Dry Tears

It’s not often that you hear of young people who are changing the world. If teens today are anything like I was, then most of them are only concerned with sleeping in and doing everything possible to not miss the next big social event.

Recently, I read an article about five guys from Acworth, Georgia, who don’t fit the mold mentioned above. No, they aren’t superheroes; they are life-changers.

It all started when a young man named Conner Cress, a junior in high school, saw an image in a magazine of a “skeletal-looking baby, with toothpick-thin arms and legs and wide hopeless eyes,” accompanied by an equally sad story about the horrific conditions in Third World countries due to poverty, starvation, and dehydration. Conner felt he needed to do something. So he brought the issue to four of his closest buddies—Logan, Dan, Kyle, and Jared.

From that group and their desire to do something to help others, they created a solution. Dry Tears, an organization to help provide clean drinking water to people in Africa, was formed. They chose the name to represent the lack of tears produced when someone is suffering from dehydration. The boys used their savings to purchase 1,000 bracelets with the words “Dry Tears” printed on them, and they began selling them.

Today, these young men have created a movement of change. They travel around speaking to schools and youth groups in their community. And they continue to raise money by selling rubber bracelets and T-shirts to support this campaign.

Breakaway magazine recently featured a story on these guys. The article stated: “Around the world, 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water. Each day, about 6,000 people, mostly children, die from diseases related to bad or no water; that’s nearly 2.2 million deaths a year.”

Many times, we take for granted the freedoms, privileges, and blessings we have living in this country. Even in the simple things—like having clean water to drink. Jesus called us to serve others. Our “neighbors” in Africa are suffering—and so are people in our own backyards.

Jesus said, “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me’” (Matthew 25:40, HCSB). These young men are setting the example (see 1 Timothy 4:12), living out service to others (see Hebrews 13:16), and expressing their love for God. Even as teenagers, they are a fitting model for all of us.

Also posted on: http://josiahroad.com/article/dry-tears