Praying for water

I have felt like god has been calling me to him for many years. I have turned my back on these calls for many reasons/excuses. However, even though I did not have faith I have always felt a strong and compelling compassion for humanitarian issues...especially those involving the lives of children.

I have recently answered God's call and have begun building my relationship with him...this is largely in part due to discovering an awesomely progressive church (Westwinds). Currently the church is looking at Causemology: Over the course of a year you involve yourself in a cross-section of brand new ways of exploring and investigating what it means to be a lover and a follower of Jesus Christ in our ever-changing world. One of the sections is our environmental shoe print on the earth. Yeah, as a semi-crunchy I love that.

Today at church they played Kelly Clarkson's Irvine which is deeply moving all on it's own. On the screen they showed statistics related to the worlds lack of access to clean water and photos of children getting drinking water from soiled streams. Seriously, I must be majorly premenstrual because it was almost too much for me to bear. I was choking back sobs.

• Chew on this:
  1.1 billion people (18% of the world's population) lack access to safe drinking water
  
  In a world of unprecedented wealth, almost 2 million children die each year due to a lack of clean water and inadequate sanitation
  
  Access to clean water and sanitation can reduce the risk of a child dying by as much as 50%.

I can not even imagine. We did not even begin to think of water as a luxury...although it looks like people in Georgia may have to start. Perhaps we should. Check out Play Pumps for an awesome way to get involved.

• The PlayPump systems are innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play. Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children.

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now.