If you donated a biosand filter in honor of your mother, here's a great way to let her know about the life-changing gift you gave in her name. Just click and print or download so you can email it.

Here is the reason we are doing this.  Many of us won't drink water unless it is bottled.  Imagine if this is where your water came from.

I got to experience not only making biosand filters, but also the reason why they are so important.  If you want to help buy a filter for a family in Zambia, check out allwally.com

Well today I got to experience first hand just how important these biosand filter are to people here in Zambia. Despite avoiding certain foods that are problematic for Americans, drinking only bottled water, and washing my hands ,somehow I still got sick. I think it happened when I was in a village pulling up a bucket of contaminated water from a hand dug well.  Thy say experience is the best teacher and if so, I have a doctorate in empathy for these people now.

This has really underscored the importance of biosand filters for these people. I feel horrible right now. I can’t even stand up straight. I can’t imagine having to go out and do manual labor to provide for my family feeling this way, or worrying because I cannot take care of my child who is sick from the water. Sadly, however, this is everyday life in Zambia, but it doesn’t have to be.

I did my best but in the end (no pun intended due to my plumber crack) I was too sick to continue putting together the molds. So Katie Rose and Mike from Blood:Water Mission helped make 20 biosand filters. Believe it or not I was not trying to avoid work. I was genuinely sad I could not complete that part of the day.

Katie did such a great job and now she can add this to her already long list of occupations she has had in her short life time.

After getting some meds in me, I was feeling up for helping to deliver some filters to some families who have been on a list waiting for a long time. 

I am so glad I did not miss this. It was amazing standing in someone’s tiny, dark, home knowing that life would be better for them and their family by the time we left.

For some reason they trusted me to set up a filter and I was told I did it perfectly, but if not, I did offer to leave Katie behind to fix it.

Today, and this trip, have been such a blessing for me. I can’t wait to share more stories and ask people to get involved in helping the people we met in Zambia. I have felt their pain of contaminated water, literally, and I can’t wait to get back to buy a couple filters myself to help make life better for these amazing people.

Today we started off in the village of Mwekalla just a couple miles from the border of Congo.

Thanks to generous people, Blood:Water Mission was able to bring 35 biosand filters to this village of 50 homes. They still need 15 more for a completely healthy village, and we are going to try to help them next Tuesday with our One Drop Campaign.

This lady is so happy about her new biosand filter she looks like she could be the new spokes model for them. Her joy was contagious and she is helping lead others in her village to health.

This village is as “Africa” as it gets. No running water, no electricity, no indoor plumbing. It is like stepping back in time or camping for your entire life, which we all know is only fun for a few days.

Life is difficult here, but the people are so kind, welcoming, and you can’t help but notice their amazing smiles.

Unfortunately, their only source of water is this dirty hole, but since receiving biosand filters from Blood:Water Mission, their lives and health have improved dramatically.These people now have a reason to smile.

The story in every house was the same. I asked how things are different now since receiving their filter and without exception they all said their children no longer get sick from waterborne illnesses. If you are a parent, you know that if your child is sick you will do anything to take their pain away. The relief was evident on the faces of all the parents we met.

One father told me that it only took two weeks to help cure his children from something they have suffered with since birth. I love how he described the difference. He said, “life now is all smiles!”

People here take pride not only in their biosand filters, but also when they have completed training and get their healthy home certification and kit. This means they have taken all the necessary steps to make their entire house hygienic.

This tree is significant to both the US and Africa as it is ties our history together. It is called the slave tree and it is where people were gathered before being sent to the US as slaves.

We have all studied slavery in school, but to see it from the point of origin, surrounded by people who's families lived this out first hand is unsettling. It is hard to know what to say as you do not know what their feelings are toward you, the Muzungu (the word Africans use for white people). The best I could offer in this conversation was, in spite of the horrible circumstances that brought our worlds together, we were better because of the culture and spirit they brought with them.

In this photo, baby doesn't have back, instead she has baby ON back. This was such a great day, and when good things happen in Zambia what do you do? You dance! These people were excited that we would visit them and even more excited that we would return to the US to tell their story. I hope next week when we do our One Drop Campaign for the people we met in Zambia that I can do this dance again to celebrate all the people we helped!

Today was our first full day in Ndola, Zambia.  We met the staff at Seeds of Hope, Blood Water Mission’s ministry partner, here in Zambia. This is the place where the biosand filters, that you can give to a family next week during our One Drop Campaign, are made from scratch. 

After devotions, we traveled to a place to fix a well. The drillers were so impressed by my pump repair skills they asked me to join the local pump repair union, and I hear tell I might even get a blue jumpsuit..."Make it work."

Water is life for people here in Zambia and without this well people have been forced to resort to getting water from contaminated sources, which makes their kids sick.  This place is called Twapia, which means broke or poor.  For a long time this name was almost a self fulfilling prophecy, but things are changing here thanks to Blood Water Mission.  There is now not only water, but hope where once there was despair.

Since being trained in water and sanitation the community of Twapia is starting to thrive. There is a distinct difference here that you feel when you walk down their street.

Educating the people is just as important as giving them clean water.  We went to a local river and the problem was apparent.

People up stream doing laundry and bathing in the river contaminates the water for everyone downstream. 

As if it wasn’t bad enough that people do this, the hospital also empties their waste water into this stream thereby increasing the need for families to have biosand filters to eliminate the water born diseases that are making Ndola’s children sick.  It is no wonder that, “Dead Water,” is the term they use here for contaminated water.

HIV education and and prevention are also integral to the work that Blood Water Mission is doing in Zambia.  Today we met two girls both in their twenties.  One got tested and was negative the other was here for counseling following a positive test result. 

Can you tell which girl is positive?  That is the problem and the reason that testing is so important.  Next week during our One Drop Campaign, in addition to providing biosand filters for families, we will help provide HIV test kits to help stop the spread of HIV in a country where 20% of its population has HIV or AIDS.  Today's results mirrored those numbers as 4 out of the 16 people tested came back positive for HIV.  By the way the girl in the blue hat, Peggy, is HIV positive but thank the Lord her daughter is not.

Every trip there is always one kid who steals my heart.  On this trip, it is this girl, who oddly enough has my hairdo and her name is Betty.

She followed me everywhere and seemed to look up to me much like Betty Rock.  When I look at this little girl I am so motivated to do everything I can to help not only her and her family, but also her community.

Next week is going to be a big week on the show as we attempt to help these amazing people.  Thanks for following along and I hope you will be inspired to help out next week!

Standard rules apply, except this is not restricted to only U.S. entries.

Camp Electric is a Worshp & Rock & Roll music camp where 13-19 year old students learn from, and jam with, their favorite Christian artists. If your teenager is into guitar, drums, bass, keyboard or is a vocalist or a songwriter, they’ll be interested in Camp Electric.

There are three locations to choose from:
* Orlando, Florida: June 16 - 20, 2013  (Most spaces available here)
* Nashville, Tennessee: July 7 - 11, 2013  (almost sold out)
* Cedarville, Ohio: July 21 - 25, 2013 (almost sold out)

You can find out more by calling 800-755-0242 or at CampElectric.com. Name drop “Wally” and get $50 off!

Previous answers:

Monday: "God Girl"

Tuesday: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

Wednesday: "Pontoon"

Thursday: "Ice Ice Baby" or "Under Pressure"