What's This All About?

I am a consumer of information. Ask Ryan... I am constantly reading. And I'm not reading Harry Potter or People Magazine (not that there is anything wrong with reading these), but I love reading academic books about early childhood education, Africa, AIDS, and eating disorders, biographies and non-fiction novels that teach the history of different countries. Very rarely will I read something unless I think I will learn something new. But I have come to realize that while I can read several books in a month and feel more knowledgeable about each of the topics, I feel like have not done much with the knoweldge I have gained. This is just one of the many reasons I have decided to take an active role in one of the next endeavors of Forgotten Voices.

For those of you who don't know about Forgotten Voices, it is an organization that works through local churches in Zimbabwe and Zambia to help the church meet the physical and spiritual needs of orphans and vulnerable children. This is done through paying school fees, providing skills training in farming, sewing, etc., providing home-based care, and many other locally developed plans based on the needs of each particular community. One of the concerns that has been raised by the pastors and volunteers in Zimbabwe is they feel unquipped to adequately meet the psychological and spiritual needs of these children who have experienced so much trauma and grief.

In January 2010, I will be joining Ryan and a few others to Zimbabwe for two weeks. My role on this trip will be to meet with pastors and volunteers, and explore with them in greater detail, what they feel are their greatest needs in improving the psychological and spiritual care of these children. While details are still being worked out as I continue to research and plan, this will likely be done through surveys and focus groups. Our goal is to partner with other professionals in the U.S. and abroad, and collaborate with the pastors and volunteers in Zimbabwe to strenghten this area of service provided through the church and supported through Forgotten Voices.

I will be running the Philadelphia Marathon to help raise funds for this trip and the ongoing project. This blog is a way to keep you posted on my training (marathon training is INTENSE... it's preparing to run 26.2 miles!!). I will also share stories about the preparation for the trip to Zimbabwe, the things I am learning about orphans and vulnerable children, and some other running stories. I would love if you would follow my story over the next couple of months. Pray for me, as this is a big undertaking during a rather busy time of life. And read the side bar of this site, about how you can partner with me, through prayer and financial support. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Katie


This is one of my best friends, Sarah, and I before beginning the Philadelphia Marathon 2008... look at how much energy we had before running the distance!