I Had This Crazy Idea….

All my best (and worst) plans have started with these four little words. Crazy ideas, like,

• working in youth ministry
• living in a car for a radio contest
• running half marathons
• thinking a super sized bag of Quinoa (mm, organic! My kids will definitely eat it) was a good purchase
• starting home-organization projects
• pregnant (not at the same time as the 1/2 marathon)
• going to seminary
• completing the Five Day Challenge and raising $1000 bucks with you faithful readers (Read about Countdown to the Five Day Challenge! and Reflections on a Challenge)
  and now…

• walk/running 45 miles next Saturday?!?!?!

It all started with my heart breaking. My new friend Jenni wrote a post about Mercy Ministries and I was done. Crying. Inspired. Changed.

There was always at least one girl–maybe two–that I would see each year as a counselor that I knew was hopeless, helpless, and my puny forty-five minute appointment every week was just a drop in a parched and empty soul. I wanted to take these girls home with me, wrap my arms around them and try to close out the world, create a little space of safety where they could grow, heal, process….

But of course, I would just hug them at the end of our session a little too tightly, look into their eyes and hope they would hold on for one more week.

Too hurt for one hour with a counselor to make a difference. Too “healthy” to need a hospital or a halfway house. And most of their families, even if the option was presented, couldn’t afford to send them anywhere for long.

And so then I read about Mercy Ministries.

About their 5 beautiful homes across our country.

About how they are adamant about preaching Christ and remaining free of charge.

About the girls who come in broken–from eating disorders, sexual abuse, trafficking, unplanned pregnancy–and leave healed, hopeful, whole.

And I will do anything to get even one more girl into that house.

So along with my college roomie Sarah, we hatched a plan.

These girls face a long road ahead–so what if we took a long road together? And here’s the crazy part. I was with some high school girls the next evening. Before I could even finish saying “Wanna do something crazy…” they were SHOUTING YES. YESYESYESYES!

And that’s the best part. So now we have high school girls, and guys, and my crazy college roommate and me and some other crazy people, all taking the long road…

What if we got sponsors–at a quarter or a dollar or five dollars a mile?

And what if, with all of our little contributions, we joined together to create that sacred space for one girl to heal.

So we will. We want $2100, the cost to sponsor one girl for a year. And Mercy invited us to come visit their Nashville house when we reach our goal.

It’s about changing lives by offering hope to one life. And I’d love for you to be a part of it.

Would you consider joining us in spirit by sponsoring us? At a quarter, a dollar, or five dollars for every mile we walk in honor of one Mercy girl?

Our goal is 45 miles, relay style, from Richmond to Williamsburg on Oct. 30th.

It’s 1 Long Road…together. You’ll hear much more about it this week…we’d love your support. Just say “yes” in the comments and we’ll feel your love as we lace up our shoes next Saturday!