Run Mark Run!

Mark Wilkerson

Mark Wilkerson — Wed, 18 May 2011 02:29:29 +0000

Had a chance this past weekend to visit with our friends from the mission in Haiti. In addition, we met over 25 other people who run, support or are the missionaries in many other countries along with people who run Bible Colleges and write the Bible in different languages. It is amazing to see these people so full of laughter and joy. They are happy in their circumstances. Let me say that again, they are happy in their circumstances and some are pretty rough. Contrast that to how we can get upset at just the slightest tilt of our world. Today, I listened to a couple of stories of health turning bad and the unknowns that come with that as well as the heart aches of people losing people. Terrible circumstances and how do your find contentment in these conditions? As I consider the options, contentment must be a state of being , not circumstantial. I can only think of one way to exist in order to experience contentment no matter the circumstances. In Christ. Philippians 4: 11-13 Knowing that God’s plan was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for my sin; knowing that He has paid the price; knowing that existence in Him is salvation -offers contentment. What about others? I am certain of my salvation, what about others? People I don’t know and people I do know, what about them? All these missionaries are working to spread the Good News! On behalf of you and me to those who’s hearts the Spirit is preparing. We support their efforts in many ways with prayer, money and getting to know them personally. Take some time if you haven’t to get to know these servants of The Most High God.

Jenny Baker

Mark Wilkerson — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:14:44 +0000

I love being a mother. I’ve never experienced such lavish love from God that makes me overflow with joy. I would do anything for my little Luci. When she had her two- month old shots I realized just how hard it is to be a Mom. They had to give her four shots, two in each leg. The nurse asked me to hold her down while she administered the injections. As I gazed at Luci we locked eyes and she gave me a smile. Oh how my heart hurt knowing what was coming. I watched as her little face went from peace to horror with a hint of feeling betrayed by her mom who was supposed to protect her at all cost. She screamed horribly. I knew I had to keep looking at her and talking to her but through my tears I couldn’t. I felt so helpless.

I never want anything harmful to happen to Luci. I want to shelter her from the world. I will do anything to make sure she’s safe and taken care of, loved and protected.

I can imagine how painful it is for mother’s in Haiti to watch their children hurt, be hungry and go without. I can’t imagine watching Luci suffer and not be able to do something about it. I can’t fathom hearing my babies little belly growl when I laid down at night, knowing it was because she hadn’t had a meal in two days. Interestingly, the vaccinations Luci got will rarely be available to children in Haiti. Watching my baby die of diarrhea is something I can’t even think about. And yet this is a reality for many Haitians due to the lack of available medical care.

I want to love those Moms. I want to love those children. I want to be the gospel, acted out, to the people of Haiti. That’s why I pledged and why I’ll fulfill it. I want a mother to be able to provide basic needs to her children and never have to watch them suffer from lack of physical resources. I don’t want a mother to lock eyes with her dying baby and feel hopeless. I want to give hope.

JENNY BAKER

Mark Wilkerson — Sun, 15 May 2011 12:02:41 +0000

It’s now been five days since my epic comeback into the world of running. Two half-marathons in 6 days was a pretty lofty goal. It seemed more reasonable before I had little Luci. It was fun and memorable and I do feel a sense of accomplishment. I’m also experiencing another feeling. Selflessness. There are big moments in each of our lives when things are not and can not be about our own needs, wants or desires. These moments are the hardest when I have skin in the game, when I am affected as deeply as the other person and yet am challenged to put self aside and uphold the other. The race on Saturday was the most difficult I’ve had. I’ve run 32 mile races, competed in triathlons and participated in ridiculous events and yet Saturday was the most difficult because it wasn’t about me. It was about Dad raising money for Haitians. It was about getting Dad across that finish line as fast and healthy as possible. This meant that in every moment of the race my pain and my frustration with an apparent lack of cooperation by my body, had to be ignored and replaced with positive encouragement and a giving of self. At mile three of the Indy race, I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it. I hurt like never before. I knew I couldn’t let fear creep in. I knew Dad needed a strong encourager, someone to remind him he could do and remind him to hydrate! At mile 6 Dad asked how I was. I was dying. In fact I felt like my insides were gonna fall out (another joyous after-math of childbirth). At that moment I had to make the choice to push beyond my pain and be a servant to him. Paul says in Ephesians that God strengthens us through His spirit. Selflessness requires a strength that comes not from our flesh but from the Holy Spirit himself. Paul, in his very dark moment of being imprisoned, beaten and persecuted was able to rely on this same strength from the Spirit, in order to be an encouragement to other believers. I like to eat when I run. Shoot, I like to eat when I don’t run. When you’re running long distances it’s important to keep your calories up and to do that I eat jellybeans. When we got to certain race points, it was important for me to eat. But it was also important to keep Dad going. For me this meant forgoing a pack of food I wanted in order to keep up with Dad and remind him of his nutrition. (I have to stop to get my jellybeans out…multi-tasking isn’t that easy when running!) There are moments when our needs can’t come first and can’t be met. There are moments in life when someone else’s needs are more important than our own. It doesn’t mean our needs go away, it means they must become less important. I find when I’m not walking closely with God my needs begin to take priority. I begin to justify why it’s more important for me to have what I want rather than serve someone else. We finished the race and passed more people than we expected. I didn’t die. I was uncomfortable for a moment. Okay, a little more than a moment. I hurt a little for the next few days. But when I found out how many people we passed and how much money we’ll be able to use to provide medical care, clean water and other necessities to the hurting people of Haiti, I was happy to hurt. I know giving money sometimes hurts. I know we make commitments and then other things come up. We pledged money and then found out Franklin’s pay was getting cut by 30%. And yet when we live by the Spirit’s strength, we rise above our own pain. My prayer for us all is that we may become servants, even slaves to Christ and one another. I pray as we begin to write the checks to fulfill our pledges, we rejoice in the pain that serving brings. The bible says that suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not fail. What you’re providing to the people of Haiti brings hope. Being a servant, in spite of suffering produces something beautiful. We need only look to the cross for our proof.

6 day after

Mark Wilkerson — Sat, 14 May 2011 00:39:10 +0000

Wilkerson Here: Need everyone who pledged and haven’t got an email follow up, to check their filter. We are finding some of our emails are not getting through. This is the day last week just before the race. Our lives are so pressed these days going from one thing to another, last Saturday seems a long time ago. As I recall last week this time, tonight is much more relaxing. Big mission fair on the agenda tomorrow and Sunday. Will see our friends from Northwest Haiti Christian Mission at the event. We will be able to give them some of the contributions you are sending in. I have an envelope from the folks at OneAmerica Securities. They chose a charity to sponsor each quarter. We appreciate that lad they picked ours. We will enjoy hearing of the work in Haiti and the vision for the future. It will be an enjoyable visit.

5th Day After

Mark Wilkerson — Fri, 13 May 2011 00:14:47 +0000

Wilkerson Here: As we send out the announcements of our success people are amazed at the amount of money generous people were willing to give. Over a billion a year is estimated to be raised at these type races for many causes. I would encourage you to consider the things you do as a hobby and see if you can turn your time at those activities, into contributions for some of those causes. How often do we see the ordinary things of the day as a way to minister to others? I suspect that if we pay more attention to those around us we could find many ways to minister all day. Sometimes it is just a kind word at the right spot. We often quote giving a “cup of cold water”. It signifies a small kindness offered in the face of insurmountable odds, an act that will not go unnoticed. How many cups could we offer in a day if we weren’t so self absorbed? I offer my thanks for all of you. In HIM

4th Day After

Mark Wilkerson — Thu, 12 May 2011 02:51:33 +0000

Wilkerson Here: Rest and work are both good things. Key is to not do them at the same time. Exercise is a discipline and I am a little lost not having that commitment each day. When you get used to a cadence that involves something you must make time for around your schedule, not having to do that leaves a void. I am disappointed that I seem to be able to make time for exercise but I don’t always make time for personal study of scripture. This blog has been a wonderful way to think and consider the Word. I often wonder if you like me, tune in to this blog as a way to keep up with some random thinking about what God has to say. I know that doing this daily blog has allowed me to pause and think about His instructions and will. I am not sure if I will continue to blog but I admit to using this as a disciplined way to consider for a time each day, how blessed I am. To think about the plight of others who need help and to connect what and who I am with what I can do. I know that if I stop, I will feel a loss.

Training: Not happening! Time off.

3 Days After

Mark Wilkerson — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:14:12 +0000

Wilkerson Here: We are about to send out the pledge notifications letting everyone know what to pay and the options. There is always some slippage between pledging and collecting. Pray that people will stay strong with their commitments. There are many people to thank for their diligence and long suffering with Run Mark Run. From the friends in Kentucky to close business relationships that worked to get us needed publicity. The other runners and associates with NWHCM who got this technology to work and many others. It seems very little to say thanks for your efforts and prayers. It is all I have. And I offer it to you. I would be disappointed if you didn’t feel God was glorified from all of this for He is the reason we love and care for others. He has shown us that as an example. You are a reflection of Him.

2 Days After

Mark Wilkerson — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:29:40 +0000

Wilkerson Here: Well the official results have been posted. As for me, my goal to fulfill the dollars pledged was to pass at least 15,000 people and I barely made it at 15,373. I can tell you that in the last mile, just when I assumed I had the strength to kick it in and have a great finish, I had a cramp in my hamstring muscle. I was ready to count on my body to respond and it was not in the cards. I did pray. Expressed to the Lord that this would have to be Him. I was reminded of His suffering and how little and insignificant my pain was at the moment. I cannot tell you that it stopped, it didn’t. I can tell you that as the Lord does in all cases, He provided. Today I was reminded that He provides not me. I needed to pass 15,000. I did; He provided. I didn’t need to fly to the finish and have a big finish I could brag about, I just needed to pass 15,000. He provided. I am reminded of much scripture where God provided, not to mention that God himself provided for us all in the person of Jesus, once and for all. I honor and praise Him for His grace and provision for His children.

The other two Marks ran faster than fast. Mark Graham passed 29,334 and Mark Mullelly passed 30,238. They are great. Bet you are glad you backed the slow old guy. Both Marks love the Lord and the people of Haiti. They are fine young men of faith with wives of faith.

Lord, great is your name. We exalt you above all and ask that all of our actions glorify your name. Forgive our sinful nature and replace it with yours by dwelling in us by the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus the Christ gave his life as a ransom for ours and we accept him as our Lord and Savior. We pray for the Haitian people and ask your support and favor for Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. Guide their feet and thoughts in Your Name. All of this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen

DAY AFTER

Mark Wilkerson — Sun, 08 May 2011 11:45:23 +0000

WILKERSON HERE: Mothers Day today. There are many days we celebrate and this one is very important. I watched Jenny yesterday as she was talking softly to Luci. I was amazed how this little girl that in my mind is still my little girl, was a full blown and great mother. So caring and gentle with Luci and so attune to her every whimper. Almost knowing how to communicate on a different level. I remember watching CJ as a mother do the same thing to our kids. The bond is so strong and meaningful. I know there are people who have not had this love and relationship that is so precious. I am sorry they missed that love and offer a prayer that they will find the comfort that many of us can return to if needed all the days of our mother’s life. My Mom is a strong women as well. She is still working much past the days many would even consider. There is much I love and respect about her and the work ethic is a powerful example. Think of the impressionable age of small children. They open their mouths and take in anything we give them in complete trust and their minds are the same. Mothers fill our heads with much of who we are and will become. From my Grand moms and my Mom who filled my head with the things of God, to CJ our families Mom and now to Jenny the new Mom, I offer my love and respect. They have and will pass on scripture and demonstrate the love of the Lord for all their days and many will benefit and be shown the Way through their tireless love. I love you all.

Training: Only one word for it, sore. Second word, over. Exercise won’t end but the intensity will ease. Got to give a lot of credit to my doctor, Kevin. Needed to do a quick race interview and then he met me to inject my foot so I could run without pain. Kevin understands as he is a runner and works in sports medicine. He did and it worked on my foot. I am wondering how to get a full body injection next time. People were very gracious and spoke kind words as we passed and we found many who had been to Haiti themselves. Will probably give it several day rest before going back out. Plan to move solely to the bike, swimming and weights to see if this foot can heal. All of us age and it is a bummer. Head age 30 and body age 60. That is a dangerous combination but most days I like it. If you are not exercising and doing things to hold your health for as long as possible, please do so. It will not only make all the difference in your life, but in the lives of those you love.

THIS IS IT.

Mark Wilkerson — Sat, 07 May 2011 02:05:01 +0000

Wilkerson Here: All the troop is here and it is about time to try to get some sleep. We ate dinner as a family this evening. Our prayer at dinner was for all little things we would like and a big thanks to the Lord for what he has done in our hearts and all the people supporting us and especially the Haitians. Thanks to all of you for doing your part. It will soon be time to do our part. We will run as our bodies will allow in honor of your pledges–and to see how much we can make you spend for this great cause.

Training: DONE! WE ONLY NEED 8 PEOPLE TO PLEDGE A PENNY BEFORE RACE TIME AND WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO WILL MATCH. THAT WILL TAKE US TO OVER $40,000. WOW!