I'm about to make a plea for an important
cause. You who come here often know that I rarely do that. I think that a site
like this only gets to plug a few causes before people get numb. So I pick mine
carefully.
Hey, I know what it's like for you. You want to
be a good person; you want to help in the world. But every time you turn around
there's another cause popping up. You can't fix everything, and you're not even
sure how to get started. I know. Me too.
What you have to do is listen carefully to the
world's needs. And you have to seek diligently to find an outlet for your own
efforts. Then pick a few things and get involved. Don't let yourself get
overwhelmed. Learn
about the needs of the world. Find a way to help. You will feel better, but more importantly, you
will be a part of goodness in this world.
So there is this thing happening, and I believe
in it. So I'm going to tell you about it.
My dear friend Darrell Adams recently brought an
issue to my attention. People are dying all over the world for lack
of clean water. I mean, I knew that people in some countries didn't have clean
water, but I didn't realize how bad the situation is. We take clean water for granted, of course. But in many parts of
the world, there is none. Children drink whatever water is at hand. Sometimes
their immune systems can handle it. Sometimes they get diarrhea and die from
dehydration. As it turns out diarrhea is a huge killer of children in
underdeveloped countries. 1.8 million children died from diarrhea last year,
just because they couldn't get a glass of clean water. The World Health
Organization says that about 80% of the sickness around the world comes from
impure water.
Darrell is a part of SWIM, a movement of people
who are trying to bring simple, easy-to-install and maintain water purifying
equipment to people who desperately need it. (If you want to see the system they use,
click here)
In 2008 Jeanene and I plan to
go on one of their trips and be a part of installing some of these water purifiers
ourselves. That's cool of course, and I'll tell you more
about it later. Heck, maybe some of you can go with us. But you can help right now by
getting the word out about
the world's need for clean water.
Do me a favor. Take a moment and check out
SWIM's website. The current thrust of the movement is to mobilize college
students, but that's not the only way they work. This organization is for all of us.
Take a look. Read a little bit. They did a good
job of keeping the message short. Consider joining or even donating a small
amount. Like $10 or something. I'm telling you, these are good people. The
organization is honest and it has only one purpose. Getting water to people who
need it.
SWIM -
Student Water International Mobilization
Thanks,
rlp
