Rainforest Adventure — PC(USA) Director Guide

by Betsy Ensign-George
Associate for Curriculum Development for Children

Mission Project Overview
The mission projects selected for Rainforest Adventure: A Treetop Bible Blast! have strong connections to caring for God’s creation and meeting real needs of God’s people.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Director Guide uses an alternate Extra Commitment Opportunity (ECO) project for PC(USA) churches. The Vacation Bible School Mission Project (#E051231) for 2008 is Living Waters for the World — a ministry of the Synod of Living Waters of the PC(USA) that addresses the most important physical need of growing children in Peru and worldwide: clean water.

When you use Rainforest Adventure, you may substitute information
about Living Waters for the World for information about Huch’uy Runa.

The Augsburg Fortress mission project is set in Cuzco, a small city in the Andean highlands of Peru. The offering that is collected will be used to support Huch’uy Runa, a program that offers food, shelter, education
and skills training to children who have been living on the streets of Cuzco.

Background
Contaminated water is the number one killer of children in the world today. In fact, someone dies every 12 seconds from preventable water-related disease — and most victims are children under the age of five. Millions more children will never realize their God-given potential because of the terrible toll that chronic illness caused by dirty water takes on their developing bodies. More than 20 percent of the world’s children have no access to clean water. Their bodies must have water to live, but the water that they drink may actually cause them to become sick and even die.

The world’s available fresh water — the water that God created and declared “good” — has been almost entirely contaminated by poor sanitation, unsafe agricultural practices, deteriorating water systems and a lack of health and hygiene education. Although the world is technologically and economically capable of creating water treatment systems that could deliver clean water to all people, millions more will suffer and die before that becomes a reality. Meanwhile, other means must be employed to provide healthy water to communities in need.

Living Waters for the World
Imagine a world ... where every child has the chance to lead a full and healthy life ... where the water children drink, rather than endangering their lives, is the life-giving water that God intends for them ... where
people come together as partners, across barriers of nationality, culture and language, to make a difference. Imagine a world with clean water for all of God’s children! This is the vision of Living Waters for the World, a mission ministry that trains and equips congregational mission teams to
partner with communities in need of clean water to install a clean water system and to educate the community about the appropriate use of clean water. Volunteers participate in a five-day training session at the Living Waters facility called Clean Water U. These clean water systems are
delivering pure, healthy water to thousands of people in 17 countries on four continents, and that number is growing rapidly. The results: children and families are healthier, happier and more productive. What is more, the relationships built in the process enrich the lives of all partners in the ministry. All parts of the clean water system can be obtained by ordering online.

Why this mission project for Rainforest Adventure VBS?
Children everywhere in the developing world are suffering and dying from preventable diseases caused by dirty water. By educating our own children about the world water crisis and by giving them real examples of ways in which they can help, we educate responsible world citizens who can make a significant impact on this deplorable situation.

God calls us to care for God’s creation and to be stewards of all that God has given us. By supporting Living Waters for the World, we will help this project expand its training program so that more church teams can be trained. More teams trained means more clean water flowing for God’s children.

The connection is clear between the children who participate in vacation Bible school and the need for clean water for the children of Peru and throughout the world.

How to incorporate the Living Waters for the World mission ministry into Rainforest Adventure VBS

• Living Waters for the World provides many water-related crafts, activities, stories, games and songs that can raise awareness of the world’s water situation and of our biblical call to care for both the physical and the spiritual needs of our neighbors.
• Ask children to help fill a five-gallon water bottle with monetary donations over the course of vacation Bible school and perhaps ask the congregation to pledge to match the amount that the children contribute. Children will enjoy watching the bottle fill!
• Show the 20-minute film Clean Water for All of God’s Children, about the work of Living Waters for the World.
• The Living Waters for the World Web site has additional information about this mission ministry.

How to Contribute and Where to Send Your Gift
When VBS is over and all contributions are in, ask your church
treasurer to send a check payable to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
with the project number E051231 in the memo space to your receiving
site (usually your presbytery or synod—your treasurer will know). In
no time the children’s offering will be supporting Living Waters for the
World and clean water for children around the world.