DollarforaDrink

     I go to Northbrook Baptist church and I am a devout Christian. Some of my interests include (but are not limited to): playing with my sis (especially the Wii; the games Smash Bros. Brawl and the Metroid Prime Trilogy are my favorites), building with LEGO (I specialize in technic and BIONICLE), and reading (I love both theology and fiction, and some of my favorite authors are: C. S. Lewis, Ted Dekker, and J. K. Rowling)

     I first got the idea to start the DfaD project back in the Spring of 2008, but I need to give you a bit of background info before I launch into the story. My family has always taught my sister and I to give to the needy and poor, and to do it willingly. In addition, my family was supporting several children through World Vision, another humanitarian organization. Because we supported them, we also received periodical catalogues from them. Now, these were not your normal catalogues; instead of containing items and merchandise which you could purchase for yourself, it contained items and gifts which you could buy for others. For instance, you could buy clothing, farm animals, or... wells (among other things). They had a whole section on digging wells, and as I recall, the really big one was $10,000. Well, I knew right away that I would never be able to save up that much on my own; I would have to raise it.

     That was several years ago. But at the beginning of 2008 I began to have the feeling that I wanted to actually do something; I wanted to make my dream to save up that much for water for others a reality. However, I didn't exactly know what to do to get started. Well, my family had over for a meal Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, who are good friends of my parents; Mr. Palmer and my dad had gone to college together. Anyway, Mr. Palmer was (and is) the executive director of Baptist Global Response. My dad and I took this opportunity to ask him about starting up a non-profit, and he responded with many suggestions and much advice; it was exactly what we needed. At this point, I decided that I would build wells through BGR, not World Vision (I say this to clarify that I simply got the inspiration from World Vision, I am not working through them as some people have gotten the impression). After his visit, Mr. Palmer sent me an e-mail containing a list of five or so locations / project which I could do fundraising for. I prayed about it, and I ended up choosing Darfur, Sudan, for my well building project.

     Well, that was at the very end of May. June came and went, but despite the fact that I knew specifically what I wanted to raise money for and what my idea was I still hadn't done anything. Why? Two things: procrastination and a fear of starting. I'll tell you right now, the hardest part for me of the whole DfaD project was just getting started. Seriously. I just couldn't get organized in my head what I needed to do first, and it all seemed so... BIG.

     But then July arrived and my dad picked up a book which he had heard about and thought that I should read. The book was titled "Do Hard Things", written by Alex and Brett Harris; it challenges teens to overcome the low expectations our culture has for us and to rise up and make a difference in the world. (Check out there blog here.) It blew my socks off. Not only that, but it was exactly what I needed to read at that time in my life in relation to the well project I had in mind. I highly recommend the book to any teen or parent out there (whether you want to change the world or not). Not only did the Harris brothers present the "Do Hard Things" mentality oh so strongly, they also provided numerous examples of other teens who had done just that: make a difference in the world. As I read I thought, "If these guys could do it, why not me?" I knew the answer to this was "I can", and indeed I had always been told that I could. However, I'd never really been shown (through others) that I could.

     That was the big turning point for me; the point at which I made a mental shift to take action. Thus, at the beginning of August my dad and I sat down and made out a DfaD To Do List, and I began to check things of one at a time until they were all done. This list included doing our research, getting a simple website set up, making some posters, getting registered with the IRS as a 501-(c)3, and getting our bank account and P.O. box set up, among other things. We then took September to get the word out to others about the project. The Harris brothers had started up a website in conjunction with their book: www.therebelution.com, and it contained a wonderfully run forum. The forum is dedicated to providing an environment where Christian teens can dialogue about different issues or present Rebelutionary ideas (a Rebelutionary is one who "Does Hard Things"). I presented the Dollar for a Drink idea there, and I got alot of great feedback.

     It was truly amazing to see how everything sortof "snowballed" once I got started. October arrived, and we had launched the DfaD project! By the time Christmas arrived, we had raised $10,000! The Lord was (and is!) so good to us, and I am still constantly amazed at where he has taken the Dollar for a Drink project! I can't wait to see what's in store for the future! : )