It’s been a busy couple of weeks flying to Phoenix to speak at Norma Washington Motivational Ministries’ conference, speaking at UHSE 2010 on Filled and Focused, and getting ready for the holidays.
This week I also interviewed African missionary Alma Jones at TalkShoe. Alma got cut off twice at the beginning of the interview, which was frustrating (gotta’ love technology!), but after that it went well and you will love her! She is a hoot and has much wisdom to offer.
Alma has an incredible story of how God called her to go to Africa when she was 17 years old – and she finally went to Uganda, Africa at 73 years old! She has been there for 7 years, teaching the Bible to Ugandan pastors and other people, is in the states right now, and returns December 31 this year.
You can hear this exciting story here, as well as my interview with our daughter Heather Denney doing a missions trip to Nashville this past summer.
Do you have a dream in your heart, something you want to do for God? Do you feel like it’s never going to happen? Don’t give up on your dream. God is able. For nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1: 37)
Do you have a goal you really want to accomplish, a dream in your heart? You can do it! At the beginning of this year, our oldest daughter Heather was determined to lose weight and to run a 5K race. Today she did it!
Using the book, The Belly Fat Cure (a diet which eliminates white sugar and reduces carbs) and joining and teaching a zumba aerobics class, she has lost weight in 9 months, going from a size 14 to now a size 8! And today she ran her first 5K run! I am SO proud of her!
The 5K run/walk today was at the Kansas City Royals stadium and raised awareness for autism. About 1400 people participated: little 5-year-old kids, teens, men, women, senior citizens, handicapped, all backgrounds and races. The enthusiasm was contagious. I was touched by how many people came out so early in the morning for this cause. There are many runs and walks each month for great causes that you can be a part of, either through running, walking, volunteering, or giving financial support.
The runners were supported all the way to the finish line, which was inside the stadium at third base. Yes, I “mom” was there, cheering Heather on to the finish line, shouting, “Go, Heather!” 🙂 A team of friends from her church was there, running too.
At one point during the run, Heather wanted to quit. She thought that she was almost to the end of the race, and then realized coming around a bend that she still had a ways to go. But she pushed herself, and ran the entire race, not stopping once. She even beat her own fastest time in training by 4 minutes!
Heather had a big smile on her face after the run from her accomplishment. It hasn’t been easy this year for her to get to this point, but hurray, she did it!
It’s on my bucket list to do a 5K run WITH Heather before the end of this year! I pray I can do it, losing weight too, with God’s help and my family’s support and encouragement. I need prayers for consistency and self-discipline, so please pray for me!
After the run as Heather and I got into the car to go home, we both had a great laugh over a postcard advertisement placed on her car window, which had a picture of a pig on it and the words, “Run your pork butt off!” It is the Royal Rib 5K Run on October 2, at the American Royal. I have put it on my fridge for humorous motivation!
What goal have you set that you want to do this year?
What’s your stopping point? What obstacles are hindering you from reaching your goals and dreams in your heart? Remember, you can do it with God’s help and determination!
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2, NKJV)
Our oldest daughter Heather is about to do a missions trip at the end of this month in Nashville, TN.
From Eagle Creek Church’s website:
In May of 2010, middle and western Tennessee experienced the worst flooding in it’s history. There were 33 people who were killed in Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee due to the flooding, and nearly $2 Billion in damage was done. It was Tennessee’s worst disaster since the civil war. The national average for media coverage during this disaster was 15 minutes, so people outside of the affected areas have little idea as to the scope of this disaster.
From January to May of 2010, Nashville had 18 inches of rains in a 36 hour period. Beginning May 1, they received 18.4 inches. Many people lost everything and few had insurance to cover the loss. In what’s being called the “Katrina of the Midwest,” the disaster will take months and even years to clean up before life returns to “normal” for many of the people there who have been devastated by this disaster.
Eagle Creek Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, is partnering with Anchor Christian Fellowship Response to reach out in support of and minister to people affected by the flood. There are two ways that Anchor Response works with flood victims:
1. Takes teams into houses that have flood damage and works at ripping out all affected materials (drywall, carpet, etc). These teams are strictly demo and don’t do any construction, so there isn’t a need for volunteers to have construction experience.
2. Anchor Response has a warehouse that collects and distributes goods to families that have need. The warehouse literally distributes everything from toys to toothbrushes. Workers help organize and distribute goods that are donated.
From Beth: Please keep our daughter Heather in prayer as she leaves July 29-31 with a team from her church, Eagle Creek Church, to help in Nashville. I will be helping to babysit her two girls, Annabelle and Violet – and praying a lot! There will likely be mold and mildew in these houses, so please pray protection over the health of Heather and the team (they will be wearing masks, gloves, and heavy work boots as they are ripping out materials of drywall, carpet, etc.), as well as for traveling mercies .
Thank you so much for your prayers. Below is a brief video that was on Eagle Creek’s site to give you an idea of some of the damage in Nashville.
