As Westerners, we like to go and get in on the action. But who really likes preparation? We want the accolades and praise when we achieve something great, but getting to that point should be the easiest, most effortless process possible. Some want to go where God has called them, but maybe He hasn’t finished the long, hard work of preparing you yet. Here at New Life International, we seek to live counter-culturally. We strive to take seriously God’s timing and desire to prepare us well for the seasons ahead.

Just over a year ago, our team began exploring, praying, and preparing to return to continue our roots in India with a new partner. Before his senior year at Asbury College, Duvon McGuire, our president, spent the summer working in hospitals in India. It was in that country that he witnessed the devastating effects of poor sanitation and pathogen-infested water. He saw firsthand the health perils and deaths that accompany contaminated water. It was through experiences like this that Duvon was led to invent a water purification system that has now been deployed to 85 countries internationally. Thirty years later, God continues to bring us full circle. India, the second-largest country in the world by population, is still a big country with big needs. The demand for safe water and abundant life is overwhelming, but we serve a God who starts small and dreams big.

As with all of our ministries, we do not implement brand-new ministries in countries where God has been moving for generations. Instead, we seek to partner with existing ministries to complement and expand their Gospel work. Last fall we were able to connect with a fruitful ministry in India to do just that. This 20-year ministry is based in Delhi, a cultural melting pot of nearly 19 million people. Their headquarters is located in a large slum.

After much preparation, it was in this area that our first Indian water purification system since 2013 was installed under the leadership of Steven Uhde and Team Nepal. Through this installation, several attentive Indian apprentices were empowered and trained on how to effectively install the water purifier. Another system was installed shortly after in a nearby church. Upon departure back to their home countries, NLI’s Team USA and Team Nepal entrusted two systems to the Indian ministry’s team in hopes of additional installations. Already, one installation has been accomplished with the other set to be up and running very soon.

“[After a successful first connection,] we now wish to expand the work together with you,” wrote the leader of the ministry in correspondence with our team. “We would like to partner with New Life International and bring the water of life to millions and millions in India and her villages, slums, and cities.” The Holy Spirit is still preparing us for the next adventure even as I write this newsletter. Will you help us prepare with your prayers and financial gifts? We are not fully aware of how this will pan out, but we are thrilled with the potential and committed to the work of intentionally preparing for what God has called us to do in India and around the world.