Did you know that women and children spend 140 million hours a day collecting water, or that parasite diseases remain the major killer of children between the ages of 0 and 5 in the developing world? Can you imagine the worry on a momma heart this must cause these women?

Todays blog post is much different than my others.  I love sharing my DIY’s, but there is so much more to my life than decorating.  Since I was young I have had a passion for the underdog.  My spice level rises when I see other human beings suffer.  My mind is always looking for ways to contribute the small resources I have to help make a dent in the bucket of humanity.  You can donate here and follow along with our amazing journey below.

A few summers ago I took my 16 year old on a humanitarian trip to Merida, Mexico.  We spent 16 days among the people there helping to build a homeless shelter for the elderly who had no place to live.  We met a women name Estella.  She changed me.

Her story was so tender.   After almost losing her mother to cancer at age 14, she made a commitment to God to always serve Him if her mother was spared.  She was, and Estella kept her commitment.  As an adult she has made it her mission to seek out the elderly in her community who are homeless (this is very common in her area) and take care of them.

The facility we visited when we met her quite honestly, took my breath away.  And not in a good way.  There was one outside bathroom to share, two dark rooms for them all to sleep in, and one run down kitchen that swarmed with insects.  I good not figure out how to even touch something without getting dirty.  How can she take care of these people in a place like this?  We were there on a mission to change that.

She had acquired some land in a small village and we spend the next few weeks building a foundation for her building that would eventually house 100 elderly homeless persons.  The work was exhausting.  In the states it would have taken days.  But pounding down rocks to ruble by hand (because there is no equipment for them to use) take weeks.  We hand mixed the cement and used what broken down rock we had to create a foundation.

Estella cooked for us daily as we worked to improve her environment.  She smiled, laughed, and filled us all with gratitude.  It was the hardest and most fulfilling two weeks my son and I had spent together.  We came home committed to never be the same again.  To remember what its like to drink freely from tap water, to eat without brushing insects off of your plate, or to use the restroom anytime or anywhere without worrying if the amenities would be available to you.

Since then we have committed to finding better ways to serve as a family.  It is something that keeps us strong and closer to our God and each other.

Last year I stumbled across an initiative that touched me.   Reading Kayla Huff’s story (the founder of The Her Initiative)  and her desire to help women in under privaledged countries gain access to clean water AND learn how to use it properly was inspiring.

You can read their stories here Healing Waters and here The Her Initiative. 

Reading about how her team watched a child brush his teeth for the first time, or the reaction to teaching a women that clean hygiene can prevent her child from dying, was eye opening.

I knew I wanted to be apart of this team.  I reached out to Jessie Matteson in the development department, and after a conference call with her and Kayla, a friendship was born.  After months of collaboration and a meet up in Salt Lake City, we decided to launch a campaign for the month of March in 2018 to bring increased awareness to the global water crisis and the need for help.

I reached out to some amazing ladies who I knew also had a generous heart and desire to help others.  Together we created this months campaign.

We are joining our efforts to raise $15,000 to install a clean water system in a community in Guatemala and implement health & hygiene classes to the women there. Imagine what these women can do for their families once they can let go of the worry of disease infested water!

The Her Initiative is providing access to clean water and specific health & hygiene education through a program that is called ‘Clothed in Strength & Dignity’.

We would LOVE for you to join us.  WILL YOU HELP US HELP HER? We are asking all of our followers to bypass one take out meal and donate $10 to The Her Initiative.  If we each make this small sacrifice we can make a life changing result to these women in Guatemala.   We need you!

We have created a link for donations – use it and share it here.    Please go check out our cause and help us getting women HERE, helping women THERE.

There are these amazing women I am teaming up with for this campaign.  We look forward to working with you to!

Love, Kelly