Puzzle Pieces

Porque estas corriendo con World Vision? Why am I running with World Vision?

I'm not very good at being still. In fact earlier this year, I had a running/skiing injury that forced me to wear a stylish boot on my foot and my friend's comment was: "Guess now you really have to just rest and be still." She was right. Being still caused me to be a bit more reflective. I didn't like it, but I do think that God wanted me to remember Him, rely on Him, and reflect on His faithfulness in all the events and details of my life including injury. Oddly enough, all the injuries I have had over the years have brought me to some low points, but afterwards have brought about change, growth, and a greater understanding and love for the Lord's hand in my life.

I see my life as a large puzzle with God putting together the pieces of a much greater and more beautiful picture than I could ever imagine or put together myself. Sharing some of these pieces might help to answer the question of why I am running the Twin Cities Marathon for World Vision and water for Africa.

Piece # 1: Missions and Africa

My sister always told me that she saw me living and teaching in Africa someday. I think mostly because she saw how much I love missions, cultures, and kids. I ended up in the Dominican Republic instead, but I still would like to go there someday.

Piece # 2: Orphans in Mexico

I still remember the first time I ever visited an orphanage. I was in California helping a church do their Bible school for the summer. One day we crossed the border to Tijuana, Mexico to a small pastel green orphanage (the color of choice for many buildings in Latin American countries). I don't remember too many details about that day, but I still have images of those kids in my mind and how happy they were to have people play with them. I really think you can't ever go to an orphanage and not be impacted by it. Those kids desperately want love and affection, and it breaks my heart knowing that there are many kids in this world who are not getting it.

Piece # 3 Orphans in Ukraine

While on a mission trip with a music group, we gave a concert at an orphanage in Ukraine. The room was packed with children from infants to teenagers. During the concert, the kids started dancing to the music. I noticed one little boy dancing his little heart out. He didn't understand the words, but it was obvious he loved the music. So we began to dance with him. I still remember the big smile on his face and his bear hug as we left that night. Kids need to dance, play and be loved wherever they are in the world.

Piece # 4 Dominican Republic

Aah the Dominican Republic. I could tell story upon story of living in that country, but I have several from visiting orphanages there. One year my home church in Iowa collected toys and I brought them to bring to the kids in the DR. My friend Bielka and I went to a poor barrio in Santiago and passed out toys to a line of kids. Those kids might of have had one toy or maybe they played baseball with a stick and a bottle cap, but they didn't have much. I have one picture of a cute little brown eyed boy with his new blue truck. Who knows if he had any other toys in his one or two room home. How many toys do some of the kids in the US have at home?

Piece # 5 Haiti

The streets are sandy and dirty. It's hot. There are few trees, many have been cut down. We walk through the neighborhood. There are some small tin homes, some concrete. We make a left turn towards what looks like a side street. As we walk, the street turns into a dead end. I follow my friend Brian as he descends down some concrete stairs. We keep descending and descending and descending into a community of Haitians living in this concrete village in the middle of Port Au Prince. Everywhere we turn there were people. Half dressed kids pass us and Haitians look at us oddly. I begin to feel very much out of place. We enter into one family's home, a small concrete room. It ia full of people. I'm not sure how many people live there. I wonder where these people got water, went to the bathroom or took a shower. Brian knows some Creole so he starts talking to the people. After a little while, we walk back to the Baptist missionary home we were staying at. We didn't say much as we walked. I keep thinking about what I had just seen and where these people were living. After the earthquake in Haiti, I thought about those people. I wondered how many of them had survived the earthquake, but also how many of them could survive living in their small concrete homes.

Piece # 6 Ethiopia connection

Two of my good friends from growing up adopted a son from Ethiopia a few years ago. I love listening to her stories of traveling to Ethiopia to pick him up and their adventures while they were there. He is a cute kid and I love watching them love him. This year at school I had two Ethiopian students in my class. One was just adopted from Ethiopia a little over a year ago. His younger brother was adopted several years ago and then last year my student was adopted by the same family. He wrote a story about his orphanage, when his brother was adopted and then when he was adopted and reunited with his brother. I cried when I read it and also when I read the story from his adopted parents' perspective. He is doing really well and has a great family. These kids are all getting the love that they need, but there are still many more orphans in Africa.

Why am I running for World Vision?

I am running for Africa--but mostly for the kids. I am running as I remember orphans and the poor around the world. I am running as a reminder that much of the world lives with very little and I have way too much. I am running because more than 2.7 billion people in the world have inadequate or nonexistent to proper sanitation. I am running knowing that when a child has good water it reduces his or her mortality rate by half. I am running because it only takes one person to make a difference in the life a child. I am running because I am a small part of a larger kingdom that God has designed to love and care for each other. I am running because of these 6 puzzle pieces that have helped transform my view of the world. I am running because I love kids, cultures, and missions. That's why I run for World Vision.

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst,
but I the LORD will answer them." Isaiah 41:17-18