This past Saturday was the 4th Annual RACE for the Orphans. Last year's event played a major role in helping Tiffany and me get Mia home. After the blessings of last year, we wanted to help to sponsor the RACE to aid this year's four grant recipients get their children home (three from China and one from Ethiopia).
RACE is an acronym which stands for Raising Awareness Compassion and Education for what Isaiah 1:17 refers to as "defending the cause of the fatherless." There are more than 150 million orphans in the world, and many (if not most, sadly) will never know the love of a family. Orphan care is a biblical mandate, and even though not everyone is called to take orphaned children into their homes, we are all called to do something to help assist in the crisis. And when I think about our church's mission to make disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere for the transformation of the world, this event has the unique ability to make a difference for families right here in our community, as well aschildren across the world.
More than 600 persons participated in this year's RACE for the Orphans. People of varying ages, physical abilities, and socioeconomic status all came together to do something to help defend the cause of the fatherless for the precious four children receiving families. Among the 600+ runners and walkers, about 20 from Cokes Chapel participated on race day. And among them, Kathy Bryant, Dee Croft, and Gage Warren all won medals for their times in their respective age categories. Congrats!
I didn't run this year, choosing to stay with the rest of the family as we walked the course. This turned out to be a good call as Mia got squirrelly spending as much time as she did restrained in her stroller. We took our time enjoying the sunshine and cool morning air, we carried Mia some around the course (and Bobby Totten helped by carrying her the most!), and even took a break for a few minutes about half-way through so Mia could dance. I must admit that my competitive juices started flowing a couple times and I wanted to kick my speed up a gear or two, but in the end, the experience of sharing the event with my family and friends was sublime.
As a result of our laborious pace around the Coweta Fairgrounds, our family was the last to complete the RACE. In a humorous way, I think the organizers were almost as happy to see us cross the finish line as the RACE winners, because they knew we were the last ones to come in off the course. And later in the day, Velda Graydon confirmed something I believed to be true...a dubious distinction to be sure...I was the very last one to cross the finish line. I officially was last in the RACE for the Orphans. But you know what? I wear it with pride. Many of the folks who participated were there last year when so much of the emphasis was on our Dear Mia, and for those who were there this year, I got to see them all as I crossed the finish line with our little girl.
The purpose of the event is to bring people together to raise money to help "defend the cause of the fatherless," and this year I got to do it with a little girl who a year ago I was only able to hold in a picture. The significance of that fact is not lost on me. As four families are in the same basic spots we were a year ago, we enjoyed being in their cheering section as they strive to get their babies home to hold them in their arms. There is no doubt Tiffany and I can't bring another child into our home, at least not now, but we can rally and do something for those who are.
I could probably crack a joke or two about how I deserve a "cow's tail" award, or misquote scripture by saying the last shall be first, but I don't want to, because of how meaningful the entire event was. And I quite possibly will run again next year, preventing me from last place again, but my heart probably won't feel quite the same. For as I stood there at the finish line, holding Mia and my beloved family, I know that we represented the fulfillment of last year's RACE: to help get orphaned children into their forever families. And you know what? My family is forever grateful.
Rev. Dr. Mark S. Jordan
pastormark28@gmail.com
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