campaign: Getting Engaged Changes Everything
raised so far: $2,650
campaign goal:$5,000
has been fundraising since: March 27, 2012
mission statement: “We’ve known for a while that we wanted to get married, but the big question remained: When? Our goal is to raise $5,000 — the average price it costs to dig, build & maintain a well that will impact hundreds of people! The day we meet that goal will be the day that I propose to Tori! So, will you help us get engaged?”

In William’s words:
For us, being able to help others has always been something we wanted to do! After we both graduated from college, we started working and earning money. We wondered if we could help people in need, so we always wanted to work for places like World Vision. For me, I even wanted to work for charity: water! But life gets in the way sometimes — though we’ve had this heart to help people, it didn’t come easily.

This time around, God worked in our hearts a little differently. It was slowly feeling like the time was coming when I had to pop the big question and we talked about it. We started with the typical wants and dreams of what our engagement and wedding should look like. I was challenged by those who gave up entire weddings for charity: water and imagined myself in their shoes… how awesome would that be? It was just a passing thought at the time, but I shared it with Tori. Months later, she came to me and told me how she didn’t like the idea of spending money on getting a ring when we could use that money to do something bigger.

Coincidently, while I was enjoying the clean water in our apartment during a shower, it struck me that it only takes charity: water $5000 to fund a water project. Half-jokingly and half-nervously, I proposed the idea to my girlfriend. I wanted to use this campaign as a way for us to pick the date we get engaged. She acknowledged my fears and we both thought it might be too ambitious for us because, well, who were we to want to do something like this? Within days I found myself putting together a little brochure to share our dream with our friends and family. By the time she saw that, she pretty much assumed we were going for it.

So we did! And here we are.

What’s surprised you about this whole process?
Everything. The way that God let me come across charity: water while watching TV on Hulu. How Scott’s story really hit home with my vision of cultural mission work. How the response from our friends has been so positive. How the response from complete strangers has been in some ways even more positive. How we’ve caught the eye of the organization itself! And especially just how fast the funds have been coming in… I guess God really wants us to hurry up with this whole marriage thing.

It’s been amazing and extremely humbling to see how God has been working to do such an amazing thing, despite how we are complete nobodies. How could we deny that His hand is with us?