I Dreamed of Running a Marathon in Kenya

In the beginning this return trip to Kenya to visit my friends at Maisha and run a marathon with legendary Kenyan runners wasn’t even a prayer. Just a dream or desire planted deep within the “unreachable goals” and guarded part of my soul.

 

Certainly NOT something I would consider praying to God about. I must have forgotten that God knows the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord. And he shall give you the desires of your heart). But as these seedlings of my dreams began to grow, they did turn into prayers. And the way in which these prayers were answered were way bigger and more powerful than I could have possibly imagined.

God used them not only to fulfill me but also for enriching the lives of others. Yes, in the end I did run in Africa. But that ended up only being a small cherry on top of the icing on top of this lovely, multilayered cake. God used my dream to forge incredible friendships between women and their daughters as well as our Kenyan friends. We witnessed the gift of true faith among those who have less, but trust with so much more. We discovered bits of our true selves along this journey, about how we can all be leaders as well as how we all need and depend on each other…And how ultimately we have to just leave the end results to God and praise Him along the way.

We experienced a real test of endurance, on the racecourse and throughout our week at Maisha. (Philippians 4: 13-14 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Blessed are those who share in my burden.)  We witnessed strengths and powers and gifts God has bestowed upon us all and how we can use them for his Glory. We were reminded of how every single person IS made in Gods image and is special…everyone matters. Miracles, unbelievable coincidences, incredible connections and realizations of the kind only God can orchestrate were folded and tucked into this silly little dream of running of mine, which by the way…also became the dream of others.

Being humbled… at the time when you would least expect is an experience I am so thankful for. Witnessing not only the completion of a goal but the process along the way for my American and Kenyan friends during this journey has been an event so far beyond my dreams and showed me so much more than what I ever expected. My “seeds” of desire seemed to have grown into their first bloom but I know that this plant is still yet young!

When you experience and see something special and extraordinary you naturally want to share it. Watching my friends discover the beauty of Africa and especially Maisha fulfills my heart. Personally, reconnecting and deepening my relationships I began in 2012, being with my daughter and watching her realize, develop and use her incredible gifts and talents,  shrugging off the ‘world’ and focusing on serving others and realizing an unbelievably difficult and seemingly impossible dream of finishing a marathon amidst elite Kenyan runners with the landscape of Africa beneath my feet and lastly, inspiring “possibility” to those that live in an impossible world and helping some young and special people catch a glimpse into another world are some of the fruits of this tree that was Maisha 2014.

Great praise and thanks to God for seeing into my heart and using my dream for so much more. Great praise and thanks to the women, daughters and people of Maisha and Kenya for being inspiration and a part of our adventure!

Maisha Project
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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101
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82% of Maisha Project's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit vulnerable children and communities around Kisumu, Kenya.

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