Hello everyone,
 
I'm running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this Sunday, October 11th!  My entire goal is to raise money for Team World Vision.  From May to October, I have been training with a group of approximately 25 other people from southwest MO.  We have ran well over 300 miles to prepare physically - it has been a difficult but rewarding journey.  So far, my team has raised over $9,600 and have 11 children sponsored.
 
After 6 months of training, I can't believe I'm at the climax.  In just a few days, I will be running 26.2 miles amongst millions of people on the streets of Chicago - that thought blows my mind!  I can't help but think back to why I pursued this goal in the first place - I would not have signed up so quickly if I had not met some of my fellow teammates and heard about the cause of World Vision.  In one email, it's hard to summarize what it's all about.  Basically, it has made me more aware of life outside of my suburban - American lifestyle.  It's easy to forget the rest of the world.  But let me inform you that (at least) 20,000 children die each day from hunger, disease, and a lack of clean water.  That's one child every 5 seconds.  We are in a recession, but we cannot forget about those less fortunate. 
 
Believe it or not, during my training, I did not always want to get up at 5:00 am on Saturday morning to run, and I experienced tremendous pain during my 18 mile run, and there were times when I wanted to quit - the 20th mile of my 21 mile run.  .  . but I would choose to think about the cause I'm running for and the commitment I have towards this cause.  

Please consider donating and help my team and I raise money to sponsor children and dig wells for clean water in Africa and please keep me in your prayers at 7:00am on October 11th! 
 

Thank you and God bless,

Rachel

 

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to Team World Vision by Firstgiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation.