Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Together We Can Change the World

I saw a commercial recently talking about how one dollar could give a person in Africa clean water for a whole year, and only 30 dollars could give several families clean water for a year.

It stuck out to me how they seemed to emphasize that it's only 30 dollars, or only one dollar can help one person for a whole year... They emphasize how little it takes on our part to make a huge impact on a persons life.

So I started wondering what it would cost to impact an entire community, a country, a continent. I don't know if its just me, but I wanted to see what an impact would look like on a grand scale. Sure I want to make a difference for the individual, but I want to do something much more grand than just that. I think a lot of people do.

Sometimes I just want to shout "Don't tell me how my pocket change can impact one life, tell me how I can sacrifice myself to really make a difference!" I think it's just the idea of doing something so much bigger than myself and being a part of the grand adventure. It's the idea that I see worth and importance in other people in such a way that I am willing to put them before my own needs and pleasures for a time.

I've been trying to do a little research on what it would cost to build one well in another country. www.savethechildren.org has cited that $2,500 can build a well for a community.

For me $2,500 is an entire years wages. It's what I've been making every year working part time while at Bethel. For me that would be a large sacrifice.

For others, $2,500 is:
  • a tax refund
  • a years investment into a 401K plan
  • a super fancy big screen tv
  • a Carribean cruise vacation or a trip to disney land
  • a used car
  • a laptop computer
  • an engagement ring

I'm sure the list could go on. But if that's a small sacrifice for others, I wonder what $25,000 or $250,000 could do.

How much would it cost to provide an entire country in Africa with clean water? With a little sacrifice, I really believe it's totally doable.

Imagine the impact! It would be revolutionary.



No comments: