Walk Across Alabama

As some of you may know, I’ve been in Iowa for a few weeks wrapping up some National Guard training. I’ve been involved in a planning and team development exercise that has been a great learning experience and somewhat fun. I guess what I realize is that I’m just not a big fan of cold weather. Never have been-most likely never will be. So, my training has been about 2 miles every other day for the past two weeks. Not exactly the 20 miles/day I need to be working toward. But, that is ok. Beginning this weekend, the training begins.

Also-this week we are also launching our sponsorships for Sonshine Kids Day Camp. This camp in Livingston (West Alabama) provides children with a safe place to learn about God, play, and have enrichment opportunities. It is a positive intervention into children’s lives. Knowing the hardships that children in poverty face make sour walk that much more critical. We walk so that we can repair homes but also so we can be play a positive role in a young child’s life. Christ’s message of love is SOOOO HUGE…and it takes all of us to continually and daily communicate it.

Would you like to walk? There is an information meeting next Thursday April 2nd 6:30 PM at Auburn UMC RM 102 in the Britt Building. It is for those in the Auburn/Opelika area interested in the walk. Are you coming with us??? Then this is the meeting you can come to. Blessings to you all and see you on the walk!

One of my first memories of ARM was a lady named “Ms. Lard”. Kinda a strange name, most likely a slave name given when she was young. Ms. Lard was 93 years old and lived in a remote area in West Alabama. We found out it was raining in her bathroom and her kitchen floor was about to cave in. Students from the Auburn Wesley Foundation came and reroofed her entire house-not just the bathroom, fixed her floor, and made sure her stove was working corrrectly. In turn, she told us stories of growing up in the deep south-how she could grow anything and how hard she had to work. I learned alot from Ms. Lard. As the students prepared to depart after a hard week of work, we circled up to pray….as we were closing…she interupted and said she had to pray for us and ask God’s blessing on the group. It was very touching and meant so much. Ms. Lard is why we are walking…to help those who are alone…to build friendships and relationships across our state. Come walk with us!

I keep trying to figure out when to train….it really starts when I get back from Iowa. The plan is on our website for how to prepare yourself for walking such a great distance over many days. I look forward to just having long walks and hopefully doing lots of thinking. There is something really peaceful about that. Plus, I’m still stoked about my mom walking across the state with me. It just doesn’t get much better than that. So, if you are coming along, get your heart and feet ready!

blessings! See you on the walk!

‘Thinking about walking across Alabama…. so who really cares? Sometimes we can be so involved with what’s on television, the latest fashion sale at Old Navy, and what actor is getting what award….the we become oblivious to what is happening around us… In our community in Lee County 40 families were seriously affected by a tornado that hit two weeks ago today. But once the newscasters quit broadcasting and a day or so goes by…it is out of site and out of mind. It’s not that we don’t care, we just don’t see. Some of these families still are not in their homes and it will take months to get them back settled. It is the government’s job or the church’s job? Maybe it’s all of ours. So….all that to say that we at ARM are trying to see and then help people get in connection so that they can be a help-a real and tangible expression of Christ’s love. I pray we can look beyond the frivilous things that grab and hold our attention and enter into the experience of others-their joy and pain and truly express Christ. Those Christians…should be labled as a people who go out of their way to care. I pray we can…and this is why we are walking!

See you on the walk!