George's 3/18 Marathon to House and Feed Orphans

As some of you know, I will be running my first ever marathon on Sunday, March 18th, in LA with my brother Tony and one of my best friends, John Lee.  I usually don’t make requests like this, but I’ve often seen friends run marathons and raise money for a cause they believe in, and I figured since I’m going to be running a marathon myself, it would be a great opportunity to raise money for a cause I believe in as well. 

When I was in high school and college, I had a youth pastor named Pastor Danny Jung at the home church where I grew up in Illinois.  I distinctly remember Pastor Danny preaching to us one Sunday from James 1:27 in the Bible – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”  In other words, Pastor Danny taught us that authentic religion was helping those who couldn’t help themselves.  Pastor Danny literally practiced what he preached and he started a non-profit organization named the Elijah Foundation to house, feed, and educate orphans in Southeast Asia.  Pastor Danny’s vision was to provide the love and care for these children that their parents were unable to provide and give them the best education possible so they can grow up out of the cycle of poverty and become productive members of their society.  After several years of overseeing the Elijah Foundation part-time while continuing to be a full-time minister in suburban Illinois, Pastor Danny decided to dedicate his life to serving orphans in Southeast Asia full-time through the Elijah Foundation, and he moved with his wife and two young children to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he and his family remain today.  Pastor Danny’s life and his message have always been an inspiration to me.

The Elijah Foundation has been expanding and is currently building a new girls’ dormitory to house the growing number of children in need.  The project is under way but is not yet fully funded.  If the mission of the Elijah Foundation resonates with you, would you consider making a donation to help this dormitory get completed?  You can find more information about the Elijah Foundation here.

Someone told me recently that when running a marathon, the first third is all legs, the second third is all mind, and the final third is all heart.  If you would like to make a donation based on my performance in the marathon and provide me some extra motivation for that final third of the race, you can make pledges to donate based on my performance.  The suggested options for donations based on my performance are below:

- Finish under 4 hours and 15 minutes:  Pledge $W

- Finish under 4 hours:  Pledge $X

- Finish under 3 hours and 45 minutes:  Pledge $Y

- This is your first ever marathon, bro.  Just finish it:  Pledge $Z

You can make a pledge now by indicating your amount for each performance bucket in the comment boxes at the bottom of this Razoo page.  After I run the race on March 18th, I will report back with my final time, and then you can complete your donation by clicking the “Donate” button on this page.  If you’d like to donate directly now regardless of my performance, you can also do so now by just clicking the “Donate” button.

Regardless of whether you would like to donate, I’m very thankful to have you in my life, and thank you all so much for your support!