Day 3 of 40 days is almost over. I've had a sore throat so I've had a couple of cups of hot tea, organic throat coat, so really that's medicine. Right? Anyway, the caffeine headaches are getting less severe and later in the day. Excedrin helps with those. The family & I have saved $12 so far. That's 12 Africans with clean water for a year. Hope you all are doing well & that the headaches are few & the energy is high.

40 Days of Water Challenge

Who is ready for a challenge? A very tough challenge.

The Challenge: Only drink water for 40 days. But wait! Don't stop there! Take the money that you have saved, that you would have used to buy that Skinny Latte or Big Gulp, and give it to help someone in Africa who doesn't have clean water. They don't have the option to choose a morning coffee, or soda or tea during lunch. Many of them don't even have the option of drinking clean water. I can't even imagine that. I whine and complain when I have to drink the water in Red Oak just b/c it tastes a little weird. They probably say the same when they have to drink Waxahachie water. I know this won't be easy. You may have to suffer from caffeine withdrawal headaches for a few days and not getting that buzz from your favorite energy drink. Sounds to me like a great excuse to take a cat nap every afternoon instead.

You may say; 'Why drink only water?' Can't I just give some money and still drink whatever I want?' Well, yes you can. But if you do, I think you will be missing out on a chance to grow, a chance to feel compassion for people you don't even know. Sacrifice brings change.

Join me! Let's make a difference. Every dollar you give will change someones life for a full year, and every drink you skip may just change your life as well. That is so amazing to me, that a single $1 can make such a difference.

The 40 days starts this Wednesday, the 17th of February and will end on the 3rd of April. Learn more at www.bloodwatermission.com/40days

I will keep you informed on how I'm doing and hope you will do the same for me. Oh yea, and on Sundays you can feel free to drink whatever you want.

Why?

Why water? Why a bicycle? Well, those are very good questions. It all started about 3 years ago when I heard about a group of people riding across the country. It was the ride:well tour and they were doing it for blood:water mission. Raising money and awareness for the tremendous needs that the people of Africa have. The need for clean water and clean blood.

Sherri, myself and the kids all got our bikes ready to go and started raising money. It was a great summer day in July, a very hot day, when the ride:well team came through Waxahachie. It was a very challenging day and an amazing experience for us all. The next summer we did the ride again and also got involved with the Water Walk at The Oaks Fellowship. We walked three miles to a dirty pond and filled our water jugs and then carried them back to the church. Just a very small example of what many African women & children have to do on a daily basis.

I caught the cycling bug after that first year and have continued to ride ever since. Christian and I have logged many miles together out on the road. This year I have decided to challenge myself even more and start racing my bicycle. Then I thought, why just race? Why not give back to what got me into riding in the first place? So, here I am. Getting myself ready to race, to challenge myself physically, and to challenge you as well. To challenge you to partner with me and make a difference in the lives of 1000s of African people and maybe even a whole village. I would like to raise $5000. At current costs that should build one well or provide fresh water for 5000 Africans for a whole year.

I am very excited about this race season and wearing the ride:well and blood:water mission cycling kit. I will use this blog to keep you informed of my training, my races, and more importantly, how you can get involved. Thank you in advance for all your prayers and support.