the Rotary Ideals are mirrored by the work of World Hope, and the villagers themselves."

In 2008 Heartland Church raised $150,000 USD in six weeks for a new water well drilling rig that can drill 40-50 wells a year. The Rotary Club of Fishers joined the cause in 2009 with a commitment to raise approximately $500,000 USD for 100 Wells by 2011.

In Sierra Leone:

• Life expectancy is 42 years of age.
• 1 in 8 mothers die during childbirth.
• Infant mortality is 1 out of 5 due to water born diseases.
• 70% of the population lacks access to a safe drinking water source.

THANK YOU to all our Donors, Supporters and friends of WaterIsLife! There is hope and vision for the future.

SAVE THE DATE: April 17th, 2010. World Premiere of our Feature Film Documentary on the water crisis in Sierra Leone.

Questions? Comments? Write me. Let me know if you would like a presentation for yourself, or your organization. 

Fishers Rotary Club Gives the Gift of Life

Water is Life! And that's what the Fishers Rotary Club gave to over 2,000 Sierra Leoneans last week by raising nearly $8,000 to fund two new wells.

I've been a Rotarian and a part of this club since 2001. It's a very spirited and lively group of over 100 that meets at 7:00 am every Friday morning. I'm very proud to be a part of this organization dedicated to service above self.

These are some of the most generous people in our entire community and their efforts are making a difference around the world. Here's an example from our recent Trip to Sierra Leone.
 

President Commissions Water Drilling Rig

In January of this year, a group of us from Heartland Church went to Sierra Leone, West Africa to spend 10 days in the poorest country in the world. We were honored to meet with the President of Sierra Leone based on the excellent work and reputation of our ministry partner, World Hope International.  During our vist, President Ernest Koroma told us the dire need of his country was to provide clean water for the people.  He asked us to consider the facts:

• Life expectancy is 42 years of age.
• Infant mortality is 1 out of 5.
• The GNP per capita is $142 (per year).

The devastating cycle could not be turned around without dealing with shortage of clean water. Read the background story here.

In June of this year, the people of Heartland gave $150,000 in the short span of six weeks time to respond to the urgent need for equipment to drill wells.  It was an incredible act of generosity to witness.

I just received word that the Water Drill rig that was purchased with those funds finally arrived and made it to the target area of Makeni, a place of extreme poverty in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. 

Apparently this was big news! The President himself came out to the northern city of Makeni to commission it. 

World Hope International Country Director for Sierra Leone, Saidu Kanu, had this to say about the commissioning ceremonies.

Yesterday afternoon, the President of Sierra Leone commissioned the well drilling equipment donated by Heartland Church. The ceremony was very impressive. The President spoke very highly of our work and glad that something fruitful came out of the January visit. The  President (in the white hat) started the rig as part of the commissioning and watch a test drill for few minutes.

Dr. Richard Konteh, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development chaired the occasion. Also present was the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, and many officials of the Northern Province. Thank you, Heartland Church!

This one rig can produce about 50 wells per year.  With a population of about 250,000 without access to clean water, the city of Makeni alone can absorb at least 50 wells. President Koroma told us in January that there were at least 1,000 communities they had identified in critical need.

But this is the difference we can make together. It's awesome.  So many people made sacrifices to get this first project done and you're a part of something wonderful that is happening in the world right now! We're impacting a nation!

A group of us from Heartland will be traveling back to Sierra Leone at the End of November to see the equipment in action; actually drilling a couple of wells  and observing the impact to the people in the community. We're actually going to live in their conditions to experience what life is like without clean water. It will be very compelling. We'll be bringing back a lot of video and hopefully inspire thousands of people to make a difference.

Anyone wishing to give towards this project, can give by credit card online through Heartland’s secure online giving system. It’s EASY!

1. Click the link above and login, (or 1st time register)
2. and then click the “GIVING” tab.
3. Please designate your gift to Sierra Leone in the optional memo line.

“And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." —Jesus, Matt. 10:42 (NLT)

Speak up for the poor

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

Don't miss your opportunity to participate in the One Life Festival this weekend. Let your generosity flow as we give sacrificially to bring the most basic need of life, clean water, to the poorest of the poor in Sierra Leone.

Obeying God Immediately

This last Sunday I shared the vision with our Heartland family that we need a miracle, but we can be someone else's miracle right now.

I presented the decision of the leaders to commit $150,000 to World Hope International for a new well drill rig to begin to provide clean water to the 1,000 villages that have no access to this basic need of life.

I told everyone not to feel guilty but to leverage gratitude for all God has done for them, and to be the best stewards they can be with all God has given them ... for their sake and their children's sake.

Imagine what could happend if everyone in our church, out of gratitude to the Lord, did the hard work of getting out of debt?! People could leverage huge percentages of their "extra" to change the world! This kind of incredible generosity would catch the attention of our entire community and even beyond.

The response so far has been amazing. The first surprise was Dr. JoAnn Lyon of WHI showing up at my home on Sunday afternoon. She had been the Commencement Speaker for the IWU's graduation ceremonies. Then she spoke at a church in Michigan on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon she drove down to personally thank us for our commitment.

While she was sitting in our living room, there was a knock on the door.  A couple who had heard me on Sunday morning was deeply moved by the need and wanted to respond immediately. She handed me a thick card and said, "open it."  I said, "Why don't you come in and give this directly where it's going.  Imagine their surprise when I brought them in to meet Dr. Lyon.  Tears popped into both their eyes, as they handed me the card and asked me to read it.  Here's part of it ...

"I could hardly sit through the remainder of the service. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, how to do it, and how much to give. So here is a $5,000 contribution towards the $150,000 commitment. God spoke to me ... and I not only heard Him, but I listened to Him. May others be so fortunate."

It was an emotional moment considering the convergence of all of our obedient responses to get us to this moment: My obedience to share the need; Dr. Lyon's obedience to drive down from Michigan; and these folk's obedience to respond immediately by coming to my house. We all arrived at the house at the same time: We arrived from our small group. Dr. Lyon showed up from Michigan. And this couple showed up 10 minutes later.

What has God been saying to you? You have no idea what lies on the other side of an obedient response.

Amazing things happen when we obey immediately. Not only was part of the need met, but we had a unique moment when all of us were aware of the Presence of God. It was a holy moment and it was priceless!

This is going to be huge! I have no idea where this is going or how much money we'll be able to give away, but in the end I believe we are going to see God and it's going to be breath-taking.

"Father, may everyone see you. Jesus, be lifted up. Holy Spirit, speak to us loudly that we may obey you without reservation. O Lord, may you visit us and our children. We want to see You! Amen."

Being Someone's Miracle

Back in January myself, and a team from Heartland, including my son Nick, made a special vision trip to Sierra Leone in West Africa to see the work that World Hope International is doing there. WHI is a faith-based relief and development organization

Sierra Leone is the poorest country in the world. The most critical problem for this tiny nation of $6.5 million people is clean water.  80% of the country does not have access to it. For the whole story, here is the Video of my message.

Here's an entry from my personal journal entry for last Thursday, (4/24) about how this need came to the surface now:

Ever since we've come back, I've known that we need to provide World Hope with a second water drilling rig. Even 50 wells a year is too slow with so much at stake. 1,000 villages! I've been thinking about a special Christmas eve offering. We could give, we could invite others in the community to give, like Rotary ... $150,000 is a lot of money but with enough preparation I think we could do it.

Why am I waiting until Christmas? Am I really going to wait until we meet all our own financial need until we meet this need? There is no way God would be honored by that. That goes against everything I know about how God works. We need a financial miracle, but we can be their miracle right now. It's  within our reach to give $150K away ... we should do this. What if we just went for it? It's a scary thought. But I think it's the right one.

"Lord, I'm willing to do whatever you want, just make it clear. I have to be sure this is you. Help me to know what you want, and I'll obey You! You know my heart."

Within an hour  of my writing this, I had received an email from David Cranor, a member of Heartland. He had been contacted by his boss, Dr. JoAnne Lyon, Executive Director, asking about the status of Heartland getting involved with a rig project because the current rig had broken. The drilling had stopped.

Wow. I could not believe the timing of her request, considering what I'd been pondering and praying about less than an hour before. I took this a clear confirmation of the impression I believed I had from the Lord.

I then called Pastor Gary and each Elder one at a time. Without any hesitation (and to my wonder) each one said, "We need to do this!"

So we unanimously decided to respond to this urgent need in Sierra Leone by committing $150,000 to purchase a new well drilling rig, above our One Life Commitments.  Even though we will need a miracle to reach our own goal, we can be their miracle right now. This coming Sunday we'll receive a special offering for this need at our big outdoor One Life Festival!

I have posted my Sierra Leone speaking note and PowerPoint file online so that anyone can spread the word and share the need with their network.

If you'd like to make a timely contribution, give online (select "Misc" and write, "SL Water Project" in the memo box, or please send your check to:

Heartland Church
Attn: Sierra Leone Water Project
9665 Hague Road
Indianapolis, IN 46256

Visiting the President of Sierra Leone

David Cranor of World Hope International has sent me a link to the local news broadcast of our visit to Sierra Leone. This clip lead the news in Sierra Leone the day after our visit with the President.

Gifts of Hope Video

Check out what David Cranor put together. It's a video clip highlighting our distribution of gifts to children in Haiti. You'll need Windows media player to watch this video.

Decompression

I think I'm experiencing “decompression.”

That’s what author and pastor Dr. Robert Creech calls the common experience of those who have immersed themselves into another culture. His blog post about a recent trip to Uganda has formed a template that helps unpack what’s going on inside me. 

It’s a different world. The smells, sounds, sights … all the senses are affected. Then you come back from such a place, especially one with needs as deep as a place like Haiti, and everything looks different. You become deeply aware of the triviality of our every day lives. How much of our day is spent in the selfish acquisition of our own comforts. I’m aware of simple luxuries. I can brush my teeth in water from the tap. In fact, I can drink as much as I want right from the faucet.  I look into my closet and I don’t like anything I have to wear, yet I have the luxury of options.  I’m hungry and nothing sounds good, yet I have choices.

I'm trying not to be too judgmental, but ... we have too much. We complain too much. I lack mercy … “Good grief, get your eyes out of the suburban bubble,” I think. "I'm not a cruise director," I say. It's because it all looks different … too shiny, too nice, too comfortable, too superficial.

For seven days we breathed the air of Haitian poverty. The unique and acrid scent of burning charcoal still lingers in some of my clothing. At times I swear I still smell it.

The children we visited had next to nothing of what my children had: Food, clothes, pens, paper, dolls, erasers, toys, … things so common to us, were nearly all luxuries to many of them. For a week we supplied over 500 gift paks to many of them. We watched them smile and laugh with joy at things we take for granted.

We watched people work hard to scrub clothes in rivers. Mothers prepared sparse meals over coal pots, and cared for children, some who ran naked in the dirt and garbage.

Many asked for money. You want to give everything you have, and it wouldn’t be enough. I said, “Can I pray for you?”  But what do you pray? How do you pray? What do you stand there in their presence and ask God to do for them.  I’ve never prayed earnestly for God to give me this day my daily bread because I’ve never been without.

I remember a conversation I had with a member of our team on the plane. He’s a very successful insurance broker. Here I have access to the best medical care in the world and I am complaining over rising insurance premiums. How do you ask for God to bring healing to these who have access to practically nothing?

But that was then. Dr. Creech writes, “It takes only a short time breathing the air of material prosperity before your soul adjusts to its previous state, discontent in all its comfort.” How true. 

Now I’m back in my real world. As I write this, I’m sitting in Orlando International Airport. The voice on the P.A. says my flight is late. I’m upset about it. Two and a half hours late! Whatever. I won’t get home to Indy until after midnight. 

Last night the steak at the restaurant was too expensive. My room was too hot. There was no WiFi! My pants were really wrinkled this morning. You know, this flight is going to really late. I hate those pretzels. The XM radio was cutting out on my flight down here. I hope they got it fixed. Come to think of it, my iPod earphones are hurting my ears. I should really get those other ones that mold to my ears.

Where is that plane? Why can’t they put a little more padding in the seat? Are we there yet?

The reversion back to my culture and its ways is almost complete. How is that possible?

In a few more weeks of shopping at Marsh and eating out several times a week I will have forgotten the village of Verger and its children. Just days ago, I was weeping. But a soon I fear my busy life will have drowned out their cries and I will be normal again.