A Marathon & A Half

Some people were born to run. Their legs reach out with fluid grace and the ground races by underneath them. Their lungs take in oxygen, fuelling powerful, pumping hearts that keep their legs eating up the miles. Their bodies are smooth, efficient running machines.

I am not one of those people.

My arch-less feet slap the pavement, my face transforms to the color of a cherry tomato, and my lips suck in air hard and fast but can never quite get enough to satisfy my screaming lungs. And the sweat. Ugh. I do not glisten daintily. I gush sweat with the voracity of a middle-aged, overweight couch potato. Attractive, yes? I am not graceful. I am not fast.

But yet, I run. Why? Because I love it. I really do. And for you non-runners, it probably sounds like I should be institutionalized but I love the sound of my feet hitting the pavement and the feeling of my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I push myself farther and faster. I love that God in His wisdom somehow created our bodies to be both amazingly intricate machines and beautiful pieces of art. For me, running is when I best remember this. It has become my act of worship to my Masterful Creator.

And now running has a new purpose as well.

Andy and I have been talking and praying about what we can do to start raising money for our adoption expenses. From beginning to completion, the adoption will cost an estimated *gulp* $32,000. We are praying that a large portion of that cost will come from adoption grants and loans but we realize that the remainder will have to be funded by our own ingenuity and God's blessing. We've known for a while that we needed to start raising money but we also wanted to do more than that. We wanted to do something to demonstrate how committed we are to this adoption.

So God birthed a plan: Andy and I are running the Presque Isle Marathon in Erie on September 12, 2010. Andy is running the full (26.2 miles) and I am running the half (13.1 miles). We are asking friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, strangers, ANYBODY to consider sponsoring us. ANY amount would be greatly appreciated and would help bring us one step closer to bringing our child home. These funds will go towards our agency fee which is the first major cost in the adoption process.
Even more important than contributing financially, we would also greatly appreciate your prayer support. Please pray that we would clearly hear the Lord's direction and that He would provide the courage and the means to follow. Thank you for taking this journey with us.

(New Here? Click here to read how our adoption story began and Click here to read some FAQ.)