Digging Wells For Africa

The final total

2007-03-13T18:56:00.000-04:00

Today I closed the bank account and held a cashier's check in my hand for $18, 752.95. It was an amazing feeling to have accomplished this goal in nine months. Today I wrote a letter to World Vision of all that has happened to make this possible. At about 4:30 I mailed off the letter, cashier's check and notebook of all who donated to the Digging Wells for Africa Mission Project. I am honored that you all were a part of this vision and I want to Thank You one last time. I will continue updating the blog site. I hope that soon I will get word of where the deep water well is being dug and what village it is helping. I will keep you posted! :)

Love in Christ
Jill

WE DID IT!

2007-02-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

We made it! We made it. I can hardly believe it! Today is my birthday and I found out we have currenlty raised $18,176. What a great day to achieve this goal. :)

Almost there!

2007-01-20T20:09:00.000-04:00

I wanted to thank the Rotary Club of Ruston for their donation and Horseshoe UMC in Alexandria, Louisiana. Thank you for your support and willingness to see this mission complete.

The end of the year

2006-12-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to update everyone on how the Digging Wells for Africa project is going. Yesterday I spoke at the Rotary Club of Ruston. I was HIGHLY nervous, but the men and women in the organization were VERY nice and attentive. This was the first time I had to speak about the project to a group of people. (All the money raised this far had been by word of mouth! Praise God!) I want to thank Pamela Stewart for donating to the mission project.

I also want to thank my mother and father in law. They mentioned the mission to their Sunday school class and the men, women and children of the church took it upon themselves to do a fund raiser. I am so amazed how God uses people. Thank you Horseshoe Church in Alexandria Louisiana. You have been a blessing to me.

As of 12/28/06 was have raised $15,728.09!!! :)

Thank You!

2006-11-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank: Mark Graham, The Children's Dept., Jill Hines, Jerrey Johnston, Mary Bell Holstead, A.L. Williams, Mildred Tuten, and Fletcher Sutton. Y'all are the most recent donors and I appreciate your generosity toward this mission.

Current Amount Raised

2006-11-21T13:22:00.000-04:00

We are up to $14,826!!!

I wanted to apologize to the people we told we were up to $16,000. My husband and I made a mathematical error. We counted three people twice. So much for our college degrees, you would think we could keep this straight. Anyway, I am confident that despite me, God will still put this mission on the hearts of many people. Although I thought I might soon be able to leave my backpack at home, I will still be walking around with it. So, if you see me - stop and give me a word of encouragement. I would love to hear from you.

Love in Christ
Jill Murphy

Thank you's!

2006-10-29T18:30:00.000-04:00

I have a list of people to thank, so here goes: Carolyn Sutton, Bert Tatum, Dr and Mrs Johnston, Marybelle Holstead, Sara Williams, Darlene Pendergrass, Mr and Mrs Joe Tuten, and Jan Norwood. Thank you all for contributing to the dig a well for africa mission project. We have now raised over $10,400!!!!! WOW. Every day I am in awe of what God is accomplishing. Each of you is a part of brining water to dehydrated childern and adults. You are a part of saving lives. Thank you for helping this mission come to pass. I can't wait to see how much we have raised by May 2007. :)

All together :)

2006-10-13T14:10:00.000-04:00

Ok, here it is, as of 10/13/2006 $9,360.55 has been raised for the World Vision Digging Wells for Africa Fund. WOW!!!! I can't WAIT to have the full amount to send in. Lives will be saved. :)

Still Going

2006-10-11T19:17:00.000-04:00

I have had many more donations! The Tree of Life group raised about $250. Some individual people have donated to Trinity church in my name and a long time friend of mine, Rachel Richardson recently donated. We have over $8,000 - the exact amount is unsure to me since some of it is at Trinity Church and some of it is at Community Trust Bank. I want to thank everyone for helping me attain this mission goal. We have suffered a bit of a set back - World Vision has increased the cost of a deep water well. They now cost $18,000 to install. I haven't decided yet if I should keep my goal $16,000 or up it to $18,000. A piece of me is ready to donate what we have already been given and call it quits, but the other piece of me is committed to going to May 2007. (a year from the date I began.) Please keep me in your prayers. Love in Christ, Jill

UMW Circle

2006-09-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

I had the privilage of "speaking" at the UMW Circle that meets at Trinity in the Fisherman's Warf. I say, "speaking" because I video taped myself and then had Steve go show it for me! :) He stayed to answer any questions the ladies had. I was thankful that once again, I did not have to be in front of a group speaking. God has protected me through out this whole process. (I work better one on one or one on two) :) Thank you ladies for your time and the contributions to the Digging Wells for Africa mission.

Closer!

2006-09-26T21:01:00.000-04:00

We are now at $7,319.82!!!!! WOW. I need to say thank you to the most recent donars. Ralph and Ann Richardson, Miller Adams, Kirby Vining, Cain Allen, D. Joyce, and The Flournoy's. I am so glad that God put this on your hearts. You are a part of changing the world!

Been a long time

2006-08-30T17:54:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a long time. I recently had an appendectomy. In laymen terms - I had my appendix removed. The very first day of the school year! I am on leave until Sept. 18th! I just wanted to say thank you to Robbie Manes. He is the most recent donor. Thank you Robbie, it means a lot to have your support. :) What’s up?! To let everyone know, we currently have an estimated $6,100! It is soo exciting. I hope you are all doing great. I hope to hear from you soon.

Millions

2006-08-11T22:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is 9:51 at night and I am still awake. For those of you who know me, you know I am up late. :) A teacher friend of mine suggested I rent a movie called Millions. She said she thought I would like it....she was right. I am writing to suggest it to all of you. It is about a boy who "finds" a lot of money. He tells his brother about it. He wants to give it to the poor, but his brother wants to buy things with it. Eventually his dad and his dad's girl friend find out about it and they too want to do selfish things with it. They even make him feel bad because he wants to do what is right. I won't give away the ending - let me just say it made me cry.

Sunday night group / Matt and Jessica's Church

2006-08-08T17:07:00.000-04:00

I wanted to thank my Sunday night bible study group. They pulled together and had a garage sale to raise money for the mission project. Altogether they raised $290! A surprise gift came today....Matt and Jessica Foreman asked their church to raise money for Digging Wells for Africa and today they gave me a shoe box full of money they collected. Altogether it was $498. THANK YOU I keep telling Steve how amazed I am that God is using so many people to dig this well. I have a list of 31 people who have contributed to this fund. We have over $5,000! I shudder when I think about the fact I almost didn't start this because I thought it would be hard or weird or that God would need me to speak in front of groups of people. HE has provided for all my needs and I am so glad I was willing to trust Him.

Weekend of the Cross / Trinity UMC

2006-07-31T11:26:00.000-04:00

Wow, I am amazed. God is working to raise this money even when I am not around. I want to thank the Weekend of the Cross crew. You raised $698 in one night! I want to thank Trinity UMC, you raised $1,243 in one service! I believe now more than ever before, God IS alive and active today. We are all living proof He does exist and He would do anything to provide for His children - no matter where we live on the planet!

Update

2006-07-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to say thank you to Doug McGuire for donating today. I also wanted to update everyone on how much we have raised thus far: $1,785! Isn't that amazing. I can't wait to send it to World Vision to have the well dug. It will be a WONDERFUL day. :)

More thank you's

2006-07-27T14:04:00.000-04:00

I wanted to say thank you to Yanelia Shaw. She ran into me at Wal-Mart today and donated. THANK YOU! You are only the second person to stop me in public. I also wanted to thank Bart and Amy Barrett. Amy, thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

Digging A Well

2006-07-17T14:39:00.000-04:00

For those people who are visiting my blog for the first time, I felt I might need to say something about why I am doing this. You could go back and read through my archived posts, but not many people have that kind of time. :) I am hoping to dig a well in a waterless village in Africa. (Through World Vision) It costs $16,000 to dig a well. In many parts of Africa children have no choice but to drink disease-infested water from surface lakes and ponds. By digging a well in a waterless village, we can provide 2,800 gallons of clean, safe water a day for 300 people!!!! WE can keep kids in school instead of having them spend 8 hours of their day fetching water for their families; water that can make them sick....water that in some cases have killed children. If you feel led, PLEASE be a part of this. YOU can save lives!!!!

God is Good.

2006-07-17T14:33:00.000-04:00

Three more contributors!!! Thank you Jimmie Shahan, Kathy Warren and Claudia Long! We are up to $965 of donations straight to me and $300 given straight to World Vision. That's a total of $1,265. I am AMAZED at how God uses us. I know I say it a lot, but thank you all for being a part of this mission.

Africa

2006-07-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

Africa is on my mind tonight. I was sitting down to read a book - Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. It is a really good book. It is about finding the life that God promised us. Finding out that my heart is good and God dwells in my heart. YOUR hearts are good too and He dwells in you.... Each page made me think about Africa. I had to get up and start writing. I want to help the children and the women; the men that want the best for their families. God can do this. God is bringing people together to spread His Word. How amazing would it be to build a well in a waterless village in the NAME and POWER of God?! One day, His name and story will be known through out the world.

Up to $900!

2006-07-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

We are up to $900! It is amazing. I wanted to thank a few more contributors - April Pye, Pauline Hynson, Jean and Steve Hollis and Brad and Tiffany Granderson. Thank you for ALL of your help. :)

Casi

2006-07-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

Casi Clarkson, thank you for the donation. I can't believe how many people have seen the article and are supporting this cause. I get soo excited thinking about the lives we are going to touch. Your donation will help save lives - thank you!

WOW!

2006-07-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

WOW! Thanks Warren Watson for the donation. I am very humbled by your generosity. Keep coming back to the blog site because I am hoping to add a section that shows how much we have raised thus far and up date it on a weekly basis.

Two more donations

2006-07-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

I wanted to thank Judith Roberts and Janet Johnson for donating today. I am so excited that the newspaper article is reaching people in Ruston. THANK YOU for helping to change peoples lives. Thank you.

FRONT PAGE ARTICLE

2006-07-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

Check out my article in the Ruston Daily Leader that came out today.

Ruston Daily Leader :)

2006-07-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

I got a call from Ruston's local newspaper today, from a reporter named Judith. She was asked to write a story about me. I am sooo excited. I met with her to discuss how this all got started. When it comes out, I will try to post the article on the blog or send out an e-mail so you all can read it. I am sooo excited. The more people who know, the more people will help. :)

Thanks Ryan!

2006-07-09T11:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks Ryan Richard for donating! I appreciate your generosity. Be sure to tell others about the cause!

World Vision

2006-07-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

World Vision has just received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the amount of $250,000. The money is going to children and families in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo! I am soo happy that God has put it on their hearts to give. I just wanted to take the time to remind all of you that your monetary gift will go to World Vision when we have reached the goal of $16,000. This will provide a deep water well in communities that do not have clean water. Clean water can prevent illnesses such as typhoid, cholera, and chronic diarrhea. It will enable children to go to school because they won't have to walk for hours everyday to get clean water. It will allow farmers to grow food! It WILL SAVE LIVES. I was sent another article about a little girl who died recently from diarrhea. Her mother was with her at 1:35 in the morning and all she could do was cry for her daughter. Can you imagine?! As a mother myself, I can not imagine sitting by my child and not being able to provide the one thing that could save him/her. I would move mountains to save my children. Clean water could have prevented this. To those of you who have donated - THANK YOU. To those of you visiting this site, don't take this calling lightly. You have the opportunity to change an entire generation of people. I love you all! Jill

Lunch at Chili's

2006-07-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

Steve and I went on an afternoon date today. We ate at Chili's, before we left the restaurant I left a bottle of water on the table and a copy of the flyer Steve made for me. So, if the waitress who served us happens to check out this web site I just wanted to say thanks for a GREAT meal and I hope you enjoy this site. :)

Gave another bottle away! :)

2006-07-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone, Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been on VACATION! :) I am back now so I am looking forward to writing again. Today I went out shopping with my dad and brother. While we were out, Debbie Maynard inquired about my backpack. I was able to give her a bottle of water. Debbie, if you read this, thanks for inquiring about the backpack. Every time that happens, I get more motivated to stick to my commitment. :) Also want to send a thanks to my mom for donating straight to World Vision on my behalf. I love you. One last thank you goes out to Jeremy and Elizabeth - I appreciate your support. I will write again soon. Love in Christ Jill

More Donations!

2006-06-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

I wanted to say thank you to the Bunce family and to my brother Michael and his wife Korie for giving a gift. I appreciate your support more than you will ever know. I love you! - Jill

Exciting News

2006-06-14T13:25:00.000-04:00

Two pieces of exciting news! One: I have been put on Brad and Tiffany Grandersons blog. I wanted to thank them again for helping get the word out! I love you guys. Two: Amy and Bart Barrett donated today! They even used PayPal and it worked! :) THANK YOU! We are now up to $325. Thank you for letting God work in you to help others. I can't say it enough - WE ARE CHANGING LIVES!!!! (here is Brad and Tiffany's blogg spot if any of you want to check it out: babygranderson.blogspot.com )

I gave away my second bottle of water! :)

2006-06-13T19:12:00.000-04:00

Today I gave away my second bottle of water! :) Thanks Kathy Keil for inquiring about my back pack. I hope you enjoy the water and I thank you for your contribution. Walking to my car I realized my backpack was momentarily lighter. I thought to myself, because of one persons generosity we are closer to building a well, closer to saving lives. THANK YOU! Also, thank you to my parents who recently donated directly to World Vision. Thank you, not only from me, but from the children you will save.

World Vision

2006-06-08T07:35:00.000-04:00

Some people have had trouble finding the right area on the World Vision web site about wells. Here is how to do it. Step 1: go to www.worldvision.org Step 2: click on gift catalog Step3: you should see many icons that have a variety of ways to give. For the Dig a Well campaign, click on SHARE of a deep well. It has a minimum of $100 donation. You can donate more if you wish by changing the quantity of how many shares you would like to purchase. If you chose this method to help, I would LOVE it if you would donate it in my name. That way they will send me a card and I can see how many people are joining me in this fight for clean water.

Gave the first water bottle away!

2006-06-08T07:28:00.000-04:00

Someone finally inquired about my backpack. It was a student named Al, also goes by Unique. He is a student where I am teaching English as a foreign language this summer. I thought he was just trying to read the sign on my backpack to practice his English. But it turns out he wanted to know why I had the sign. I was able to explain that I am trying to get the children in Africa to have clean water. After the conversation was over I gave him a water bottle. At first he didn't want to take it. Then I opened the backpack to show him I had MANY bottles of water. He agreed to take it. :) Thanks Al! :)

Donating For Tax Deduction

2006-06-07T09:27:00.000-04:00

Some people have inquired about receiving a tax deduction if they donate. I called my bank, they said that if you send the money to me, then I only have to send you a receipt to show what the money was used for. I don't mind doing that for you if you like. I have been talking to Steve about this and we have been praying for the entire process. I feel that my end goal is that people become aware that there is a need to help others. That there are people in this world, in 2006 that do not have water to drink. If you do not feel comfortable donating through me, then please donate through World Vision or the African Well Fund. Either way, peoples lives will be changed forever.

My First Day

2006-06-05T08:51:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the first day out with my backpack. It was not very successful. I went to Old Navy shopping for clothes for Caleb and Ethan and no one inquired about the backpack. Then I went to Pecan Land Mall to buy Father's Day gifts, still no one inquired. In case you are wondering, the backpack is not plain. I have World Vision on it and I have a laminated information card to grab peoples attention. (I will post a picture of it so you all can see it.) I am not giving up. As most of you know I am a bit stubborn and don't give up easily. :)

I just wanted to say, it was good to hear from those of you who replied to my mass e-mail. Thanks for keeping in touch.

What would you do for a drink?

2006-05-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

If the nearest source of water was a three hour walk; would you do it?

Look for me and my waterfilled backpack around town to help raise awareness of how others are suffering. Just like those who have to make the trek back to their home with a few gallons of water everyday, I will be wearing a backpack everywhere I go filled with water bottles. If you see me in the grocery store or around town, feel free to ask. I would love to let you feel the weight of the water to experience a taste of what a burden others have to carry because they don't have a source of clean water nearby.`