Videos: On Finishing What You Start
Liberia was created by Americans.
Liberia is a country in West Africa which was founded by free people of color from the United States. The emigration of African Americans both free and recently emancipated, was funded and organized by the American Colonization Society (ACS). The mortality rate of these settlers was the highest in accurately recorded human history. Of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 survived.
Liberians were still dying in 2009 . . . of water-borne diseases.
Then a pastor got an idea. It was a big idea. Sink water wells across the entire country -- clean water for every village.
He set a public deadline: December 31, 2020.
They did it.
Here is the 8-minute version.
I paid to sink a few wells at the end of the project. That's when I heard of it.
I have paid for lots of wells over the last dozen years. They are gifts that keep on giving. They save lives. They let women save anywhere from an hour a day to three hours walking to and from water sources. The women can invest these regained hours in family businesses. This is why wells are popular with evangelism ministries.
This one was different. It had a specific goal: big. It had a specific deadline.
The one-minute video is a perfect thank-you note to donors. The 8-minute video is a perfect "let's do it again" promotional video.
If he chooses another country, I'll send money. The return on this investment will pay off long after I'm gone.
LESSONS
1. Aim high.
2. Count the cost.
3. Set a deadline.
4. Make it public.
5. Get it done.
6. Learn from your mistakes.
7. Do it again . . . faster.