We don’t know beans about water

Walk on July 8 at Tugboat Bay will help bring clean water to those who don’t have it

Water, water everywhere — almost We talk as if we know about water. We quote statistics about the snowpack and describe the level of Lake Okanagan to the nearest millimetre.

We speak dismissively about water quality advisories and confidently about purification systems.

We tend to believe we’ve acquired a level of sophistication on water conservation and rigidly observe watering schedules and sprinkler adjustment techniques.

The truth? We don’t know beans about the value of the precious resource called water.

Not when compared to almost any man, woman or child in the developing world.

According to latest World Vision information, as you read this article, 663 million people in the developing world live without access to clean drinking water.

A total of 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation facilities like toilets and latrines.

Nearly 1,000 children under the age of five die each day from preventable diseases related to unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene.

And six kilometres is the average distance people in the developing world must walk to collect useable water, every day.

They know the value of every precious drop.

Those statistics are why many concerned citizens of this community are engaging in a six-kilometre walk for water on Saturday, July 8.

I hope hundreds will gather at Tugboat Bay near the Delta Grand Hotel at 10 a.m. to walk through City Park.

The brave will carry water containers identical to what those carried in underdeveloped parts of the world every day in the quest for safe, useable water.

The purpose is not to go for a walk carrying water jugs. The purpose is to raise funds for drilling wells and installing purification systems around the world.

The belief is that those of us who have so much water we don’t know what to do with it might actually make a difference for those who have none.

You can do this. Women and young girls are often those bearing the responsibility of collecting water in places like Africa.

Make this a family event and lets raise global awareness for a worthy, essential cause.

One day, Jesus of Nazareth told a story about the end of time. People were giving account for the way they lived. In the story, the king commended some saying, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in.”

Those receiving the commendation were confused and asked when they did those things.

To their amazement the king said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

The point of the story is that our response to those in need touches the very heart of God.

Come on, Kelowna, let’s help the rest of the world get safe water. Saturday, July 8 at Tugboat Bay, 10 a.m.

Register online at worldvision.ca/Kelowna and raise some funds for those for whom a drink of clean water is a luxury.

Tim Schroeder is a pastor at Trinity Baptist Church.