Water is scarce. For millions of people in Africa, clean water simply isn’t available to them. It may be below shallow ground cover, but they lack the technology to access it. Or it may be fresh spring fed water, but it’s owned by major corporations that bottle the water for a profit in other countries. The truth is: water is a luxury item most people simply cannot afford.
The average American individual uses 100-176 gallons of water per day, while the average African family uses about 5 gallons per day. (World resources Institute)
Our team made a commitment this summer to do something about the water crisis-not just talk about the water crisis. We started practically by changing the way we drink water at MOVE. We believe making better water choices here will help us make better water choices on a global scale. No one working with MOVE this summer, from the bands to the event staff, will drink bottled water. We believe that buying water bottles that you throw away are just as bad for you as they are for the environment. The truth is that sanitation regulations are stricter in tap water than in Aquafina. That means the water you buy at the convenience store for $2 could be dirtier than the stuff that comes out of your kitchen sink.
The switch is good for us and for the environment. Over the course of the summer, MOVE reduced waste by 3,500 empty plastic bottles. That’s a big step in solving this crisis. We’d like to invite you to join us in refusing to buy bottled water. It won’t change the world, but it’s a start.
The MOVE Team

This past weekend a group of us participated in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon (See picture).  What was even cooler is that we all raised money for Active Water.  Some of you may not know what Active Water is all about, so let me give you a quick synopsis:  it’s a nonprofit organization that uses the athletic lifestyle and grassroots campaigns to bring clean water and sanitation projects to needed communities throughout the globe. 

This year, MOVE is mobilizing students to take part in the global water crisis.  A portion of our offering collected in 2010 will go to drill five new wells in poverty-stricken communities in Zambia.  Together, we won’t just give water to the people of Zambia, we will also give them hope. 

So the question we had to ask ourselves as a staff was this:  If we are going to challenge students to help raise awareness for this cause, shouldn’t we do the same…? 

The answer was glaring our staff in the face:  We couldn’t just sit back in our offices and challenge students to go make a difference; we wanted to participate alongside them.  Then, believe it or not, more and more of the Christ In Youth Staff joined on.  One of MOVE’s program administrators (Eric Epperson) decided to run a full marathon.  Two other MOVE staffers decided to run the half marathon.  By the time the race came about, we had multiple relay teams and 5K walkers and racers. 

The humbling part about the entire race was a group of people coming together for one cause.  Everybody has been there…whether it’s on a sports team, planning committee, church function, etc.  Yet this crew that ran in this race wasn’t getting together for kicks and giggles.  Christ had brought us together to help impact His Kingdom through running.  That was all.  We all need to come together for one cause, and that’s God’s Kingdom. 

Thank you for your prayers and support.  Thank you for reading this short summary of a weekend that will hopefully impact people around the globe long after this post is lost in cyberspace.  If Christ is compelling you to help, one way to do that is to support Christ In Youth.  Any support is welcome, and any support is appreciated.

On Location in Zambia: Extras

While filming a story about the water crisis in Zambia last month, we spent a lot of time with a young girl named Abigail and her family. Josh Hall got to know her younger siblings while shooting a scene outside her house. He even gave them some tips on lighting.

On Location in Zambia:  Lunchtime at the Mackenzie school

Early this fall, a small film crew went to Zambia in Africa to uncover the story of hope that is currently emerging from the midst of the water crisis. What we saw blew our minds. It wasn’t just the fact that there was a huge need in Zambia. What really impressed us was the number of people and programs that were stepping up to make a difference. One of these programs was the feeding program at a little school in the Mackenzie neighborhood, a slum outside the city of Ndola. Only some of the kids in Ndola go to school. Many don’t because they lack the resources, or sometimes adult encouragement, to make it to the classroom everyday. The feeding program at Mackenzie goes above and beyond the norm. The people there work to serve lunch to as many kids, students or not, as possible everyday.