Simple Beauty

            Snow.  Snow flakes.  Skiing.  Sledding.  Snowball fights.  Igloos.  Eskimos.  These are all the things that come to mind when I think of snow.  I never thought when I saw real snow I would think “aha!” running.  

            This past week it snowed here in Arkansas and it was beautiful. It wasn’t the beauty you see when you go skiing.  It was the beauty you see when you tell an awesomely funny joke and all your friends laugh.  It was that simple beauty.

            I ran in that simple beauty.   I had my breath taken away by that simple beauty.   I had that overwhelming feeling that without a doubt God was there, and looking down at the same simple beauty I was looking at.

            But the thing is I see that simple beauty all the time.  I see it in the sunsets.  I see it in the millions of stars.  I see that simple beauty God created to take our breath away all the time.   You do too. 

            I just know that when I go to Nicaragua I am going to see so much more simple beauty that God has put right in front of my face so that I could not miss it.  And I don’t think I could even describe to you how absolutely excited I am!

            God gives us simple beauty to remind us that he is still there and that he will always be there!  He won’t ever stop loving us or ever forget that we are there!

            Which reminds me I did forget to say a few things when I explained this whole process.  You will make your checks out to University Christian Church with a memo of Nicaragua.   Also currently we are working on making this a Non-Profit Organization.  To give you benefits and to make it LEGIT!

            Thank you so much for all of your support! 

Love,

Katie

           

           

Running for Change

I was at church camp two summers ago and we had a woman named Laurie talk to us.  She had gone on several mission trips; the one she was telling us about was to Managua, Nicaragua. 

Laurie was telling us about how children, parents, babies, human beings were living on the city-dumping site of Managua.  These people were eating, wearing, and making their houses out of the things they found on the dump. 

Laurie then told us about an organization called Out of the Dump (www.outofthedump.org).  This organization works on getting these families out of the dump by providing an opportunity to start over or just start up.

But it’s not easy.  The families commit to 7 years, in those 7 years, they build their own house, the parents take parenting classes, pick a profession, and the kids have to stay in school and attend longer school days.

She told us a specific story about how this little boy offered up his little house, which was everything he had, to two women he had just met.  Little kids who are so thankful for everything they have and are willing to give everything up to people they just met. 

Ever since I heard about this place I have not gone a day without thinking about it and just wanting to help them. 

So I started planning a mission trip, with the help of the outreach minister at my home church.  We have now booked this mission trip, and are set to go to Managua, Nicaragua July 26-August 2 this summer!!!

Now comes the hard part, paying for it.

I’ve set a goal to run 600 miles between now and the day we leave and hope that you will make your contributions based on that.

If you feel called to donate, please email me at runningtothewell@yahoo.com.  In the email please let me know how much you can donate.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

The first donation will be taken up after I run the Rock and Roll Marathon in Nashville on April 30, 2011.  By that time we will have a P.O. Box set up that’ll make it easier and more convenient for you to make your donation.

Please consider this opportunity with an open heart and know that I’ll provide regular updates to keep you posted on how many miles I’ve run and where they are taking me.

I am running for change…literally. 

Love,

Katie 

Something BIG.

    God puts things on our hearts that we sometimes don't fully realize until the time has come for us to just throw ourselves out there and do what he has for us.  God made big plans for us that he is constantly revealing to us that we should embrace.  God's plans are so much better than the plans that we have for ourselves!  
   God's plans for me are slowly being revealed and while the plans that I would like to say are completely bulletproof and quite possibly the best plans I've ever thought of, I am constantly being proven wrong and shot down by God.  God knows me better than I know myself, better than my best friends know me, better than my dog knows me.  HE KNOWS ME! He knows what I like and what I don't like.  He puts the passions that I have right in front of me where I cannot just turn them down.  
   This particular plan that God has placed on my heart involves two passions that I have.  Helping others and running.  
   While I may not completely enjoy running at the time it is taking place, I do cherish the time that I get to spend alone, praying, and just talking to God.  When you're in college there are rare opportunities that you are able to just be by yourself and process everything that has happened.  Running is that outlet for me.  While I do not run fast or even gracefully, I do finish the run.  I do not want you to think that I am some professional marathon runner, because I am not.  I ran my first marathon this past year on February 27, 2010, my time was 5:30, and my dad had to literally force me to finish the race.  However with all of this said I decided I would run another marathon but this time I would set a legitimate goal for myself that would involve some rigorous training. Why you may ask.  And to be completely honest with you I have no clue other than God gave me this idea and, well, you can't ignore God.
   You are also probably wondering why on earth I created a blog about this because how could people possibly want to hear about me and running.  Well to answer your question I created this blog to get the word out about what I am trying to do.  
   I love going on mission trips and helping people and giving them everything I have and leaving with nothing left.  Running is the same way.  So why not combine the two passions.  Why not run for a mission? Why not run to raise money for a well to be built in Africa where they don't have sanitary water? Why not run to raise money to help little kids have a new home instead of living off the city dumping site of Managua, Nicaragua? Why not run to hopefully someday fund a race for children in the hospital that may not ever get a chance to run a race of their own? Why not run to raise money to go play with kids who are living in an orphanage in Haiti, the Philippines, or India? Why not? 
   Well to answer that all powerful "why not?" question is simply that I will.  I will run to raise money for a well to be built.  I will run to raise money for the kids in Managua, Nicaragua.  I will run to raise money for the kids in hospitals.  And I will run to raise money so that I can hopefully one day go do what I do best, play, play with little kids who are living in an orphanage.  
   God's plans for me a BIG, bigger than I could have ever imagined.  And they are constantly growing and becoming more exciting.  
   I can't do this by myself though.  But with your help these big plans that are waiting for me, could soon turn into actions.  And this is what I would like, I would like for all of you who have prayed and felt that God has called you to help me...well that you would help me.  I would like you to commit to giving 1 penny or 5 cents or however much you feel as though you should give, that you would give that specific amount for every mile I train and every mile I race.  I have not exactly figured out how you would do that, I have figured it out that you would send in your money at the end of every month.  I would have a separate account for all of the money, that I would only access to fund things like the things I have mentioned above and whatever other things God puts on my heart that would be beneficial to others. 
   I know that everything I just said may be a little confusing, so in a shorter version, I would like you who feel called to donate a specific amount for every mile I run, whether I am training or in a race.  The money that you donate would go towards funding different mission trips that I will go on, wells that will be built in Africa, runs for kids in need, and other wonderful things of that sort.
   Some of you may be reading this and thinking this is some poor college girl who is just looking for a new way to fund the newest pair of shoes she wants.  Well I sincerely hope that if you truly think that, that maybe someday you would change your mind.  I don't care about money for myself or buying the latest and greatest pair of shoes at all.  For those of you who know me and who are reading this, you know that I never dress up unless my mother tells me I should.  All I want to do is give others what they don't have and show them the wonderful love that God is constantly showing me.  
   I will be updating as soon as I figure out how you can send in your donations if you feel you are called to.  I will also be updating the amount of miles I run at the end of every week, but maybe also some other times here and there.  
   I pray that you would just seek the Lords counsel before you do anything.  


Love,
Katie Puckett