I have been thinking for a long time that it would be a good idea to sponsor a child through either Compassion International or World Vision. I just have never taken the time to actually do it. I have been following Beth Moore's blog for a while and recently started following this blog . Beth's daughter Melissa has been blogging from India where she is on a trip with Compassion International, and Angie (the other blog) has been blogging from India, where she is on the same trip, with Melissa. I was reading both of their blogs and it was like God was saying to me "Cate, seriously, go to the website, look for a child, be a sponsor." So I did. I went to the website and I was looking at all these little girls and reading about them. They all seemed like perfect opportunities to use the resources the Lord has provided for me to help others, they all seemed like pretty normal little girls, they have chores at home, they like to play with dolls, they live in extreme poverty, but I just didn't feel compelled to click the button that said "sponsor this child." I did a search for females, with my birthday in any of the countries that Compassion International has ministries, and there was only one child that came up. Her name is Martha. Martha is 6 years old, she lives in Tanzania, with her mom and dad who sometimes are employed as farmers. She has chores around the house, like carrying water, helping in the kitchen and running errands. Here is the BEST PART, her list of favorite activities includes running, drawing, and playing ball. UM YES, I think this is a match made in heaven. I mean I am no artist but... seriously...
For those of you who don't know, for a lot of different reasons I started a massive health and fitness plan 5 and 1/2 weeks ago. I have been kickboxing, and running, and very sore some of the time, and I have completely changed my diet. It has been hard at times, but I believe that God was serious when He spoke through Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. If you aren't familiar with this passage this is what He said,
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body"
Part of my plan has been that I will run the country music marathon next April in Nashville. I have wanted to run a marathon for years. I know sometimes we as women get way carried away with negativity toward the bodies we were given. I know this and I deal with it at work on a frequent basis. There is a difference between making healthy lifestyle choices and being hyper critical, I needed to make some lifestyle choices. I needed to make some choices that would honor God by honoring the body he has given me. I have been more diligent this spring about taking my allergy and asthma meds as well. I was thinking that it would be cool to run the marathon for someone or something that I care about, I have even considered raising money for a ministry by getting people to sponsor me by the mile. I think I may have found it. And she has my same birthday, I think I can stop whining about having lousy birthdays now.
