February 19, 2010 marks the one year anniversary of the passing of our son, Ian, from an inoperable brain tumor (DIPG). For more information on Ian’s story, visit his Caring Bridge site.

Sometimes a child gets sick and there’s no cure this side of heaven.  Thankfully, other times sickness can be cured or better yet, prevented.

Did you know a child dies every 15 seconds due to water-related illnesses?  Our hearts break for the parents of those children.     Especially because those deaths are very preventable.  Clean water, sanitation and hygiene can cut a community’s child death rate in half.  We want to ease needless suffering caused by unsafe water supplies.  Also, we want to help prevent other parents from experiencing what we have gone through.  Would you please help us?

World Vision brings the love of Christ to children and families in nearly 100 countries to meet their basic physical & spiritual needs. With the partnership of people like you and me, they are making a real & lasting difference for millions of people.  That’s why we wholeheartedly support them.

When you donate to the Clean Water Fund, your gift will help save children from suffering or dying; you will literally change lives for generations.

Please join with us by giving a gift that will bring life-altering help, and most importantly,  hope.

In Ian’s memory, we desire to raise enough money to drill a traditional well for a needy community.  The well your gift provides will be capable of supplying more than 600 gallons of safe water a day for drinking, bathing, irrigating crops, and watering livestock for years.

The cost of a Traditional Well is $2,600, but the impact that it will have on people, people whom God loves and cherishes, will be immense.  More importantly, it will show them in a very real sense that Jesus loves them, and will provide a way for the gospel to be shared.

Thank you for joining us in this life-giving effort!  If you would like to help, here are some ways:

• Donate (and it is tax deductible), by going to our FirstGiving page.  If you would rather pay by check, you can download a brochure with the necessary information.

• Download a brochure, print a few copies out, and hand them out to people you think would be interested in helping.  There are two pages, and they are intended to be printed double-sided.

• Include a link to our FirstGiving page on your blog, FaceBook page or Twitter feed.

• Most importantly: pray.  Pray that God would use this opportunity change the land of a village and heal their hearts, in his ongoing mission to bring people back into His arms.

There is a bumper sticker that I see every so often.  It says “God bless the whole world–no exceptions.”  It used to irritate me, as if I had some corner on the market of blessings.  I’ve come to realize that God does want to bless the whole world, no exceptions.  His plan is to do it through people, like you, like me.

There is no “plan B”.

Let’s start digging.