By:
Shannon Kelly
It all started with a casual conversation. Jonathan Momplaisir, president of the first-year class of Physical Therapy (PT) students at Andrews University, was chatting with second-year PT student Joses Ngugi about the toxic, lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, upon reading a Twitter post asking what Andrews University was doing to help those in the crisis. Momplaisir saw the opportunity to do good. “Matthew 25:35 literally says, ‘I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink,’” he said. Excited at the prospect of quite literally fulfilling a Bible verse, he suggested holding a friendly competition between the first, second, and third-year physical therapy classes, along with the faculty, to see which team could collect the most water for Flint. The project was a hit and took off immediately. Momplaisir said that his first-year class alone collected 42 cases of water within 24 hours. The project was so successful that, as more and more cases of water came pouring in, he began to worry about how all of the water would be transported to Flint, located a few hours away from Berrien Springs. “I was starting to feel overwhelmed,” Momplaisir admitted, having no idea the project would become so huge. But just when he was feeling hopelessly overwhelmed, God began performing miracles.
Seminary student Latina Carriger had previously taken some cases of water to Flint that she had collected with her husband and classmates, but the desire to do more still weighed on her heart. She sent out an e-mail to various local churches looking for more water to deliver. Pastor Dwight Nelson, lead Pastor at Pioneer Memorial Church, copied Momplaisir to the e-mail. Thrilled and amazed, Momplaisir contacted Carriger and said that PT had been collecting water for some time; they just didn’t know how to get it to Flint. “When you want to do good, God affirms that,” Momplaisir said with conviction.
God did not stop there, however.
Word quickly spread about the Flint project, and students and faculty outside of PT wanted to take part as well. Before long, the friendly competition turned into a campus-wide movement, with the Seminary and the rest of the Andrews campus joining in collecting cases of water.
On Saturday, Jan. 30, eleven seminarians made their delivery of 1,100 cases of water to the desperate citizens of Flint, collected from local churches, the students and faculty of the Seminary, and many random strangers. Yes, even strangers. Latina Carriger explained that the seminarians nearly bought all Benton Harbor stores out of water – and they got a lot of attention doing so. When curious fellow shoppers found out where all the water was going, many of them immediately donated money or bought more cases of water to chip in. Carriger had no idea that the Seminary’s load of water would be so enormous. As it continued to grow bigger and bigger, she, like Momplaisir, began to feel overwhelmed in the face of a seemingly impossible task. How would they possibly transport so many cases of water? Finally taking a break from her work one night, Carriger called her four-year-old daughter in to pray with her that God would provide a way to get the water to Flint. God’s miraculous answer came the very next morning in the form of an e-mail from a man named Mike Villwock. Villwock, who is unaffiliated with Andrews University, wished to help deliver water to Flint and was offering the use of his trailer truck that could transport up to 300 cases of water at once. Carriger of course took him up on his offer, and the first delivery of water from Andrews was a success, as well as a great witnessing opportunity. Carriger said that, after helping to load up one man’s car with a few cases of water, the man told her to thank whoever was in charge of their project. She responded that God was the one in charge, and He had heard the man’s praise. She loved getting the chance to let God use her, and her classmates, to prove that He sees what is happening in Flint, and He cares. “God is not ignoring their concern,” she said emphatically.
The School of Physical Therapy will be making their water delivery on Saturday, Feb. 6, and the final delivery from Andrews University will be made on Valentine’s Day (Sunday, Feb. 14). Those involved are confident that God will continue to provide for every need that arises, for He has proven Himself time and time again. Nothing is impossible with God!
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