8th Oct 2012, by Natasha Kim, CM –
All the efforts of many coming together to make RunNat a success finally paid off on the 6th of October 2012 when the RunNat team managed to achieve their target of getting 1000 over runners for the run. There were many that started off running in different locations who then headed back to the finish line at Luther Centre in Petaling Jaya. The event saw many satisfied and happy runners running back from 10 a.m. onwards, back to the finish line where they were cheered on by many who were anxiously waiting for their arrival. As they ran up the steps of Luther Centre they were greeted with the sounds of Shofars blowing, flag bearers and of course drink to quench their thirst.
Victor Chua the Founder and Chairman of RunNat, shared his experience with such contentment saying, “The run was very good. The weather was unusually fantastic today and we felt that we could really push on without having to struggle so much. I ran with three different groups of people, with a bunch of young adults, with members of the Tamil Methodist Church and also with a group of youth. It was wonderful because everyone just had their own way of praying.” On this day Victor said he ran 13km more or less. He added that, “At this time we would have many different countries, Nepal, Australia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore and more holding this event as well. I just get a real buzz and such thrill knowing that we are united by the same calling.” He is happy to see that many young people are connecting with the country by their prayers and encourages more people to get involved and to pray for Malaysia.
RunNat Ambassador Alex Au Yong also shared his experience of running in the A-Team. During this prayer run, the A-Team helps missing links. In a way, they help with some control damage in case some team members or if a team leader did not show up, then a member of the A-team or more would do a replacement and run with these groups. He ran and prayed for about 40 km in the previous years in RunNat plainly because Alex and his team had to run throughout the different area groups and help people. However, as time has passed he shared now that, there are less team that need help so he did not need to run that much this time. Alex continued with his experience saying, “There was a group of teenagers whom their parents did not want to run without a team leader and since their team leader pulled out we ran with them. We try to meet the needs of everybody.” He adds, “We’ve seen in the past three years how Churches opened up their doors for us and we get to promote to more people. People are starting to understanding the importance of praying for our nation and speaking life into our nation.”
When talking to some the runners, Shirley Wong, 51, mentioned she ran 5 km and for the second time this year. She ran with a group of four people and prayed according to the prayer card that was provided. She says she feels happy running and she even brought along her friend Jennifer Goh, 55, who goes to the same Church. Jennifer isn’t baptized yet but has been attending for a few months now and she was more than happy to be a part of the prayer run.
Other than that, Karene Lim also shared her experience. She has been running for years now since the beginning of RunNat in Malaysia and she did this prayer run with her husband. When asked about her experience, Karene says, “I experienced God’s heart in our hearts as well through prayer and I hope for a transformation in Malaysia.”
Daniel Lee, RunNat’s Missions Coordinator when asked about his experience he says, “It was not challenging for me because my team mates are not runners but it is very encouraging to see that RunNat is reaching out to non-runners but who joined their first 5 km.” In addition to that Daniel says, “Other than the prayer card we also prayed for all of us and so that people will make a difference when the time comes.” When asked about the Sponsor Our Run (SOR) campaign he says, “Right before RunNat day we saw the funds that were raised shoot up from a few hundred to RM 11,000.” One person can make a great impact in the SOR campaign through conviction, he says. The SOR campaign in this case, will only stop by the end of 2012 so contributions can still be made to help a greater cause and people in need.
Another runner Jonathan Leong also shared his experience. He’s from Penang and attends Christian Fellowship in Segi College where he studies. He says, “We prayed and ran and this is something very new and different to me. I am very thankful that our turn on the run was good and that the weather was good.”
Slowly but surely as more runners started coming in, Luther Centre started to fill up and many started to crowd the entrance hall. There were many people who were very tired from the run but at the same time many were very pleased with their experience. There were people throughout ages and there were many happy faces. When all the runners came in, everyone adjourned into the sanctuary where they had continuous worship and prayer that started off with a flag ceremony to celebrate the jubilee year.
