When We Give a Cup of Water

In June, I travelled to South Africa with Wendy Ploegstra, a 12-time marathon finisher, to cheer for her and 12 other Team World Vision running mates in the Comrades Ultramarathon. Comrades is a daunting, mostly uphill, 54-mile course from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. For 12 hours, I watched 20,000 runners from around the world slog their way up mountainous terrain, run down blessed hills, and finally, cross a finish line that represented the end of a six-month training season for most participants.

If Jesus rewards us for giving a cup of water in his name (Mark 9:41), then Wendy and her teammates will surely be in for some treats. Each of them ran Comrades to raise money to bring not just a cup of water in Christ's name, but a lifetime of clean water for people in Kenya—something 780 million people around the world still lack.

Water is life. That's not just a slogan for humanitarian organizations that focus on providing access to clean water. In the deepest parts of our souls, we thirst for the living water only God can provide. In this issue of Today's Christian Woman, we're taking a deep dive into what it means to bring life-giving water to individuals in need, both literally and figuratively.

Also, this month, we've included a one-page Bible study (see page 8). We hope you find it a practical, helpful addition to the magazine, and another reason why TCW is a great value.

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Peace,

Marian V. Liautaud

Editor

Follow me @MarianLiautaud and @TCWomancom

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