We are ten women from Minnesota. We are yoga instructors and world travelers and nurse supervisors and boot camp trainers. We are nurses and bank workers and librarians and cleaning ladies and clergy. We are brought together because at St. Mary's Episcopal Church St. Paul we heard Bono's 2006 Prayer Breakfast speech. He said, among many other fine things, that "where you live should not determine whether you live". We are increasingly aware that of how randomly lucky we are to have clean water piped directly into our homes. Every shower or clean dish or glass of water feels like a blessing. So one night we came together over yummy snacks and red wine and committed to each raise $500, all of which will go toward the purchase of a well somewhere in Africa. Wells are a natural gathering place for women to community organize in places where water is scare.

Not coincidentally, one of the most profound encounters with Jesus happened at a well, which Jesus called 'Living water'. And so we too gather around gratitude for clean water. We each have our own thoughts about how to raise the money - so over the course of the year we'll have gatherings and bake sales and walks and birthday requests. We are grateful, we are joyful, we are Episcopalian Christians, and we are friends. Please join us in our gratitude!