Merry Christmas from the SIFAT staff!We hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family. The SIFAT office will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but will reopen on the 26th.

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Remember, if you want to donate and have it credited to your 2008 tax returns, it must be dated and postmarked in 2008! Donated items must be received on campus by Dec. 31. If you have any questions, please contact Claude, hurttc@sifat.org.

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Are you catching the Christmas sales and shopping online? Many stores donate a percentage of your purchase when you shop using GoodShop. Click here to learn more. Each purchase you make will allow you to donate to SIFAT without adding to your total!

2009 SIFAT Calendars

Our 2009 SIFAT Calendars are here! Order yours now! Each calendar features beautiful pictures from our projects in Bolivia and Ecuador. Inspiring verses and quotes accompany staggering statistics about world poverty, which SIFAT works to combat through our training and short-term mission teams.

Fundraising Opportunity: We suggest you sell each calendar for $10. Your short-term missions team, Learn & Serve group or missions fund will receive $4 for each calendar you sell. SIFAT receives $6 – a $4 donation and printing fees.

To order calendars, please contact Marie, lanierm@sifat.org. or call the SIFAT office.

These 2009 Calendars make a great Christmas present. In today’s economy, every gift counts – so give a Christmas gift to your friends and family that they will enjoy, and one that also benefits SIFAT.

Did you know that World Water Day is tomorrow, March 22? Lifewater International sent an e-newsletter about this observance and why it happens. World Water Day is officially being observed in 69 cities across the US. During the entire week, many restaurants are asking that you donate $1 for your free water; the money collected will be donated to UNICEF for improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities. You can find out more information about World Water Day on the official website.

Having clean, safe water is part of SIFAT’s training. During the Practicum, students take classes and learn about the importance of clean water and the many organizations available to help projects become a reality. Currently, Addison Shock, one of our interns in Bolivia, has been training with Water for All International to drill a well in Ixiamas. An article in the upcoming Journal explains the process and what SIFAT is doing to help Ixiamas and surrounding communities receive clean water.
In the US, we take clean water for granted. In fact, the water bottling industry is booming because we are so particular about our water – the right taste, brand, etc. One of the amazing statistics we share with students in the CARES program easily shows the need for clean water in the world: The World Health Organization says that 70 percent of the world’s illnesses would be eradicated if everyone had access to clean water and sanitation. Wow! So tomorrow, as you enjoy a nice warm Easter weekend, think about clean water, and the possibility of supporting a Practicum student so clean water can become a reality in his or her community. Or, begin “paying” for your water and donate your payments to SIFAT each month. Find a creative way to involve your Sunday School class, Bible study group, civic organization or family to bring awareness of the lack of clean water in the world and ways you can get involved to help everyone have access to clean water.

Did you come up with a great way to commemorate World Water Day? Let us know if you did! We’d love to hear ways you brought attention to the need for clean water and SIFAT.

The SIFAT staff wishes you a merry Christmas. We hope you enjoy this holiday time with your friends and family.

The SIFAT offices will be closed on Monday, Dec. 24, and Tuesday, Dec. 25, to observe Christmas.

Until 2008, catch up on SIFAT’s news by reading the December Journal.