Get your running shoes on......

Hello my friends! Wow! What a difference a few days can make! The last I wrote I was in the midst of a flu epidemic at my house and had just heard some very sad news (which I will share in my next post, I promise). What a downer that day was :/ Thank you for your prayers, as we are seeing healthier kids and mamas here at home and have a renewed joy and excitement about our adoption journey (BIG changes which I will share in my next post....I promise :) ).

But, on to the point of this super exciting post........

Back in the fall when we were discussing different ways we could raise the money to bring this child home, we briefly discussed the idea of having a small race (well, actually I said small, Mitch said triathlon....cause he's crazy). We discussed this idea with some of our precious friends who also had adoption on their hearts at the time. We decided it was a great idea!!....and then kind of let it go.

Fast forward to December. I began thinking about it again and all of a sudden this light went off. Why just stop at one race? Why not let God start something BIG?  Sure, we can put God in a box and raise a little money for our own adoption. OR we could let God do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20) and begin something that could affect many families, not just our own. 

What if we made this race an annual race and each year a different family/families benefit from it? 

How many orphans could we help bring home? 

And so....One Less 5K/3K was born....

(thank you to my sweet talented friend, Misty for creating our logo!)

Through some late night pizza, to-do lists, research, timelines, and laughter, this little race became a BIG dream for us and our sweet friends, the Petersons (who by the way are beginning their process of adopting a child Internationally as well!! Follow their journey on the link above!). 

So, here are the details...

When is the race?         May 14, 2011 (yep...that soon! Mark your calendars!)

Where is the race?        Joshua Springs Park and Preserve (for those Boerne/San Antonio folk it is a new park across from the Waring/Welfare exit, just past PoPo's. )It is a Kendall County Park and is still under development and closed to the public. BUT we are able to have our race there, and let me tell you....it is going to be beautiful in May! I can't wait!!

What kind of race is it?      We have a rather challenging 5K course and for those of you that enjoy running and competition, it is sure to be a good run! 

 Don't love running and/or competition?? Then the 3K is for YOU!! It is a run/walk (whatever you choose!) and a KIDS RUN (ages 6 and up can compete in the kids run). Want to walk as a family with a stroller? DO IT! Want to compete against your friends in speed-walking and laugh the whole time? DO IT! The 3K is sure to be loads of fun!

How do I register?     We have registered our race with Active.com to help us with the logistics of it all. This site takes the registration info, and then prints out rosters, etc for us for the actual race. This is the link to our actual race, so GO REGISTER!!!....

ONE LESS 5K/3K     

How can I help?         Wow, where do I begin......We have many ways you can help! 

---We are going to be relying mostly on sponsorships and donations to make this thing a reality. We are in the process of partnering with a non-profit organization so donations will be tax-deductible. We have written a sponsorship letter and have included a sponsorship/donation form to give to local businesses that might want to help fund this race. So, basically what I am asking is (as uncomfortable and against my nature as it is) we need some sweet precious souls who would be willing to commit to contacting 3 or 4 businesses they might have some sort of connection with, and asking them if they would be willing to sponsor this event (gulp. I don't know why, but that seems so intimidating to me..) 

As part of their sponsorship, their names/logo would go on the back of the event t-shirt as well as the ability for them to put their own signage up at the race. If you are interested in being one of these precious angel souls, please contact me via email (katiefickey@yahoo.com) and let me know, and I can give you the sponsor letters/forms.

---We also need volunteers for the actual race day. We need people willing to give up a Saturday morning (yes, I know it will be baseball season) to hand cups of water to runners, hand out race packets, stand along the trails and direct people, direct parking, and the list goes on and on. If you are interested in this, please let me know and I will give you a job!!! (Oh, and you get a volunteer tshirt as well! Totally worth it then, right? :) )

---Pray for us and the event. This is crunch time. Most races are organized at least 6 months ahead, and we are far from that. We have most of the details ironed out, but the actual logistics of it could be a nightmare, and I want it to be a joy. Pray that God moves in the hearts of the local people to give generously. Pray for our community to be reached for the sake of the orphans of this world. We feel like this could be something big if we trust in God to do the stirring. I would love to be able to look back in 15 years and see all the different families this race and this community helped bring home. Maybe even your child???? Don't shake your head! It could happen to you!! One year ago I would have shaken (shook??) my head too. :)

Ok, so I have lots more exciting news to post. (Like BIG. EXCITING. NEWS.) But it will have to wait for another day :)

Please consider what your role in this (I hesitate to say "movement" because it sounds so presumptuous, but God willing, it will be!) thing is. I am excited to see how God is going to move! Come be a part of it!!