SOAP.

Can we talk about soap for a moment?

What would it be like to face the health crisis of COVID-19 without soap? What would it be like to listen to everyone elevate the importance of proper and robust hand washing, and realize that it just isn’t attainable? Even as we are adjusting to the challenges of temporary scarcity in grocery stores, imagining the scarcity of something like soap is almost unthinkable.

I am going to ask you to do this impossible thing. Since we all seem to have some extra time on our hands, I would like you to stop and think about the soap that you have in your home. How many sinks in kitchens and bathrooms have that long forgotten bottle of hand sanitizer or hand soap tucked in a dark corner? Is there dish soap somewhere near a dishwasher? Is there body wash and shampoo in a shower? How many bottles in how many showers? If it was truly a life and death situation, how far would you need to go in order to gain access to the soap you needed?

I am going to make the assumption that you and I would not have to travel very far to meet such a pressing need.

One of the things we have had the great privilege of experiencing is the way Blood:Water partners are stepping up in this season to not only address the needs for clean water in communities, but also the needs of people to have access to soap. It seems like such an under-appreciated and somewhat underwhelming part of a mission. There are not many non-profits that exist simply to provide soap to people in need.

And that may be the bigger part of the problem. It is one thing to wave the banner that we want to end the water and HIV/AIDS crises in Africa. It feels so grandiose and inspiring. We can feel our pulse rising as we consider slaying the dragon of AIDS. We will face the angry giant that has burned towns and cultures to the ground and eaten away at the very soul of humanity for so many. We will crush the head of the enemy that has plagued the land for far too long. And we will provide the means for flourishing and life itself! We will make ways for cool water to spring forth from the depths and draw new life in places where life had gone threadbare and weak. It is a very impressive mission.

But the Blood:Water story has always been a human story. It has always been about people. People are vast universes of small details and intricate experiences. People are subtle emotions and slight facial expressions.

It is the turn of a phrase or the dimple on a cheek that reminds us of the minutiae that makes up the unknowable mystery of a human being. Soap is a small thing that gives life to a much greater life-saving act. Soap is a small thing that we cannot live without. Perhaps it is part of the great gift of God’s upside down kingdom that life can be taken by the most microscopic of viruses… and life can be saved by the simple act of providing soap.

Clean water is a fantastic part of keeping people safe and healthy. Clean water with the necessary hygiene practices and tools is even more fantastic. Our partners provide both. And in this season, we would love to reach across the ocean and offer a clean hand in the fight against COVID-19 as it begins to spread in places where Blood:Water has invested in local experts and community servants. Click here to help us save lives one clean hand at a time.

Gratefully,

Dan