March 19, 2013

my dream tee and love-water

I'm a bit picky when it comes to my tees.

I like them well-fitted. I hate when they are boxy and shapeless.

Welp, I think I just found the t-shirt of my dreams.

I literally want to wear this tee every.single.day. So I bought another one in black. It's nice and thick and even helps hide my gut. And it's long enough to cover the back of your jeans when you are bending over to pick up legos.

And the best part? Every tee shirt purchased from love-water.org provides a family in Africa with clean drinking water for a year. (They did not ask me to do this post, btw.)

In fact, every $1 provides an African clean drinking water for a year. 

Doesn't that boggle your mind? Such a small amount of money can do so much.

Do something, not nothing, comes to mind.

I am a little obsessed with my water. You could say I LOVE WATER. A little while ago I mentioned my love affair with the zero-water filter. Literally the day after buying my fancy zero-water filter, I received a letter from our compassion child, Corliness, in Africa.

Just "hi, how ya doing?". Followed by an interesting survey about his living conditions. Corliness gets his water out of the river. 

It kinda broke my heart a little and made me feel thisbig.

"But what can I do?" I wondered. Even if our government does offer money for water and supplies, the corrupt government of Africa will just take it away. So I justified my thoughts.

In February, I attended a Valentine party at my church. And that is where I learned all about Love-Water. Love-Water provides bio-sand filters to families and provides clean wells for entire communities. Did you know that:

We are in a global water crisis that effects 1.1 billion people?
That it kills more people than all wars combined?
That 3,900 children die each year as a result?
That it's completely preventable?

I think of Corliness. I think of my own boys. I then think of all the kids that don't have clean drinking water. And I shake my head.

Jake, the founder of Love-Water goes to my church. John and I sat behind Jake and his wife Johanna at church a few weeks ago. They appear so "normal" for lack of a better word. Just like you and me. Yet their lives are far from ordinary.

Johanna was the speaker at our Valentine party and she kinda rocked my world a bit.

The reason being, was that she seemed so much like myself. Every word she said I kept thinking "Omygosh. That girl is just like me." Just a normal girl with normal hopes and fears. Initially, she did not want to get on a plane to Africa. Yet God asked her

"Do you love me enough to trust me and obey?"

And so she went on a trip. And helped teach African ladies how to sew. And even adopted a kid! And will most likely continue making trips to Africa for a long time. Jake and Johanna live here. Raise money here. And then go back to Africa to deliver filters and drill wells.  And then come back here and help poor people in our town too.

I am so inspired by her story. By Jake's story. By their passion and zeal to help others in need, in the name of Jesus. And I believe they have a grand old time doing so. They are fun happy people with lots of friends who help them.

And you can help too! If you want to purchase my charcoal-colored "I love water" tee, click here. That particular shirt is out of size small, so click here to buy size small, but in a v-neck. They also have other shirts to choose from. But hurry, while supplies last!

I'm also doing a giveaway! Just enter a comment below and you have a chance at winning a charcoal love water tee(the one I am wearing in the above picture) in size small(v-neck), medium(regular neck) or large(regular neck). The top 3 winners will be selected randomly and announced next Monday, March 25th. First winner gets first pick of sizing, etc...

For extra entries
1. read Jake's story.
2. watch the inspiring video.
3. buy a tee for yourself or your man! I bought one for John:) It's super cute on him. Or donate to the cause!

I was wearing my love water tee the other day at the reading program and a kid there asked me about it. I got to tell this 'poor' kid, from the ghetto mind you,  that there are other kids in other parts of the world that were not so fortunate as himself, to get clean drinking water. Just by wearing your shirt you can spark conversation!

This is exciting to me. Ask God what he would like YOU to do in this global water crisis and in your own neck of the woods. There are so many needs out there and we GET to help bless others. Let's store our treasure in heaven folks! Aren't you tired of the norm? I'm tired of my heart's natural tendency toward self and greed...God is changing me. And I beg that he will continue. 

37 comments:

  1. How inspiring!! That's a great cause.

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  2. Simply incredible! So much good in the world!

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  3. What a great cause. I just purchased the deep v shirt. Yay!

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    1. thanks you SO much! God bless you! i want that tee too...

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  4. Such a neat thing- I am going to check them out!

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  5. Love to support causes like this!

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  6. Love to support causes like this!

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  7. i'm picky with my tee's too:) this is so good davi and really keeps our eyes focused on eternity.

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  8. this is great! will deft be supporting. thanks for sharing :)

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  9. I loved reading your post. Jake and Johanna have touched our lives too and have shown us that we don't have to settle for ordinary lives. You can be extraordinary by following God and loving people and doing more than you think you can, even in the little things.

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    1. My husband went to school with Johanna and many years later met Jake at a Music Festival and ended up in Africa with him. He's about to go again in June with Jake again. Since then our whole family has supported Love Water from afar, we're up in Washington State. It's become a cause close to our hearts and has taught us that it doesn't take a lot to help in little ways and it's not all that hard to help in big ways either. I haven't been able to meet either of them in person yet!

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  10. Very awesome. I take my brtita so much for granted. :/

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  11. Kind of funny cause I just bought a Brita pitcher the other day and I was so excited because my water taster so much better. I had the same sort of realization a few hours later. Like, I'm so excited about this better tasting water and so many people would just be happy for readily available access to clean water. It makes me treasure my little pitcher so much more.

    I'm glad for this post & the fact that I was able to buy a shirt to help supply a family with clean water. Yay!

    (I also read the story & watched the vid, dude.)

    :)

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  12. Clean water saves lives! My husband and I have funded a well in an African village through the Marion Medical Mission. This sounds like another great organization! Great giveaway!

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  13. not only this is a super cute tee (I'm super picky about mine too), but I LOVE the cause and I'm so glad you posted about it!!

    these posts of yours like this are so wonderful and helpful, and inspiring too. Sometimes I feel helpless and lost and overhwelmed when it comes to making a difference, or even just knowing where to start. But I want to, I want to live as Christ to others. And it's good to be reminded that sometimes it's an easy and small step, something just as simple as buying a t-shirt. DO SOMETHING. yes. :)

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    1. yes, yes, yes, baby steps! that's what it has been all about for me this year. i get such big ideas and then reality hits and i get so overwhelmed...but we can do little things! and i just remember always that it's about pleasing HIM and not worrying about anything else.

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    2. Love what both of you had to say about this! I often leave an event with these HUGE visions of all that I plan to do, but I end up doing nothing. Baby steps count! So glad you are spreading awareness to this cause, Davi! I'm not much of a T-shirt girl, but I definitely want to support this organization in other ways!

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  14. Wonderful cause! And super cute stuff!
    One of the things God has been impressing on my heart recently is to give gifts that are made for a cause, because then it accomplishes two purposes, and I love that! Thank you for bringing attention to a great cause!

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  15. Love this. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Thanks for sharing this! So inspiring...makes me want to do more to help!! I might just have to buy a tee for my husband, too!
    Thanks for the chance :)

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  17. Thanks for taking a risk and sharing about a cause you care about. I will go treat myself to a shirt right now!

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  18. what a great cause! scary to think of what conditions others live in. how grateful we should be for the simple things in life.

    xoxo.

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  19. Wow that is really neat, not neat that they don't have water to drink, but that $1 gives enough water to drink for a year!
    I am currently co-planning a benefit dinner with a couple of friends from my youth group. It is for a town in Guatemala to have clean water to drink. So I just thought this was really cool!

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    1. how old are you? i think that is super cool of you guys! keep up the good work!

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  20. Too true how often I take the filtered water in my home for granted. I'm able to fill and refill my children's cups with clean h2o. Thanks for brining awareness to a great cause!
    jess.gustin@yahoo.com

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  21. Loved Jake's story and the change in his perspective and the definition of NEED. What a great reminder.
    jess.gustin@yahoo.com

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  22. Hope and Health restored. Abba, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause. Show me how to love like You have loved me.
    jess.gustin@yahoo.com

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  23. This is so neat :) have to check it out!

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  24. How did I miss this post? I love your shirt- it tells a story... I think about things like this ever sense we did a 'hole in the gospel' series... really hits home for me. How great we have it with water and other things. This is very inspiring thank-you for sharing!!

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  25. Bought a t-shirt, can't wait! Crazy awesome cause!!

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