Jena Nardella, cofounder of
Blood: Water and one of "Christianity Today’s" 33 Under 33, shares a
captivatingly honest ("Publishers Weekly") account of how her passion
for saving the world grew into a humbler, long-term calling of loving the world
in all its brokenness in this beautifully written memoir.
Ten years ago, Jena Lee Nardella
was a fresh-out-of-college, twenty-something with the lofty goal of truly
changing the world. Armed with a diploma, a thousand dollars, and a dream to
build one thousand wells in Africa, she joined forces with Grammy Award winning
band Jars of Clay to found Blood: Water and begin her mission.
Jena s dream for her nonprofit
turned that initial $1 into $20, and then $100, and today into more than $25
million. Working throughout eleven countries in Africa, Blood: Water has
provided healthcare for over 62,000 people in HIV-affected areas and has partnered
with communities to provide clean water for more than one million people in
Africa. But along the way she faced many harsh realities that have tested her
faith, encountered corruption and brokenness that nearly destroyed everything
she’d fought for, and learned that wishful thinking will not get you very far.
Jena discovered true change comes only when you stop trying to save the world
and allow yourself to love it, even when it breaks your heart.
With a fresh, intelligent, and
winsome voice, Jena Lee Nardella weaves an evocative, personal narrative filled
with honest and hard-won lessons that demonstrate the amazing things that can
happen when you fight for your dreams."
