Miles for Mission

Interview with Anna Hickson

Anna ran or walked every day in September, covering just over 100km in total. Her goal was to raise $1000 for AMT, and she raised a bit over $1200. Check out her inspiring story below!

What inspired you to fundraise for AMT?

The churches I've been in over my life have always been quite supportive of AMT, and I've always liked what AMT does and how they help missionaries. I know missionaries personally who have gone through AMT and been supported by AMT.

Why did you choose to run/walk?

I enjoy running and walking, and it was something I could do while raising money for a good cause.

Did you have a goal each day of how much you wanted to run/walk?

When I ran, I would always go 5km or above, but because walking takes longer and I had to try and fit it in with my work schedule, I did 2-3km each walk.

Did you do any preparation?

I run and walk a fair bit, but I've never been someone to do it every single day, so that was a challenge in itself, and I prayed about it for a while. I researched AMT and some other organisations, but AMT really stuck out to me. I felt like the Lord helped me in that decision.

What was your biggest challenge/obstacle?

When you work full-time, trying to fit in a walk or run every day can be a bit challenging, but it wasn't too much of a sacrifice. Sometimes I finished work late and had to do the run/walk in the dark, which I didn’t enjoy.

What did you most enjoy?

Sometimes life gets really busy, and it's hard to fit in quiet times, but this gave me the opportunity to have my small moments and prayer times with God. Sometimes, I went with Christian friends, so fellowship was really nice.

What kept you motivated?

Every time I walked or ran was a constant reminder of what I was doing it for and why I was doing it, so that was definitely a good motivation. My family were really supportive and encouraging, and my friends who were willing to come with me were great. There were people from my church that supported me, and I also had a lot of support from other churches around here and up in Brisbane. It was really lovely and encouraging.

Did you get opportunities to share about God/mission/AMT?

When I told people either at work or in my day-to-day tasks about what I was doing, I got to explain who AMT was and why I would support AMT being a Christian myself. They weren’t super gospel-orientated conversations, but I was definitely able to plant seeds.

What encouragement can you provide to people looking to do something similar?

It’s something that requires a lot of prayer. One of my challenges before I started was that I wanted to make sure my motives were in the right place. I think people can do things with the wrong heart or wrong motive, but I really do think AMT is a good cause. The Bible tells us that we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices each day, and I think missionaries really do that; they sacrifice so much for the gospel and the spread of the word, which is really encouraging. It makes me think to myself, “I'm so fortunate I live in a very safe, protected town. What's one way I could give a little input into doing something for God's people and God's word?” Even though walking or running doesn't seem much, it's definitely worthwhile.

What’s next for you?

I’m considering doing a mission trip to Moldova in June next year to help out with the kids' summer camps, so that's the next prayer point for me. I’m praying about whether someone would come with me, or I go by myself, but it's in the Lord's hands. God is so good, and he's very faithful.