About Jadeine Shives
(1) (2) (3)
Traveling
across an especially arid and parched stretch of land in
the state of Karnataka,
our lives would be forever changed in ways we have only begun
to fathom. Staring out the window from a rumbling train,
the sight of women traveling for miles to scoop water out
of a filthy, trickle of a stream caused me to become furious
with the situation . . . and God. In the intense heat, the
feeble water source threatened to disappear completely as
it offered itself to young girls doing the family laundry,
children bathing the family buffalo, and mothers gathering
pots of water who walked for hours to reach home. I was
especially heart struck by what I saw in the eyes of one
old woman that has haunted me to this day.
Silently giving
God “a piece
of my mind” as we moved further down the tracks, I begged
for understanding on how such suffering could be allowed
by Him. In a flash, a vision of hundreds and hundreds of
wells across the landscape appeared with the knowledge that
it was my job to let others know so together we
could bring that possibility to reality. Without realizing
it, that was the moment of conception for the eventual birth
of my spiritual journal Digging a Well to Heaven .
. . A Woman’s Odyssey into the Heart of India and the Soul
of Her Self!” Gestation this time though would take
four years, and the labor would last six months. As the
most unlikeliest of yogini’s,
I share my intimate journey inward towards spiritual awakening
as we made our way across an exotic outer landscape on that
sacred pilgrimage.
Part of the proceeds from every
copy of Digging a Well to Heaven will be used
to fund the digging of fresh water wells and other drinking
water systems in India. The
non-profit organization, 1008 Wells Foundation was
created to fulfill a promise made to God that day, an answer
to prayers by thousands of mothers, fathers and children
for a reliable and disease-free water source, and the opportunity
to share with others the joy found from love in action on
a global level. The 1008 Wells Foundation has applied for
non-profit status and expects to receive official notification
by September 2005. This will be great news as then all donations
that are made directly to the Foundation for those wells
will be tax exempt for donors.
There is great
news! The first
well has already been sponsored by the Hindu University of
America (www.hindu-university.edu) through
a generous donation by one of its loving sponsors. During
the summer and fall of 2005, a gravity flow drinking water
system is being constructed on a rocky and arid mountain
outside of Darjeeling in West Bengal. Upon its completion,
the village of Sinji Gram Panchayat will now have a year
round dependable water source for its 160 residents.
Can you imagine what a difference
it will make in their lives? It is not unusual for a local
source of water to bring a family’s income from $200 a year
to $2000. That’s incredible! A fresh water well or drinking
water system can help keep water borne illnesses at bay,
increase agricultural production which brings additional
income for shelter, clothes, medicine, livestock, co-operative
micro-loans controlled by a committee of villagers themselves,
and many other benefits. Men no longer have to leave their
families for months on end seeking employment in far off
cities leaving their wives and children to fend for themselves
as farming their own land brings sustainable work and profits
from their own small fields. Yes, it is possible to bring
about life-transforming changes one village at a time!
There are many ways to be a catalyst
for that change and celebrate in a movement that is larger
than ourselves. People from multiple faiths and spiritual practices
across the globe are joining the project and answering the
prayers of tens of thousands by helping them help themselves.
In other words, we are offering
a hand up, not a hand out. World Neighbors (www.wn.org) is the organization that we have chosen
to channel the funds raised for the wells. They have been
doing these types of programs for over fifty years and their
original work started in India.
Each person I have had the good fortune to meet with World
Neighbors is genuinely devoted to the project, has provided
themselves and their organization as a great resource for
change, and is committed to listening to the voices of the
villagers acknowledging that they know best what their needs
are. Please, check out their web site. You will be inspired!
Continued...
For more information on these
events or to arrange a talk in your area contact:
Mystical
Lotus, Inc. / 1008 Wells Foundation
8297 Champions Gate
Blvd, Ste 127
Champions
Gate, FL 33896
407-460-7276
jadeine@jadeineshives.com
