It’s a quiet (although windy) night here in Ennis. After a long couple of weeks getting ready for this week’s coming event, I finally have a still moment to reflect.

To all of you….

I don’t know how you find words to properly thank a team for making your dream come true. Million Girl Army has been an idea floating in my mind for so many years, after a while it was just a part of me and I started to be less aware of it. Yet it was always there. From the minute I touched down in Cambodia for the first time and saw the young girls there I knew I was meant to do something to help them. It was as if my soul jumped to attention begging me to notice what was around me.

Exactly a year ago, I was touching down in Cambodia again with a fabulous team of women. I was there to see if my soul still cared, if it still came alive when I saw the girls around me. It was decision time for me…was Million Girl Army always going to be a dream in head, or did I have the courage to actually take a leap of faith to see if it could become a reality.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it alone. Not only did I not have all the skills, the task was so much bigger than me. It would take a special “army” of people to make it happen. I sit here tonight so thankful for each one of you. You have all played a key role in taking the idea from my head and setting it free into the world a real thing. Now just a few days from its official launch, I am counting my blessings to see how far MGA has come from a year ago. Each of you are among those blessings.

I could not have chosen a better team to walk this road with. When I lag in energy, answers, and passion, you step in, just as excited about MGA and believing in what we hope to achieve with it. You have given your time, your skills, your generosity in large quantities so often that I am moved to happy tears with great frequency.

I know this last push to get to the launch has been exhausting. Long hours, frustrating changes, all the unknowns of starting something new begin to pile up. The fact that each of you continues to do your part, soldiering on with integrity, passion, and dedication even when weary keeps me going. We are nearly there…the world is about to start to hear about MGA in a very real way and I could not have done it without you all.

And so many of you have offered your services at deep discounts or even free all because you believe in what we’re doing. You believe, as I do, that young girls are the answer to worldwide change. Ladies, the middles school girls will soon take center stage (as they should) because I truly do believe they are the answer. But they, and I, could not actually make a difference without a dedicated and passionate support team with the skills to take their ideas, their fearlessness, their passions and transform them into something that will move the world with its power.

So I guess this is a long overdue thank you. I am not always great in the heat of getting through the to-do list to take the time to stop and thank the people who make it possible. I thought MGA would only ever be my dream, yet each of you has embraced it and made it yours as well. I could not have prayed for anything better. And as I stand in front of 150 people this coming Wednesday to share MGA with SW Montana and put all that we’ve created out for them to see, I know that it will make an impact because each of you leant your skills and support to make it the best it can be.

I am honored to walk this journey with you and am deeply grateful for your tireless work to get us to this point. I know the home stretch is a tiring and demanding place. But I feel lucky to be in it with you!