28 May
Jessie Miller interns with Jars of Clay’s Blood:Water Mission
In 2002, Dan Haseltin, Jars of Clay’s lead singer, visited Africa and was changed forever. He saw poverty, physical and social suffering, and disease that “shook him, challenged him, and changed him.”
When he returned home, he knew he had to do something. According to his Web site, “He came back with a vision for clean blood and clean water in Africa—blood free of the HIV virus and water free of parasites and bacteria that cause AIDS patients and others undue suffering.”
He and his bandmates began Blood:Water Mission—an organization committed to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and build clean wells, support medical facilities caring for the sick, and fight poverty, justice, and oppression—all in Africa. The band’s target audience is the church and young people, so they saw an opportunity to spread the word and call the church to action.
Recently, Blood:Water began an initiative called the “1000 Wells Project.” This project seeks to build 1000 wells and clean water projects in 1000 African communities. And they are asking people to give up $1 to the organization that can provide one year of clean water for an African.
Jessie Miller, an intern with Blood:Water Mission and a senior at Middle Tennessee State University from Lebanon, Tennessee, said, “So far, we’ve drilled around 350 wells which has affected more than 250,000 people.”
Jessie was in Jars of Clay’s target audience before she came on board. At Passion 2007, she visited the “Do Something Now” booth, and felt a tug toward Africa.
“They challenged us to drink water for two weeks and save our money that we spent on Cokes and coffee, and then donate what we didn’t spend,” she said.
Through God’s timing, she was contacted by a girl who works at Blood:Water Mission and began volunteering in June 2007. She volunteered until December 2007 and began officially as an intern in January of this year.
God has definitely given Jessie a passion for this organization. She said, “I felt the need to help others—especially in Africa. I did other stuff with a few other campaigns, but I knew Blood:Water was a good fit for me.”
Jessie will continue interning with Blood:Water throughout the summer until her graduation in December with a degree in global studies, at which point she’s open to go where God calls her. But she does know that God has given her a heart of compassion for the people of Africa.
Right now, she writes “thank you” notes to people who give, answers the questions of those who are interested in getting involved, and mans the Blood:Water booths at certain events, among other things. Even in the small things, she’s dedicated to this organization.
She said, “We’re called as Christians to be servants despite the circumstances. It’s not about my needs and wants; it’s about serving others. It’s really important for my generation to get involved because there are a lot of organizations like Blood:Water that can grow and serve because of our efforts. Our generation wants to see a change in things and we have hope to give them, but we’re going to have to be the ones to make that happen.”
To read more about Blood:Water Mission and how you can help, click here.
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About the Author
Kaylan Christopher can be found sticking her hands in creative writing projects, blogging, hanging out at local coffee shops, and investing in her relationships with family and friends. A proud native of Texas, she loves chips, salsa, and coffee (but not altogether), Mute Math, LOST, her MacBook, good books, and live music. Kaylan currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. You can connect with her on Facebook or by e-mail at kaylan_christopher@yahoo.com.
