Race Update + THANK YOU!! + New Challenge

The running world has been busy here lately. For me, that has meant a LOT of early mornings. Not my strong suit. I have been waking up during the 4 o'clock hour several days a week to get longer runs in before the Alabama sun gets hot enough to scorch me. And I will tell you that it has been tough. I mentioned in a previous post that I am NOT a morning person. Yet while this has been difficult, it has also been really good for me. Last Saturday I woke up at 4 to run 18 miles. 

You read that right.

And I did it! No one was more surprised than I was. Trust me. I can't believe it happened. But I have tried to stay committed to my training schedule, and I guess it starting to pay off! Yay! 

One more super long run to go. TWENTY miles on September 22. Yikes! 

Along with that major milestone, we achieved something else last week. Notice I say WE and not ME. Because of the generosity of so many, I received this email...

Thanks to so many of you, I received this email last week! I have to thank you all so much for your incredible support as I have worked through this marathon training. So much time and effort have been put into physical training and fundraising so far, and I am humbled to know that so many of you have been right by my side every step of the way. Because of your generosity, we have raise enough money to provide clean drinking water for twenty six people FOR LIFE. Let that sink in. Twenty six people who will have water to drink, who won't have to worry about parasites or preventable diseases caused by unclean water. And YOU are a part of that!

THANK YOU!

I absolutely could not have done this without you. When all of this started, I was SO nervous to ask for support, because our friends and family (and even strangers!) have done so much for us over the last almost year and a half with our adoption, and I hated to ask for anything else. But you all have shown the depths of your generosity, and I am humbly grateful.

We are still about a month away from race day, and I want to continue fundraising efforts to bring clean water to as many people as possible on the African continent.

So I have set a new goal.

A hallelujah goal!

Do you think we can get to $2,000 by October 13?

That would be clean water for FORTY PEOPLE.

I hope and pray that we can get there.

If you have not donated, will you consider it?

If you have donated, will you send this on to someone you know?

We can't go on living in a world where millions of people are denied access to what we consider basic human rights. God's Word commands us to act and to bring freedom to those who are oppressed. That is what we are doing by providing clean water. We cannot save the world, but we can work to change it!

Please click HERE to be taken to my fundraising page to make a donation.

This passage is take from Isaiah 61. The prophet is talking about the coming Messiah and what He will do for mankind. We are called to follow in His likeness. It is a tall order, but it is what we strive for.

"The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, 

because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted
and to proclaim freedom for the captives 

and release from darkness for the prisoners, 

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor 

and the day of vengeance of our God, 

to comfort all who mourn and 

to provide for all who grieve in Zion--

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning, 

a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, 

a planting of the Lord, a display of His splendor." 

Isaiah 61:1-3

Love,
Baylor