Have you ever thought about running the length of the country? Have you ever run 15 miles in a day? Would you even consider giving it a try? How about running 15 miles six days a week for five and a half months?
Last week several members of our church met Athena Papadopoulas, a young woman from the Tampa-St. Pete area of Florida who is running cross country to raise awareness for the need of clean drinking water in Kenya. She hopes to raise money to drill a well in Kenya that will supply clean water for years to come. Athena spent a year in Kenya. She knows the desperate need.
Athena ran through our area last Wednesday. We were privileged to provide for her housing and dinner at our church. I was fascinated with her story. Many other people were as well.
As a jogger who runs to live rather than lives to run, I was amazed that she can even consider running 15 miles everyday. Running 15 miles one day with many other lesser days is a huge drain on your body. Running 15 miles everyday is simply beyond my comprehension. What a commitment.
I thought about Athena last Thursday and prayed for her. Martha and I made the trip to Sugar Land, Texas, to visit Emily, Brad, and Reagan. As we left Louisiana and crossed into Texas, I began to see the mile markers. Interstate 10 in Texas is over 800 miles across. I believe that the thought of running across Texas would throw me into depression! Think about it, 879 miles and all Texas.
Then I began to think differently. We are all thinking about the miles run or the danger for Athena. Maybe we should be thinking the way Athena does–for the needs of people in Kenya who need clean water. Why is it that our thoughts always go to our own situation? Why do we put our “convenience” before the “needs” of the people of the world?
At this point, Athena has raised $3500. I remarked to her how that would be enough to drill a well. Wrong. It will take about $13,000. Then, her eyes lit up as she said, “it will provide clean water everyday. It will be a reoccurring blessing.” I intend to be a part of that blessing. You can see her progress in running and in raising money for clean drinking water in Kenya here. www.coast2coast4cleanwater.webs.com.
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5 Responses
Fantastic! Perhaps others will catch the vision. Making a positive difference is the reason God put us here. Think God is finished with us? Bianka, the tech who regulates the coumadin for my mom, is a young Christian lady. Her body attacked her capacity to breath. The lining of her left lung filled with fluid and she was hospitalized last month. No one knew if she would survive let alone come back to work. She came back to work last week just in time to straighten out the mess her replacement has caused. Yesterday she was in great difficulty. People are counting on Bianka. Amazing, the doctors don’t know why she is having this difficulty. Amazing, she does not have a relief who can do her job. Amazing, how fragile we are and how much one person can make a difference. Most of us go around in a bubble of ignorance, unaware of how fragile we are or how much others are depending on us to make a positive difference. Bianka was tearing up as my mother and I prayed for her and acknowledged the positive difference she was making in our lives. Thanks for sharing the ability to drink more effectively Living Water. Run Athena, Run!
It is nice to see positive young Christians making a difference. She is a wonderful example to my eleven year old daughter. I can’t wait to share her story with her.
Pastor Waylon,
Thanks for watching over Athena while she was running through. She is indeed a remarkable sister in Christ. My wife ran several miles with her over a couple of days as she ran through our area too. Very inspring young woman. Thanks for sharing her sory.
We enjoyed having her in our area. I wish that we had known and we could have had several people run with her. They would have been blessed by the experience. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Athena stopped in Slidell, LA. and our volunteer team had a chance to meet and talk with her. She also stayed over night in the women’s dorm room, sleeping on a top bunk. We think of her often and hold her in prayer. signed Mary Ann and Skip Danforth