7 Billion, Really?

Apparently some folks at the United Nations have figured out that around Oct. 31st, the world population will reach 7 billion.  I imagine there were some crazy fun statistical formulas they used to figure that out.  I'm all for some good mathematics, the math geek that I am, but I have this feeling they are are wrong. 

I think we probably reached that point quite a while ago.  With all their sophisticated methods and theories I think they might have missed a few.  Maybe 147 million or so?   That's an estimate of the number of orphans in the world.  Yes some of them probably were counted, but there are an awful lot of them that were not.  Living in garbage dumps, on the streets, and some other horrible places that children should not go much less live in.

God knows exactly how many people there are and exactly how many of them are orphans, living hungry, afraid and alone.

May I Take Your Picture, Please?

I really love taking pictures.  I love catching funny expressions and seeing personalities come through. I am not a professional.  Just a girl with a really fun camera.  I would love to take our picture too!   

 I am doing a fund raiser for As Our Own, a terrific organization that helps young girls whose welfare is in dangerous jeopardy. 

Here is how it works:

1. I like to take pictures outdoors, so we will meet some place pretty. 
2. Your family puts on their best smiles or goofiest looks.  Whatever you choose. 
3. I will take your picture.  Probably hundreds, because that's the way I work.  It will take about an hour.
4. I'll edit the really goofy ones out.
5. You will recieve a CD with all the images and all the rights to do whatever you want with them.

All this for a minimum donation of $25 to As Our Own.   You can make your tax-deductible donation at my I Will Run fundraising website.

I would love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment and I will be in touch soon.

Isn't Christmas just around the corner?  Need a good photo for those Christmas cards?

Those kids grow so fast!!! Don't you think Grandma and Grandpa would love some new pictures of their little darlings?

It's All In Your Head!

Anyone who has ever stepped up to the starting line of a race will tell you that it is sometimes as much a test of your mental strength as your physical strength.  When I ran my first marathon in San Francisco, (I know, probably not the best choice for a first marathon when you live in IL)  I got to the 20 mile mark and realized I had absolutely no I idea how much race I had left.  26.2 - 20 = 6.2.   Well it isn't quite that simple when you have been out there for a while and you are unfamiliar with the town and really trusting the race officials knew what they were doing and will get you to the finish line.  I had no real feeling for what 6 miles would look like. 

I did things a little different the next time around.   I was trainging by myself this time so all my long runs were pretty close to my house.  I picked out a 6 mile route and ran it many times.  I got to know every inch of that route.  All the mailboxes, trees, and corn fields on that route were keenly etched in my memory.  It worked well for me.  At the 20 mile mark at the Green Bay Marathon the following spring I was in a much better place.  I was still really tired and wondering when the next water stop was coming up, but I knew exactly what was still left to go.  As the miles dwindled, I imagined being on my 6 mile loop at home and I could overlay the industrial wasteland that lies at the end of that race with the fields and houses in my neighborhood.  My head was in the gaame.

Haley and I have been running together for a couple months.   It is fun to have that alone time together and she usually has alot to tell me.  We run the same route almost every time and she has no problem making the 3 mile distance.  I knew she was physically ready for her first 5K race.  I also knew she would be tempted to keep pace with the crowd so we talked about running our own race.   The excitement of the race was powerful though and our first mile was fast.  A pace I knew she couldn't sustain to the finish.  I coaxed her back to our pace, but by 1.75 miles she was struggling a bit.  I knew she was strong enough to do it, she just needed to get her mental game going. 

So that's when I started painting pictures for her.   Laying out all the landmarks of our route as we passed by them.  I could see the expression on her face change and she was able to figure out where she was and how close we were getting to the end.  The finish line was inside the baseball stadium and as we turned the corner and she saw the gates open into the field, she knew exactly where she was.  We often end our runs with a sprint to the finish.  End strong, you know!  So she looked at me, I told her to go and she made the final sprint to the finish line.  Just like she might run across the playground with her friends at recess.  Not like she had just run 3 miles.

One Size Does not Fit All

There are probably some who would say our above average sized family is too big.  If you ask me on a weekday morning when we are in the throws of getting ready for school, I might just agree.  However, most of the time, I love the size of our family.  And for quite some time we have considered the possiblity that there is still room for more.  Apparently the State of Illinois doesn't think so.  Last fall we renewed our foster parent license.  We learned alot since the girls joined us and felt prepared to be a family for a child even if it was just for a short time. 

Yesterday we got "the" call.  There was a 6 year old girl who needed a home and it seemed she would be a good fit for our family.  At that moment, I was reminded of how I felt when they called to tell us Haley and Christine were coming home.  I was nervous, excited and my heart was full.  It's a really good feeling.  Then it all came to a sudden stop.  Our licensing worker called to tell us it wasn't going to happen.   Somewhere along the way the rules had changed and with 6 children, the State of Ilinois thought our family was already big enough.

My heart was broken.  Only God can put love in my heart for a child I have never met.  I have faith that the family they found for her was better than us.  Still, I wish it could have been us to help her grow and sort out some of the things that were going on in her crazy world.  Today, it would not be us.  I don't believe the Lord has closed this door, maybe opening a different one down the road.  I do know God will not let the bureaucracy of our state stand in the way of His plan.  They may think they know what the perfect size for our family is, but only God has that figured out.

Running shoes and insulin pumps

Haley and I are off on a new adventure together.   She was very disappointed with the meager distance of the kids run at the 5K for Orphans and really wanted to "go the distance" of a a real race.   So we headed to the store and bought her some running shoes and UnderArmour and we started training.

I did a little research beforehand to know what the appropriate distance for a child her age is.  The general consensus is that her grade in school is a good measuring stick for the distance she can run.  She started 3rd grade a couple weeks ago so 3 miles is what we will work up to. 

The challenging part of training with Haley will be helping her manage her blood sugar along the way.  On one run this week, about a mile from home she told me she felt low.  Ugh.  It hadn't been that long since dinner so I had not come prepared.   Lesson learned.  Never head out without something to take care of a low.  When you consider the weather, her mood, and variety of other factors can effect her blood glucose level, this will be quite an adventure.  But it's a good thing because the more experience she has in predicting how her body will use the insulin, the more confident and independent she will become in managing her health.

Haley is already up to two miles.  She will be making her 5K debut at the 5K for the Baby Fold on October 8th.   It is a great race for us to do because we are so thankful for the help of the folks at the Baby Fold for helping build our family.  If you are up for a run we would love for you to join us!

Moving Forward for the Children.

If you were following the begining of this journey, you might be wondering how it ended.  Well,  it was fantastic!  We had a great time training together and we raised over $850 for Amazima ministries.  We had to make a last minute substitution in the team lineup when a case of strep throat got the best of Chuck.  We were thankful to have Amy available to take his place and boy was she fast!! 

Along the way I learned that this may not be the time in my life to undertake a big effort like starting a non-profit organization.  However, my desire to serve the forgotten children of the world was deepened.  Having a purpose for my running was a really good thing.  One of the greatest pleasure I had in this event was watching Rebecca finish her leg of the relay.  She was so excited, she probably could have run the next leg purely on adrenaline.  This was the first race of this distance for her.  To watch her go from doubting she could run a mile to finishing 7 with ease was just a blast to watch.  I can see helping others develop their own love of running being a big part of the next chapter in this story.

So where do I go from here?  For now, I will be using this blog to highlight some great organiztions that are serving children in various ways.  Along side that, my family and I have some plans of our own for mixing running and orphan relief.   So please come back and visit.  Only God knows what path we will run down next.

It's only a dream until a child is fed

I was so excited to open the mail today!!

I recieved the first check in the mail!! Today is a new day. We are moving from just talking about helping children to actually doing something. A huge thank you to our friends who helped us get here. As I looked at the check I thought about that child that Amazima will be able to feed for a month. That's a really good thing. A really, really good thing!!!

Do you want to help feed a child too?

We would love for you to join in our effort. You can donate online by clicking on the Amazima button on this page. Please mention Run for the Forgotten in the comments line so we can share in the excitement of your gift. If you would like to write a check send me an email at the address on the top right of this page and I will give you the details.

Looking beyond obstacles

I was excited to get a new book from Amazon this week. The title: How to Start a Non-Profit Corporation. As my son practiced basketball with this team I cracked open the book and started reading. I have read many things online, but decided I needed something I could carry with me in my travels.

As I started to read about articles of incorporation, tax ids and selecting a board of directors I couldn't help but think back to my grandmother. In the early 70's she started the "Deep Well Fund" to provide clean water to the people of Hilton Head. My grandmother was a smart woman and very persuasive. I am willing to bet though that very few of the things I am reading about ever crossed her mind. Those were different times. She had a simple plan and she went about her work and got the job done. Today there are forms, rules, and of course the IRS!!! It is easy to become overwhelmed by the process.

At those moments though I lean on the wisdom God gave me during our adoption process. He showed us clearly that when it looked like beauracracy was winning, the truth was that He was the one who is in control. When we see the future through God's eyes, it is easier to look past the obstacles that seem to throw themselves in our way.

A Worthy Cause

The mission for Run for the Forgotten is to seek out and assist orphan care initiatives throughout the world. There are many of them, operating quietly in small pockets of the world. They may be small in size but the work they do to supply the basic necessities of life to children is huge.

I am thrilled to tell you about one such ministry and the young woman at the heart of it. Amazima Ministries was started by Katie Davis. She went to Uganda to teach school, but quickly saw there was another reason God had sent her there. She saw many children in the streets, hungry, in need of medical care and unable to attend school. She started with a goal of helping a small number of these children and in just a few years has grown beyond that size. I encourage you to read her stories of the work of this amazing ministry at www.amazima.org .

I am also excited to tell you that Amazima Ministries will be the first recipient of Run for the Forgotten fundraising efforts. We have a marathon relay team assembled and we are begining to get on with the business of training and fundraising. It's going to be an exciting few months as we aim for our race date on April, 30th. If you want to get join us in supporting this ministry you will find a "Donate" button on their website. There is a memo box on the form where you can fill in "Run for the Forgotten", so we can celebrate the results of our efforts together.

Reaching children one at a time

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnessess surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

I am inspired by people who see a problem and take it upon themselves to fix it. My grandmother was that kind of person. She and my grandfather moved to Hilton Head, SC around 1969 to "retire". If you have been there, you might think that would be a good place to settle back. It was different then. One hotel, 1 or 2 golf courses, no restaurants, no hospital, no grocery store. What they did have was a population of people native to the island, who were living in less than pristine conditions. My grandmother, a former home healthcare nurse, volunteerd with the county health department. Many of her patients were children who suffered the ill effects of liviing with no running water. My grandmother recognized that treating their illnesses would not solve the problem. She took it upon herself to start the deep well fund. Soon they were digging wells and fresh water was flowing. Clean water was just the firts of many works fo service Grandma completed in her retirement.

That's the kind of spirit that I want to nourish through Run for the Forgotten. Come back and visit and learn about some amazing people who saw a need, hear God's call, and made themselves available to His service.