God Stories: 4theVoiceless at One Year

I can hardly believe it, but this month the 4theVoiceless blog hits the one-year mark.  In a year, I have gone from writing once a week to twice a week and occasionally a little more.  I have written about adoption, foster care, children's homes in the U.S. and other countries, the value of the family, and many other topics -- almost a hundred posts in all.  I have had the privilege of hearing some pretty amazing God stories and passing them on to you.  The challenge to begin writing was daunting, but there are so many stories to tell and so many who need to be awakened to this world's orphan crisis.

A few of you have been with the blog from the beginning, and others have just begun to read this week.  I am grateful for you all.  Last month, we had over 1,100 page views, a new record that may be broken this month, if the start of the month is any indication.  We have also gone over 8,600 page views in a little less than a year.  Awareness continues to be one of the major challenges of the call to care for the voiceless, so thank you for your continued readership. 

Take a look back at the most popular posts month-by-month over the last year, according to you, the readers.  If you have recently found the 4theVoiceless blog, I invite you to read through posts that seem to define the last year on the blog and for the ministry.  If you have been around for a while, I invite you to click on the links and reminisce as I did while preparing this compilation.

May 2012:  "My Taco Bell Moment"

 

June 2012: "So Check My Man Card Already"

July 2012: "Our Missions Pastor Is an Enzyme (Now I Am, Too)"

August 2012: "Hope for Haiti: You Move, God Moves" 

 

September 2012: "My Lowest Point As a Pastor"

October 2012: "Do You Have a Personal Mission Statement?"

 

November 2012: "Haiti Mission Trip, Day 3: Build Us Back With Precious Stones"

December 2012: "4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12 (#1-4)"

 

January 2013: "And Suddenly . . . Orphan Run MS"

February 2013: "Stuck on a Cruise Ship: First and Third World Problems"

March 2013: "Ain't Nobody Got Time for That"

April 2013: "Coach Hammond: Man of Many Hats (and One Very Special One"

"Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of those who have been dispossessed."  (Proverbs 31:8, HCSB)

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Orphan Run Mississippi: The Essentials

The purpose of the Orphan Run Mississippi 5K race is to build houses for orphans in Mabaale, Uganda.  Each runner's bib will have the name of one of orphans on whose behalf he/she will be running.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

2 DAYS AWAY!!!

Predicted Weather at Race Time:
46 degrees and sunny
(After running the course on Tuesday in heat and humidity, I much prefer a little chilly!)

Packet pickup and registration begins at 7:00.  You can still sign up before the race here.

Runners who registered online by the deadline will be guaranteed a race T-shirt.  If you signed up late or are going to register on the day of the race, come early to get a shirt; supplies are limited! 

5K Race begins at 8:00.

1 Mile Run begins at 8:30.

Run begins and ends at Longview Point Baptist Church, 1100 McIngvale Road (corner of McIngvale and Byhalia) in Hernando, Mississippi.

Want more?

Watch the Orphan Run MS video

Read 4theVoiceless posts "And Suddenly...Orphan Run MS" , "Prepping to Run for Orphans", and "Orphan Run Mississippi: A Personal Best, Half a House, and You"

Click here for The Latest Updates

Come See Us

4theVoiceless is one of the race sponsors and will have a table set up at the race.  We will have special race-day pricing on our Flavors of Forever Families adoption cookbooks (to assist families through the adoption process):
     1 book - $10
     2 books - $17
     3 books - $20
     ($5 for each additional book)

All of our paracord bracelets and paper bead jewelry will also be greatly reduced for the Orphan Run.  Proceeds from these sales will benefit the construction of the House of Abraham children's home in Jacmel, Haiti.


I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the race on Saturday.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Orphan Run Mississippi: A Personal Best, Half a House, and YOU

Received my staff  T-Shirt for the Orphan Run MS 5K this week -- must be close to race day!

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K (and 1-mile fun run): 11 DAYS AWAY!!!

My goal for the Orphan Run Mississippi, from a running standpoint, is something better than 26:58, my personal best 5K time.  In light of that goal, I had been running at least twice a week, building up my stamina until I could push hard toward my goal.  

 

A sinus infection, a week in Haiti, and a week catching up on work and rest after the trip began to look strangely like 3 weeks without a run.  So last Friday, I decided it was past time to run to Orphan Run MS 5K course, a new course for Hernando, for the first time.  Though there were a couple of difficult spots on the course, I was only 32 seconds away from a personal-best time.  (As I should have expected, my body let me know over the next few days that it did not in the least appreciate the hiatus from nor the sudden re-entry into the running world.)

But more importantly . . .

 

From a much more important standpoint, I asked race director EmilyFaith Abbott for an update on the progress of the race preparation from a participation and funding standpoint.  Here are the current numbers:

The "why" behind the "what"

    

Race Participants

Closing in on 200 runners.  I have talked to several people who have great intentions of participating in the run . . . if it's not too late.  It's not too late!  Click on the race flyer below to sign up.

Funds Raised

Just over $12,000 so far.  The cost of a new children's home in Uganda costs about $25,000.  Who builds half a house?  Please use you influence to get others involved, and together let's get at least one home for orphaned children built!

Biggest Need

Participants!!!  More runners, more volunteers, more people to get the word out about the run over the next 10 days.  4theVoiceless will be handling runner registration and packet distribution; we will also have a table where we will sell cookbooks and jewelry to raise funds for our orphan care projects.  You can sign up to volunteer with us here.

More On Orphan Run Mississippi

Previous blog posts about the run:
And Suddenly . . . Orphan Run MS
Prepping to Run for Orphans

Orphan Run MS on Facebook
Orphan Run MS on Twitter

Uganda Facts

Population: 23,000,000

Life expectancy:  42 years (1 in 12 Ugandans is an orphan)

Income:  44% make less than 60,000 shillings ($34.00) per month

Geography:  Landlocked nation of 91,000 square miles (about the size of lower Michigan)

Neighbors:

North - Sudan

East - Kenya

South - Tanzania, Rwanda

West - Congo

Language:  English is the official language with a significant number of native Swahili dialects spoken

Religion:  Protestants 33%, Roman Catholic 33%, Indigenous 19%, Muslim 15%

 

Click above to sign up for the run, to make a donation, and/or to pass on the information to a friend.

Thanks for reading.  See you on race day . . .

4theVoiceless,
Al

 

Last-Minute Updates Before Haiti

4theVoiceless in Haiti

One more day before our team leaves for Haiti.  We packed the crates at CHC Southaven Wednesday night.  I'm sure everyone else on the team, like me, will be trying to remember last-minute items that we don't want to forget.  Just a couple of items here on the blog before we leave:

As I did on the last Haiti trip in 2012, I will be journaling while we are there and putting those thoughts on the blog when we return.  For brief updates while we are in Haiti, you can follow me on Twitter (@alainsworth).  That's about the extent of access to the internet that I expect while we are there.

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K & Fun Run

Also, I wanted to encourage you to sign up for the Orphan Run MS 5K (or fun run) if you have not already done so.  My family is all signed up and ready to go (well, at least all signed up!).  Sign up in the next week to assure yourself a T-shirt.  (That's not so that you can have another T-shirt but more that you can help raise awareness to the needs of orphans in Uganda and elsewhere!)

Better yet, if you are in a position to sponsor the race (your business, your church, or your family), please contact race director EmilyFaith Abbott for more information.

Please pray for our team.  I look forward to updating you when we return.

The blog has gone over 6,000 page views since coming online in May of 2012!  As always, thanks for reading. 

4theVoiceless,
Al

Prepping to Run for Orphans

EmilyFaith speaking to Southaven Middle School FCS

I introduced you to Orphan Run Mississippi a couple of weeks ago.  This 5K run/1-mile fun run will take place on April 20 at Longview Pointe Baptist Church in Hernando and will assist in the building of homes and a hospital for orphans in Uganda.  A similar run in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year netted over $150,000 and resulted in six new homes for orphans who, for the most part, were sleeping in the bush during all types of weather.

EmilyFaith Abbott, the race director of Orphan Run MS, has spoken to numerous groups in the last few weeks.  She has stood before church Disciple Now events, school clubs, and more than 30 local businesses.  I joined her as she spoke to students at Southaven Middle School this morning.  

And she turned 15 earlier this week...happy birthday, EmilyFaith!

Make plans to be a part of this run.  You can sign up here for as little as $11.24.  Several people that I know are making this a family event; what a great way to expose your kids (and perhaps yourself) to a world and a way of life they may not even realize exists...and have a great time in the process!  Early sign-ups are very beneficial in paying some of the up front expenses of the race.

One of the cool aspects of Orphan Run MS is that a bus is coming from Tulsa (EmilyFaith's hometown and home to the first Orphan Run) to bring some Oklahomans to run with us.  Mid-Southerners, let's greet them en masse with our running community and run together for a great cause!

Keep up with Orphan Run MS via Twitter, Facebook, and through their web site.

Thanks for reading and getting involved in moving toward the voiceless -- Proverbs 31:8, James 1:27.

4theVoiceless,
Al

And Suddenly...Orphan Run MS

With just a simple Facebook message, bam!  This Wednesday morning, I saw a notification of message from my niece, a freshman at the University of Arkansas.  Through some connections at her church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, she had seen a video about a 5K run in Hernando, Mississippi (where I live), to take place in April to benefit orphans in Uganda.

I clicked on the Orphan Run MS video link and realized, "Hey, I know these people!"  Well, at least I had met the race director's parents, and they had visited our small group.  Did I mention that the race director is 14 years old and new to the Mid-South?

A couple of emails later, and EmilyFaith and her mom, Jennifer, were sitting in a 4theVoiceless planning meeting that very night.  It was a call to action for 4theVoiceless through way too many "coincidences."

You will have the opportunity to read EmilyFaith's story here and in the newspaper in the days to come, but I wanted all my readers to have a head start on what is sure to be THE event to attend in Hernando, Mississippi, on April 20, 2013.

If you have a group of people (school clubs, small groups, business associates, etc.) whom you would like to get together to hear EmilyFaith's story firsthand and get involved with Orphan Run MS, contact me at al.ainsworth@mychc.tv, and I will do my best to make that happen.

Here are some links to get you started on being a part of Orphan Run MS:

The YouTube video that started this whole process.

Orphan Run MS on Facebook.  Go "like" their page!

Orphan Run MS on Twitter.  @OrphanRunMS

Sign up for the race itself!  Sign up early as the funds generated from race sign-ups will provide operating expenses for all the other really cool things that will be associated with this run.  Sign up to run the 5K or the one-mile fun run.  Or (and this is a term I learned Wednesday night), you could be a "virtual runner," one who signs up and pays for the run but doesn't actually run the race.  I am somewhat of a runner, but "virtual running" sounds much easier.  In fact, my friend Jeff ran a marathon in one minute before bed last night; what a beast!

In Other 4tV News:

CAFO Membership

We received notification this week that Colonial Hills Church has been accepted into membership of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.  CAFO is an umbrella organization for many churches and para-church organizations doing great work for the world's orphans, and I am pleased to be "officially" associated with them. I serve as an area coordinator for Orphan Sunday (sponsored by CAFO), so if your church has never recognized Orphan Sunday (first Sunday in November) and would like to do so this year, please let me know.  I have found the resources offered on the CAFO site to be plentiful and helpful.

PATH Training at CHC

Interested in fostering or adoption through the foster care system?  Harden House is providing the training that you need on January 26 and February 2 at CHC.  Email Lauren Johnson or Heather Wright (who will actually be leading the training) for more information or to let her know you are coming.

Countdown to Haiti Mission Trip: 56 Days!

 

Thanks for reading.  Your feedback is always welcome!

4theVoiceless,
Al