Eight months ago our students took two charter buses to Southern Illinois University for a week at CIY's Move conference. We expected to experience amazing worship, challenging messages and a ton of fun. What we didn't expect was to come face to face with a global problem that most of us knew very little about, water.
Since the trip, students have failed to forget the heart wrenching truth that thousands are dying, simply because they don't have a resource we waste daily. We had to do something, that something was Waterdrop. This past Friday night students, friends and family filled the church to raise awareness and support for the global water crisis.
The night kicked off with a student sharing her experience with this huge issue and how God was leading her to do something. We followed that up by showing the same powerful documentary we saw at Move, Zambia's Song. The film brings you face to face with a very real problem, facing very real people.
After the film, the crowd was released to the lobby to bid on dozens of students auctioning themselves off. Babysitting, car washes, slaves for a day, photography sessions and art work were all up for bidding.
It was an incredible night. The auction alone brought in over $1700! But that wasn't the only way money came in. Two volunteers set up a raffle with about a dozen prizes in just two days that brought in almost $400. That was impressive, but our students had one last gift.
A month before Waterdrop, as we explained to students the idea of auctioning themselves off for the cause, we challenged them to sacrifice first. Before they could ask others to give, we had to give. So students began to sacrifice. Some gave up cokes for a month. Others gave up eating lunch at school. Some students sold video game systems and games. Students gave up birthday money, paychecks, change collections and allowances.
As they walked in to Waterdrop they quietly turned in their sacrifices which totalled up to over $1800, more money than they raised in the auction. Teenagers are truly amazing people. They are generous, they are sacrificial and they are the church, living out their calling as sons and daughters of God. I couldn't be prouder! Over the past eight months students have raised over $2500. Add to that $4000 from Waterdrop and you've got over $6500! That's enought to provide a new well for an entire village as well as almost 20 filters for individual families.
Thanks so much for everyone that came and supported our students and this amazing cause!
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