Call to Action

Thursday is the day I talk about more personal stuff. And though I could share about my rapidly progressing pregnancy (I'm in my third trimester!), my growing kids (we just registered our three-year-old for bilingual preschool), or my house woes (we're outgrowing our sweet, little Cape Cod), I'm going to steer clear of that tangle and take a few moments today to talk about an exciting event in the history of our non-profit, One Body One Hope.

As you may remember, we are in the midst of an aggressive capital campaign for the Liberian orphanage we support. Our goal is to raise $50,000 by the beginning of July for a second dormitory, a drinkable water line, a latrine, a security wall, a truck, steel doors and windows, new bunk beds, and more. The tally so far is at the $30,000 mark. Exciting stuff! We're getting there! And during the week of May 2-8, we have the special opportunity to get much closer.

An anonymous donor has gifted us with a matching donation of up to $5,000. If we raise $5,000 during the week of May 2-8, our donor will match that amount. $10,000 in one week! How cool is that? We're doing a couple of things to spread the word...

1.) A Mother's Heart Benefit: On Wednesday, May 5, we will be holding our first ever One Body One Hope Benefit. If you're a woman living in the tri-state area, we invite you to join us at Trinity Christian Reformed Church in Rock Valley at 6:30pm. There will be a dessert buffet, some live music, a presentation about One Body One Hope, and an amazing speaker. Meredith Efken is going to be joining us! We couldn't be more excited. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by emailing juliemvr@hotmail.com.

2.) Facebook Challenge: In case you didn't know, One Body One Hope now has a Facebook Causes page. Since we are a registered non-profit, we can receive online donations through Pay-Pal. In the next few weeks, we are going to challenge our Facebook followers to give $5 to the cause. It's a tiny amount, but if everyone does it (or feels led to give more!) we could raise $580. Double that amount thanks to our donor, and suddenly $1,160 is no laughing matter. I encourage you to join our cause on Facebook and give up your latte for just one day. Princess, Lovette, Amos, Benjamin, Quessay, and Immanuel will thank you. Of course, so will the rest of the kids at the orphanage. :)

3.) Spread the Word Initiative: We want to raise awareness about One Body One Hope! Even if you can't come to our Benefit or give at this time, we would be so thrilled if you would spread the word. Many of you have blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, or other social networking avenues. We'd be honored if you'd take a minute to link us up and let your friends know about our ministry. If you are willing to do this, please leave a comment after this post! I'll randomly draw from everyone who leaves a comment and send one lucky winner a One Body One Hope t-shirt, calendar, and some of our handmade, goat-milk soaps. It's a pretty fabulous package.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Your prayers and support mean the world to me...