A Wet and Wild Ride

This weekend saw me compete in my second Sprint Triathlon, the Caveman Triathlon in Flower Mound, TX.  The distances were similar to my first and I was looking forward to improving my performance, particularly in the transitions.

On Saturday I had to pick up my packet at a Triathlon store in Plano.  I got there early and they were still setting up packet pickup, so I browsed the store…In particular, I was interested in learning more about how to dress for the race.  In my first Tri, I noticed - rather, Angie noticed and commented on the fact that I was the only participant in a regular cargo short type bathing suit.  During that race, I wore compression shorts under my bathing suit and changed out of my suit into my bike shorts during the first transition.  During the second transition I changed out of my bike shorts and into running shorts.  Because of these wardrobe changes, my transition times were what I thought quite long.

At the store, I inquired about what clothing options there were.  The employee brought me over the the tri clothes section.  They have special tri shorts that you swim, bike and run in.  Unfortunately, there were none in my size (it’s hard to find tri stuff that fits a larger than normal triathlete).  So, I purchased a pair of padded bike shorts and decided that I was going to swim and run in them.

Come Sunday morning, the weather forecast was not good, and the blustery winds and ominous clouds portended a wet race.  As we waited in the staging area to begin the race, the wind picked up even more and the deluge came.  Fortunately, the staging area and swim were indoors.

I loaded with my group and slowly approached the start.  I was called forward, stepped on the timing mat, waited for the beep, and jumped in.  I felt very strong during the swim.  Since we only went in one direction in each lane, there were passing opportunities.  I swam without any stops and passed several other swimmers.  I felt very strong and knew that I had a pretty quick swim.  Although the distance was 25 yards shorter than the first race, my time was just about 1:45 faster.  I got out of the pool and ran to my bike and the first transition.

It had started drizzling again by them, so there was no point in drying off.  I put my socks and bike shoes on and put my jersey on.  I finished with my helmet and then my gloves and was off the the mount area.  I mounted my bike and was off.  My transition time was 5:02, about 1:15 faster than the first race.

The bike was a very fun ride.  Because we had to do two loops, there were all ability types on the course at the same time.  I passed a good number of riders and was passed by an equally good number.  The uphills in the wind made it feel like I was going to have to quit, or dismount to make it up the hill.  Although, in the lowest gear I was always able to make it.  The downhills were amazing and I would typically accelerate in a high gear and coast if necessary.  The wind on my face stung a little, but other than for having to take turns carefully, I didn’t let the wet affect me.

During my first race, I noticed that I could not stand and pedal.  Each time I tried, my pedals would fly away from me.  This race I wanted to really get some standing time in, particularly on the uphills.  I figured I would keep my bike in a higher gear and try again.  No matter what I did, I was unable to stand.  I am going to have to work on that.  I did try to keep my chain on the outer (larger) sprocket for the race and for the most part did, except after failing to stand on the uphills.

I completed the two loops (14 miles) in 57:17, which was 3 minutes longer than the previous race.  However, since the bike course was a mile longer, my pace was faster - over 14 MPH.  I dismounted and jogged to my transition spot.

My legs were really hurting after the ride.  I sat to change into my running shoes.  Since I didn’t have any clothing to change, my transition time was a bit quicker, over a minute and a half faster for a 3:20 T2 time.

I jogged out of the transition area.  There was a pretty good crowd lined up at the beginning of the route, and they energized me to keep jogging.  Once I got onto the trail and was alone, I started walking.  I really couldn’t feel my legs and found running difficult.  I ran for about a minute then walked for a minute.  Probably about a half mile in, I started getting some feeling in my legs and finally caught my breath.  At that point, I started running for longer and longer intervals, and walking for shorter ones.  The course felt like it had very long downhills, which I ran - knowing in the back of my mind I would have to come back on the uphill.  However, the uphills never felt so big or too long.  I jogged most of the rest of the course and finished with a little slower than normal 5k time of 39:53.  Although this course was a tenth of a mile shorter than the first, my time was a full five minutes faster.

I crossed the finish in 1:53:18.  I wanted to come in under two hours and I did.  Better yet, my pace on every part of the race was faster AND I took about 2 minutes and 45 seconds off from my transition times.

Although I am pleased with my progress, and these triathlons are so much fun (not like running half marathons - those aren’t a lot of fun for me), the real reason I am out there is to raise money for clean water in Africa through Team World Vision.  I remember my friends at World Vision when I run.  I remember my friends in Africa.  I remember our sponsor children when I don’t want to train.  I remember each and every supporter who makes a donation when I want to quit.  Yes, I look forward to getting stronger and lighter and pushing myself even harder (I will do a full Triathlon some day), but I really look forward to going back to Katito, Kenya and seeing the smiles on my “other family” and seeing the results of the good work going on over there…

…good work that is being funded by your donations.

To support this work with a generous donation, please click here.

Thanks for your support,

Scott

A PR-fect 10

I sprinted to the finish line and as I crossed I completed my 10th half marathon since I started raising money with Team World Vision in 2011.

And, even though this race wasn’t the fastest 13.1 I have run, my time of 2:51:52 was over 3 minutes faster than the same event a year ago.  That’s called a PR, or Personal Record, and I will take it every time.  I am one of those runners who judges his performance by his time.  If I am not getting faster, than I feel like I am not getting better.

Going faster isn’t just a personal goal for every race.  I am fully aware if I don’t speed up, I will be very much in danger of not being able to finish the Half Triathlon I am signed up for in August.  Not only does my running have to get much faster, but my swimming and biking, as well.  It’s one of the reasons why I am training so hard, to be able to finish that 70.3 miles that I will be attacking in four short months.

Ultimately, however, it isn’t as much about my progress in these races as it is about providing clean, healthy water to those in Africa that do not have easy access or close access (or even ANY access) to water.  Over the last 3+ years, through YOUR generous donations, I’ve helped raise over $16,000.00.  This provides an amazing amount of life giving water (and protection for children)!  This is why I run.  This is why I train.  This is why I beg you every year and every race for another donation.

This point really struck home as I was getting ready for this Saturday’s race.  It was early morning and I was alone in the house.  I made coffee by going to the fridge and filling the coffee maker with filtered water.  I took a bottled water out of the fridge to hydrate.  I ran water to make my oatmeal.  As I ran the water to brush my teeth, all of this easy and convenient access to water struck me.  Unless you’ve seen the lack of water access in person, you cannot really understand it. We have cheap, safe water in overabundance.  We have so much of it we often waste it and don’t even think about it.  I don’t think we should feel guilty about having water, we at least need to be aware that not everyone does.  And, with a little giving, we can change that.

When I was in Kenya, we learned that they have a saying, “Take what you need and share the rest.”  Not only is that a saying, but we witnessed that it really is a way of life for many.  It is a way of life for the group of widow farmers we met who raised crops and donated much of their produce to a group of orphans.  We witnessed it with a group who formed a banking cooperative to help fund community projects with micro loans.  We benefited from it when a group of older women we met with gave us these beautiful weaved baskets as gifts when we were all prepared to buy them.

I witness it every time one of you wonderful people donate to this cause.  It is because of your LIFE GIVING donations that I run…

Hopefully each run will be faster, but my speed isn’t what is the most important thing…

Click here to donate and provide clean water to someone who doesn’t have it.

Thank you for your support,

Scott

I Gave It My Best Tri

There is a lot of fear in the unknown.  I felt that fear before my first half marathon several years ago.  I felt that fear again (magnified) before the NYC Marathon last November.  On Sunday, I felt that fear yet again before my first Triathlon.  I wasn’t afraid of the distances (300 yard swim, 13 mile bike, and 3.2 mile run), but I was afraid of the unknown.  What was the swim going to be like?  Was I going to slow down faster swimmers behind me?  What were the transitions going to be like?  Would my bicycle handle the fact that I exceed the manufacture’s max weight?  Were my legs going to be able to handle it?  Was I going to be able to run after biking?  These fears were intensified as I was on line to start the swim.  A man walked up to me and introduced himself as “Iron Dave”, the area president of the United States Triathlon Association (USTA).  We talked about how I got involved in the sport and my fundraising with Team World Vision.  We talked about the swim.  I asked him about the pool length, as the pool seemed to be a little smaller than the pool at the gym where I train.  I’ve been told that the pool at the gym is 50 meters long.  However, this school pool (which looked only a little shorter) was 25 yards.  I came to learn that the pool at the gym is 25 meters long, not 50.  So, I’ve basically been doubling the distances during my training from the actual…now I was really scared that I was going to have a tough swim.

Ultimately, all of these questions were answered during the 2 hours I raced, and the truth is, I had an amazing time.

I actually slept well the night before (which doesn’t usually occur before a race).  I woke up at 3:30am and had my breakfast, got ready and stretched.  I arrived at the race about 6:30 and set up my transition area, laying out my bike gear for the first transition (T1) and my running gear for the second (T2).  I also got marked (bib number 117 was magic markered onto my left arm and calf, as was my age on my right calf.)  I went into the pool area not really knowing what to do and sat with other racers and spectators until about 7:15.  Angie arrived at the pool a little bit afterwards and we chatted until the race started.  Since I was talking with her and I didn’t want to slow down any other swimmers, I decided to get at the end of the line to start in the pool.  They were staggering the start about 10 seconds and when it was my turn I put on my goggles and jumped in.  

I immediately lost my breath, probably due to the adrenalin rush and began to swim.   I swam slowly, but steadily and completed the first length of twelve.  Angie was waiting for me and she gave me shouts of encouragement.  Within the first couple of lengths, I passed my first swimmer.  Each lap I completed was met with another cheer from Angie.  At the end of the eleventh length I said to her I was going to pass the swimmer that was about a third of the way ahead of me.  I beat him to the ladder and pulled myself out of the pool and ran to the transition area.  My swim time was 9:30.

It was COLD that morning, and here I am outside, with nothing but a wet bathing suit on and began to dress for the bike.  Thankfully, I brought extra clothes in case it was cold, so I had a long sleeve shirt and my jersey.  I took of my bathing suit and put on my bike shorts.  Finally, I tried to put on my socks and bike shoes, but my hands were so cold that they were already numb and it took a lot longer than I would have hoped. My T1 time was 6:15.

I ran with my bike to the mount area and got on the bike.  The first thing I noticed was that I was already breathing very hard.  The second was that I was very cold.  I just started pedaling without really thinking about what I was doing.  The beginning of the course was uphill and it was very windy, so my legs started burning right away.  Other bikers were coming in the opposite direction (finishing their bike portion) and this got me motivated so I just started “riding the circle”, pushing and pulling my legs to get moving.  I had so much fun on the bike, even though on several windy uphills I thought I might quit.  My legs were spent, but each uphill was followed by a downhill on which I could accelerate and rest.  I thought about all the people that donated and all of the people whom the donations would help and set my mind that no matter what, I would finish.  I passed seven other riders during that run, so I knew that my bike portion wasn’t the slowest.  In fact, relative to the rest of the race, it was my best performance, completing the 13 miles in 55:41 which is a 14.0 MPH average.

As I dismounted and entered the transition area, I saw Angie and waved to her.  It really helped having her there to cheer me on.  I racked my bike, changed my shoes and replaced by bike shorts for running shorts.  I first started leaving the transition area in the wrong direction until another competitor told me to turn around - that I was going the wrong way.  My T2 time was 4:53.

At first, I couldn’t feel my legs or do anything more than just a slow jog.  Even doing that, I caught up to someone on the course, ultimately passing them.  Another runner passed me (I had passed her about 2/3’s into the bike course) so I knew I was going to slow.  By about the first half mile, I started getting some feeling back into my legs and started picking up the pace.  The course was somewhat hilly, and I ended up walking the uphills and running the downhills and flats.  I walked more than a typical 5K for me, and ended up taking about ten minutes longer than I would have normally.  As I entered the parking lot to the finish, I saw Angie.  She was taking pictures and started running towards the finish line to get me finishing.  That motivated me to pick up the pace and beat her to the end.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 44:55 on the run and a total time of 2:01:16.

It was so much fun, but I learned that these short distances are much more demanding than I expected.  Given that I have another Triathlon in two months that is 4 times each of the distances, I have a long way to go.

But, with hard training and your support and prayers, I will do my best.

To support my fundraising, please visit my Team World Vision fundraising page by clicking here.

Scott

Marathon Man

It's been a couple of days since the marathon, and I am recovering nicely.  I am still sore, and my feet hurt, but otherwise I am in much better shape that I expected.  In fact, the entire weekend was just so amazing, I couldn't have imagined it better than what occurred.

The morning of the marathon started early for me, as I slept fitfully the night before.  I had my alarm set for 3:45, but was awake a little before it went off.  After getting ready and stretching, my sister and I left for Manhattan.  We dropped one car off near the finish line and used hers to get me to the buses at the midtown library.  I boarded one of the many buses around 7:15 and was off to Staten Island.  I sat with a group who were all doing their first marathon.  One of the group was from NY, the others from Montreal and Los Angeles.  A couple of others near us included a pair of brothers from NY who were doing their 9th NYC Marathon together.  They gave us some pointers as we approached the start village.

I met up with several from Team World Vision and we sat and chatted, waiting for our turn to load into the corrals to start.  After watching the first couple of waves start, we took a picture of the group with the Verrazano Bridge behind us, prayed, and did the Team World Vision rally clap.  We then split up to go to our start locations.  I was in the way back, loading in the last corral.

We walked toward the bridge and finally on to the bridge.  The cannon fired for our wave to start and after a few minutes of walking, I crossed the start line and started my GPS tracker.  The race clock was already an hour and a half in, as I started at just about 11:00AM.

We jogged slowly up the bridge and I looked to my left and enjoyed the unbelievable view of lower Manhattan.  It looked so far away and I was awed by the fact that I would be running 26 miles and through all of the boroughs.  The downhill of the bridge was awesome and we entered into the crowds of Brooklyn.  Miles 2 through 14 are now a hazy memory.  The crowds were awesome cheering for us and waving at us, but they weren't who I was waiting to see - I knew my family would be waiting for me a little after the halfway point when we entered Queens.

After crossing the Pulaski Bridge into Queens, I started to look for them.  As I approached mile 14, I saw a group with orange shirts on the left side of the course.  First I saw my sister Michele, then Angie, Cassie, my cousin Joe, and my Aunt Carole Anne.  The instant I saw them I started bawling.  I was so overcome with emotion that all I could do when I got to them was hug them while I cried. I hugged each and thanked them for coming, but I knew my break was over and it was time to get going again.  I challenged my aunt to run with me, and I think she tried to get her walker moving, but I ran off while they were still whooping it up for me.  When I thought they couldn't see me anymore, I stopped running, cleared my eyes and thought of them some more.  It was time to get a move on.  We ran through Long Island City and up onto the Queensborough Bridge.  It seemed to last forever, and even when we passed mile marker 15, I didn't get the pick me up that most mile markers have on me.  The down slope of the bridge was a nice respite, as was the large crowd of people that were at the end of the bridge's hard left turn.  With another left turn we were on the long 1st Ave run north towards the Bronx.

I don't know if the "wall" is physical or mental, and if it is physical, I don't know if it is muscular or cardio related, but I do know that I hit them all on the 1st Ave run, somewhere between mile 18 and 19.  I started to labor and began walking more than running.  It's here where I first started thinking about quitting.  I prayed for strength.  I prayed for the will to continue.  I prayed for the children that we were helping and I prayed for everyone who supported me this year.  I also thought about my running buddies, Robert and Kristin.  I thought about them telling me to "suck it up, princess".  I also thought about Team World Vision and how it's all about the kids...I continued to put one foot in front of the other.

As I came of the bridge, I noticed the police cars with their lights on were pretty close to me.  I thought, at the time, that this was the time cutoff and that the sag wagon would be with them.  I didn't want my race ended, so I worked hard to stay in front of them.  I was angered by them being so close to me, as I knew I was still on my pace target of about 9 minutes per kilometer.  This anger fueled my a little.  As I entered the Bronx, they got closer and closer...when I was crossing the bridge back into Manhattan, they passed me.  There were a lot of people behind me still running, so I realized that this wasn't the sag wagon, just several emergency vehicles, so I was relieved.  Unfortunately, I also lost my motivation to keep going as quick as I could.  As we came down 5th Avenue, we crossed the 35K marker and then the 22 mile marker.  By then, I started to think I might finish.  I still wanted to quit, but I figured I was so close by this point, that I would just keep going.  Then, my phone died and with it the GPS tracking, stats and my music.  I took my headphones off and just started to watch the remaining spectators.  There weren't too many left by this point, but they were all saying the same thing..."You are almost there!  Keep going!"  So I did.

Eventually, I entered Central Park.  Just a couple of more miles to go.  There were some hills which really hurt, but I could still jog the down slopes.  My feet hurt as I was starting to blister on my toes on my left foot.  My left knee hurt, too.  But, my calves were fine (they usually cramp when I race).  Unfortunately, my back was starting to really hurt.  I ultimately passed 40K and 25 miles.  You think it would be in the bag by then, but you'd be wrong...I wanted to quit more than at any point in the race.  I hit Central Park South and then Central Park West and the 26 mile marker.  I then saw my family for the second time.  I had the same emotional reaction, but didn't stop to hug...I knew if I stopped I wouldn't start moving again.  They "ran" with me.  I then left them and entered the park for the last 800 meters or so.  800 meters is far longer than I ever expected.  Finally, I hit the 400 meter sign.  I screamed, "DOES THIS COURSE EVER END?"  200 meters.  I'm dying here!  100 meters.  The finish line was in sight.  Although the stands were all lit up, there was no one in them.  I passed a line of photographers.  I heard the announcer say something, I think he might have even said my name or something about World Vision, I don't remember. I raised my hands above my head and crossed the finish line.  Surprisingly, I did not get emotional at the finish.  I might have been too tired.  I received my medal and my foil blanket.  I sat on a bench for about a minute.  I didn't want to stiffen up, but I had to give my legs a short break.  I got up, had my finisher picture taken and headed for the exit.

The race was done, and so was I.  But the fundraising continues.  My page will be up for the rest of the year.  I'd be grateful for any last donations...I'm still $300 short of my revised goal of $7,500 and our team is a little short of an amazing $210,000 for child protection.  Make a difference by making a donation.  Click here to go to my fundraising page.

Misplaced Anxiety

We leave for NYC tomorrow.  I've trained hard, maybe too hard, and am nursing some knee and hip pain on my left side.  That is adding the the incredible amount of anxiety I am feeling towards the race on Sunday.  I think some of that is also being fed by the unknown around what I am to experience Sunday morning.

Someone sent me a wonderful note saying that all I have to do is get myself to the start line, and God will take care of the rest.  Someone else asked me, "what's the worst that can happen?"  Pretty smart support from two friends.  At the end of the day, this is just a long race...not a life-threatening or life-saving event.

But what the team and I are fundraising for IS about life and death.  Child Protection is about keeping the most heinous evils away from the most vulnerable of children AND from restoring them when it does happen to occur.  This is important...my knee pain during Sunday's race ultimately is not...

So, we have a couple of more days to raise money, and reach my increased goal of $7500.  Additionally, the team is less than $20,000 away from our increased goal of $200,000.  Please consider making a very generous donation and help make a decision for life.

Click here to donate

Thanks, and God Bless you.

Scott

Strong Legs, Broken Heart

I haven't blogged in a while.  I've had an interesting summer and frankly, I'm just glad it's over.

I took a new role at work, and although I am enjoying the challenge it has been a lot of work.  While I was transitioning into this role we bought and moved into a new house.  Then, I was diagnosed with a serious and very rare autoimmune disease.  Then, the woman who took me in as a teen passed away.  Needless to say, it's been a tough several months where many things took a back seat, including fundraising for World Vision's Child Protection Services and training for the New York City Marathon.

A while back, the doctor gave me a thumbs up regarding my treatment and cleared my to continue my training.  I lost a couple of months of training during this process, but I concluded that I was going to try and run the marathon anyway.  I started training again.

Although I am not where I hoped to me, I had a very strong 10k run this morning.  I am in NYC, and the temperature difference from North Texas really seemed to help.  I am going to put that to the test again on Saturday when I plan on running 21k, or a half marathon training run.

As I continue to train, I also realize that I need to step up my fundraising.  I planned on doing a couple of events this summer and will try to squeeze them in before the race in November.  I am more dedicated to this project, now more than ever.  Tonight we had a Team World Vision call, and we had a guest (an employee of World Vision) who had recently been to Mozambique to see the work and need there for child protection services.  He read from his personal journal about kids that were exploited, abused, and in the most horrible need for help.  I cannot clear from my mind the eighteen month old girl that he mentioned that had been a victim of rape...18 MONTHS old for crying out loud.  How can that not break your heart?  How can that not cause you to action - any action that could help these most vulnerable of people.

I know that story and the others he shared will motivate me to go to the gym tomorrow and the next day and the next to continue my training for the marathon.  I hope it also motivates you to click the link below to make a donation to help.  We cannot allow these horror stories to continue.  We MUST act.  I've met some of the people that Child Protection is meant to help during my trip to Kenya.  They are real people, who laugh and cry just like us.  We can make a difference together.  We MUST try!

Please click here to make a generous donation to help fund the vital work being done by World Vision.

Thank you.  I pray that you and your children never have to suffer anything like the people in Mozambique and elsewhere.

Scott

One In A Million

For most of you, my lack of workout posts and requests for money for my fundraising for Team World Vision's Child Protection has been a welcome respite.  For me, it's been an interesting couple of months, to say the least.

Several weeks ago I started exhibiting symptoms that made working out very difficult.  I was in a great deal of pain and a lot of motion just made it worse. I went to my general practitioner and he was able to rule out a couple of things, but could not give me a diagnosis, so he referred me to a specialist.  This specialist performed a biopsy and a couple of weeks later I had my diagnosis - a very rare autoimmune disease where my body attacks a normal antibody in healthy cells.  The disease is serious and can lead to significant issues, including blindness and death.  I am fortunate in that my doctor believes he can control the disease with a very conservative steroid therapy and will not have to move to a more aggressive therapy where the side effects from the steroids are almost as bad as the disease.  Either way, my doctor assures me that we will become "best friends" over the next several years as I will have to visit him often.

I have to be honest...if I was going to be associated with something that had 1 in a million odds, I would have preferred winning the lottery.

At this point, I am just glad to have a diagnosis, particularly one in which the doctor has instructed me to return to normal activity as I can tolerate.  So, today, after a week of treatment, I ran.  I didn't run long and I didn't run particularly far, but I ran.  My legs hurt, my head hurt and my breathing hurt, but I ran.  It's amazing how quickly we lose some of our conditioning, but all I know is that I ran.

I don't know if I will be able to run tomorrow, and I know I couldn't run yesterday, but today I ran.  I ran for Child Protection and all of the kids that will benefit from our fundraising.  I ran for all of the people that donated to my run and those who will donate.  I ran to get ready for the New York City Marathon.

Today, in addition to all of the above, I ran for ME!

It's clear that there are no promises for tomorrow.  Go kiss your spouse, hug your kids, and make a donation by clicking here.  Don't wait for tomorrow, do it now.

Why Child Protection

The day after a very successful Patriot Half Marathon in Rockwall, my legs are very sore.  But, my heart aches even more.

We recently completed our first Team World Vision NYC Marathon team call.  This call was to allow all of the runners to introduce themselves and learn more about World Vision's Child Protection project.  Child Protection is a five-year initiative to help children who are in the most vulnerable situations.  The nature of the call, and the need for help for this children is enough to break your heart - and it did mine.

I am running with Team World Vision to raise money to help fund all of the incredible work that they are doing helping these children.  The project is focused on three primary areas: Prevention, Protection, and Restoration.

The project aims to help children from sex trafficking and other predatory labor practices, from early and forced marriage, from warfare and child soldiering, from female genital mutilation, from abuse stemming from a disability, from the scourge of gang violence and includes a special project to protect them from child sacrifice.  Just typing the list conjures up images of unspeakable evil in this world, and through your help we can help the more than two and a half million children who are at risk.

I will continue to provide more information about this initiative, my fund raising and my training, but would you please make a generous donation to help fund this most worthwhile cause?  Don't wait for the marathon in November.  Make one today.

*** Click here to make a donation and save a child today ***

Thanks for your support,

Scott
 

Child Protection

This coming week begins a busy period for this year's fundraising for Child Protection with World Vision.

On Monday, I will run my second half marathon of the year.  I will be running the hilly Rockwall Patriot Half.  I'm less concerned with my time, and more concerned with what I've been warned as a very hilly course.

On Tuesday night, we have our first New York Marathon conference call with the World Vision leadership team and fellow runners from all over the country to get more details about the Child Protection initiative for which we are fund-raising.

And, I continue to train and diet.  There are only 23 weeks remaining until the NYC Marathon, and I have a long way to go.

While I work at getting ready for the biggest challenge of my life, won't you please consider a generous donation to the cause to help protect children from exploitation, abuse, and despair?

Click here to visit my fund raising page and make a difference in children's lives.

Click here to view my four minute video on how I got involved in World Vision.  When I started my selfish goal was to change me, but I ended up changing in ways I never imagined...

And, as always, thank you for your support.

Scott

A Journey Of Change

My journey with World Vision has been a journey of change. Not just a physical change, but one in which has seen a huge heart change.

I started because I needed a goal. Running my first 13.1 two years ago was that goal. I was going to train and prepare for the modest goal that I set: To complete a 13.1 half marathon.

What happened during that process is that I actually started to care...care for the people that we were helping, care for the people that supported me, and ultimately, care for my place in God's Kingdom. I fell in love with our sponsored children in Katito, Kenya during my training - as I knew that what I was doing was going to directly impact their lives.

Because of my fundraising (and your generous support), I was invited to go on a 'Vision Trip' to Kenya. I was going to see the good work that was (and is) going on there. I was going to take part in the water project commissioning and celebration, I was going to see exactly what the money that I was raising was going to. I was going to see how the people of the community were benefiting by my running.

I saw all of that and more. But what I really saw was hope, love and faith. And, seeing this changed me more than I could have ever imagined. I met our four sponsored children, I met a family in dire need and decided to sponsor one of their children, too. I met the incredible people of World Vision Kenya who are the hands, feet and heart of God there. I met and fell in love with all of them.

So, when I came back, I knew I had more to do. I signed up to run three half marathons, and ending up running four. Again, through the incredible generousity of my family, friends, and colleagues, I raised a nice amount of money for clean water in Katito. This result led to another amazing opportunity.

I've been invited to run the New York City Marathon in November. Given that I received this invite right near the terrible incident in Boston, this invite means even more to me. To return to my birthplace and run in a full marathon is an absolutely wonderful opportunity. To be able to celebrate this with friends and family in NYC is so awesome.

So, this year, I'll be training hard to be able to complete 26.2 miles. My goal is to finish. I'd like to think I can do it in about six hours, but just finishing right now seems to be a daunting task. I know how I feel after 13.1 and can't imagine doing another 13.1 right afterwards. But, I'm going to give it my all.

The children that we help, as we are running for World Vision's Child Protection Initiative, are worth it. And, I've seen the impact that World Vision's efforts have on an individual, on a family and on a community. Your money could not go to a more worthwhile cause.

Please consider a generous donation to this effort. Consider more than one. Consider a sacrificial gift to support this run. My goal is $5,000, but I would like to raise much much more. Remember, a full marathon is the most grueling thing I can think of right now. Support my training efforts with a donation, and share my page with all of your friends...

...together, we can change the world.

*****Click here to visit my fundraising page and make a donation*****

And, as always, thank you for your support.

Much love,

Scott

Another Year...More Saved Lives

I've been struggling with how I wanted to thank you for your support...

I'm overwhelmed that so many have given so much to my cause this year...

As I reminisce on my races this year, I invariably end up thinking about our sponsored children in Katito, Kenya.  I think about how their faces showed the gratitude of our support for them, how their parents couldn't believe that they were loved from afar and how so many cared enough for them to help support the water projects that World Vision had undertaken.

Ultimately, I think about all of the children and adults we met that thanked us for helping improve their lives so significantly with something that we consider so insignificant - if we consider it at all - the availability of clean water.  (Click on the video below to see my message filmed after we commissioned a borehole in Kenya)

I wish I could have helped raise a million dollars, but I know without a doubt that even $5,700 can have a very significant impact on those we wish to help.

So, I say 'THANK YOU'.  Thank you to all of you who supported my fundraising this year.  YOU are the reason I get up to run.  YOU are the reason that I finished five half marathons this year.  YOU are the reason that people have clean water.  These people are families - real men, women, and children - many of whom I have met, laughed with, danced with, sung with, hugged and continue to love today.

Their lives have been changed for the better and you are the change agent.

Thank you for your support and go to bed tonight knowing that you have helped changed the world and have made it a better place for many.

Thank you and God Bless you.

[[[[ If you are looking to make more of a change with a year end tax deductible donation, click here ]]]

...Not Done

I knew when I set at goal of raising $13,700 it would be a stretch...someone described it as "audacious"...I knew I wouldn't be able to achieve it without incredibly generous support from my friends, colleagues and family.

I've received amazing support, but I would like to make a final push to get closer to the amount.  Having been in Kenya and seeing the affect that these funds have on lives, I personally know that every additional dollar has a profound impact on people...I know that clean water saves lives.  I've met the people who's lives were immeasurably improved by a bore hole, rain catch system, and/or education.

So, I've been thinking about what I can do to justify my ask for more money.  My first decision is that I will add two more half marathons to this year's schedule.  I will run the SprintPCS Dallas Half Marathon in early December.  I am continuing my training to improve on my Personal Best time of 2:49.  My goal is under 2:45.  Additionally, I will run the Arctic Blast Virtual Marathon during the last week of December.  This is a less organized run where we sign up and run a half and provide proof of our run.  I will use my long run training path around Whiterock Lake as the course.

So, I've added two races to extend my fundraising time.  Additionally, I will continue my offer of a jersey to anyone who donates $25.  I have plenty left in most sizes.  This is the same jersey that I've been wearing during my training and during races (see picture above).  It's made of synthetic material and makes great training gear.  It would also make a great Christmas present to someone, so make a donation on their behalf and give them the jersey to show them how much you care.

[[[ Click here to make a donation today ]]]

Thank you for your support.

SL

Done...

I'm finally getting to updating my blog regarding my last run.  I ran the Allstate 13.1 Half Marathon  in Dallas on October 27.  It was a beautiful and cold morning and conditions could not have been better.

Angie, Cassie and I visited with other runners and supporters at the Team World Vision tent before the run.  We were all cold, but my anxiousness of starting another half marathon was enough to keep me from worrying about the temperatures.  I also new that the cool weather would be a Godsend during the actual race.

Because of the intense training that I had done, and the fact that I ran 13.1 in 2:53 a couple of weeks prior, I had adjusted my personal goal to 2:50.  Since my previous official best was 3:07, I knew that this goal was a stretch goal.  Additionally, I never take these things for granted.  Given my extra weight, any long distance run is tough and I never assume I am going to have a good time, let alone finish.  But this time, I had a plan.  In the past, I have always bonked out near the end.  It's happened at mile 8, mile 9 or even later, but it has always happened...and the result is cramping and having to walk at the end.  During my training, I focused on extending my endurance and range and I had hopes that it would pay off during this race.

 

I also went into this race with a plan.  I wouldn't go full out in the beginning.  Instead, I planned on getting the first 9 miles done at a pace of 4.5 miles per hour, or maybe a little faster.  I knew that if I could finish the first 9 miles in less than two hours I would have some left in the tank for a faster finish.  I set my GPS to keep me informed of my pace and hit the start line.

At the start, it is very difficult to NOT go too fast.  My first mile was at 4.7 miles per hour.  This was a perfect pace.  As I was passed by other runners, I found myself having to tell myself to ignore them and run my own race.  It worked and I kept at a good 4.7 miles per hour.  I was at about 9.5 miles when I hit the two hour mark.  I also knew I had three minutes to spare, and the clock time was more than three minutes ahead of my actual time.

I as hit the 12th mile, I knew I was in good shape.  I felt pretty good and was still running almost four minutes of each of my five minute intervals.  I also knew that the last mile was uphill and that last year it really killed me.  I walked more of mile 13 than previous, but I knew I was still in good shape.  As I turned the last corner, I saw Angie, Cassie and my friends cheering us on.  I also saw the finish line and jogged to the end.  It is the first time I actually jogged at the finish.  I looked up and saw that the clock had not yet hit 2:53.  I had done it...I beat my goal of 2:50 with an official time of 2:49:22.  This time is a Personal Best (PR) for me, and was 16 minutes faster than Chicago.  Additionally, this time was more that 30 minutes faster than this same race a year ago...

I have completed my three halfs this year, but I'm not done...I haven't hit half of my fundraising goal, so there's more to do.  Perhaps more races?  Stay tuned...as the title says, I'm done...but not done.

SL

 

Finish Strong!

Training has been going well. I haven't spent enough time in the gym, and my success dieting is up and down, but my running has been going very well. A couple of weeks ago, I did a time-trial 13.1 around Whiterock Lake in 2:53, which is almost 15 full minutes off of my previous fastest half marathon. Because of that run, I have set a goal of 2:50 for my third of three halfs this year.


Unfortunately, my fundraising has not been as successful as my running. I am about $5,000 of a $13,700 goal. I have a ton of jerseys left, too.

Therefore I have decided to do two things. First, I will add a fourth half marathon and will run the Dallas PCS Half Marathon in December. This will add some fundraising time to the year to help get closer to my goal.

Second, I am offering a jersey to anyone who donates $25, or more, between now and the last half in December. While supplies last (I have about 50 remaining), I will send anyone who makes a $25 donation to my fundraising. I was offering these jerseys for each $100 donated, but you can get one for as little as $25 (which is only a few dollars more than what I paid for them). The jerseys are synthetic fibers, are great for runs, and will show your support for this effort and that you "Dug Deep" for clean water in Africa.

So, please click the link below right away and make a donation. I will try to accommodate your size and will fulfill this offer on a first come first served basis.

Click here to make a donation, safe a life, and get a jersey...

Thank you!

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I hope that means that video is worth even more.  Please watch this video that I shot while in Katito, Kenya...

 

This video was shot at the Kachan Primary School in Katito, Kenya.  While visiting the school, we saw some of the incredible work happening there through World Vision.  Water tanks, latrines, hand washing stations, and full scale education efforts around basic sanitation is having an amazing transformative effect on the community...

Clean water and basic sanitation is resulting in healthier children and families.  Since these kids are healthier, they miss less class and perform better in school.  Additionally, they spend less time obtaining water (usually polluted) from far away sources.

These basic changes are having an amazing effect on this and many other communities in Katito and it is because of your previous support that these efforts are being carried out.  Without your funding, none of this is possible.  Therefore, it is with the most heartfelt sincerity that I thank you for your support.

However, as much as there is amazing progress, there also remains incredible need.  It is for this reason that I am humbly asking you for more help.  Would you please consider another donation to this wonderful cause?  Any amount will help as we march toward funding another bore hole in Africa which will continue to transform the community and save lives.

[[[ Please click here to make a donation. ]]]

Thank you and God bless you for your support.

Scott

Chicago Pain

Last Sunday I completed the second of three planned half marathons to raise money for World Vision to be used for clean water projects in Africa.

As you are already aware, I signed up to run a half marathon in New York (completed in March in 3:08:52) and now the Chicago half (in 3:07:12).  My last 13.1 will be here in Dallas in October with the rest of my Team World Vision running mates.  I am looking forward to running with friends in a sea of orange jerseys.

My Chicago half was not as easy as I had planned...or at least as easy as running and walking 13.1 miles can be.  My first attempt was aborted in June because of some severe back pain.  Since then, I trained very hard to be ready for this make-up raise.  Angie and I planned a very quick trip to Chicago to get in, pick up my packet, run the next day, recover, and come home the following day.

Every part of the plan worked as planned except for some trouble with my calf that started at about 8.5 miles, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Angie and I flew into Chicago and arrived in the early afternoon.  I had to pick up my packet at an expo, so we got a cab and stopped by the hotel to check in and drop off our bags.  We then headed over to the expo for packet pick up.  Everything worked out great and we even spent some time at the expo picking up my packet, t-shirt, and a bunch of free samples of stuff.  It was fun.

We knew we had to pack it early, as the race was scheduled for a 6:30am start.  I "yelped" for Italian restaurants and found one not too far away.  It was early, so there wasn't a lot of people there yet.  I carb loaded with pasta and drank a lot of water to hydrate.  We had a very nice meal and went to the hotel to relax and go to bed.

The next morning came way too quickly and I was up at 4:00am.  After stretching and dressing, we left for the race.  We arrived much more quickly than I expected, so we had about an hour to waste.  We walked around the tents for a while and headed off for my corral, number 29 - the last corral to start.  There were over 20,000 runners, so it took at least 30 minutes to reach the start line.  As crossed the line, I started my GPS tracker and intervals.  There were a lot of people bunched up at the start, so the going was pretty slow as we headed into the city.  Almost immediately, we went under a long stretch that was essentially underground.  At that point, my GPS lost signal and I wasn't getting my interval data, so I basically ran until I couldn't, then walked for a while, and ran some more.  My GPS finally reconnected, but it had added a mile to my distance.  Because of that, I had incorrect pace statistics and didn't have a clue how fast I had been going.  I think my first mile may have been around 11 minutes, which for me is way too fast.  That speed likely continued for a while, and since I hadn't looked at the clock when I passed the start line, I didn't know what I real time was.  Ultimately, the time on my GPS was right, but the distance was off, over 1.5 miles at the finish line.

Prior to 8.5 miles, I felt great.  It was a little warm and humid, but training in Texas helped prepare me for that.  At one point, I heard my name being called...I look up and saw the orange of Angie's World Vision jersey.  I had no clue, but she had moved to see me pass and to get some breakfast.  Seeing her was awesome, and really got me pumped, so I started running again.  No soon than passing her, my calf started to cramp.  Not too bad at first, but enough to know that it was going to give me a problem.  My right hamstring was tight, but I knew I could ignore that.  I wasn't so sure about the calf.  I walked/ran to the 9 mile clock and saw that I was a good couple of minutes in front of my goal to do the first nine in two hours.  I also knew that my calf was getting worse.  I tried running 1 minute intervals, but by the time I hit 10 miles I knew I was in trouble.  My right ankle starting hurting very badly...not the same pain that I've had, but a shooting pain in the front where the foot meets the leg.  I contemplated removing my ankle brace, but decided to leave it on.  I also decided that my run was over and that I would walk the remainder.

As the pain got worse (in calf and ankle) I started to think that I might not be able to finish.  The pain was excruciating.  I prayed and just focused on moving forward.  Each time I thought I would have to quit, the pain lessened and I thought about my friends in Kenya.  I continued past Soldier Field and was almost home.  I limped toward the end, found Angie waiting for me and finished.  I have no idea what the clock said, and didn't care...I finished.

But, I'm not finished trying to raise money for clean water...I'm not anywhere close to my goal.  I have one more race and I need your donations.  So, visit my fundraising page and make a donation today.  [[[ CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY FUNDRAISING PAGE ]]]

SL

My Journey To Kenya, and Beyond

The following is a letter that I sent to our senior pastor, Keith Stewart.  I decided to post the letter because it details the journey that I have been on that have culminated with my trip to Kenya and my ongoing fundraising for water projects in Africa.  I figured this is as good a time as any to share this as I have my second of three half-marathons coming this weekend.

My back has decided to act up again, keeping me relatively immobile during a recent trip to India.  Thankfully, I was able to work since all of my meetings were moved from the office to the hotel due to a strike that was occurring in Bangalore during our visit.  Since I have been home, the back is better, but I can tell something is still amiss.  After mowing the backyard today with little pain today, I've decided to continue with my plans to run this weekend in Chicago.  I would appreciate your support as I am still far from my goal of funding a deep water well (borehole) in Africa.  Since my visit to Kenya, I am more dedicated to this goal than ever, having seen the transformative effects of what clean water access can have on a community.

I would appreciate your support, regardless of the amount, to this effort.

[[[  Click here to visit my fundraising page and make a donation ]]]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sitting in India, but I find my thoughts continually going back to Kenya.  Since I cannot attend the meeting with you this week, I thought I would put my thoughts to “paper”.  I wanted you to know the profound experience that World Vision, sponsorship, and the trip to Katito have been to me and my family.  I apologize, in advance, for the long read.

When you first started to discuss Katito, I was not moved.  My reaction was probably like that of many others…I questioned why Africa was becoming a priority when there was (is) so much need locally.  As you have since discussed, my initial feelings, or lack thereof, were just a cover-up for my own self-centeredness and malaise.  I asked, “Why Africa?  What are we doing here?”  The questions should have been, “What I am doing here?”  But, I wasn’t doing anything, so I never asked that question because I didn’t like the answer.

Even though my heart was not in Africa, Angie and I sponsored several children.  It was important to Angie and I have learned to follow her heart, as hers has always been directed towards others more than mine.  However, making monthly payments was the limit of my participation.  I fostered relationships with our sponsored children not directly, but through my children…encouraging them to write to our sponsored children, but never doing it myself.  Again, I relegated responsibility to others.

We then participated in “Step Into Africa” at the church.  God began to work in me, or more accurately, I was becoming amenable to allowing God to work in me.  My experience in the exhibit was profound.  Unfortunately, my self-centeredness was stronger.  Although moved by the experience, enough to sponsor another child (which really was a replacement for one of our children who moved out of the ADP), I continued to limit my participation to making monthly payments.

Then, Lorraine stood on stage and mentioned the run to help raise the final $68,000 to complete the water project.  She stood on stage and I remember what she said vividly – “any physical ability can participate”.  I thought about this, and decided to participate.  However, my motivation continued to be selfish.  I was going to run to see if God would change me…my body, that is. I know I am a man who requires goals, and I thought I found the perfect opportunity to lose weight and get into shape.  I signed up and started to diet and train.

God did change me, but not in ways I ever imagined.  He started to change my heart.  Yes, I’ve lost 60 pounds during this process, and have run several half marathons, but this change is minor compared to the love that I now feel for our family in Katito.  As I did my training, I kept thinking of what I was training for.  I would think about our sponsored children and the others that the water project would help.  This was an entirely cerebral exercise, as I had no clue to the real suffering, the real needs of these people – but I thought of them nonetheless. I started praying for them.  I started to love them, sight unseen.  I was also moved by the amazing generosity that I saw from the people that donated to my cause.  I raised over $3000 with last year’s run and am still amazed by that result.

My heart change resulted in me wanting to do even more.  This year, with the help of World Vision, I have signed up for three 13.1’s to try and raise $13,700 for a deep water well.  Although this well will not go to Katito, I am supremely confident that wherever it does go, it will be a tremendous blessing to the people that it serves.  To date, I have raised over $3,600.

Then, I got the call that I was being invited to go to Katito to celebrate the completion of the water project.  I cried when I got that call.  I am crying as I recall the call.  I blogged about my feelings then, so I won’t recount it here.  If you are interested, you can read it here:

http://scottlessard.blogspot.in/2012/02/its-celebration.html

Needless to say, your prayer that we get “wrecked” has been answered.  I have been so profoundly changed that I still cannot adequately process or communicate my feelings about the trip.  I do know one thing, that God wants more from me and that, for the first time in my life, my heart is amenable to that.  Josh led us in “lecto divinia” while in Katito, and God said to me (in a voice more sure than I have ever heard) that He “NEEDS” me “ALL IN”.  It was a most profound experience in a plethora of profound experiences.  I am still unsure as to what He meant, but I am open to the possibilities and am spending more time than ever with Him to figure it out.

I want to thank you for your teaching and guidance.  I am glad that your heart has been broken with the things that have broken His.  I am glad that you’ve so passionately and eloquently have shared what that means.  I have heard your message, His message, and the message of the wonderful people of Katito.

I will end with the words of a community health worker that we met in Katito.  Her name is Mary, but she is called “Adult” and I wouldn’t be surprised if you know her.  She is 76 years old, has an indomitable spirit, and cares for a woman with AIDS (also named Mary) with four small children.  She asked us to “never forget” what we saw that day…and I have not and will never forget.  I will forever remember the amazing love and grace that we saw that day and each and every day in Katito.   It energizes me.  But I also realize that there is so much more to do.  And, as I cultivate a relationship with Mary and her family (as Angie and I will be sponsoring one of the children of that family), it is my prayer that we can help that family know God’s grace as much as they’ve help me see it for myself.

Please let me know how I can help with the celebration weekend or sponsorship.  I want others to experience the life change that I have experience.  I want others to understand that when I am asked, I say I have nine children, four here at home, and five in Katito.

And, although I am unsure as to what it really means, I know that I am “all in”.

God Bless,

Scott

N.B. I have blogged about my experience with the runs and fundraising at:

http://scottlessard.blogspot.in/search/label/13.1

And, have begun posting my journals from the Katito trip at:

http://scottlessard.blogspot.in/search/label/Kenya

Days 6,7 and 8 - Kenya Journal

It was a difficult transition for us to go from Katito to the Mara.  In an instant we went from incredible poverty and need to oppulance.  The Maasai Mara Game Camp was a beautiful resort in the middle of the Mara.  We had incredible food, great accomodations, and everything we needed.  I know I wasn't the only one on the team to struggle with the transition, but it was explained to us that the Kenyan's really believed it important for us to see the beautiful side of their country.  Kenyan's are amazingly proud of the beauty and abundance of their country and wanted to make sure that we experienced the good with the bad.  And experience it we did.

---

Kenya journal - 11-13 May, 2012

Friday morning was our getaway day.  Some of us decided to return to the market before we left.  Peter drove us and we did some final shopping and returned to the hotel for checkout and to pick of the rest of the team.  Amazingly, the entire IPA team returned to see us off.  That was bittersweet, as we got to see them all again, but also had to say goodbye again.

We flew from Kisumu to Nairobi and saw off Justus and Tracy.  We then got into our vans and drove to the Sarova Hotel to take care of the safari charges.  This was the one part of the trip that I was concerned about our security.  We did not know our drivers (although transportation had been arranged prior).  When we arrived at the beautiful hotel, my concerns were eliminated, at least until we saw our plane.  After taking care of the charges, we drove to the small airport.  We waited a while for our Air Kenya flight.  Our plane had 11 seats.  Our weight allowance for baggage was 33 pounds per person...we were all way over and had to pay $360 total in baggage fees.  Our 45 minute flight to the Maasai Mara was incredible.  We stayed at 10,000 feet and saw Maasai villages and their Acacia tree rings that protect them from the animals.  We saw some game from the plane, including a couple of elephant near the airstrip.  We landed on the dirt runway at the Keekorok airstrip...it was terribly frightening and exciting.

We met our drivers, we given a refreshing towel and drink of juice and were whisked to our first game drive.  It was unbelievable.  I don't remember the names of all of the animals, but needless to say we saw everything over the course of the three days.  The only animals my car did not see were baboons, zebra, leopards, and crocodile.  We saw everything else: elephants, tipu, herdebeast, Grahame's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, cheetahs, lions - including lions feeding on two cape buffalo, cape buffalo, antelope, rhino, giraffe, hippos, and many others.  After the first drive, we went to the hotel.  We checked in and went to our tents. They were awesome...very comfortable with a great shower / bathroom.

We ended up going on that drive on Friday, two on Saturday and another on Sunday.  The itinerary was to meet for coffee at 6:00am and leave the camp at 6:30am.  After about 3 hours of driving around, we would return to the hotel for breakfast.  Except on Saturday, where we had a bush breakfast scheduled.  We ate in the park with giraffes in the background.  It was amazing.  We had champagne, great food, and great company over amazing scenery and giraffes keeping a eye on us.

We returned to the hotel and several of us decided to fish in the pond.  Using rods with no reels (like fishing with cane poles), we caught a lot of fish: Nile carp, mudfish, and tilapia.  It was fun and very relaxing.  We then had lunch, tea, and went out to our evening game drive.

Sunday was the same, but we decided to go to the river to see the hippos.  We got out of the cars and saw the hippos in the water.  Because the water is high right now, there were no crocs where we were.  We learned that the river we were seeing feeds into Lake Victoria, which feeds the Nile river.

We returned to the hotel for breakfast, but I skipped thinking a shower was more important.  We checked out and stopped at the Maasai village.  They danced for us and we went into one of the dung homes.  The corralled us ito their market and gave us the hard sell.  Ultimately, I had had enough of that and decided to head back to the cars.  We did learn that the Maasai do hunt lions and are required to be part of a hunting party that kill a lion in order to get circumcised and married.

We then left for the airstrip and took our 11-seater to Nairobi, where our drivers were waiting for us to take us to the international airport.  We then waited several hours for our flight to London.  I'm on our flight to Dallas as I type this.  We have about 2 hours left and I am getting excited about getting home and seeing my girls.  I am also excited about continuing what God is doing in me, as well.

We have so many takeaways from this trip that it will take me a long time to process all of them.  I look forward to continuing this journal and "getting what they have!". Mambo sawa sawa...things are getting better, and so am I.

Day 5 - Kenya Journal

Today covers the water project celebration, but was only one aspect of another amazing day.  As I read what I wrote of that day, I note that I did a very poor job in capturing the joy, pride, and happiness that the team and I felt during the celebration.  It was so evident to us that the entire community was celebrating with us...you cannot imagine how it felt to be a part of that.  In my mind, I thought of all the people that raised money AND all of the people that donated to the effort to get it done.  I also thought about the transformed lives that access to clean water will provide.  I thought about the children who won't get sick and who will be able to attend school.  I thought about the women who have to walk for minutes instead of hours to get water.  I thought about the community united by the presence of the well.  I thought about the people who donated to my run last year.  And, I thought about my runs this year and the enduring need for other communities to be transformed with clean water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katito journal - 10 May 2012

Our day started with devotional and worship led by Springcreek. Simon led worship. We quickly realized that our worship has a lot more musical accompaniment, so it was a little awkward - but still fun. Dylan led devotional and spoke about Ex 3:1-4...he talked about how when God is with us, we can do anything. He did a really good job. Several of the team members shared reflections for their week, as well.

We then left for our activities. The first was a child headed household. The father of this household had passed a while back, but the mom died recently. The house was led by the oldest child, a 13 year old girl who had 5 siblings, 3 of which lived in the house. Two had been removed to other family, but we were informed that typically aunts or uncles will take the children that are most able to work or otherwise provide somehow. The remaining children were very young and to make things even worse, they were responsible for their grandmother, who is elderly and cannot provide for herself. There is a sponsored child in the house, so we were pleased by that...or Angie and I were likely to have a sixth sponsored child. We heard about how WV helps the family and left a gift of food with them. I believe that this is the family that we gave some direct funds to as well, having collected 28,000 shillings from the team (8000 shillings is $100). We were informed that it takes about 5,000 shillings to feed the family for two weeks.

Next was a farming cooperative of 25, mostly older women. The cooperative had been helped by WV through the donation of the cattle and seeds. The cooperative, however, had much of their own skin in the game, as they had purchased the plow. Additionally, the government had trained the members on how to plant, etc. It is amazing to see how much of a community effort everything is in Katito. By organizing their resources, they are much more able to do things that they would not be able to do as individuals. We also learned that the women use some of their crops to donate to OVC's and others. The generosity of everyone we met in Katito was another of those amazing aspects of what we saw. We plowed their fields, and some of the team planted seeds, as well. We moved to another area and discussed the cooperative while enjoying,the shade of a tree and some cokes. The women, in their amazing generosity gave us the baskets that they make. We were all ready to purchase them and instead they gave them to us.  They were really remarkable women.

We then visited Kachan primary school and saw their water projects, and were entertained by a dramatic skit. The skit was very entertaining as the lead character, Area Chief Paulo Paulo learned the necessity of washing your hands after using the latrine or before and after eating. As we introduced ourselves, I introduced myself as Chief Paulo Paulo Mzunga, which got great laughs. We saw the 30 sq. meter rain catchment tank, the latrines, the hand washing stations, etc. We also learned that these water projects not only provide safe drinking water, they are directly responsible for increasing attendance rates in school which has led to higher test scores. Additionally, the water has unified the community.

We returned to the IPA office for late lunch, which was bittersweet as we realized that our time with the IPA was running short.

Then we headed off to the Magunga borehole for the celebration. There were two large tents arranged for the celebration and the community was all present. The area chief, the area counselor, the water commission, the secondary school principle and staff, the primary head teacher and staff, the villagers, and students from both schools, as well as WV from Katito, the sub-branch, and Nairobi, and of course, us. After dancing with the villagers and students, we commissioned the borehole as Josh cut the ribbon. Then we planted two trees near the borehole. We then returned to our seats and endured several speeches from dignitaries. The children did several performances (poems and some rapping). We introduced ourselves and Josh asked me to say a few words. My focus was that we were all working together and vital to the process, and without any one part (sponsors, WV, community, etc) it wouldn't work. We then wrapped up and did some more video in the area. We also played with the children while they were given candy.

After the celebration, we returned to the hotel with the World Vision staff, for a celebration and goodbye dinner...the dinner was a highlight of the trip. We shared stories from the week and thanked the staff for their hospitality and for their work. They gave us gifts and shared a little about each of us. One of the most moving parts was when Albert shared his story. Albert is the Katito IPA leader. He shared his story about how he was from Katito, AND he was a sponsored child. He had us all in tears. His message was to uplift us as an example of what sponsorship can accomplish. He didn't need to share His story to uplift us, as the entire visit had done that, but it was the perfect end to our trip. Josh led us in communion, we hung out for a little while (it was well after midnight) and said our tearful goodbyes. It was hard to leave them and I am surprised by the emotion I feel now as I type this several days later.