Water just wouldn’t stop falling. Our house was on the verge of collapse, so my wife I picked up the kids and left for high ground. It was awful to see our lifelong efforts, our home, wash away like that. But we are lucky, at least our whole family is safe.” – João* 34, father of four (*name changed for anonymity)

These are the words of a survivor. After Cyclone Idai wrought havoc on Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, not everyone was as lucky as João. The intense tropical storm left more than 1,000 dead, thousands still missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Friday, March 22, was World Water Day. Rev. Bekah Krevens shares a reflection on a recent delegation to Myanmar.

In our part of the world, the Northern Hemisphere, Lent coincides with the season when birds gather twigs and fallen leaves for new nests. Meanwhile, trees slowly uncurl fresh new leaves. The promise of new life is all around as the Church prepares for Easter.

Not long ago, I found myself in another kind of preparation: I was preparing for a Week of Compassion delegation to Myanmar; our group was going to visit several sustainable development projects that are bringing new life to villages on the other side of the world.