It wasn’t quite as we imagined it, when we signed up for World Vision’s Virtual Global 6K for Water, with the Serve Globally ECC team. Little did we know we would still be under quarantine restrictions the time the race came around. Still, as a family we were committed to showing our care for our brothers and sisters in the DR Congo as we walked, thinking about how they walk daily to get water. Did you know that 6 kilometers is the average distance that women and children have to walk to get water in the majority world? We work in communities here that don’t have clean drinking water. We have thought about them as we are told daily how important it is to wash our hands. We know how vital water is and that is why for us it was important to walk for water.

We stayed within the housing complex, but walked/jogged 6k together (25 laps around the parking lot). We had made shirts for the race and wore them proudly. We saw pictures from friends in Thailand, France, DR Congo and the US participating in the walk and that encouraged us as we did our laps. We enjoyed listening to the birds and looking at the beauty of nature around us, even as we walked. Ironically enough as we were walking we were told that the utility company was coming to fix a pipe in the neighborhood and that our water would be shut off for most of the morning. It was a reality check for us, a reminder of really how privileged we are to most days have clean water right in our house.

In reflecting as a family on the run, I asked the boys what the experience was like for them. Our youngest responded, “Hard. It was unfair.” I asked, “Why was it unfair?” (expecting him to say because he was tired and it was a long time to walk). What he said humbled me, He replied, “Because it’s not right that people can’t get water near where they live. It’s not fair that people have to walk so far to get water.”

It’s not fair. And that is why we walked. It’s why we are grateful for World Vision and Covenant Kids Congo as they make clean water a reality for communities. Thank you to those of you who sponsored our family and made it possible for people to receive clean water.