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2 Kings 2:19-22
Elisha Makes the Water Pure at Jericho
One day the people of Jericho said, "Elisha, you can see that our city is in a good spot.But the water from our spring is so bad that it even keeps our crops from growing."
He replied, "Put some salt in a new bowl and bring it to me."
They brought him the bowl of salt, and he carried it to the spring. He threw the salt into the water and said, "The Lord has made this water pure again. From now on you'll be able to grow crops, and now one will starve."
The water has been fine ever since, just as Elisha said. 
Dear friends, this is not just a mere miracle God performed through Elisha, but it does give us a message to learn how to improve water qualities as we  face today with enormous challenges of water related problems of which water pollution is one. Elisha wants the salt to be put into a new bowl. In the New Testament, we are called as SALT OF THE EARTH. We can save water and improve water qualities but we need to put ourselves into that new bowl. We need to renew ourselves by making strong committments to working towards saving WATER. Yes, WE CAN DO IT.
I would like to invite you to kindly give in your perspective on this text.
Angelious Michael, Koraput, Orissa, INDIA

Hi all my nearest friend to my heart maybe they are just 10 days we spent together in Geneva but i think they are more than that thousands times I'm really missing you all  . .I've been in Quebec to participate the world youth congress . . 500 hundred youth from 110 country are participate their experiences about their efforts with NGO's and their projects may be the most im<x>portant project that i need to show you is the problem in Moldova and i wanna show you the project :-
Moldova is a poor country in the east of Europe and the most important problem with sewage excretion that mixed with the drinking water and the people are infected by diseases such as hepatitis and Malaria . the project is the " eco-san toilet " the idea of this project is design a toilet that help them to overcome this problem so
1- Toilet based on separation of urine and fecal materials
2- collect the human dejection in separate chamber .
3- Good aeration system transforms fecal material in natural compost that can be used in the field.
4- No water used, no smell and no flies .
5- The urine is preserved a time reaches 8 months in a closed container to get rid of it or can reused again.
This is the idea of Galina from Moldova and this idea proved that the youth has a great role in change the world. .
I believe in that and now i organize how to increase the awareness of the water issue in my church and school.
 please pray a lot for me and for our entire group. . Don't forget in your everyday praying to pray for Maike , Guntier , Sigi , Regina and David .. and all people that worked to make our summer school successes . .
 
and also Pray for meet each other again 
 
Finally I want to end this article with
 
"O our God, ...  we have no power .... nor do we know what to do, but our eyes [are] upon You". (2chronicles 20 :12)

Perhaps my very favorite piece of literature is the short story A Still Moment, by Eudora Welty.  In particular this excerpt:
 

In the valley, he appeared under a tree, a sure man, very sure and tender, as if the touch of all the earth rubbed upon him and the stains of the flowery swamp had made him so.

Lorenzo welcomed him and turned fond eyes upon him. To transmute a man into and angel was that hope that drove him all over the world and never let him flinch from a meeting or withhold goodbyes for long. This hope insistently divided his life into only two parts: journey and rest. There could be no night and day and love and despair and longing and satisfaction to make partitions in the single ecstasy of this alternation. All things were speech.

“God created the world,” said Lorenzo, “and it exists to give testimony. Life is the tongue: speak.”

But instead of speech there happened a moment of deepest silence.

 
I’ve definitely had a hard time coming home.  Answering the question, “How was it?” is difficult- I’ve tried to say, “It was very good”.  But that doesn’t seem to satisfy most people.  I am not satisfied by it either.  But I think like Dave mentioned, we have entered the world in a new way- I love that idea, even though I find it hard to put into words.  And while I wish I could just have everyone in my day-to-day life (like I was so blessed to have for 10 days), I know it is much better that they are out in the world being the wonderful people they are, and we are all experiencing the same bittersweet feelings right about now. 
 
A friend who has spent time at the Institute is Bossey mentioned that he thought this experience might be hard for me.  I now understand what he meant; the question is- What now?  We did learn so much, and generate so many great ideas. I suppose the answer is- Go.   Now is the journey- after our experience, there can be nothing else.   But I also think perhaps a time like we shared does deserve a moment of deepest silence as well.   And so I will have patience and allow myself this- and the response of ‘It was very good’ will have to do for now.
 

I thought that this ("Today is the first day of the rest of your life") was an appropriate subject line for a reflection on my return to what some may call “reality” or “normal life” prompted a question – Is what each of us is returning to the same as what we left??  Could we say that we have been changed so much as a result of our time as participants in the summer school that we are in fact entering a totally new world, or at least the world in a totally new way??  
The quote itself I actually get from my first high school agriculture teacher who used to say it to us every day, but in the context of us confessing our sins to God and having a second chance, but I still thought that today as the first day that I’m back 'home' is possibly the first day of a new life of living differently.
 
I knew that when I arrived back at uni people would immediately start asking questions – How was Switzerland?? What did you learn?? What are you going to next?? – and they did so fortunately I had some time on planes to consolidate some of the things we’d covered and summarise the things which were significant for me and the resultant actions I should take.  During my reflection I was handed a “Change for Good” (initiative between Qantas and UNICEF) envelope which had clearly printed on it that for just 72 Australian cents 200 litres of water could be made clean for drinking.  Initially I thought to myself that that was great and if all 456 people on the plane emptied their pockets of about as much change was in mine then we’d be able to purify about 342 000 litres, which, by WHO standards, would be able to provide water to 13 680 for one day or 37 people for a year.     But then I considered the fact that maybe the projects which were being implemented were in fact not community oriented and consequently not addressing their needs as effectively as would have been otherwise possible, like the example of the well with the rocks.
 
 
There are so many more things I could say but I won’t instead I'll finish by commenting on the photo which I took out my window when I woke up this morning... "We're not in Bossey any more Toto" I thought to myself as the fog rose and the kangaroos bounced by..
                  Dave
 
 
(Towards the end of the week I made a comment to David about the fact that I had about 32 hours door to door from Bossey to Wagga, and would be arriving at 5:10 am local time,  but that I still planned on turning up to class. He told me I should blog about it if I did and I did so here’s my blog.
I travelled for 32 hours, 22 of which were in the air, through 5 airports and the whole time I wore my name badge…. just in case…. lol)

Memories are just keep floating in my mind and my heart while I'm packing I can't stop recalling every session I have experienced, every lunch, dinner we had shared, every discussion we agreed or disagreed on, every song we sang or worship we prayed together.
As I'm still in Bossey after saying Goodbye to all of you, my  brothers and sisters : I start to think How can I forget this;
How can I forget Susan the face of an angel who was the first one to welcome me at the airport, or Maike who her smile will always teach me how to work hard and keep smilling, Or Gunter and Siki who made me feel like family, or Regina Who has the a great heart abd compassion or David who had inspired me spiritually through his wisdom
How can I forget now when I'm looking around this great chateau Bossey searching for some laughters from our friends from Africa,  so when I enter the computer room I can't stop remembering OJ , Tobaho and Norbit when we shared our music and danced there..
How can I ...forget when I'm walking over the Sun flowers field not to remember Kim, Matt , Dave and the funny photos and laughters we shared there, playing a game which I lost LOL..
How can I ..when I enter the chapel not to remember Sherl  and Lilit  how we prepared the worship and lighted candels...
How can I  ..when I look at the  lake from my rooms window not remember the swim and freezing water while Kelly and Sherl were trying to swim ...
How can I.. when I look at the flowers and the beauty of nature no to remember Kellys painting session...
How can I... when I enter the Looby as Im gathering and collecting my memories and packing my stuff not to remember Angelios, Shon, Natalie, Yousef discussion on Fillology which means Phillology ...
How can I now... ever visit Geneva again or hear anything about the UN and  not forget The great laughters and moments I shared with both Natalie and Yousef..
How can I now,,, when I hear any music or go to any party with a DJ not to remember the Latino American best DJ ever Walter...
How can I now...  not remember Caroline, Youhanes, Taneal or the great English that Dave have taught us all LOL
How can I now see coke cola or try to drink and not remember Packi and Angelious
After all this how can I pack when I have so many memories to pack so many precious gifts I have collected and knowledge I have learned
After all that
How can I now after all this be able to forget Anna lovely madness, Angelious political dreams of being president, Yousef sweet heart and sence of humor, Lilit sweet mom, Natalie sweet smile and laugh, Kim wisdome, Kelly lovely ideas, Cherl sweet and gorgious simle, OJ passion to change the world, Norbert kind heart,  Taneil and tobaho great and sweet heart , Carolyne self confidence, Matt knowledge, Dave English accent, Walter latino american power or Linda & Debra inspiring power, Shon great experinces, Youhanes great calm and silence that teaches me a lot, the facilitators hard work and resposibility, And last but not least Maike great and precious insperation for us all to continue this mission ..
How can I after all that not take a minute to Thank you all for this great memories that I consider are the water that I take back home to fill my life and my thirst to be able to continue this journey to transform the world through our water.
How can I now not  take a minute to thank God for this living water he gave me through u all and the great memories , knowledge, experiences, wisdom, solidarity, hope, fears, distraction, laughters and joy that  I shared and lived with u ..
So now when I'm packing and looking around me as u all have headed  back home a tear drop from my eye reminding me of:
A drop of hope, A drop of mercy, A drop of faith , A drop of solidarity , A drop of love , A drop of Water that I will carry it back home that will inspire me and empower me to save that drop and protect it.
Thx to all of you and wish u all safe trip
I can't ever forget the beauty of our diversity and unity
and always remember that Memories are just like Water never dies or stop living coy they live through us as a real living water
Love Rania Flavie
Aleppo - Syria

What Are The Excuses Really
by Walter Hidalgo
You can have warmth in the winter.......because of God you have fire/
Have a nice piece of land to wander.....until the day you retire/
Buy wind farms to make spending lower.....so profits can go higher/
A life that bargains life's requirements......if we so choose to desire/
What are the excuses really....who can I deem the liar/
Knowing that 20% are denied.......70% of the worlds water/
Because too much immorality controls H2O......so God calls me to be the supplier/
Cause they like to edit the truth of the matter.....while I pass it out like flyers/
......to the non-believers........so I walk on water with Jesus to save my brethren/
Cause this injustice is uncalled for........so I look to release Poseidon/
Cause the likes of evil men......will soon be on the receiving end/
Of a much higher authority......the kind that attracts wise men/
If the right to have water is a sin.....then forgive me if I must lust/
Cause these politicians and government.....I call bluff and do not trust/
So I forget the rhetoric......make this human endeavor a must/
As I cross culture lines.....to provide humankind these aqueducts/
 

Hi all
the summer school on WATER has so far been an enriching experience for all of us here. As the days are passing by and so the information and knowledge on water and water related issues from across the world have come to us all in one package.
we have had very meaningful time hearing to different water situations from all continenents. We are now enganged finding out possible follow-up programmes that we would like to do in our churches and communities after our return.
it is quite alarming to hear enormous water crisis being experienced by millions of people around the world. water privatisation, water shortage, ground water depletion are some of the major challenges we will be addressing and working on as part of our follow-up programmes.
Angelious

Hi,
Its interesting to note that still some of us are trying to define globalisation or to understand it. The uniqueness of globalisation is it is an invisible force but its effects are really visible both negativley and positively.

A recent insight from a fellow EWNer introduced me to Leunig, an Australian cartoonist, philosopher, poet and artist.  I thought this quite appropriate as it is right in line with what Dave said previously. And Dave is from Australia. Cheers, Dave.
 
In case you can't read it, it says:
What is GLOBALISATION?
That's when a woman in New York,
 a man in Hobart,
a child in Oslo,
a canary in Milan,
an old lady in Peru, a dolphin off the coast of Madagascar
all share the same anxiety and the same dispair for the same reason at the same time.
 
[I hope I needn't say the reason...what do they all have in common?]

Yesterday we all headed into Geneva to see the sights and experience the culture of the place a bit more.    Our final point was a concert in a large park and as we sat, chatted and listened to the music one of the other guys turned to me and said “do you realize that you’re an Australian, in Switzerland, listening to a Russian band play American music??” I of course hadn’t, because I wasn’t paying attention, but it was after this comment that I proceeded to reflect on just how much the world has become a global village. 
 
Since I arrived in Europe, my first trip to this part of the world, I’ve found that I’ve been some what dumb-founded by just how much globalisation is at play. For example, when I arrived at Frankfurt airport I was almost surprised by the fact that I was able to buy a ‘McCroissant’. Not only is McDonalds an American company but Croissants are not German!!
 
Admittedly I reflected on the fact that I don’t think that I’d recognise “Australian food” if I tripped over it, so clearly globalisation has taken over our country too. And, in its defence I did experience something of Switzerland with a local beer with dinner, but that was it because it was accompanied by a beef burger.
 
Seriously though, I find it incredible that we seem to have created such a global village in terms of trade and commerce, and proud of it in many cases, but we don’t seem to see that this global community has people living in it who do not have fair access to necessities such as clean drinking water. But why?? We appear to have broken down barriers for trade but are not prepared to break down the barriers to support other members of our ‘community’…
 

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things i cannot change,
courage to change the things i can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

Yesterday a group decided to trek to Lake Geneva for a swim after dinner.  The problem being we weren't quite sure how to get there.  After reaching a couple dead ends, we finally came across a woman with a dog.  She was glad to point us to the fish camp where she had just taken her dog swimming; her dog was a black lab named Texas, which, being from the US, I found increasingly amusing.  When we finally arrived at the fish camp, I was surprised to see it was a moderately sized house-like building, much like all the other houses we had been walking past, with a driveway, a dock, a boat ramp and a fisherman just boarding his small vessel.  He didn’t seem at all surprised by the fact that 12 or so twenty-somethings had just walked down his driveway and up his dock, and were looking excitedly at the water.  I asked the woman who had led us there no less than 4 times if she was sure we could swim here.  She insisted we could.  The fisher scooted off in his boat and we swam in the clear, beautiful, 70+ degree water.  It was amazing.  This would not have happened in the US. 
 
I work as a private lands wildlife biologist, and am constantly turning over private lands conservation issues in my head.  In the US, protection of habitats [ecosystems, resources, otherkind, whatever you choose to call the natural world] works well if it goes hand in hand with conserving private lands, as opposed to continually buying conservation land with public dollars.  However, something that I often get stuck on is the gap between private landowner rights and political equality/social justice.  Power is inequitably skewed toward the private landowner.  I don’t know the answer, as American's values towards private lands lean to inherent sovereignty (especially in the state of Texas!  Oh irony...).  I think, though, that our current system is diminishing a vital direct connection with nature that is necessary for instilling value of the natural world.
 
When the sun was setting, the fisherman returned.  He went about his business of putting up his rods, securing his boat, and was even amenable to taking a picture of us in front of his cabin.  He then got in his car and drove off.  I would like to express my gratitude to the unnamed fisherman and Texas for introducing us to Lake Geneva, and demonstrating a different perspective on the concept of private lands.  There is nothing that compares to connecting to the world in this very basic, very direct way, and I will remember that swim and the 6km meander that got us there and returned us much after dark for the rest of my life.  
 
 

God...Thanks!
God created the man and the universe. God created the intelligent man and the task trusted it to govern the world. All the progress, techniques and discoveries of the man through the times, is consequence of the fact of creation. All good and correct use, that the man makes of the things and the animals, concurs for the order of the world that God created. Everything what the man obtains with its work, its devotion, its effort, is continuation of the creative and loving act of God. It in created them, conserve our existence and in makes possible them to work and to produce. It is just that if let us be grateful the God. To preserve what It created is a signal of this gratitude.

Sitting at the end of the dax today, I fell fully saturated (to use a water analogy!) with information, reflections, thoughts and ideas.  Trying to distill a few thoughts to share is difficult as the day has yet to fully settle out for me in my mind!!
First let me quickly introduce myself.  I'm Sheryl and I am from Canada where I am a student and do a variety of work.  One of those jobs is teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding, so I spend a particularly large amount of time with water!!
This morning, we had the opportunity to hear a theological reflection about water and then participate in a Bible Study with other participants.  One particularly meaningful moment in that for me was when another participant and I gave the same example of experiencing water as liberatory - that is, swimming with people with physical disabilities who spend most of their time in wheelchairs.  It was quite amazing to connect while sharing those similar experiences of the power of water to provide freedom of motion.
A question that I have been asking myself a lot recently has been in the area of moving people to action and solidarity who do not themselves directly experience a particular hardship or injustice.  I think this is particularly an issue in Canada where water is seen to be so abundant and the issues of scarcity so far away.  One solution is, of course, to travel and study and engage with others to connect on the issues that do exist.  And in many ways I do believe that this is good and necessary.  At the same time, though, I also challenge this being the only way, especially as it is not possible (or even sustainable for the earth) for everyone to travel everywhere in the world to really see issues first hand.  Some aspects of studying can also perhaps be problematic, especially as it can lead to inaccurate understandings of the intricacies of situations and a divide between 'experts' and those who are not.
I am reminded, however, of the story from John 20 where Jesus says that people who believe without seeing are blessed.  I don't think this is about a 'blind' belief, rather, but trusting so wholly another - in their skills, expertise, and understanding - that action occurs just as strongly as though it is one's own personal experience.  I am inspired by the faith of those who seem to live this way, such as, for example, people who give generously to church outreach work, trusting that others will discern where best funds should go and then that those on the ground are in the best place to create and manage particular projects.  There is also something about the mindset of trust that is itself beautiful - truly believing that it would be better to perhaps run the risk of something being lost than to live in the constant attempt to keep oneself safe and protected, constantly vigilant for an impending unspecified threat.
That's a tangent!  My apologies.  Another presentation this afternoon desribed the world water crisis' effects on agriculture from a scientific point of view.  The details were very interesting, but once again questions emerged as the picture painted seemed to suggest that faith in science and technology could cause 'all to be well' and that the role of the church is simply to advocate for these options to be adopted.  For example, it was suggested that the problems with water for agriculture could be solved by changing the crop grown to suit the climate of a particular area, and then to export this crop to other places in the world.  I wonder, though, if it is really sustainable then to transport and preseve these items to send them around the world or does this pose a whole new collection of environmental issues?  Or, is it culturally feasible to ask people to change their diet to what is most ecologically suitable to be grown in their area? Even these more practical questions seem to challenge the simplicity of the scientific reality that there is enough food for all in the world (although this is truly a very wonderful reality that is also social and connected to faith).  I wonder if rather than showing and discovering ways we can meet projected demands for meat and dairy if we can rather find ways to challenge and change these projections.  The idea of living simply and living with less seems to be to be an area the church can really be involved in. 

How can we reclaim the water in our lives as sacred?  Jesus calls us to give water to those who thirst; how can we motivate people in our home churches to take action and value water?  During our Bible study of water in the Bible we broke up into small groups.  My group discussed these questions.  Three folks were from Africa, one was from Australia and myself from America.  The folks from Africa shared stories about how valuable water is in their countries and how their churches do such things as raise money to construct boreholes.  They drew out Bible passages about the sacredness of water.  The stories are beautiful and powerful, yet how often have the words washed over me without actually being absorbed.  It was suggested that sharing the beautiful Bible stories could be a way to motivate people in our home churches.  In America, I wonder how effective that would be.  The church community knows these stories, yet people do not hold water as sacred. How can Americans hold water as sacred when it is wasted away every day? Water comes in such abundance in America - almost all people can receive clean water anytime they want.  It is simply another commodity to be used as much as desired.  In contrast, the African folks in my group shared stories about the scarcity of water such that water is as valuable as gold.  In America more than speaking about the problem is needed.  One person suggested a means of allowing people to experience what it would be like to live on less water, to be thirsty.  The average American uses 400 l/day, parts of Africa use 10-20 l/day, and the human need (bathing, drinking, sanitation, food prep) is 50 l/day (which varies depending on the organization which does the research).  Perhaps a day where one who lives in abundance of water simply tries to live on less.  I learned in a student presentation that this idea has been used in Syria. The water crisis is not known about very much in America (before I left people would comment, "I didn't know there was a water crisis!").  If the situation isn't even on the radar screen, how can America take action?

Here we are at the end of the first day.   Tomorrow morning, I am going to help with the prayer gathering, and what I am going to read has struck me so much that I thought I’d add it here as well.  A prayer of Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, one time Bishop in Iran, in exile:
 
Father, let my existence be ruled by a great silence. Let my soul be listening, be given to the needs of others.  
 
Let me be silent in my inner most being, not asserting myself.
 
Let my soul be detached, not grasping at anything in this world. And thus overcome in my life the power of habit, daily routine, dullness, fatigue and fear. 
 
Let me create within myself a carefree tranquility, a place for every encounter, unreserved receptivity, and unhurried disposition.
 
Extinguish in me the feelings of self-im<x>portance and the last stirrings of my ego,
 
And make me gentle.
 
Let me answer thoughts and situations rather than words. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to be holy as You are holy.  Amen.   
 

I was thinking on this blog, then the first question appeared... What I could speak on Brazil? We have no many problems, but we live in a wonderful country, blessed for God. The amount of water that exists here is immense, but, unhappily, the majority of the population that has easy access the water, doesn't value it. On the other hand, many people try to live with the absence of water. In this Brazil it has many social contrasts, but although to be a suffered people ... what we see is a glad people. This is incredible... A fighting people trying to live the life worthy, and with a faith in God never shaken.
For the people who have water in its house ... I ask: What you are doing? Wasting? You have gone crazy? Much people give your life for a cup of water.

I am indeed grateful to WCC and EWN in particular for taking this wonderful initiative of having the summer school on water. it is surely going to bring wider dimension on water related issues which i am very much looking forward to you.
I am sharing you here with a picture where the woman from a village has come to the river to clean the vegetable, you see a girl just have taken bath in the same river where the vegetable is washed. if you further take a close look at the colour of the river, you find it brown and dirty because everyone including the animals use water from the same source-this river. it not only creates diseases but leads to several other problems but the community around have no other options rather to use the water. The community is not facing with this problem for a long time.
How is this happening? there are clean water available for those who can pay for it. who decides on water distrbution? Why poor people can not get quality water? all need to be asked!!!!!!!!!!

 
Hopefully I've understood the point of this blog space and that my first post contributes something of a view point from my Australian context to others who read it.
 
In certain parts of Australian society, where agriculture predominates the landscape, stories like what follows are common.
 
About 12 months ago I was having a cup of tea after church one Sunday and chatting to a local farmer who grows canola. This bloke was telling me that for the last 5 years he had had to sow his canola ‘dry’ (conditions in which nearly no soil moisture is present) and for 5 years straight his crops have not received sufficient rainfall to produce a crop of economic benefit.  On this particular Sunday, as with others, though there was prayer for rain...    It didn't rain enough again last year and that crop failed too.  
This prompted me to think – How is it that a man in this position can sustain faith in an all knowing, all loving, all giving God who says things like “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14).
I’m not questioning the existence or love of God here but more considering the place of faith as a sustaining element in this situation.
                       Dave