Lyndall Johnson's Fundraising Page
Help Fund a Water Project
Dear Retreatants, Virtual Retreatants, Family and Friends,
We will be going on retreat to South Africa in February/March 2015. On this trip we will be experiencing first hand the effects of having no water, having polluted water, or having to fetch water by walking miles with a bucket on communities.
This wonderful project suggests that you keep track of all the luxury drinks you consume and instead drink only tap water, keeping a tab of what you save when you give up your Caribou Coffee, soda, glass of wine etc. Add up the total at the end of two weeks and send a cheque to the Water Project to aid in the creation of wells in sub Saharan Africa.
Because our time together will be about Sacred Activism, this project would be a wonderful experience in learning about the blockages in our own psyches that prevent us from being willing to sacrifice for the sake of the greater good of all humanity with a loving, generous heart. It is important to recognize that the sacrifice is not the luxury drinks, but the attitudes, beliefs and defenses that get in the way of giving up something so that others may have.
Notice the ways in which you want to cheat, rationalize, judge, make excuses, argue with yourself. Notice the grumbling, anger, feelings of deprivation or entitlement. Notice too, if you are able to follow through on this, whether any feelings of self righteousness come up, smugness, superiority, feeling good about yourself, pride... the traps of the ego are manifold!
Can we willingly give up something for the greater good with a joyful and loving heart? Only once we have examined all that gets in the way, first. The only thing you are really ever asked to give up (die to, renounces, let go of) is your own suffering, i.e. all the ego feelings, beliefs and defenses.
Ultimately this practice benefits you - it helps you free yourself of self limiting beliefs and attitudes so that you can live a more joyful, spontaneous and loving life.
Who's Helping?
| Date | Donor | Amount | Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/17/15 | Sally Smith | $25.00 | That's for the two bottles of wine I am giving up:) |
| 02/15/15 | Anonymous | $70.28 | |
| 02/15/15 | Anonymous | $34.00 | Thanks for yet another personal "stretch", Lyndall - and the opportunity to simultaneously offer help to an organization doing such great work! |
| 02/14/15 | Anonymous | $70.28 | |
| 02/14/15 | Anonymous | $130.00 | We need to work to the end that water is a right, not a commodity |
| 12/28/14 | Mary Hayden | $100.00 | In gratitude for the water I have. |
| 11/09/14 | Walter Sigtermans | $50.00 | |
| 09/29/14 | Anonymous | $115.00 | |
| 08/28/14 | Sally Smith | $46.00 | |
| 08/12/14 | Anonymous | $115.00 | |
| 08/01/14 | Anonymous | $46.00 | Bill and Wendy Dancer, It is a privilege to contribute. |
| 07/20/14 | Roxy Johnson | $115.00 | |
| 07/16/14 | Jan R. Shannon | $23.00 | |
| 07/14/14 | Barbara Bobrowitz | $30.00 | Fascinating to watch my own reactions - how I use these beverages to feed my emotions, to comfort myself when feeling lonely , tired or sad. Water was much more satisfying to quench thirst. A powerful |
| 06/27/14 | Bonnie Resnick | $92.00 | Clean water for all. Thank you for the water challenge! Bonnie Resnick |
| 06/21/14 | Sue Nankivell | $46.00 | "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead |
| 06/21/14 | Terryl Olson | $46.00 | |
| 06/19/14 | Susan Matthees | $23.00 | |
| 06/19/14 | Anne Seltz | $23.00 | thanks |
Why It Matters
Did you know nearly 1 billion people don't have safe water to drink?
Together, we can change that. Let's fund a new source of drinking water for those who suffer needlessly without it!
Our gifts will be used to construct or rehabilitate a water project, like a well or sand dam, in Africa. We'll see pictures, GPS coordinates, and updates as they come in from the actual water project we fund so we can celebrate the results along with the community we help.
About The Water Project
The Water Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization unlocking human potential by providing clean, safe water to communities around the world who suffer needlessly without.
Working with local partners in countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda, we build long lasting water projects that are organized, owned and managed by the communities receiving them.
Together, with our partners we identify, implement, report on and follow up on every project. Then we share the whole story with you to inspire confidence in the work being done and the impact it has.