Give a Goat
Water was now flowing. We had just drilled a well for a community in Turkana. It was a place of famine—no rain for many years. Now they not only had water but also clean water. People no longer had to walk long distances for dirty water. Children could go to school since they didn’t have to carry water most of the day. And even the goats had a trough to drink the water that was given by CRF donors (we still have matching funds where you can drill a well like this for $5000).
The people were rejoicing. They were singing, shouting and jumping up and down. As the celebration was winding down, I got into the backseat of a Land Cruiser to leave. We were just about to take off across the desert when someone opened my car door and gave me a gift to show his gratitude. He put a goat in my lap. I was now going to travel through this land of famine with a goat sitting on top of me. I had to accept it. It was the most valuable thing he owned. It was the best gift that he could possibly give. So I took off with the weight, noise, and other annoyances of a goat on top of me.
The best gift you can give in the desert is water. The second-best gift you can give is a goat. Because of the goats that CRF donors have given—children go to school, families are sustained, and preachers are supported. A goat goes a long way.
This year is the 50th anniversary of CRF. As we were pondering this event, we thought— “Is there a gift that donors could give that would cost $50 for our 50th anniversary?” Yes, that’s exactly how much a goat cost.
We were hoping that many of you would give us $50 for a goat for our anniversary.
Maybe you could do that personally. Or maybe you could do more. Kent Mereness, who is a campus minister at West Texas A&M University, organized a “Give-a-Goat” event for everyone on his campus. They have given thousands of goats over the years. Maybe you would like to get your campus ministry, youth ministry, or small group to do a fundraiser to celebrate our 50th anniversary. On the following page, you can learn how to do it.
What happened to the goat in my lap? As we were driving across the desert, I saw a lone man traveling across the dry terrain. “Stop the vehicle!” I said. And I jumped out of the back seat and told the man, “I have a great gift for you!” Yes, he got my goat.
