The Power of a Little Support and Encouragement

Well, I’m hobbling around like a granny today (no offense grandma) with all my sore muscles, but I’m a really happy hobbling grandma. I did it! I did the half-marathon and I LOVED IT!!!! The whole event was an incredible experience with lots of lessons learned, but I’ll just share the highlights with you.

First of all, I got to RUN most of it! I decided to buy a knee brace on my drive up to Sacramento- and it was a miracle worker!!!! I put that sucker on, and vwalaa – I could run with no pain whatsoever in my knee. I was really shocked. I really didn’t have much faith that a little band of elastic material around my knee would enable me to run, but it totally did! And as I ran, God began to speak to me through that little band…

All I needed was a little support for me knee. That’s it… and I could RUN. I could do it! It didn’t take much- just a little support. And the same is true for the children in D.R. Congo. They too just need a little support. And they can do it! They can make it in life. They can finish school. They can become Christian leaders in their country to help bring God’s hope and restoration. A little support goes a long way. One malaria shot will go a long way. One text book will go a long way. One sponsorship will go a long way. And I love that this is what ELI is about. We’re about EMPOWERING people to run the race set before them. They don’t need us to do it for them. They can do it- they just need a little support. I’m so excited to be part of a group helping to provide that support. Helping to provide those knee braces so that these kids can RUN!

I also learned about the power of encouragement. This was a trail run, so that meant we were running along a trail way back in the woods and meadows, away from all the crowds. We didn’t have people cheering us on as we ran because they couldn’t get back there. Except for one lady. She was standing along the trail, about 6 miles in. And she was just there to encourage us. As I ran by, she yelled out enthusiastically, “Keep going! You’re doing great!” And it was so powerful. Those few words gave me such a boost of energy and I felt like I could conquer the world. Her words lingered in my head throughout the rest of the race – “Keep going.” And so I did; I kept going.

And now I am so excited to bring that same message of encouragement to the children of D.R. Congo! I so badly want to hug each of them, look them in the eyes, and say, “Keep going! You’re doing great!” I want to say it to the teachers who sacrifice every day to love and teach these 500 children. I want to say it to the Congolese ELI staff that lay down their lives every day to bring God’s hope to this country. They too are running this race in the back trails of the world where no one sees them; where no one comes along side them. But I am so excited to journey into those forgotten trails this June to remind them that they have not been forgotten. They DO matter, and they CAN keep going!

It doesn’t take much. A knee brace and some encouragement, and I ran a race I didn’t think was possible. The same is true in this world. Sometimes the problems and tragedies in the world seem so overwhelming that they seem impossible to tackle. What could someone like me really do? I’m telling you, it doesn’t take much. You CAN make a difference. A $10 knee brace and a word of encouragement- and you can touch lives, you can change futures.

So thanks for your support and prayers! For those of you wondering, yes, I did still walk some of the race. I really felt like I needed to walk some of it to identify with the brokenness of the children I was walking for. And I loved it! I loved praying for them as I walked. I read some of their stories on the way to race, so I had names and specifics to pray for as I walked. The story that touched me the most was a little girl named Furaja. Her dream is to become a prayer intercessor who intercedes in prayer on behalf of her suffering friends, family, and people. I prayed hard that God would raise up this little 10-year-old into a mighty intercessor! I believe she is going to be a powerful vessel that He uses to bring hope, freedom, and life to the people of D.R. Congo! I can’t wait to meet her June and encourage her as she runs this race marked out for her!

What a joy to walk this journey with all of you! Thank you so much for your constant support and encouragement.

Walking in Brokenness

One of my dreams has always been to have a butterfly land on me. I LOVE butterflies and know that God is flirting with me whenever one flutters past. When I was in Africa last summer, my dream came true! I had been waiting for years for this moment, and though other butterflies had come close, they were always too busy fluttering around to actually land on me. But this one did. And I know that much of the reason was because it had a broken wing. I learned a lesson about brokenness that day that I will never forget. It’s often in brokenness that God uses us the most.

Today, I write to you hoping to be that broken butterfly. Only I write with a bum knee rather than a broken wing. A month ago I set out to run the 10 miles in my training schedule, but two miles into it, my knee suddenly gave out. I have no idea what happened, but I had to turn around and walk/limp home. But God was in it; I walked in the door at the exact moment a friend needed me to be there. God brought me home early so that one of His hurting children could encounter Him in a profound way and rediscover hope. As I went to bed that night, I thanked Him for my hurt knee; I thanked Him for using my brokenness to touch one of His children.

And now, four days before the race, the brokenness continues. I thought my knee would be better by now. I’ve been doing all my training on the elliptical trainer and bicycle at the gym to give my knee time to heal. It hasn’t been hurting at all when I run on the elliptical trainer, so I assumed it must be healing nicely. But alas, I attempted to run on the road today for the first time and was only half-way down my street when the same pain started shooting through my knee. There was no way I could keep running. I walked home totally bummed out. Even though I ran a half-marathon (13.7 miles) on the elliptical trainer last week, there is no way my body is going to be able to run the actual race this week.

“Lord, what are you up to in all of this?” I asked. And the answer became so clear. “I want you to bring my hope to the children of D.R. Congo through a place of brokenness, not strength. I want you to walk this race, not run it. I want you to identify with the people you are walking for. I am calling you not to run for them, but to walk with them. Not to run in strength to heal their weaknesses, but to enter suffering with them to bring hope from a place of shared weakness. For there is power in weakness and brokenness – My power.”

And so I will walk. I will walk in the footsteps of those who have been left behind in this unfair world. I will walk with those children who are left in last place, watching the rest of the world speed by. I will walk with those who limp forward in brokenness each day with a determination to fight for life despite the hundreds of people passing by every second, leaving them behind in the dust. I will walk with those children in Congo who walk 2 hours every day to get to the ELI school, and then 2 hours home. Some even walk from neighboring countries because it’s their only chance of ever receiving an education. They walk 2 hours for only a few hours of schooling because we don’t have enough classrooms for them to stay all day.

I will walk with those children who also cannot run. Not because of a bum knee, but because of hunger and malaria. But the malnutrition and diseases keep them from much more than running and playing as little kids ought to do. They keep them from being able to sit up in class, care for younger siblings left in their charge, and concentrate enough in class to hear the message that God loves them. The hunger in their bellies, the incessant sound of coughing, and the flashback noises of gunshots often drown out the message being spoken of God’s love and hope.

And so I walk. Walk to buy land for a health clinic to lower the fevers and stop the coughs. Land for more classrooms in which all the children can learn for the entire day and receive daily bread (both physical and spiritual). I walk so these children can know that God is good, that He loves them, and that He has not forgotten them. Walk so that they can meet the Lord walking this broken path with them.

For that is what He does. He doesn’t remove all the brokenness now (the day for that is still coming), but He does enter into our brokenness and walk those roads with us. That’s what He did when He came to Earth. He entered our suffering and walked alongside us in this broken world. And it was through His broken life - His broken body on the cross - that hope, healing, and life became available to us. And I pray that this Saturday, His hope once again comes through brokenness.
To see a video of these children or to help buy this land, go to http://www.empoweringlives.org/run.shtml