As you may or may not know we have been in a bit of a time of transition the last couple years. This has pressed me into a bit of soul searching that I’m still in the midst of. But, in this process I am forming values and goals for myself which hopefully you’ll hear about for years to come. I want to invite you to be a part of one of my first endeavors.
One of my great hopes is that when my life ends this world will have been a better place because I was a part of it. Like the boy saving starfish on the beach to whom the old man says there are too many for you to save them all and the boy responds but I can save that one, I know that I cannot save the world from all the things that plague it. I know that compared to all the issues in the world my impact will be small. However, I also have come to realize that the people who are truly changing the world would never say they were. They simply engage in the hard drudgery that matters most. Hopefully, while people will not be able to say that I changed the world, there will be people who will be able to say that I changed their world.
I think the greatest impact that can physically be made on our world is that of providing safe, accessible water in places where people are having to walk miles to gather water from contaminated mud holes and engaging the third world in microfinance initiatives.
Therefore, for my upcoming 30th birthday I am asking my friends not to give me presents. Instead I want as many people as possible to give $30 toward providing clean drinking water for those without it through Blood Water Mission. Of course if you are welcome to give more if you want. But, if 200 people give $30 each we should be able to build a well for a village.
The basic formula is that $1 provides clean water for 1 person for 1 year (that’s less than the price of one bottle of water at most gas stations or a quarter of the price of a bottle of water at Starbucks – just kidding I don’t know how much water costs at Starbucks, who would buy water when there’s vanilla bean frappuccinos?). So, what we’re able to do will depend upon how much is given. But, I would love to see us raise enough to create a solution (maybe build a well) that will provide water to a village for generations.
I’m sure we’ll have some sort of party that you can give at, but if you would like to give online click here or go to www.bloodwatermission.com click on the donate tab, and put “Herston 30 for 30” in the comments box. All donations are tax deductible, so don’t feel constrained to only giving $30.
Make my 30th birthday a happy one and save some people’s lives.