My New Venture

With finals rolling around I find myself drinking more and more water. It is literally at my disposal when ever I feel like partaking. It is interesting how even I, someone that is so passionate about clean water sources, would be caught up in my daily activities to be ungrateful for what I am so graciously given to drink.

Many people complain about not being able to have enough soda to quench their thirst while eating chips or junk food of the like, but when has anyone ever said that they haven't had enough water? I mean sure our body is composed primarily of water, but what does that have to do with this? As I have stressed multiple times and I will stress again, water is an essential portion of any person's lifestyle. Whether we like to admit or not, water must and will always be apart of who we are as living beings.

My most recent venture actually happened today when I designed my own car decal. It can be purchased online at:

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize/product2.aspx?number=847078994&utm_medium=cp_social&utm_source=addthis&utm_campaign=CreateAndBuyPDP#.UYgCRuyfmx0.twitter

Though the money that will spent towards buying these will not at this present moment benefit the building of wells in Africa, the goal is to eventually sell them to raise money for my nonprofit I am in the midst of setting up. If you are interested in purchasing a car decal please do so. Below is a picture of what the decal looks like.

A Tsunami or a Light Drizzle?

I had an interesting thought yesterday... What if I took a stab at trying to create my own nonprofit. I know what you're probably thinking, "He is only 19, what could he possibly be able to accomplish?" Well, I have a wake up call for you. I have friends, they have friends and their friends have friends. All it takes is one drop of water to make a difference. Metaphorically speaking I want to be one of those drops of water that breaks the barrier between unclean and clean water sources. Yes I realize that it will be an incredibly hard task and a task that will take a lot of tenacity. I made it to college, obviously I have some form of tenacity that is built up inside of me. Creating my own nonprofit for this dire need will also require me to not be willing to give up while standing in the face of adversity. I am going to have a lot of doubters and I realize this, but this is something that I am extremely passionate about as well as something that I want to be involved with personally.

I know that in some of my previous posts I discussed a lot about Charity Water. I think this organization is fantastic, but I also believe that aside from donating money to them that I would be able to have an impact on countries like Cambodia, India, or Rwanda.

Doing math has never been my strongest subject, but one math problem that I know I can figure out any day of the week is this one:

I think this is a phenomenal image as well as a true testament to what I have been expressing thus far in my blog as well as what I will continue to use as a life anthem for myself.

A poet has come up with another poem that I believe to be quite fantastic as well as a great idea. The video of the poet reciting the poem is below. In closing, will you also be a raindrop that causes a change in this world thus creating a tsunami, or will I be one of a few that is trying to cause a torrential downpour to occur?

Rwanda, They Need Us

One of the major countries that has problems with unclean water sources is Rwanda. Rwanda is home to 10,942,950 people. Of this mass of people, not many of them have access to clean drinking water. In fact, because of this issue the most common form of death that occurs in Rwanda is death by worms. Truthfully this is an extremely preventable thing. All it takes is initiative. I think the best way to light a passion under any person's feet is to show them the people that are in need, that way they can realize who and what they are putting their hard earned money towards. 

Charity Water has taken the initiative to become the eyes of people around the world. How you ask? Simply by making a video that is filmed in Rwanda. I think it is a great thing that they took the time to do so. 

Also, within this video they expressed how every year on the anniversary of Charity Water, they dig a well. By digging this well, for instance in Rwanda, this will cut down an hour long hike down to fifteen minutes. This is honestly exhilarating in my humble opinion.

Meet Lory

Charity Water as you probably realize by now is all about raising not only money but awareness for building wells in Africa. About a month ago they launched a video that has gone viral.

In this video we have the privilege to meet a child by the name of Lory. He just turned six years old. Instead of asking for new action figures or toys of the like, Lory asked that everyone donate six dollars in order to help people in Rwanda. His campaign raised 2,386 dollars. Talk about incredible.

This video is great because of the different camera angles that the videographer used to bring the point across. I think one of my favorite scenes though throughout the course of the entire video is where we see children drinking the clean water and enjoying it. Seeing the joy on their faces is one of the main reasons why I am so adamant about making sure these people get clean water.

I believe in Charity Water so much that I am going to commit to having everyone donate twenty dollars in my name come time for my birthday in October.

The Science Behind it All

Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are in children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The World Health Organization reports that over 3.6% of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. As you can see from the picture some of the diseases that are within many of these people's water sources are Ecoli, Salmonella typhi, and Schistosoma.

As you can tell many people are at risk by just the tiniest bit of consumption of this horrid water. Take a moment to just look at the water that is held within the hands of this picture. Does this water look appetizing to you? Personally, I would say it is the least bit and that I would rather drink motor oil. If we as a group chipped in we would be able to not only provide clean water, but also cut the trek from three hours down to merely fifteen minutes.

It's only water

Christian music artist Brandon Heath wrote and performed a song entitled "Only Water." Within this song he illustrates a farmer in Nebraska struggling to get his crops to grow. If he can't get them to grow it would become a matter of life or death. That alone inspires me, but the following lines are what get me:

"And it washes over me

Like a single river stone

Changes everything 

But has no power on its own

It's only water"

Water symbolizes in most Christian's lives a remarkable transformation of death to life. This process is better known as baptism. Baptism is a declaration is someone's life to make a proclamation to the world that you have Christ living inside of you and you aren't afraid to share it. Water isn't just something that somebody just gets "dunked" under, but it can also be like the song states a matter of life or death. I don't mean a physical life or death, though this is true as well, but I mean water to be a spiritual life or death in this situation. By bringing a clean water source to poverty stricken areas around the world that wouldn't have it otherwise, we are sharing the gospel more than we can ever imagine. I think about the faces children, women and men alike would have if we weren't so foolish to try to merely share the gospel with people when we encroach on their territory, but actually go in there first with the purpose to try and make their lives better. In order to make sure someone truly grasps what you are talking about when it comes to the gospel you must first be willing to build a relationship with them. Not only do I love Brandon Heath's song "Only Water," but I also am a huge fan of one of his other songs entitled, "The Harvester." In this song he discusses how no matter how hard the going gets, we must continue to dig deeper and show some tenacity. My favorite lines are:

"For all that we've grown 

How could we forget

Those who don't know

Or just don't know yet

Let's harvest this field

From sunrise to sunset

The Master is coming 

We are not done yet"

As Christians, we have a tendency to just try and beat people over the head with God's word, when really all they want is a friendship. Also, many people in America have the misconception that people in other countries don't have some of the same luxuries as us, so they believe that they will have nothing to relate upon. This is where they would be wrong. Talk about kids, lifestyles, just take interest in what they have to say. 


Everyday is a new day and we can't give up on the great commission. There is always somebody out there that we can bring to Christ. I have included both songs if you are interested in hearing either in their entirety. 

What's Your Foundation?

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

God proclaims that through Him there is eternal life. However if we go after and pursue things of this world we will continue to feel a sense of emptiness, a sense that feels unsatisfactory to our everyday lives. As Christians don't we have tendencies to feel like we can run the world and take advantage of the grace card that God has set forth for us. The worst part is as humans we tend to believe that we know what is best for our lives, when truthfully speaking Christ is the one true and only person who can put a firm foundation for us to build upon. 

I can remember being on the beach as a child and trying to build a sand castle. I noticed though after the waves kept knocking it over, that what I needed was a firm foundation to build upon. A foundation that could withstand the test of any wave that came along. 

This concept is true with with our own faith walk. If we put materialistic things in a place of importance over our Savior, then already we are starting off with a poor foundation. In order to start out with a firm foundation in our faith, we must first be able to put aside things of this world, and instead go ahead and put what the word of God has put forth for us. 

As Christians we shouldn't be so careless to not allow God to take us out of our comfort zones, but instead go out into the world like it says in Matthew, making disciples of all nations. 

With the area of building wells in Africa, it is by no means an act that is full of self gratification, but an area in which others can be put ahead of yourself, allowing you to make a huge difference in another person's life. 

In my own life, coming to college and ever since about eighth grade I thought I wanted to go into full time ministry where I would then work with middle and high school students, hopefully leading them to know their Heavenly Father. The more college has progressed and the more I have experienced when it just simply comes to life, the more I am realizing now that God is pressing on my heart that I am not called to ministry in a church, but called to ministry by serving others. Now, I don't feel like God is telling me to become a missionary, but I genuinely believe that God is placing a calling on my life to work with a nonprofit (preferably something pertaining to the building of clean water sources) making videos that bring light to the present day circumstances.

From here I would have the opportunity and capabilities to then go to these places where many of these people may not even know Christ. Just by going into a needy village I would be able to show the love of Christ like Christ loved the church. 

Getting back to John 4, when it says towards the end of verse 14 about a spring of water welling up to eternal life, I imagine a group of people going into a place in need of fresh water and finishing the job. With the well coming to a completion stage, in the end I picture people from the village laying aside the metaphorical chains that may be holding them back and in turn accepting God into their lives. 

Like a well, building a foundation and faith in Christ takes some time. I love what C.S. Lewis says, "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Wow! The idea that the person who created us as human beings wants to take our wretched hearts and in response turn them into his home. This is fantastic!

Don't be afraid to let God take the lead in your life, be a light for the world. All it takes is starting a foundation in His name. Maybe one day you will wind up building a well in Africa and having a life changing impact on a person in need. 

If that doesn't give you goosebumps, I don't know what will. If I can impact people for the rest of my life, not receiving any personal glory, but instead giving all the glory to Christ, then quite frankly no amount of money, no materialistic thing of this world will matter.