I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the ultimate reason why I give — why we all give — to Water for Good: because I want to make a difference.
Originally from Lititz, PA…
Jimmy Elsner moved to Winona Lake in 2010 to attend Grace College. While there, he met Kristen and they married in 2013. Their journey with Water for Good began with a simple drawing and has become both a personal and professional cause close to Jimmy’s heart. Now the COO of one of Water for Good’s valued partner, MudLOVE, we checked in with Jimmy to hear about why he gives.
When Kristen and I were engaged, she interviewed to be a shop keeper at MudLOVE. On the application, Kristen had to draw a picture she felt represented MudLOVE. In all her artsy glory, she drew a picture of a world. On one side, there is someone drinking clean water from a pump and the other side of the world, a family hugging. Here at MudLOVE, we often talk about how some people may just need an encouraging word provided from one of our bracelets and on the other side of the world, someone needs clean water. That was our first connection with Water for Good and we were excited how her job was making a daily difference for someone across the world.
After spending a lot of time with the MudLOVE team, we quickly realized there is a foundational need (water) and we wanted to be a part of the solution. We then made the decision to give a portion of our earnings directly to Water for Good to impact those lives. We have adjusted our giving over the years but Water for Good has stayed consistent because we want to give to an organization that is focused on something so foundational. It is actually hard to imagine giving to a different need.
I’ve always appreciated how Jim recognized that there were barriers aside from being a missionary that he could help solve. By assessing the needs in each community, Water for Good does their research before coming up with a solution. For instance, the problem isn’t drilling wells, it is maintaining the wells. They have shown their maturity by realizing the issues and then solving the issues.
I now work at MudLOVE and my motivation always comes back to clean water. I’ve been a therapist for goodness sakes and there were days when I left that job not really knowing if my job mattered. Here at MudLOVE, I KNOW we helped people today. Each band or mug sold provides clean water and to me, that makes all the difference.
Jimmy Elsner
