Alex Lee was not expecting a challenge to be issued when she arrived at Ridgecrest Conference Center for a weekend youth retreat in November 2016. However, when she left, she had a new goal to accomplish: drinking only water for 40 days. She never expected to finish the challenge, much less extend it, but she powered through in order to raise awareness for those who are less fortunate than her.

On the retreat, Kenya was brought up, as groups on the retreat send mission teams to Kenya annually. The Kenyans’ struggle to obtain clean drinking water and the consequences thereof is no small issue. Women walk hundreds of miles annually to fill buckets with the same water that animals drink from, sewage is discarded in, and clothing is washed with.

Therefore, a challenge was issued by the speaker to raise awareness that the attendees of the retreat are so extremely privileged. She challenged the group to hold up one, two, or three fingers. One finger signified drinking only water for seven days; two, 40 days, and three, 365 days of only water.

“I chose 40 days at first, but when that time was up, I decided I wanted to continue throughout the year,” Lee said.

When she got home, she gathered her courage and began the challenge. She faced many difficulties at first.

“It was so difficult to start the challenge,” Lee said. “ I’ve always been so used to having other options that I took water for granted and never realized its importance.”

The road was rocky, but Lee knew she was doing it for a good cause. As time passed, she felt cravings for certain drinks but didn’t give in to them.

“I missed milk, sweet tea towards the end, milk, hot chocolate, and Cheerwine,” Lee said. “Oh, and I almost, forgot, milk.”

Temptations rose during the holidays, when events are generally celebrated with festive drinks. Ringing in the new year with a bottle of water is not the norm, but Lee made it through. She kept it in her mind that even the concept of having options signified how much easier her life is than that of her Kenyan counterparts.

The retreat on which she was given the challenge occurs annually, and every year a speaker discusses events in Kenya and what the mission teams accomplished there. Clean water filters are being installed, which means that more and more people in Kenya are gaining access to water options that won’t leave them with dysentery and other illnesses. Drinking only water opens up a conversation about these water filters and increases awareness of the need for efforts like this one.

Though it was a challenge, Lee is glad she did it, and hopes to do more for the cause later.

“I feel like I didn’t do enough,” Lee said. “365 days of just CLEAN water does not bring awareness to the fact that those people don’t even get clean water. Drinking solely water shouldn’t be that difficult when you realize there are people deprived of it.”

While the challenge has officially ended, Lee plans to continue drinking mainly water. She will have the occasional soda and sweet tea, and will go back to drinking milk daily after experiencing a calcium deficiency, but prefers drinking mostly water. She is excited to be able to indulge on special holiday drinks this season, however. All things considered, Lee is proud to have done the challenge and increased awareness for the people of Kenya who are facing daily struggles.

“I’m so glad I did this challenge,” Lee said. “I think it’s really important to try to raise awareness for a problem that really needs to be resolved.”