Run for Hope: Bring Good News to the Nations




In the northern half the world, February is one of the coldest months of the year, and the cold weather can be especially painful for runners training for spring races. “I wore two pairs of tights, three long-sleeve shirts, two toboggans, gloves, and wool socks,” Kendra says, laughing. She is training now for a half-marathon in April.

With three children, all under the age of seven, Kendra started running in 2002 for a chance to get out of the house. “I’m not a gifted runner,” she says. “It took me five months even to run one mile without stopping.” But her endurance improved, and she figured out that she had found a new passion.

While Kendra discovered her love for running, she also had a chance to learn more about the My Hope World TV Evangelism Project through BGEA. As soon as she heard stories of lives that had been changed for eternity, Kendra says, “I really wanted to be part of it in some way.” So she decided on a singular purpose for her training: she would run to raise funds for My Hope

My Hope's goal is to broadcast the Gospel throughout every country of the world using evangelistic TV programs created specifically for the culture of each country. The project starts with local churches, where My Hope coordinators train pastors in the project’s simple outreach.

Next, pastors train people in their churches to host guests in their homes and to give their personal testimonies. These Christian hosts pray for friends, neighbors, or relatives who do not know Jesus Christ, invite guests into their homes to view the broadcast, and tell their guests about the change that God has made in their lives.

My Hope works “through the pastors and heart of the people,” Kendra says. “It’s a branch reaching into the recesses of the country. People are doing the work, and there’s months of preparation, excitement, and prayer at the local level.”

Special My Hope programs air on national, prime time TV networks. Guests who do not yet know Jesus Christ receive an opportunity to respond and commit their lives to Him. The groups already in each home, in many cases, become Bible study or discipleship groups that continue to meet and help new believers to grow in faith. “I would love to be a fly on the wall and attend one of those meetings,” Kendra says. “I just love the Gospel, to see God at work!”

In its seventh year, My Hope has been implemented in 25 countries, and nearly 9 million people have made a commitment to Christ as a result. Also, in the process, more than 3 million Christians have been encouraged and trained. Churches, communities, and families worldwide are being unified and transformed for the glory of God.

Last year, Kendra’s own training paid off when she ran a half-marathon in Virginia Beach, Va., and raised more than $1,300 for My Hope. Those funds helped BGEA train more than 600 families in nations such as Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, and Uruguay. This year My Hope broadcasts will air throughout Brazil, where churches have been preparing for months already.

For her half-marathon this spring, Kendra is running in Nashville, Tenn., and joining with others around the country to run and raise support for My Hope. “God knows the needs of His people, and He’s going to break the barriers just to get to them,” Kendra says.



It’s easy to join Kendra! Do you have a passion for the Good News of Jesus Christ? Learn more about running or starting your personalized fundraising effort at FirstGiving.com/BillyGraham. You can create your own web page to benefit My Hope or any BGEA ministry. Get involved or sponsor someone today!

“I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize ... a crown that will last forever.” —1 Corinthians 9:23-25 (NIV)