Support petition to release persecuted Alex Aan - get to 10,000 votes!

I believe that we ought to support and work for the rights and good of all people, regardless of belief, both Christian and non-Christian, since all without exception are loved by God, and His love is unconditional, I wanted to make this post calling out for support an individual named Alex Aan in Indonesia who, due to his atheist beliefs (which he posted on Facebook and testified to when questioned), has been beaten and imprisoned, and could face 6 years in prison unless pressure is put upon the government to release him.

I wished to support this case in particular, for example, to demonstrate that God's heart is against such injustice, and hence we as Christians ought to be similarly against it, along with all such discrimination, whether it be against Christians such as Asia Bibi (see earlier article), Muslims or atheists, including those whom society deems as criminals. No person ought to be excluded.

More information about this case is presented, for example, on Persecution.org, a Christian organisation: http://www.persecution.org/2012/06/01/struggle-for-religious-freedom-in-indonesia-unites-christians-atheists/

Please spread the word about supporting the case, remembering to emphasize God's unconditional love for Alex and those, Christian and non-Christian, who are supporting his case.

The petition is here - http://www.change.org/petitions/drop-charges-against-alex-aan-for-blaspheming-islam

Thanks to everyone! Best wishes to you all! :-)

A Challenge? - Gungor's "God is not a white man"

Here's a very joyful, and perhaps even challenging, video by the Christian group "Gungor" - the message is for all people, everywhere - He calls us to Him, to love one another, to be willing agents of building His Kingdom of love and compassion. His love is severe - it is not 'fluffy', giving us whatever we want, but giving us what God, as the perfect Creator, knows is best.

 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
 

Project Cascade - Saving families in Nepal walking miles just for unsafe water

After I heard about this issue, these people seemed in such plight, it seemed right to post this...

Despite the amazing beauty of the Nepalese countryside, villagers there live far from sources of water, and are forced to spend hours of every day walking to collect water, along dangerously high, steep and treacherous routes, sometimes just a few inches across with very steep and high drops either side, which are easy to slip on during rain and are at risk of lethal landslides. Sometimes, villagers slip and are injured, without medical services to provide assistance:

68 year-old Dambar, who was forced to spend 5 hours of her retirement a day collecting water until the age of 63, when she broke both of her hands after a fall, which have not healed well since then. Her daughter-in-law, Puma, is condemned to the job now ... unless she suffers injury, which could be serious, as well. Some mothers, such as Ukhamaya Sarki, have to carry their children along with them, putting them under extra strain and putting another life at risk.

What's more, after all this, the water is unsafe and, in the Western world, would certainly not be considered fit for drinking. Painful and debilitating illness is common, removing even more of familes' incomes in addition to the time taken for the trek for water. Children are deprived of an education, and the whole community is trapped in desperate poverty.



WaterAid has decided to work with such communities in "Project Cascade" (other organisations are yet to do this, making their work even more urgent and valuable), forming gravity flow mechanisms of pipes and tanks to collect and store safe, cleaner water, and make it available by nearby tap. This dramatically reduces illness (one person is reported as saying, "In fact there is no record of sickness in the whole village since the construction of the taps"), and saves countless families countless hours of time...

Lives of young and old are being unnecessarily ruined, when a solution is so easy and effective. Please spread the word about Project Cascade; donations can be made to Water Aid at http://www.wateraid.org/cascade

Thank you for reading, and for all your help!

(Information, names and stories are from WaterAid material)