That time you changed the world

For several months now, we’ve been talking about The Mom Quilt. A simple little ebook with the opportunity to have an impact on the world.

So many of you contributed chapters to help us compile the book into a beautiful tapestry of stories depicting the many differences and multitude of similarities between our lives as “mom”. Still more of you purchased the book and with it sent so much money to a ministry in Kenya that works with young moms. Every penny from the book sales went towards this ministry and towards the funding of a water well there.

This well will bring life in so many ways. It’s a time and money saver for the ministry as a whole, because they will know longer have to truck water in from miles away.

It’s a way for them to be a blessing in their community as they can offer water at a cheaper price and save the whole village time and money with easier access to clean water.

It’s a business for the women of the Mercy House as they can upkeep the well and sell it’s waters. Each day becoming more empowered and more self sufficient. This is life changing for these women, and you have been a part of it.

Because as of this month, the well has been fully funded.

It was a combination of efforts, the mom quilt book, and two other fundraisers joined together and it happened. $40,000 was raised in less than 2 months. And lives are being changed.

Drilling is scheduled to start next month. Because of you. Because you had the guts to play a small role in the changing of the world for women so many miles away.

As moms, so often we feel stuck. While our kids are a wonderful part of our lives, motherhood in the early stages means our lives are wrapped up in caring for those little ones who need us so desperately. It’s not glamorous. It’s hard and it’s mundane and sometimes we yearn for more.

This is not to say that there’s no honor in being “just mom”. Just mom is a worthy thing in and of itself. But I know that many of us yearn to have a larger impact, to teach our kids that they can impact the world, even if the soles of their feet never leave their living room. Which is why we came to you with this opportunity in the first place. So that moms around the world could join together, and stand with these beautiful women who live an ocean away from us. To tell them that we see them, and we love them. To affirm that motherhood is so very hard but that we believe they can do it and we want to help in whatever way we can.

So we did it. You did it. You sent a message to moms who may never know your name but will know for sure of your love for them. Because you stopped, in the middle of your ordinary and did something extraordinary.

I know this may leave you with questions, how long will it take the well to be built, what will happen to the book and any future sales and so forth. I will be updating you along the way but for now we know that drilling is set for next month, and it might take a little while. Sometimes things go a bit slower in Africa and that’s okay. It’s happening and it’s moving forward and that’s beautiful.

The book will continue to sell. If you haven’t purchased it yet, I highly recommend it! The women who shared their stories are so brave and beautiful, I cried through the stories and loved every moment. We are aiming to have a paperback version released by Christmas. I will keep you updated on that as well. Even though we reached the well project’s goal there are so many more things that can be done with this ministry and all of the proceeds will continue to go towards the Mercy House. There are medical expenses each year as the young women give birth to their precious babies, there’s a need for a water truck and many other bigger things that can’t simply be purchased with the everyday operating budget. The mom quilt will contribute to those things forever. You will continue to change lives for years to come.

If you haven’t had a chance to buy the book yet, you can do so by clicking below.

Thank you to each person who shared, purchased, contributed and prayed for this project. Your hands helped change the world. Right from  your living room. And that my friends, is awesome.