almost here

i woke up this morning and realized ellie's run is the day after tomorrow. i can't believe it. this event has been a labor of love for me, for all of us, and i can't wait to see it come together on saturday morning. we have more than twice as many registrants as last year, more publicity than ever, and i can't even tell you how many posters we put up around the greater nashville area.

it's amazing to look back on life for any stretch of time and see how God has orchestrated and worked everything for his good and glory. this is one of those moments. my passion for africa took seed years ago before i graduated high school, i think. after a bout of frustration during college due to my lack of involvement and closed door after closed door, i gave my desire to the Lord, knowing that if he wanted me to be a part of the work in developing countries in Africa, he would work it out.

and He did.

about a year and a half after that surrender, i had the opportunity (and priviledge, might i add) to get involved in ellie's run for africa, an event i had admired from afar for a couple years already at that point. now into my second year, i can't help but smile at what an amazing adventure it has been.

i have 2 reasons for doing this, and they go hand in hand. first, i have an outlet for my passion to make a difference. in 2 days, hundreds and hundreds (hopefully we'll meet our goal of 1K this year) of people will come together to raise money to put kids in school in kibera, kenya at calvary christian school and also emmanuel vocational school. these kids will have uniforms, books and shoes because people in nashville love these kids, even though most of us have never even met them. isn't that incredible?! second, i love the people i volunteer with to make this happen. every person who is a part of the planning process has become a friend and a mentor who pushed me to become a better person. their love and passion for these kids inspires me. their sacrifices motivate me. i can't believe that i am surrounded by such amazing amazing people. i don't know how i got to this place, but i'm so grateful, so humbled, and so amazed at what God can do with his people when they are willing.

after all this reflection on my desire to make a difference and all our hard work, i'm reminded that it's really not about me. or us. not even the slightest. it's about something so much bigger. something we can't even grasp in our humanness. this is about Love. Love that wrecks our worlds and redeems each one.

i'll see you on saturday!


if you can't run, but want to be a part of ERFA '09 click here.