"My Run"

 By: Stephanie Mier

            My name is Stephanie, I was raised in Wauchula Florida. I am married to Hector Mier and I have two amazing little girls Tatiana 10 and Adrianna 8. I work for the Polk County Sheriff's Office as a graphic designer/photographer. I am a member of the St. Michael's Catholic Church in Wauchula and love to volunteer my time to our Sunday School program. I love to run, draw, paint, and spend time with family and friends.

            Thank fully I was introduced to God at a very young age and I thank my mother for that. Although I learned about him I didn't really give Him the attention He deserved nor did I truly have Him in my life fully. I tried to control things and planned my life without praying or asking what He wanted for me. I never made time for Him. I would go to church on Sundays but never meditated or made time to truly "hear" Him throughout the important and critical times of my life. I knew who He was but I never had a relationship with Him.

            I became a TRUE Christian when I finally realized I am nothing without Him. He filled my heart with hope, love, and faith. Everyday I wake up and it puts a smile to my face just by knowing His love. He was there for me in the tough times. My mother was one of many people who insisted on me trusting God with my life. I was going through a tough time in my life and I remember her words clearly when I asked her what I should do and she said, "Listen to your heart and what God is trying to tell you and that will be your answer." So I did, I prayed to Him for guidance and He guided. I prayed for strength and He gave it to me. I assure you it didn't happen over night. I also prayed for patience and I had to tell myself to trust in Him. Then one day I was asked if I wanted to volunteer at church as a Sunday school teacher. I thought to myself, "I may go to church and know about God and Jesus but by no means am I prepared to teach what I don't know." As I began to prepare lesson plans and reading the bible to prepare myself to teach these children I realized God put that person in His name to call me. At that moment in my life I looked back at what a selfish person I was just thinking of myself. People say humanity throws them off course because of the awful things that we see on TV or in the newspapers but I personally have seen our Saviour Jesus Christ through people. I see the love, peace, and happiness that glows through them. God has placed so many people in my path to see Him through them.

            In my opinion to be a true Christian we must truly Know God, Serve God, and Love God. We don't just do these things by saying them but we do these by physically and spiritually acting on them. I recently learned through the Run for God 5k Challenge that I can serve Him through running. God has allowed me to be a witness of my faith when I ran my first triathlon. I have always loved running but I could never explain why. I always felt like something wasn't right and something was missing. Now when I run it's a time of prayer and meditation for me. When I swam, biked, and ran for 1hour and 43 minutes I prayed for many people. I spoke to God and He listened. It was amazing. When we do things in His name we will inspire others to see who God really is. Our attitudes and how we carry our selves can also be a witness of who He is through us. We must reveal the love of Jesus through our smiles, hugs, love, and acts of kindness. Mission work is a perfect example. When people hear mission work one thinks we have to go into a third world country to fullfill the mission. I absolutely admire those who have the opportunity to do work in other countrys. I believe we do Gods mission work everytime we talk about Him to others. I believe God has called me to do "my mission work" locally and starting with my daughters and close family. When God is ready for me to take a farther step then I will take it. God has a plan for us and we need to be prepared to listen. We must remember to do it in His name and not for our satisfaction. We must humble our selfs like Jesus did when he died for us.

            I would like to thank the SendMeMissions team for giving me the opportunity to speak about the blessings God has given me. I also want to thank God for putting so many amazing people in my path that love, care, and seek Him. We need to remember to share Gods love with others. Either it is by running, mission work, teaching your children, or just taking time to listen to a friend or family member and returning it with a smile or hug.

" I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." - Mother Teresa

Together lets create waves!