How your church can help give water to communities in India. Pastor Toby Slough from Cross Timbers Church shares in this video about Triple Seven.

$4,800 provides one well for a village community
$777 provides water for 100 people
$388 provides water for 50 people
$194 provides water for 25 people
$39 provides water for 5 people
$7.77 can save one life by providing clean water for one person 

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Imagine what it would look like if all the water connections in your town were turned off, never to be turned on again. What would you do?

Now imagine that those connections never existed in the first place. The only water available was dirty ponds or streams and that water was killing the children in your town at an alarming rate.

In India, “Largely for lack of clean water, 2.1 million children under the age of 5 die each year.” – New York Times (September, 2006). That means that 5,754 children are dying every day. What if they were your kids? What would you do if you knew there was a solution that could save a life for as little as $7.77?

When you look at the picture above, do you see happy, healthy children or survivors?  This small group of children are survivors. A recent article in TIME states that one in thirteen Indian children dies before they reach 5 years of age.

There is perhaps no greater need in India than the need for safe, clean water. People have been asking 
for help and together we can do something about it.

The solution is simple, water wells equal healthier living children.  A water well can transform a community.

There are fewer infant deaths. Girls get time for school. Valuable resources in poor communities become available to address other problems like malnutrition, obtaining healthcare, education and security.

The average cost of a water well is $4,800. An average water well serves around 650 people. That means: For every $7.77 anyone gives, 1 person gains access to safe water.

Nowhere will your $7.77 make a bigger difference in individual lives. Everyone can do SOMETHING.

What impact does your resources allow you to have in the kingdom? Some of us can transform communities. Some can transform families. Some can afford to save one child’s life. The only requirement is participation.

Will you consider today what you can do?

$4,800 provides one well for a village community
$777 provides water for 100 people
$388 provides water for 50 people
$194 provides water for 25 people
$39 provides water for 5 people
$7.77 can save one life by providing clean water for one person 

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SOS has provided over 500 wells to date in India. While the average cost of a well is $4,800, The water crisis in India is so severe that every personal donation counts.  We designed 777 to make it easy and simple for you to give one person water every month.

To help you spread the word this year, would you consider embedding a picture in your email signature or on your blog?

Google apps allows you to attach an image to your email signature and add a link.  If you have a blog you know what to do with the following:

The address for this image is: http://www.sowerofseeds.org/mail/sticker_savealife.jpg

The link is http://www.777water.org

Help save lives!

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“‪Human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry, the fastest growing and second largest criminal activity in the world, tied with arms and after drug dealing. I applaud President Obama’s effort to bring this issue to the forefront in the minds of Americans by proclaiming January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

“Modern slavery takes many forms, including forced labor, sex trafficking and involuntary domestic servitude. There is no one type of victim — men and women, adults and children are all vulnerable. From every corner of our nation to every part of the globe, we must stand firm with victims.

“In June, I launched a National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) presidential initiative called ‘Pillars of Hope: Attorneys General Unite Against Human Trafficking.’ Attorneys General will continue to make the case that action must be taken to hold traffickers accountable, to mobilize care for victims and to build public awareness.

“Although law enforcement has made great strides, more work needs to be done. We stand with those throughout the world working every day to end modern slavery, bring traffickers to justice, and empower survivors to reclaim their freedom. I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we will combat this crime within our borders and join with our partners around the world to end it.”

via NAAG | January Proclaimed As National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

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“An American baseball player scaling an African mountain for an Indian charity might seem an odd way to draw attention to human trafficking.Steve Mitchell/Associated PressNew York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey.But that’s just what R.A. Dickey is doing. The Mets pitcher is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, which peaks at more than 19,000 feet above sea level and documenting it on Bats, The New York Times’ Baseball blog in part to bring awareness and money to stop sexual slavery thousands of miles away in the gritty lanes of Kamathipura – Mumbai’s largest red light district.”

via What’s R.A. Dickey Climbing For? – NYTimes.com.

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Four simple steps to donate:

1. Wake Up September 15th
2. Log on to www.DonorBridgeTX.org between 7:00 AM. and 7:00 PM (CLICK HERE to go directly to the giving page)
3. Click: Donate Now*
4. Select Sower of Seeds International Ministries Inc. as your recipient.

*DonorBridge will match a portion of every donation in excess of $25 made to Sower of Seeds’ local outreach arm: Hope for North Texas.   

What does Sower of Seeds/Hope for North Texas do locally?

Sower of Seeds is committed to seeing local churches mobilized to reach their community with the love of Christ.  Not only do we have the opportunity to do thisaround the world, but through Hope for North Texas (our local outreach program of Sower of Seeds) we get to do this locally as well.

This year, faithful Hope for North Texas volunteers have already logged 8,400 hours in service to the poor, broken and marginalized. That’s valued at over $179,000 given in time to our community through our 9 faith-based community partners.  So many of our service projects have budgets and costs associated withserving.  We need your help funding service projects all over our community. From meals for senior citizens, children and men & women struggling, school supplies, lawn care, paint, building supplies & room remodels, there are so many service projects needing funding.

On September 15, 2011 we have the opportunity to have any donation over $25 made toward these local projects MATCHED by the Communities Foundation of North Texas.

Donate via this link between 7am-7pm on the 15th and your donation will be leveraged to make a bigger impact in so many lives across North Texas.

For more about Hope for North Texas and Sower of Seeds visit:

www.volunteerhope.org | www.sowerofseeds.org/hopefornorthtexas

Please take a moment and watch this short clip about what we do:

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“Traveling to India had long been a dream of mine, I had tried, but the opportunity was never quite right. It wasn’t until I went to a screening of Goodnight Red Light, a documentary about the red-light district in Mumbai, produced by Sower of Seeds International Ministries, that I know my opportunity has finally come. This film stirred my heart in deeper ways that I can imagine. The images on the screen were horrific: poverty, hopelessness, despair…

The next morning I looked at my husband and said, “I’m going to India to make jewelry.” I had no experience, so it sounded crazy, but it was like God opened my mouth and let the words fly out. I wanted a purpose, a chance to give something valuable to the rescued girls who had suffered so much.
Asha – the Hindi word for hope- was born. The ultimate purpose of this project is the ethical, gainful employment of women who have suffered at the hands of others, but who have so much to offer all of us.

Just as the lotus rise through the mud and muck and blooms into something pure and beautiful, so do these incredible women.”

Asha jewelry is available online at www.ashaunlimited.com.

For more ideas how your business can partner with Sower of Seeds.

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This information can also be found at the permanent link for Japan Relief - www.sowerofseeds.org/japan

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake (8.9 on the Richter Scale) occurred in the Pacific Ocean just off the northeastern coast of Japan. The earthquake was followed by a devastating tsunami causing destruction along the northeastern coastline.

Shortly after news of the disaster S.O.S. mobilized a relief team to help assess needs and co-ordinate an initial response. With the help of individual donors and ministry partners we have helped secure 4 containers of supplies (250,000 meals plus water and blankets) to be distributed by local churches/partners.

Will you help the church be part of the long-term relief effort in Japan? We are still accepting donations to help purchase/distribute food, water, fuel, clothing, blankets and other supplies.

Click here to view slideshow in a new window.

S.O.S. has the opportunity to purchase a container of tools from China for $10,000 and ship it to Japan for an additional $2,500.  These tools will be used by local churches and believers in the next phase of recovery from the disaster:Cleanup. If you would like to participate in this opportunity, please click here.

Give to the relief effort

This relief effort is a partnership of S.O.S., LIFE Outreach International, Cross Timbers Community Church and other partners on the ground in Japan.

Please pray with us for the Japanese churches who are distributing these much needed supplies to people in the disaster area and for the people of Japan.

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Mumbai is India’s largest city with population estimates ranging between 14 and 20 million people.  As many as 60 % of these people live in poverty in slums.

According  to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT), a slum can be defined if lacking in some or all of the following factors:

1. Access to sufficient amount of water for family use, at an affordable price, available to household members without being subject to extreme effort
2. Access to improved sanitation, either in the form of a private toilet or a public toilet shared with a reasonable number of people
3. Secure tenure (protection from evictions)
4. Durability of Housing
5. Sufficient living area ( no more than two people sharing a room)

The 2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire drew attention to the lives many children lead in the slums. It was touted as the “Feel-good film of the decade”, but behind the romantic plot, it helped reveal the challenges that kids face when growing up in abject poverty.  There are literally millions of children growing up in Mumbai’s slums – the odds of them breaking the cycle of poverty, slim, at best.

At Sower of Seeds, we believe it is the role of the church to respond to cries for help, sowing the seeds of God’s love compassion and salvation into the helpless, poor and needy children of the nations. There are plenty opportunities in slums to really impact the children of the nations.

In a recent article in the times of India, Mumbai was listed as the city with the highest rate of malnutrition among children in the state of Maharashtra.

On a more global scale, a study by the World Food Bank has shown that 1 in 3 of the world’s malnourished children live in one country, India – making malnutrition more prevalent here than in Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute, “India is home to 42 percent of the world’s underweight children and 31 percent of its stunted children.”

The Solution

SOS has made feeding a critical part of our Destiny India Program, educating and feeding over 1,000 children between the ages of 3 and 6 in slum schools in Mumbai.  Here children are fed 5 hot meals per week, often the only meal they receive.

Proper nutrition greatly increases each child’s capacity to learn and it makes a tremendous difference in the development of each child at this critical time their lives.

Each school can accommodate 50 children. Teachers have document great improvements in the children who attend Destiny India Schools.

These children will go on to public school and excel in their classes and stand an equal chance of succeeding as their peers. Children love it and parents love it.  And all of this for as little as $20 per month per child.  Learn more and participate at www.sowerofseeds.org/destiny.

To learn more about India’s nutrition problem:

MSF/VII Photo campaign: Starved for Attention

The World Bank

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A cage is the most emotive symbol of the sex trade.

SOS and our partners in India are now making our coffee table book CAGE: The Horror and the Hope available to our donors as part of our campaign to raise support for the rescued girls.

For a limited time, we are offering it as a premium for special gifts of $60 or more (regularly $75) made to the project.

If you wish to receive CAGE as for your gift of $60 or more to the project,  click here.

CAGE: The horror and the hope, takes is on a terrifying journey through Kamathipura, one of the world’s most notorious red-light districts.   These photographic biographies are disturbing portrayals of India’s sex trade, but the effect is mitigated by the discovery of humanity and hope.  Indeed, the genius of this book is the revelation that a cage can never define or restrain the human spirit; beauty and redemption can be found in the darkest places.

The book goes on to tell the story of three girls abducted into sex slavery in the cages of Kamathipura. The primary means of storytelling is through a series of dramatic photographs that chart their journeys from abduction to sex slavery and beyond.  These are not only tales of tragedy and horror, but tales of hope.

Multiple initiatives are being organized to expose and stamp out sex trafficking and to rescue and rehabilitate its victims. A village of hope has been built to accommodate and rehabilitate former sex slaves and their children.  Project Red Light Rescue is part of this effort. This book offers a look into the lives of real modern-day slaves, before and after the rescue.  Your decision to enter the fight for these girls’ freedom is the next step towards ending this form of slavery.

“Through the barred window, you are looking at one of the most atrocious crimes of the century. Don’t look away. Indifference is not an option. The girl with the painted face could be your daughter. She is related to you by a common humanity. Your outrage and action could change her life. You have the power to open her cage.”

With contributions by Hazel Thompson, Andrew Brandon and Ettiene Coutinho.

SOS is offering a limited number of  books as part of our campaign to raise monthly support for rescued girls.

*Excerpts taken from CAGE: The horror and the hope.

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