Running Toward Hope

Running for the Children of El Salvador

I just returned from my second visit to El Salvador with an aching heart. El Salvador's beautiful land and people have been ravaged by years of war and dispossession, leaving many of them marginalized and forgotten. Running through my heart and mind has been this question and prayer, "What can I possibly do? I am just one person. Addressing this poverty seems so impossible, so hopeless. O God of the impossible, show me how to be an instrument of your hope and your possibility in this place and among these your people."

"Run" came the response. "Run toward hope for my precious children."
"Run!" I responded. "But how?"
"Run 52-miles of hope in three segments and raise the money one mile at a time, one dollar at a time."
"Impossible!" was my response. "I will be 54 this summer. I am 15 pounds overweight. I hate running. I am not disciplined when it comes to exercising and self-care. I have never run more than three miles in my life at one time and right now I can't even run one! I can't do it!"

And then came this word, "Train, Diane. Learn to keep your eye on the goal, not the enormity of the task, and then start walking and finally running toward it, one step, one half-mile, one mile, one half- marathon, one marathon at a time. Run the race that is set before you, looking at the God of the impossible, who makes all things possible, casting aside every doubt, every distraction, every weight that would prevent you from reaching your goal. Run for that joy that is set before you of bringing hope in the midst of that which seems hopeless. Build this community and their need as well as their strength and beauty into your life - become a living witness to hope by running with and for them."

And so the idea was born to run a race of 52 miles in three legs - a half marathon in California, a full marathon in Houston, and a half marathon in El Salvador. Why the full marathon in Houston? Houston is my home, and it is also home of over 99,000 Salvadoran immigrants - I will run in solidarity with them for their homeland. My hope is to accomplish in my own personal life what feels like an impossible goal as a way of embodying hope for what feels like an impossibility for the children of El Salvador. The impossible is possible if we all work and run together in hope. You can also follow my journey towards this goal at http://togtherinhope.wordpress.com.

You are invited to run with me! You can either sponsor my runs - one dollar, one mile - or you can join me in running one or more of the races and have people sponsor you - one dollar, one mile. Our goal is to raise $150,000 in one year. To reach that goal, Together in Hope will match the first $50,000 raised. An impossible goal, made possible one step, one mile, one dollar, one person, and one community at a time. For more information about contributing towards this goal, please visit our Get Involved page or click here.

Blessings,
Diane McGehee, Director
Together in Hope