Our church did something different for Lent this year. (Lent is the 40 days or so leading up to Easter.) Many Christians traditionally “give something up for Lent” as a way of identifying in some small way with the sufferings of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Some give up alcohol, or chocolate, or coffee — something that actually feels like a sacrifice.

So this year, I encouraged our folks to take the H2O Challenge presented by Living Water International.  Here’s how they describe it:

Sometime during Lent (February 25 – April 11), take the H2O Challenge. For two weeks, make water your only beverage. Save the money that you would normally spend on sodas, coffee, juice, milk, and sport drinks. At the end of the two weeks, send the money you saved to Living Water International for the drilling of wells in needy communities.

What difference can you make? If you saved just one dollar a day for two weeks, you could provide three families with clean water for a year. If you got your friends, your church, or your youth group to do it with you, you could reach a whole village. Or more. Every bit really does make a difference.

So we did it.  Some for two weeks, some for all six.  And when it was all said and done, our little group gave $1,000 to help dig and repair clean water wells in Haiti (more on the results here).

On average, $1 provides clean water for 1 person for 1 year (see onedollarwater.com).  So we helped 100 people have clean water for 10 years.  Or 200 people for 5 years.  Or however it worked out.  I’m just amazed that there are people who will be able to avoid the life-threatening diseases they would otherwise have caught from drinking dirty, infected water… all because I skipped my soft drinks for two weeks.  Wow.

Hop over to www.water.cc to learn more about how you can make a difference, too.