Turkey/Syria Earthquake Project

To all who supported Living Waters’ in the recent earthquake project, your response was a direct outpouring of Gods love working through individuals and organizations. On behalf of the recipients of compassionate services provided in Turkey, Kurdistan-Iraq and beyond, and as the president of Living Waters Intl, I want to say thank you for your generous support. Our Board stepped out in faith that God had a particular mission that He wanted us to accomplish and though the odds seemed unsurmountable in the beginning and throughout the project, I can attest that God’s will has been done.

I have arrived home, and in the near future I will be posting a more detailed report including pictures, experiences, challenges, miracles and “the rest of the story”. I have several presentations planned on March 25, in Payson AZ and May 6th at Mesa Palms SDA Church in Mesa Arizona. If you are interested in attending either, please contact me directly at [email protected] so I can provide you location information.

Thank you again and stay tuned.

Daryl

What a transformative experience this has been for both our team and the host team that we worked with.

In general this society of Muslims have been indoctrinated to despise Christians.

For the very few days of our time in Kahramanmaras, in every case there was a very positive bonding of humans that crossed religious stereotypes.

By not proselytizing but being there only to give compassion in whatever way we could, the bonds of human love were experienced and expressed.

Barriers were torn down like the fall of the Berlin Wall and Muslim men who knew we were Christians were verbalizing and demonstrating their love for us by hugs and deeds.

Wow!!! An experience that in itself was more important than a thousand gallons of pure water.

God’s love was on display.

The gospel was demonstrated in a region where it could not be preached.

The work has concluded in Türkiye and the majority of the US team has left to return home.

Daryl is spending a restful weekend at a friend’s home and then flies to Iraq on Sunday where he will assess possible locations for water systems in Syrian and Iraqi displacement camps in Kurdistan.

There is much still to be accomplished and he needs and is asking for your prayers as he continues on this faith journey.

In our measurement of success the experience in Türkiye exceeded our expectations in ways we will share in coming updates.

Thank you all for your support to Living Waters and know that your generosity has helped those in earthquake torn Türkiye in unexpected ways.

We are still in Turkey. We are pleased to be making connections and forming real friendships with some of the people we are working with.  Our only goal has been to help them with their physical needs and not to take advantage of their vulnerability by proselytizing with words or literature.  We are focusing on what we have in common. This approach has made a positive impression on many of the professionals and technicians we are working with.  We have been able to see and help meet the basic needs of families who have lost everything.  All glory to God!

Three Living Waters team members have arrived in Turkey with 15 water purification systems. Three additional volunteers will join them in the coming days. Tomorrow they will fly on to Kahramanmaras, near the epicenter of the February 6 earthquake. “People are desperate for access to clean water, and we are thankful to be able to install these systems here,” says Daryl Oft, President of Living Waters Intl. 

Daryl and I would like to personally thank you for your outpouring of financial help to make this possible. We are grateful for your generosity and take this as evidence of God’s love for the people in Turkey and Syria. Please continue to pray for the victims and their families and for the Living Waters team as they begin their lifesaving work this week.

Our hearts are touched as we hear of the agony and suffering in Turkey and Syria after Monday’s earthquake. Pure water is desperately needed, and Living Waters Intl is planning to install 15 water purification systems in the remote areas of the quake zone and will be leaving on or around February 23, 2023. 

Each water filtration/purification system is built in the US and shipped in two 27 gallon totes as airline luggage.  The systems include everything needed for installation in disaster areas and will support a village of 2000 people by purifying 500 gallons of water per hour on a quarter of cup of plain table salt with electrolysis.  Included in the total cost is the purchase of the purifiers and related accessories, transportation to the final installation site, 2000 liter water tank, solar battery, and travel expenses (other than airline) for volunteer installation teams.

The system can be installed and purifying water within 4-6 hours with an additional 2 hours for training local operators of the systems. 

Each system cost $5000 for supplies and installation expenses. Time is of the essence to raise the funds for this urgent need.  Outbreaks of cholera (a water-borne disease) are occurring already.  Daryl (founder of Living Waters Intl) will be ready to travel February 23 and will be gone 2-3 weeks.

Living Waters has installed these systems in remote areas of Cebu, Philippines after Typhon Haiyan, in Africa, and in Nepal after the devastating earthquake in 2015.

Living Waters Intl is part of a four-organization group that already has people on the ground in Turkey and Syria, another team that is leaving February 8 with canine search and rescue, and Advent Relief based in Iraq is providing small mobile medical clinics to Syria.

In addition to much needed funds are equal amounts of prayer for the safety and health of the teams.

Please consider how you can partner with Living Waters to reach out to those who are in such desperate need.  Our main goal is $75,000.  Our overflow goal is $15,000 to provide food and blankets to each village where a purifier is installed. We can only do this through the miracles that God will work.  Will you please join us?

Thank you,

Daryl Oft