how this blog community is changing the world…

Please read this as I want to take the time to properly thank all of you for your support, encouragement and prayers. If anyone has ever had doubts about the possibility of world changing impact of blogging…this is proof.

I started blogging about three years ago and eventually grew a rhythm to blogging: Why and How. I initially started blogging, amongst other reasons, to process some of my thoughts, struggles, and dreams. Most of these are just my vomitaceous thoughts but as a recovering extreme introvert, blogging was therapeutic but along the way, the blog not only drew an “audience” (ranked 28th amongst Christian blogs fwiw) but started forming a “community” of sorts.

My blog community is diverse – ranging from folks from my church, friends, curious inquirers from the larger blogosphere, other pastors and leaders, Christians, skeptics, and cynics, fellow Seattlites, and perverts with a fetish for “orientals” that search for “Korean Beauty” on search engines.

And while many of you know that the past 12-18 months were one of the most difficult times of my life, it was also a meaningful time as we heard, experienced, and felt – people encouraging us with letters, emails, prayers, scriptures, and acts of kindness.

In addition, I used this blog to dream, incubate and launch the vision of ODW. It began with this three / part / series on extreme global poverty and shared our pledge of donating our year’s salary. As we geared up for the launch of One Day’s Wages (that took a little longer than we anticipated), I invited (via this blog) people – in faith and trust – to give and help raise funds for the administrative costs of ODW and I was so humbled by the numerous that gave – especially the quiet blog lurkers and stalkers!

Do you know how much you gave and raised?

Approximately $71,797 of which nearly most of those funds came via this blog community. That is simply humbling and amazing!

What’s the impact of your generosity and support?

• Admin costs of ODW are covered for about 1.5 years and through our boards & future grants, we’ll have future expenses covered and in a position to grow. Part of the investments we’ve made include hiring one full time staff, one website coder, bringing on numerous volunteers and interns, and moving into our little but beautiful office in Fremont. (I volunteer my time…)
• Your donations allow our commitment to 100% (minus transaction costs) of everyone’s public donations to go entirely to projects around the world.  Our 3 current partnerships: Water Well/Clean Sanitation for an entire school in Ethiopia, 250 Fresh Start Kits for Congolese women who have been victims of war and gender violence, and a Border Outpost in Nepal/India that will help rescue about 300 Nepalese girls from human trafficking.
• We just awarded our 1st grant to this amazing org in Thailand/Burma. This is the first of many in the future.
• We get to raise awareness about extreme poverty through our website and get humbled by stories like this one of a young girl who donated her life savings to ODW.
• In less than three months, we’ve raised over $142,000. All of this and future donations are invested directly in projects via courageous people and organizations. ( In total, we’ve raised over $213,000 so far!
• Numerous media sources have been fascinated by you, Minhee, me, and our collective effort to start this movement. The NY Times article was really about you: “the everyday donor.”
• A company (the 1st of many in the future) signed on to donate a portion of their profits to fight global poverty with ODW. More info to come later but they’re projecting $60,000.

Thank you so much.

• Thank you for being a part of this blog community.
• Thank you for your comments.
• Thank you for your prayers and encouragement and pushbacks.
• Thank you for so graciously seeding the vision and dream of One Day’s Wages.
• Thank you for using your blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to help spread the word.
• Thank you for signing up on the ODW website and investing in a project.
• Thank you for believing!

Thank you for joining Minhee and I in our vision to do our part to change the world and we hope that in the process, you’ll be immensely blessed as well.  As you know, ODW is a non-religious organization meaning that our vision is to change global issues of injustice affecting millions of people, regardless of race, culture, sex, age, or religion but having said that, our faith in Christ is so important and compels us. Through this work, we believe and pray that God is and will be honored…

Thank you.