We’re On A Mission: Filter of Hope Program

I think the saying “You are what you eat” is interesting. If you had to be honest and admit what you ate in the past 24 hours to give someone a true indicator of “who you are” I think most of us would hesitate to reveal the honest answers of our recent dietary consumption. Maintaining a sustainable and balanced diet to fuel our bodies is hard; it actually takes work.

Today, with all the super fad diets, supplements, meal replacements and snake oils out there to help maintain or lose weight overnight, it would be amazing to get the perspective of our ancient elders as to what we unconsciously put into our mouths every day. Even more interesting would be to explain the concept that we can add preservatives, freeze-dry, dehydrate, and package food to sit on a shelf for later consumption; often weeks later. That we now use appliances to keep food cooled or frozen to the point where bacteria delays spoiling of meat, fruit, veggies, and dairy.

I have personally explored a lot of different diet types in my days; from vegetarian to intermittent and prolonged fasting and a lot of in-between. Paleo and One meal a day (OMAD) to low carb/high protein to Mediterranean. I will admit the beginning phases of a new diet are fun to explore different foods and preparation but either boredom soon kicked in or it became unsustainable with either a high tempo training schedule, deployments or dating someone not on the same meal plan. I think life was much easier when we didn’t have as many opportunities.

And speaking of fast, convenient, and abundant opportunities; now that I have used a lot of these diets to basically tailor and adopt a unique diet plan for myself, I can’t even stand the thought of going to a fast-food restaurant anymore. From the quality of meats used, how the veggies are left out, the choices of drinks and sides, the lack of care from the individuals preparing the food and the ridiculous prices they now charge in a post-pandemic world; I have zero value for the value meal.

One has to consider the choices of sustenance one makes throughout the day upon awakening. The body is and uses energy. Made up of water, atoms, space and mitochondria, the elements that make us, us, are quite fascinating in how they all work together in union without having to even think about it. It’s a big reason as to why we should all be cognizant of where the food and water we use comes from, how its processed and packaged and how its waste is being managed to sustain a clean environment to thrive in. No, this isn’t going to be a piece on environmental change. Rather, this is going to be a piece on the challenges, choices and changes we are all confronted with on the decision to eat cleaner, healthier and more sustainably. The facts I am going to reference may show you a few reasons why.

A great place to start would be the quality of the water we ingest every day. Immediately, visions of holding a CIF canteen under a water buffalo spicket, pallets of plastic bottled water left in the desert sun and iodine pills distributed during patrols cause me to consider skipping this much needed discussion. But it’s probably the most important topic in this article. The majority make-up of the human body is water and requires hydration sooner than it requires food. Being “hangry” can cause one to be irritable, but to be starved of water will cause the body to start shutting down faster and can lead to dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, and organ failure. Water is also a natural conductor and as beings of pure energy, water is what moves the conductive electricity throughout our body efficiently and rapidly.

So, let’s consider a moment the phrase “Water is water.” I’ve heard this before, yet the true message is something that is pretty clear; water is not always water. The water we get from a stream is significantly different than what we receive from our kitchen tap. Today’s water systems are old and in desperate need of revamping. As a piece of our aging infrastructure, this is a hotly debated topic on Capitol Hill and is usually left to state governments to maintain and update. Since everything is wired into the internet now, our vulnerable water systems are subject not only to WWII style poison sabotage but hacking into the vulnerable grid and cutting power. Worse yet, droughts across the nation and hurricanes in the southeast continue to deteriorate the tributary systems, dams, and reservoirs. The unfortunate missteps the Marine Corps are now paying for with decades of contaminated ground water on Camp Lejeune will create fear and doubt of those Marines and families stationed there as to whether the mess has really been fixed.

The downstream effect is an ineffective and inefficient water system that barely hangs on in order to supply millions of households. If you have not installed a water filtration system or at a minimum use a Brita Stage One filter for the water you think is safe from your taps, you should seriously consider one. Some of the common contaminates that pass through our water treatment plants and end up in your Nalgene bottle are; Lead, Chlorine, Fluoride, Nitrates, Calcium, Arsenic, Bacteria, coliform, E. Coli, viruses, bacteria, microorganisms (live or dead), Heavy metals, rust sand dirt and silt.

Even worse for our hormone and endocrine systems are the traces of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone in our public water systems; “According to studies, more than 2.5 billion women using contraceptive pills, flush (the old prescriptions) down the toilets and into the water supply.” and “There are studies in the United States and Europe that show the water to be positive in pharmaceuticals. These include ACE inhibitors, antidepressants, antibiotics, beta-blockers, carbamazepine, fibrates, painkillers, and tranquilizers” (Estrogen In Drinking Water: How To Remove It? theberkey.com) Not only are we ingesting these impurities, but we are bathing ourselves and our loved ones with it every day. Skin issues and hair loss are symptoms of inadequate quality of our water supply. I am going to leave it here for you to digest, but I would seriously consider additional filtration for your household “trusted” water sources.

As a matter of fact, if you have never heard of structured water the term hexagonal water is described as the cluster of molecules of water that form a hexagonal shape that increases the absorption of nutrients, increases cellular communication, and removes/reduces metabolic waste, among many things. It has a crystalline structure that forms when eight molecules of water combine. “Three atoms of hydrogen combined with the two atoms of oxygen, making one molecule of H3O2 – structured water. It is referred to as the fourth phase of water; it is usually called living water. Properties of this water include alkalinity, denseness, and viscousness.” “H3O2 is a state which is present between solid and liquid. H3O2 is considered thicker than H2O (normal water). H3O2 is considered gel water, EZ water, and vortex water. It has the ability to release and store energy.” (Structured water | how to, benefits & more (belifewater.com).

Structured water is not available through your tap obviously and is rarely sold as a product, but the closer to a natural source that you can procure water and then magnetize it, or vortex it simply with a blender, will energize the water back closer to its complex and natural state. Where is the closest source to natural water you ask? Well, that depends on where you live, but if you draw off well water or a spring at your home, you’re living on top of some of the cleanest water available to you depending on the ground composition.

Paradoxically, what makes water unstructured is the harsh artificial purification processes it goes through for our convenient access. If you think of a t-shirt and how many times you put it in the washer to get clean, the very fabric softness and durability fades each time its laundered. That’s what happens to our water structure from its initial source during its travel to the processing plant or bottling process; ultimately to our mouths. The agitation the water goes through breaks down its molecular composition and ends up being “broken.” In essence, we are drinking broken water and therefore made up of broken water; You are what you drink! Makes you think about a new meaning of the Fountain of Youth and what desirable effects the water had from its original spring composition.

Some interesting research has been conducted to determine if water is “smart.”

“Masaru Emoto, a Japanese research scientist, began conducting experiments with water in 1994. He would collect water samples from around the world, freeze it and analyze the crystals under a microscope. He started by studying and comparing water from clean, mountain streams to city tap water. Water from mountain streams and springs formed beautiful geometric designs in their crystalline patterns, while city water and polluted water formed distorted and damaged crystal structures. As Emoto furthered his research, he began to make astonishing discoveries as water reacted to words, phrases, and music. Water exposed to positive words, music and thoughts formed beautiful crystals. Words exposed to negative words, music and thoughts formed fragmented crystals.”

Photos of Mr. Emoto’s work can be found here: Gallery – Office Masaru Emoto (masaru-emoto.net) Is this how we triage our broken water back to structure in order to give us health before consuming it? Does offering up a compassionate haiku, a prayer or a song to a glass of water before drinking it uplift positivity? Is this where giving reverence or prayer before each meal originally came from? Can it really be that simple? Is this science or an exercise of faith…or both? It’s worth further self-investigation.

Storing our water in artificial containers is just as detrimental to our health as the foreign substances found in most water sources. If you are buying or storing water in a plastic container that is not free of bisphenol-A (BPAs), then harsh chemicals are leaching into your water as it is heated up beyond normal room temperature. Certain inflammatory effects of BPAs may contribute to cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In addition to binding to estrogen receptors, BPA may bind to other hormone receptors, causing weight gain. Paper, stainless steel or glass containers are better for our water than cheap plastic containers. Even a cheap thermos jug or 5-gallon jerry can contaminate your water. I know, I know, nothing is cheap or easy!

Last thing about water is how it is becoming a valuable but scarce natural resource. Though the polar caps are reportedly shrinking, causing more water to be released into the oceans, it is the oceans and lakes that are becoming increasingly polluted, and countries are becoming desperate for access to sustainable water sources. Even California has installed rationing of water days and times to its citizens. If you look at most yards in the southern part of the state, they have all been converted to gravel, sand, or something other than grass, which needs to be watered and cared for.

Many pools nowadays have been emptied and filled because of the general maintenance of refiling it in the hot humid summer months. Many California lakes and reservoirs up until recently have run dryer than normal and a scarcity of water means that forest fires are more susceptible; putting lives, real estate, and ecosystems in jeopardy year after year. The struggle for water access for California has caused riffs, even this year, between neighboring states of Nevada and Arizona.

 “In a closed-door negotiation last week over the fate of the Colorado River, representatives from California’s powerful water districts proposed modeling what the basin’s future would look like if some of the West’s biggest cities – including Phoenix and Las Vegas – were cut off from the river’s water supply, three people familiar with the talks told CNN.

More than 5 million people in Arizona are served by Colorado River water, which accounts for 40% of Phoenix’s supply. Around 90% of Las Vegas’ water is from the river.” (California floated cutting major Southwest cities off Colorado River water before touching its agriculture supply, sources say CNN)

It has already been discussed in certain forums that water could become a future commodity that nations are willing to go to war for. For example, Russia’s proximity to Alaska, a region blessed in freshwater reserves in the form of glaciers, rivers and lakes continues to be an alarming reason for Russian encroachment on the sovereign state. On a global scale, clean water is valuable and at the micro personal level, it should be valued to you just as well.

Part two of this article will be a personal call to action: I have recently volunteered for a humanitarian mission this year to travel to Central America to provide water filters to families that do not have free access to clean, healthy, filtered water. The sponsor of the trip is a company named “Filter of Hope” Filter of Hope.org  which aligns its mission of providing clean water with the Gospel messages of Jesus. The recipients of these water filters will have the opportunity to receive Jesus into their lives as well as receive the filter to provide clean water to their household.

As Jesus said to the Samaritan women at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14. The filter presented to the family will be installed by our team and will instantly show the transformation of contaminated water into abundant, clean water; providing health and purity to one’s body and mind. In the yoga philosophy this is known as the Niyama Saucha. I could not think of a better way to explain and show the power of receiving God into one’s life!

In this metaphor, Jesus attempts to explain to the woman that physical water will always leave a person thirsty again, but upon receiving the goodness and fulfillment of God, a person will never feel thirsty again. That their soul will be pure and clean, and they will not seek out the impurities that lead to a contaminated life. It’s pretty genius.

The local church in country initially makes the connection between the people in need of water and a spiritual connection to God by the means of the Filter of Hope program; providing them the physical and the spiritual access to the water Jesus speaks of. As an ambassador of God and the Filter of Hope program, I will be in service to those that are desperately searching for both. It’s a blessing to have been chosen for this upcoming mission and I intend to write a Part II sequel to this article after I return to spread the message of the experience and its impact.

Stay Tuned!

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Robb is a retired active Army veteran of 21 years, primarily serving as a Cavalry Scout. Having accomplished multiple combat tours, diverse global assignments and leadership roles, Robb retired as a First Sergeant of Shadow Troop, 1-33 CAV (Rakassans). From there, Robb went on to attempt his luck in the civilian sector as a Reliability Engineer at an international paper processing company during the pandemic. Not quite satisfied and feeling the draw to serve once again, Robb made his way back behind the gate working with some of the nation’s tip of spear warfighters on Fort Liberty, NC.

It was during this time that he was drawn into an esoteric spiritual journey of self-discovery and began peeling back the onion of how vanquishing spiritual warfare can serve as a personal force multiplier. Dropping all ties to dogmatic religious principles, Robb solely embarked into studies of the mystical and metaphysical for the answers of life. Now forged with this newfound purpose, Robb blends his current path of spiritual ascension along with his past experience of the rigors of military service in order to uplift the future of his brothers and sisters in arms.

“The answers we all seek lie in potential.”

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.