Outreach Leads to Witness

OUTREACH LEADS TO WITNESS
“Birthed by God.” That is how Becky Holland describes Pure Water Ministry, and God’s calling her to service.
Becky experienced her call at a business meeting in 2000 at Columbia, South Carolina, where she heard a voice coming from an intense light say, “Come home.” Her response to whatever that meant was, “I’m yours.” Three months later, she found herself at another business meeting, this time in St. Louis, in a room “full of suits,” announcing that she was leaving her work to follow Jesus.
Coming back to Hampton, attending Central UMC with Rev. Bob Sharp as pastor, Becky was asked by the lay leader, Alann Hudson, to consider becoming a lay leader and was invited to attend a weekend retreat, the Walk to Emmaus. She states that the weekend became the most powerful weekend she has ever experienced.
Back at Central UMC, her first official act as lay leaders was to attend the district mission dinner. The speaker, Sherry Fisher, spoke about a vision for missions work on a Navajo reservation. Becky travelled with Sherry to the reservation twice to add onto the building used as a dormitory, later to help with building a day care center. The pastor at Shiprock Church, Paul West, told her what she was doing was good, but was not what she was supposed to be doing; he invited her to “stay a few more weeks and meet the people.” Paul’s wife Dorcas, also a missionary, added, “You can come out here…but if you don’t tell about Jesus Christ, you have done nothing.” A prayer-centered God experience at Ship Rock led Becky to understand that this mission field was where she belonged.
Becky immersed herself in this “quiet, gentle ministry birthed by God.” There are twelve churches being served by Pure Water Ministry (I will leave how the name came to be for her to tell you about it), with support coming from individuals as well as from churches of many denominations. She notes that the time during the pandemic has been the most financially blessed season ever.
Our church First UMC Fox Hill, supports Pure Water Ministry with shoe boxes filled with essential items donated and put together by our UMW. In addition, Becky has carried some of our Shawl Makers group shawls to the Navajo reservation, and witnessed a healing in a hospital room when the shawl was given.
The twelve churches themselves engage in work such as providing day care, carrying food and water to families with no electricity or running water, supporting Red Valley/Cove high school, distributing donated goods such as bags of flour from Blue Bird Flour, with whom there is a partnership, supplying wood and propane for heating, supporting Wi-fi, providing needs for the boarding school, and distributing daily devotional books and Bibles. Navajos helping Navajos; the list goes on!
Becky took a bold step when she responded to God’s call to the mission field. She wanted to reach out to the Navajo people showing God’s love for them. Her calling has led to a powerful testimony demonstrating how being obedient to God’s call blesses not only the one who is called but also those who are being blessed. Becky’s life shows how outreach leads to witness.