Its official!

I'm all set up to run my 2nd full Marathon in October! October 27th to be exact. :) It's the 38th annual Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. I am of course anxious about running another full, but this one will be totally different from the first because this time I am running for something/someone bigger than myself.

I have teamed up with the Non-Profit organization 25:40 to raise money while I train for the race. This charity is actually a ministry based on the Scripture Matthew 25:40 “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” It is run in South Africa, in the poverty stricken Eastern Cape, whose mission is help children survive the devastating disease of AID/HIV and poverty. When I decided to run the Marathon through a charity group I deliberated very carefully over the available groups to team up with. When I came across 25:40 it didn't take long before I chose them whole heartedly. You see, in 2004 I had the opportunity to visit South Africa on a Missions trip. I got an up close look at the poverty these children are living in. I held the children infected with HIV, I played with them and talked to them. I visited their homes in the squatter camps. These memories will be forever etched in my mind - South Africa will always have a special place in my heart. 

In order to run with 25:40 I have to raise $600. The money I raise will go specifically towards a young, 11 year old girl named Sikelele. Sikelele, whose name means "bless" is in 2nd grade and lives at home with her mother and younger sister. She has cerebral palsy and used to be ridiculed at the government run school because of her delayed speech and different gait. Thanks to 25:40 she now receives speech therapy regularly along with emotional and spiritual counseling and she is thriving in 24:50's after school care. I'm hoping the money I raise for her will continue to give her hope and a brighter future.

I am so excited to be able to use my passion for running to make a difference in someone else's life. I will not just be running for my own enjoyment but every step I take on October 27th will be in support of 25:40 and Sikelele. Hopefully it will provide motivation up and over the hills!