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<div>￼￼ <strong>My Story </strong> Everyone deserves a chance to live and make a positive impact in this world. In life you can’t control where you were born but you can control where you end up. Day by day we are all writing our own story and displaying it to the world through our actions. Here is my story. <strong>My name is Jose Crosby</strong>, I am 19-years-old and <strong>I was adopted from Guatemala </strong>when I was 4. Looking back 15 years ago, I would never have imagined myself ending up here in America. Yet, here I am in this amazing country filled with many opportunities. I realized that if it wasn’t for my parents adopting me, I would still be living in the poverty-filled country of Guatemala. Most certainly, I would not be here today sharing this story with you. I recognize the many blessings that God has given me and <strong>I want to give back to those who are in need in Guatemala.</strong>
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<div>￼<strong>￼Why Me? </strong> I am no different than you. I am an ordinary college sophomore aspiring to become a teacher. However, I want my college years to be about more that just my education. I believe that <strong>with the right mindset and heart I can accomplish something extraordinary if I am truly passionate about it and put in the work.</strong> As a<strong> former collegiate runner</strong>, I decided to hang my spikes up this past fall and focus my gift on something other than competitive running. It was a big change for me, but deep down I knew I was made for something more in my life. Through a lot of prayer and thought, God planted this seed in my heart. Why not do what I love to do, run, and use it to help those in need? <strong>Why not run for purpose?</strong>
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<div><strong>Paso a Paso</strong> What is Paso a Paso? <strong>Paso a Paso is a 501c3 non profit organization located in the heart of Barrio la Cruz Guatemala. </strong>They partner with impoverished communities in Central America by <strong>proclaiming Christ and providing homes, employment, and educational opportunities. </strong>They accomplish this by <strong>sponsoring children in schools, providing care for them at their after-school program with meals </strong>and<strong> providing job training </strong>and<strong> support for adults in the community. </strong> As their ministry grows they will work toward building a community resource center to address job training, tutoring, and nutrition needs. When the community has matured, they will be encouraged to share their skills and knowledge with other communities to <strong>help combat poverty in all of Guatemala. </strong> I chose Paso a Paso because the woman who runs it, Stephanie Cady, attended the same church my family went to when we lived in Maryland. Because of our similar passions towards helping people in Guatemala, I decided that I wanted the donations I raised to go to Paso a Paso. 
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<div><strong>What Will I Be Doing?  </strong> I will be <strong>RUNNING2818 miles throughout the entire 2018 calendar year to raise money and awareness for Paso a Paso. </strong> Why 2818 miles? That’s such an odd number! Wouldn’t it have been a more catchy slogan to use 2018 miles in the year 2018? Yes! The journey of my life from Guatemala to today is what has inspired my campaign, and I am asking you to partner with me on the journey back...a distance of 2818 miles from Bethel College to Guatemala. Equipped with a Garmin GPS watch to accurately display the mileage everyday as credibility, I will be <strong>uploading my daily runs of about 7.72 miles on Facebook. </strong>I also plan to share photos of my runs on my Facebook and Instagram accounts and keep everyone updated on my journey. To me this isn’t about the run. That’s the fun part. To me this is about the greater impact that I want to have on the community in Barrio la Cruz and the message of <strong>“running for purpose”</strong> that I want to share with them. Even though they are many miles away from you and I, I want them to know that someone out there truly cares for there needs. ￼ 
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<div><strong>How Will The Money Be Spent?  </strong>Your kind donation will go a long way in helping the community of Barrio la Cruz and Paso a Paso. Most <strong>men</strong> and <strong>womenin the community have not completed even a primary level of school and cannot read or write. </strong>The average monthly income of families in Barrio la Cruz Guatemala is $200. That’s a <strong>grand total of $2,400 a year. </strong>More than 30% of the homes are headed by single mothers; men are often absent or have abandoned the family. These families lack <strong>basic necessities like clean water, enclosed stoves, and the financial ability to send their children to school </strong>to provide a better future for them. Paso a Paso has come alongside this poor community of about 1500 people by establishing a school for the children to attend and by ministering to them. They provide a sense of <strong>hope</strong> through the resources and tools that they give to the community. With your help we can increase the impact that Paso a Paso has on this and other communities in Guatemala. Whether you donate one dollar or one thousand dollars, <strong>100% of all donations WILL GO towards Paso a Paso </strong>and <strong>benefit the people in Barrio la Cruz.</strong>
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<div>Your money will be spent towards some of the following: -Desks and chairs for the after school program -Repainting the school building and fixing broken light fixtures 
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<div>-Basic sports equipment such as soccer balls, nets, uniforms, and cleats. Paso a Paso would love to start a kids soccer team to play in the city, but they need equipment! 
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<div>-Vacation Bible School expenses and camps 
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<div>-Activities for students when school is not in session, so children will not be at risk at home 
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<div>-Providing school uniforms for all the students to attend school 
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<div>-Transportation for their ministry, including the purchase of 2 modes of transportation to provide safe, efficient and long term transport solutions
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<div> -Finish furnishing the 3rd floor building and equipping it with a regular kitchen and bedroom for local missionaries to stay there when needed. ￼￼ 
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<div>￼<strong>￼ Join The Team </strong>We would love for you to join the Paso a Paso team! There are still ways you can help even without donating at all! <strong>SPREAD THE WORD! </strong>After all, a primary objective of Paso a Paso is to spread awareness and start the conversation. <strong>Spread the word some more!</strong>
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<div>Please <strong>SHARE this on Facebook, Twitter, etc. </strong>I will do my best to publicize it but I need your help as well. Contact the media. Email or text your family and friends. Spread the word! <strong>We need you.</strong> Thank you so much for taking the time to view my page. I am extremely passionate about this cause and I truly believe that together we can make a difference and impact many lives in Barrio la Cruz Guatemala and beyond! Please spread the word and donate if you can and remember 
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<div><strong>“#RUNFORPURPOSE”</strong>
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<div>You can become more involved with the organization directly by visiting online and following our Facebook pages. 
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<div><strong>Website: </strong><a href="https://www.pasoapasomissions.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.pasoapasomissions.org</a>
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<div><strong>Facebook: @pasoapasomissions             @runningforpurpose </strong>
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