DONE. Kinda.
December 20, 2010
A couple of months ago I posted blog about how I needed a fight and how I chose to pick one. Well, it kicked my butt in a very good way.
My challenge to myself was to raise as much money for Active Water as possible. I would do this by drinking ONLY water, eating healthily, and working out consistently to see how much weight I could lose in 2 months. How does this raise money exactly? Well, my friends decided they would sponsor me at $1/pound over the course of beverage fast, then give that money to Active Water. I also decided that each time I would have gone out to lunch or bought something from Starbucks, I would at that $ to the pot as well.
Well, I’m done. I am happy to say that I fasted from all beverages other than water (and black coffee brewed in my kitchen) for 57 days. And the result…17 pounds lost!
I have to admit that I’m pretty proud of myself for the dedication, but even prouder that in a couple of weeks, thanks to many of you, I will be able to send a big ol’ check to Active Water that will literally help save the lives of some families in Zambia. For every $85 I raised, Active Water is able to put a bio-filter, which will last 20 years, in the home of a family who previously had unsafe drinking water. By my estimate, before January I will send them a check for roughly $600.
This little experiment was harder than I thought… I learned how dependent I am upon a society that provides virtually any type of food or drink instantaneously. I didn’t realize how often or how easy I would go through a fast-food drive thru, or pay $3.50 for hot coffee, or hijack the soda machine in the student center. I was forced to slow down, to plan, to know what I was going to do before my next meal before I thought “Oh shoot…I’m hungry”.
I realized how lucky we are to live here and have access, in abundance, for just about ANYTHING we need. I hope I don’t lose that lesson soon – it forces me to empathize with the majority of the world who doesn’t have what we have, to see (in a VERY small way) some of the “choices” they are forced to make, and mostly, to understand more deeply how Jesus cares about people in ways that do not come naturally to me.
I want to thank those of you who supported me with your money and your prayers during this time. I am healthier than I was 2 months ago, and plan on continuing on that path. More importantly, though, I sincerely hope that the money raised and donated actually gives people hope and life, the very things Jesus gives me. I also pray that I am never, EVER, done with the honor of playing a minor role in helping people to see the Kingdom of Heaven more clearly.
