Please consider supporting me in my attempt to raise money for the AB Morrison Mission Fund, the account we draw upon to offset the cost of students traveling abroad to do mission work.

At about the nine-mile marker of the October 6, 2018 “Freedom Run” half marathon event, a kind woman cheered on us runners with a sign that read “Remember why you started!”  It cemented my resolve to run faster.  I had set out on my first ever half marathon at the age of 48 to prove several points to myself and to those who know me.  The most important one was this:  I wanted to show just how far I am willing to push myself to make it possible for AB students to participate in the institution’s annual mission trip.  In the end, I ran the fastest I’ve ever run in my entire life.

I had concocted up a sponsorship plan that, I hoped, would give me something to chase.  I solicited sponsorship that would pay out for every mile I ran under the average time it takes for a man my age to run thirteen miles, which is about two hours.  Friends and family gave generously.  I completed the race in 2:25, just five minutes over the average time for my class of “old men” who had entered the race.  At the two-hour mark, I had made just over ten miles.  It’s a nice round number to use.

I must acknowledge that I am slow.  The Lord did not build me to be a competitive marathon runner.  I knew this to be true even when my friend Foster encouraged me to enter.  I worried about so many things, including how slow I am.  “Will my left ankle and knees hold out? Am I wearing the right shoes?  What happens if I fall?  Am I fit enough to run for three hours?”  For those who read this far, I will share with you that I was insecure and anxious about the whole endeavor.

Now that the race is over, I am full of emotions that I can’t quite put into words.  “Remember why you started,” the sign read.  In the next few miles, I believe a miracle happened: I got fast.  I completed the last mile of the race in the fastest I’ve even tracked myself running since I started about 18 months ago.  Later that day, I checked my heart rate monitor and saw that I had run at my peak heart rate for more than 1/2 of the race.  In other words, for two and one half hours, I ran as fast as I can possibly run.  I did more than what I believed was possible.  The idea that I have reached what may very well be my peak physical health so late in life makes me vacillate between giddy and melancholic.

All this was to show my community, friends, family, fellow alum, and colleagues just how serious I am about my work at AB.  When I claim that taking students abroad is the best way we can impart a mature Christian worldview to future leaders, I mean it!  I’ve put my own money and now my health on the line to show just how important this is to me.  Won’t you please affirm the importance of traveling abroad during short-term mission work by donating even a small amount to the Morrison Mission Fund?

You can donate whatever amount you see fit by following the link and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.  Leave me a message below if you have any questions.

https://ab.edu/alumni/help-bill-klaus-run-with-greater-purpose/