Well, not really, but sometimes it feels like it! Most of you probably already know that I am heading to Rwanda this summer as part of a team that is running a kids camp, as well as some community rejuvenation projects on the outskirts of Kigali. And many of you may know that I am participating in a 10km run to raise funds for this trip. But what most of you probably don’t know, is that I really don’t like running.During high school I stayed fit playing sports and taking dance classes, and in university I went to the gym, but I’ve never been a runner.
It’s not that I don’t like the idea of running. It sounds like a lovely idea - alone, outside, enjoying the quiet - it’s the practicality of it that almost does me in. It’s my knees aching, my lungs burning, and that voice in my head that keeps saying, “This should be fun. You should be better at this.” But I really want to go to Africa, and if getting sponsors and running 10km helps get me there, then that’s what I’ll do!
Running the 10km Spring Warm-Up is a huge challenge for me, as are a lot of the other preparations for the trip to Rwanda. And to be honest, the biggest one looming in front of me right now (scarier that running 10km!) is the fund raising challenge.
There are some pretty serious funding deadlines to be met, and it takes almost all the faith that is in me to trust that because I believe God wants me on this team, He will provide the means for me to go.
I’ve put the list of fund raising deadlines
in the highlighted box at the end of this article for you to have a look at. I’d like to ask you to help me in meeting these goals by either supporting me financially, prayerfully, or both.
I am so excited about this trip. In fact, I often have a difficult time sleeping because I’m so excited! I’m grateful to have the privilege of affecting childrens’ lives in Rwanda, and I’m anticipating the effect that their lives will have upon mine.
For more info on the trip to Rwanda, check out elevate-rwanda.com
To donate online CLICK HERE. Make sure you note that your donation is to support me in the comment section at the bottom of the online form.
Setbacks & Opportunities
It’s interesting how God takes things that we see as negative and turns them into positives. For instance, it would be easy to look at all the delays with our new bus as a setback, but I think God had a different idea for this time.Being bus-less this year, our Friday night team has had the unique opportunity to take on a new role working more closely with the Community Association in Langley Meadows. On a normal Friday night we run a program called Night’s Alive, which includes gym games and a smaller room of quieter activities, but every once in a while we help out with the events that the Community Association has planned. We have set-up, run concessions, taken admission, cleaned up, and done basically whatever needs to be done, including a “science show” put on by our Lifeteams students at last weeks movie night.
One of the best things about these nights is the opportunity to get to know the families of the kids we work with. Working with pre-teens presents many challenges that are different than those involved in working with older teens, including the increased necessity for parental involvment, and these evenings have been instrumental in building trusting relationships with parents and families.
We’ve also been able to build a good reputation in the community as being involved, hard workers. In fact, at the end of the evening last week, a member of the community remarked to Danny about what a hardworking team we had.
These are all things that will be so beneficial for Youth Unlimited in Langley as we continue to work in the community, and opportunities that we may not have had if the bus had been up and running all year... but, we are still very glad that the bus is finally getting close to being on the road for Friday nights again!
Bowl Sale
We had our Bowl Sale to raise money for the Langley Food Bank on February 29th, and raised almost $300, slightly less than last year. This was probably due to the fact that, despite numerous reminders, none of the Art: After School participants came to the sale! They are the ones who really do the selling - no one can resist those little cuties when they look at you and ask, “do you want to buy a bowl I painted?”We still have some wonderful bowls left, so if you weren’t able to make it to the sale, but would like to purchase a bowl and support the Food Bank, give me a call!
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If you want to help financially with my work in Langley,
please click here.
