Be for one what you wish you could be for all
I first saw these words on the back of a One Atta Time T-shirt and I loved the sentiment. I loved it because I often feel like I'm not doing enough. I see all the problems and I want so badly to to do something about it. But I realized doing something about it isn't always the answer. Sometimes people do too much, they make the problem worse even if they mean well, but that wasn't the case here.
Here, I would find doing something means bridging the gap between what somebody needs and what they have. It isn't about giving them a handout - it's about creating access to a resource that they already have and use - water.
So often we don't think about something so simple. Water is a resource. It's here to be used. It's here to give life - but the reality is, sometimes water is the very thing that's making you sick. Maybe it comes from a dirty river or stream, maybe it comes from a well or a pond. Whether the water "looks" dirty or clean, it might be harboring bacteria or parasites if it hasn't been properly filtered.
Here you can see the water from the river next to the glass that was freshly filtered. Both cups came from the same river!
And me trying the freshly filtered river water
So here is where bringing the gap comes in. Most people have access to some type of water, what they don't have access to is a way to make it clean. It does nothing to handout clean water to people, because when the handouts end, they're left right where they started. It keeps them constantly waiting on another handout and never realizing their true potential. Think about what this does to their self-esteem - always thinking they aren't good enough to provide for their family and their basic needs.
Instead, by providing people with a way to filter their own water, you are empowering them to provide for themselves. They can collect the water, they can filter it, they can provide for their families and make sure their children aren't getting sick from the very thing that is supposed to bring life. The best part is, the filters we give out with One Atta Time will last an entire family 10 years and we will periodically check in to make sure they are always working how they are supposed to.
Above you can see the buckets getting ready to be assembled into functional filters!
And here we're teaching the people how to assemble and take care of their filters so they'll last 10 years!
Be for one what you wish you could be for all
That was it. That was what One Atta Time stood for & their organization was bringing life to people in places where significant barriers to clean water exist. Since the first time I heard those words, I knew I wanted them to be a part of my own personal mission.
You can't help everyone, but if you help everyone you can, you'll leave the world better than how you found it.
I bet you never thought of yourself as privileged as you sip a glass of water - and here's the thing, you probably aren't. Clean water shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a right. Because everyone deserves the right to drink clean water.
He was so excited to try the fresh clean water
Next, we register each filter and each person who receives a filter so we can keep in touch and check back in to make sure the filter keeps working as it should
I am privileged and blessed to be a part of an amazing team bridging this gap. Next month, Extra Mile Pediatrics and One Atta Time will join efforts to bring pediatric medical clinics and clean water filters to the people in the surrounding areas of Antigua, Guatemala. Every family that comes to our clinic will leave with a way to provide clean water to their families. I couldn't be more excited. This project has been on my heart for years now & seeing the way God has moved and worked to make it a reality has left me in awe of his power. The reality of the way prayer connects us to God, the way God burdens our heart with something, and then the way he shows up to see it through - this is the amazing God I serve.
The pictures were from 2 separate distributions and organizations which we work closely with in El Salvador (One Atta Time and Filter of Hope). This July will be the first of many clean water filter distributions for One Atta Time in Guatemala and I'm proud to be a part of this joint effort between Extra Mile Pediatrics and One Atta Time. I'm blessed to be part of these two amazing teams and I can't wait to see where God takes this next.
Follow along to see where the journey leads.
PS... Be sure to check out https://www.extramilepediatrics.com and https://oneattatime.org to see all the great work these guys are doing!
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