Christmas is coming!! I love Christmas.
It's time for family, for comfort, for love...
But there are a lot of things we get wrong about Christmas. For one, we give each other so much stuff. Whether it's out of obligation or to truly show someone we care, we're still essentially material-rich people giving other material-rich people more... materials. I'm not saying that giving gifts at Christmas is a bad thing, but if that's all we are doing besides throwing a dollar or two in the little red bucket, I think we can do better. Christmas is also about being kind to your fellow man, and sharing your abundance. It's about charity.

Let's face it, some of us actually sacrifice very little at Christmas. But what's small to us can be huge to someone who lacks basic needs. For example, almost a billion people in the world live without clean water. That's a pretty fundamental need. Some walk miles every day to get to the nearest source: a stagnant, parasite-infested stream or pond. They lug it back to their families. They suffer from diarrheal disease, worms and skin problems because they can't wash. About 30,000 people die each week from water-related diseases. Most are kids under five years old! Have you ever carried 2, 2 gallon jugs for 5 miles? Could you imagine having to do that 3 times a week? I am so grateful that when I want water I can go into the kitchen and get as much as I want. I can take a long hot shower, brush my teeth, all without worrying if the flow of clean water will suddenly stop. I take it for granted.

So this year, I'm asking everyone to donate money to help build clean water projects. 100% of all funds we raise go directly to the work on the ground. And when the projects are finished (in about 18 months), charity: water will show us the communities we've helped! Between now and Christmas, I hope to raise $5000 right here on this page. $5000 will build one well that will provide clean drinking water for 250 people. For those who feel the need to be recognized, the well will actually have a plaque mounted on it that will say who donated to the well. We will be provide with GPS coordinates, photos, and other details about the community we've helped. Together, we'll be able to see the impact we've made. We tried very hard to get a well built in instead of registering for wedding gifts when Frank and I got married in June 2010, but we only were able to collect a little over $2500, I know we can do better this time!
I've named our project The Wishing Well in honor of the children whose one wish is to have clean water. May their wish come true with our help. Please join us.

Merry Christmas,
Frank & Annesia