Baptist Press: Teen Vision Brings Water to Darfur
One of the most exciting stories last year was Dollar for a Drink — a campaign by 16-year-old Joshua Guthrie to raise $10,000 to build a well in Sudan. With a big response from rebelutionaries, youth groups, and young people around the country, Joshua met and exceeded his goal. Now the well that he (and you!) paid for is providing clean water for over 6,000 people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Now Joshua has passed on some photos of the well — after the jump — along with a link to a great article on the campaign by Mark Kelly of Baptist Press:
MILAN, Tenn. (BP)–Joshua Guthrie was a troubled teen. Like many others of his generation, the high school sophomore was troubled by the needless suffering of so many people in so many places. Hunger and poverty. Wartime atrocities and sex trafficking. AIDS orphans and genocides.
It seemed so impossible for a 16-year-old in west Tennessee to make a difference.
Then Joshua read “Do Hard Things,” a bestselling book by twin brothers Alex and Brett Harris, at 20 years old only barely out of their teens themselves. The book challenges young people to rebel against “the myth of adolescence” — the notion that teens are by nature irresponsible, immature and rebellious.
“By breaking the mold of what society thinks we are capable of, teens can achieve so much more than what’s expected,” the brothers write. “We’ve seen ‘average’ teenagers transformed from channel changers to world changers who are accomplishing incredible things.”
The book rocked Joshua’s world.
For another picture…
Many children used to walk 4-6 hours each day to get clean water.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
God bless your heart, Joshua.
May He continue to use you and may you continue to bring Him glory. 
May 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Woot Yay THIS IS AWESOME. People we need to do more things like this. GO Joshua. I live in Ga. Let me know what I can do to get something started down here like that.
In Christ
Jordan Whitmire
May 26th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
This is an amazing news Joshua! May the Lord bless you with more wells for Africa.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Yay! Thanks so much guys for the blog entry! This means so much to me.
Jordan, please send me an e-mail via the DfaD site about your doing a fundraiser in Georgia; I will need all of the help I can get this year! ^^
May 27th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Wow! I’m amazed, Joshua. I live in Fl. and I’m hoping to start a ministry this year for the people of Haiti. It’s so encouraging and inspiring to read the stories of others. Keep going! God has even bigger plans for those who seek His heart.
~Kay Lynn
May 27th, 2009 at 5:38 am
That is so exciting!!!
-Justin
May 27th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Thank you so much Joshua for all the hard work you put into this amazing project! May the Lord bless you and enable you to continue helping those in need!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:33 am
This is so amazing. That last picture just makes my heart ache when I think of how many things we take for granted, water included. Keep it up.
God is so amazing, he can do so much with people like us.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:14 am
That’s great! You guys should really look into the project Do:Living Water started by my cousin and her friend. They are having a nation wide car wash in August to raise money to build a well in Africa. It’s a wonderful project and it’s very exciting! Go check out their website http://www.dolivingwater.blogspot.com. They’ve all read your book/gone to the conference in MN and my cousin Elyssa helped with publicity for that as well. I think this is something you might be interested in. Please go check it out, I know they would be very excited to hear from you!
In Christ,
Olivia
May 27th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Praise God!
May 27th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Wow! It’s so awesome to be able to see the results of our efforts!
May 27th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
wow! you are one amazing teen! God has used you in a mighty way. may He always bless your life.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
WOW!!!! That is soo cool!! Just last March the AWANA Club (Trek) that I’m in did a bottle drive that my friend Krystl came up with for the Ugandian Water Project and raised a little over $200, that was a little more than we expected. We are a group of nine but only four come on a regular basis.
Alex and Brett:
On Memorial Day I wore my red Do Hard Things shirt. While attending our local parade we met a young man, Zach, who had signed up for the Army the day before. He is a senior in high school. His Mom saw my I Tim 4:12 ’cause’ t-shirt and asked about it. My Mom gave he and his Mom information about the Rebelution. They were real excited about ‘a teenage rebellion against low expectations!”
May 27th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
That is awesome! It is so exciting when people make a direct impact on the world around them.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
It’s amazing what teens (and people in general) can do when they work together!
I fully agree with Elisa: it IS exciting when people make a direct impact on the wold
around them.
sean p.-13
May 27th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Im so blessed with you ‘joshua for what you’ve done in Africa…continue to serve God for His glory..and as a good model for the other young people..- may God bless your heart-..
take care..=,)
May 27th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Way to go Joshua! It is teens like you who are changing the world. Those kids are thanking God for you. I am praying for your ministry.
A sister in Christ,
Sarah Elizabeth
May 27th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
This post hits me two ways. 1st reason: It is very encouraging to see teens like Joshua
“rise to the occasion” and make a difference.
2nd reason: It makes me think… here I am sitting at the computer typing in coments encouraging Joshua when I should be trying to make a difference myself(actully I should be in bed… midnight is not the time to be on the computer, HAAA!)
Good for you Joshua! Your serving others, what a great job!!!
Servent of God,
Dalton Bequette
P.S. Does anyone know the reference to the verse “he who has ears let him hear”?
I was talking to a friend about that verse today but we couldn’t remember the reference!
thanks!
May 28th, 2009 at 12:03 am
This is awesome! Are those pictures of the well you raised money for?
(Dalton: try Matthew 11:15)
May 28th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Rachel: Thank you very much!
Dalton
May 28th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Rachel: yes, those are pictures of children from the village we installed the well in, and that is THE ACTUAL WELL!
Thanks for the encouragement guys! ^^
May 28th, 2009 at 5:29 am
What an awesome thing Joshua! I’ll definitely be praying for your project and be looking for other ways to help.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Wow Joshua… that’s big. Did you get to be there the day it was built and see the looks on the people’s faces as they saw the first fresh water come out? Were you one of the examples used in the ‘Do Hard Things’ book?
May 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Praise be to God!!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Praise God!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
That’s awesome. I pray you continue to use your abilities to praise the Lord and that you will continue to succeed! God bless you Joshua!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I am so glad that you guys posted this! I love hearing about all of the challenges that my fellow soldiers are facing, and even more so to hear the challenges that were met and defeated!!
Way to go!!
Blessings!
–Sarah
May 28th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
That is so neat. God bless, Joshua!
In Him,
Rachel M.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Praise God, that’s awesome!!!! Our ministry was also able to drill a well in a different part of Sudan about week ago. And we also were able to help oversee an aid distribution to a Internally Displace People’s Camp.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
way to go josh!
God bless!
May 28th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
How cool!
May 29th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Speachless
May 29th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
That’s great, Joshua… keep up the good work. It’s encouraging to see others do hard things for a good cause.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Awesome Joshua!!!!! Keep doing hard things for God.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Wow! That’s cool!
Is there a way to donate? Does he have a website?
Thanks!
Josiah
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
http://www.dollarforadrink.org/
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Thanks, I will check into it.
Josiah
June 5th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Wow! That’s great! I’ve also heard of this girl who raised money for bullet proof vests for dogs - she was planning on only raising money for one but it turned out she got enough money for 5 or something like that. I also heard of a girl who found suitcases and stuffed animals and gave them to orphans who needed that kind of stuff. Because orphans usually just carry around a bag. Great job everyone!!!!
~Sarah
June 7th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
It’s so exciting to see my donations actually be used for something helpful!
This has been the most fulfilling use of the money God has given me.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Hey Joshua that is great!!!!! In 2008 my family held a carnival and yardsale at our house to raise money for a well in Uganda. We actually recieved over 9,000 and were able to dig the well. It just amazes me that God uses insignificant people like us to accomplish big things for His Kingdom.
In Christ,
Heidi