Welcome family and friends!
Did you know that the average American wedding costs around $25K? Did you also know that it costs just $18K to fund a bore-hole well that will provide 2,800 gallons of clean water a day for several hundred people? Pretty sobering...especially for a couple planning a wedding. As we considered the reality that our wedding is "all about us" (really, all about Jenna;-), we felt compelled to do something different, transcendent and God-honoring. This is our best attempt at that. We want you to know that IF you are planning on getting us a wedding gift, we would love for your participation with us in the cause below to be that gift!
Our vision is simply this: a wedding (and a marriage!) that impacts the world - a world of immense need. Jenna and I are both committed to being change agents (through prayer and action) in the lives of the poorest of the poor. We both sponsor children around the world, and I have seen first-hand the benefits of World Vision's sponsorship program (when I traveled to Africa with them). The picture in the above left is one that I took while I was there. The water you see those cattle standing in is the drinking water for every village within a ten-mile radius. Trust me, the sight of this water is enough to induce even the toughest gag-reflex.
And this is the kind of water that many use for bathing, cooking, cleaning, etc. Unfortunately, everyday worldwide, 4,100 young children die from preventable water-related illnesses. That is one child every 15 seconds. Yet thankfully, when children have access to clean water the community's rate of childhood mortality falls by almost 50%.
Therefore, as we gather as a community of family and friends, we hope to make a difference (as a community) in the poorest countries in the world. The best part is that they will have no clue where it came from. And neither will we. You can give on this website anonymously. And we ask humbly, yet boldly, that you would consider being part of something bigger than a wedding ceremony...something bigger than a one-time celebration...something as big as helping to wash away disease by giving children and families the life-saving gift of clean water. Please pray with us...please act with us!
World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization, works in nearly 100 countries to help children and families tackle the causes of poverty. With the partnership of people like us, they are making a real and lasting difference for millions of people-and that's why we wholeheartedly support their work. When you donate to the Clean Water Fund, your gift will help the following: Give to the Clean Water Fund to provide clean, life-giving water to families in greatest need. Your gift will allow experts to dig wells, provide pumps, irrigate crops - whatever communities need most. This is a wonderful way to express your support for the world's poor. Again, thanks for joining us in this effort.