Message from the Minister
"He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain"
I seem to remember writing an article for this magazine last year, which considered the appallingly wet weather we'd been having and the effect of the floods on so many peoples' lives. I'm always the optimist, and was very hopeful of a warm, dry summer this year to make up for last year's deluges. But it hasn't been that way. We've all had to endure long weeks of threatening skies and frequent downpours, interfering with plans and maybe dampening our spirits too.
It's ironic that the theme for this year's Harvest Festival is water. We, who complain bitterly about the persistently inclement weather, have no concept of how life is for those for whom clean safe water is no more than a dream. And while we see our local farmers' harvests ruined by too much water, in many parts of hte world there is no harvest because the rains have failed for years in succession. we can turn on the tap any time we want and receive any amount of water we want for any number of different purposes every day, and many times in a day. But so many people walk miles every day to reach a murky water hole, and then carry their family's daily water supply home on their shoulders. More than 1 billion people in this world have no access to the safe clean water than we so take for granted.
This year, as well as celebrating the harvest here, we will be learning more about the "
Turn On The Tap" project, which is part of
Samaratian's Purse's relief programme. Samaratian's Purse are best known to us for their work with the annual shoe box appeal. Hopefully, we will find some ways of helping this very exciting campaign to make access to fresh water a reality rather than a dream for many of this world's struggling people.
It's raining again! But through focusing our minds on very real needs in other parts of this world, perhaps we can help to bring some sunshine into the lives of others.