Bike Night.
Aug/100
There is a group of guys at my work who all own bikes and are very in to bike culture (we all have different types of bikes and like to commute when possible).
One of these guys decided it would be an awesome ministry to get older bikes donated to the church, which he (and some other volunteers) would check out, tune up, and then give away to some kids and adults in the city that wanted a bike for enjoyment, or needed one for transportation.
A few weeks ago, Kristi and I decided to stop by for one of the evening sessions to try our hand at bike repair. It was good that a bunch of other people showed up, too — because there were over 50 bikes waiting for us!
It was a really fun night getting to take bikes apart to switch out parts (or build Frankenstein bikes out of whatever components we could find). There were definitely guys there with more bike knowledge than me, but it was good to get my hands dirty and work on building my skill set.
We can’t wait to go back again to fix more bikes and, maybe one day, tag along during delivery to see the people who will be blessed with two wheels.
Me working on a bike:
I was super proud of Kristi who, even though it was her first time working heavily on bikes, swapped out a set of brake pads to get a bike in riding (and stopping) condition.
Test riding the bikes was always a blast. It looked funny when grown men were wheeling around on kiddie bikes:
Over 20 bikes were repaired and ready to give out to kids the following Tuesday at Serve the City:
Little Surprises.
Aug/100
Since we were so close to Smoky Mountain National Park, we decided to tackle a hike on our last morning in Tennessee before heading home to Kentucky. The chosen hike was 1.3 miles each way.
Unfortunately, when we got to the park, we discovered the access road to our desired trailhead was closed for construction. We could still do the hike… we just had to hike an extra bit in order to meet up with the intended trailhead. Not knowing how far we would have to hike, we gambled it wouldn’t be too much and set out.
It was only after about 1 mile of hiking or so that we realized it would take us nearly 3 miles to get there, and 3 miles to go back. This lengthened our trek from an anticipated 1 hour round trip hike to 2 hours or more. Not wanting to turn around and bow out, we decided to continue.
So I began to pray. First, I was just asking God to get to our destination quickly. While we enjoy the process of hiking, we both were eager for our destination – the Grotto Falls. (Plus we wanted an earlier-rather-than-later start on the road home.) Yet we had little idea of what to expect. We knew nothing of their size or beauty or even what the route there would be like for us amateur hikers. The hike proved to be a little more demanding than we anticipated.
So, second, I started asking God to make the hike worthwhile. That we would meet with Him, enjoy the time in the woods, and enjoy the waterfall destination.
I even asked God for an extra something to make it worthwhile. Maybe the waterfall would be the kind where you could walk behind it, for example! Now, that would be awesome. ::Cue Disney movie Robin Hood at the romantic scene where Robin and Maid Marion walk behind the cartoon waterfall:: But if not that, I asked for something commensurately cool.
So we get to the falls. In about an hour’s time. Strenuous hike, but beautiful with many bubbling creeks to ford, and tall trees to behold, mountains flanking the view from behind. The Grotto Falls, situated at an elevation of over 3,600 feet, were lovely, flowing down huge boulders, and almost hidden behind the trees. It almost felt like discovering a secret in the woods. I climb as close as I can to the falls. And then I see it. The hiking trail leads us behind the waterfall.
True story.
God is awesome.
Race Day!
Jul/100
It is hard to believe but it was only 1 week ago when Team Compassion completed the Bluegrass 10K race that we had been training and fundraising for since January! The day before the race we met our goal of $3,000 for Compassion International’s Child Survival Program! We were blown away that nearly $1,000 came in within two weeks of race day! (If you would still like to give and did not get a chance to do so, it is not too late! Just let us know.)
We had 8 Team Compassion runners and 2 friends last minute join us for the race day. Several of us even sported our “Team Compassion” running shirts. It was bright and early on race day, before 7am, but just look at our shining, eager faces!
The race was a lot of fun. This was my second time completing the race but this second time around it was great to have friends who were running with me, too. The course is over 6.2 miles, and is fairly shaded and flat (thankfully). Many neighbors and people in the community come out to watch and cheer everyone on in the race. The race was a huge accomplishment for many of us – for most it was the first time completing a 10K. My sister, Karen, and Trevor were uncertain if they would be able to run the whole time (both have had knee/ankle issues)… but in the end they each maintained a run for the entirety of the race! For myself, it was a personal accomplishment to beat my race time from 2006. Kristi completed the 10K in 1:08:10 (10:59 pace) and Trevor completed the 10K in 1:15:09 (12:07 pace).
Ah, the glorious sight of the Finish line…!
The obligatory post-race group photo of all the triumphant Team Compassion runners! We did it!
Thanks for your support (financial and emotional) and prayers for good runs and meeting our goal. We appreciate you very much!
Child Survival.
Jun/100
You might have read our previous post about the ICHTHUS festival. In addition to music, the festival also features tents that are set up, housing merchandise and information about various ministries. One new tent was the “Global Village” that featured larger booths from a few organizations… and one of them was Compassion.
In the Global Village tent, we got to see a structure that models what a home of an impoverished family would be like. This reflected a “before” picture, before an impoverished family received aid through Compassion’s Child Survival Program.
Before…
Here were some of the signs we read with statistics:
Then we saw the same structure with a few distinct differences, differences made possible by Compassion. Here is a picture of the home “after” receiving help.
After…
You may notice key differences, like:
-Mosquito nets over the beds
-Nutritious food and formula for the babies
-Developmental aids and toys for the infants
-More sanitary conditions
-Spiritual guidance (represented through pictures and Bibles, etc.)
This interactive display was meant to promote their child survival program. While you can pursue a child sponsorship with Compassion for around $40 a month, you also can choose to sponsor a church in a village for as little as $20 a month. At the festival, they were seeking child as well as church sponsors. The result of the church sponsorship is the outworking of the child survival program, to help pregnant mothers and infants in their early stages of life!
How the Child Survival Program helps:
We thought this would be a great time to share this on the blog. We are only 3 days away from our Compassion 10K! We are still raising funds for this run, so if you have not taken the time to support this worthy cause and would like to, now is the best time to do it!
Visit this link or shoot us an email if you’d like to write us a check for the donation.
Come cheer us on this Saturday as we start the race at 7:30am in downtown Lexington. Or come meet us at the finish line. Thanks!
Saving Lives.
May/102
I don’t know how it started, but at some point in my life, maybe it was high school, maybe it was after high school, I started being a regular blood donor. This soon led to my enthusiasm in encouraging others to donate blood. I can still remember driving out to the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis with various friends to donate blood every two months or so. If you were my friend, you were very likely going to get roped in to donating at some point. However, I’ve realized over the years that so many people simply can’t. I’m not talking about fears of needles and pain, which are reasons themselves for many people, but actually having medical or health or even personal reasons (like having gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last year, etc) that disqualify or temporarily disqualify people from donating blood. Knowing how small the pool is of potential donors, I felt the need all the greater for me, as an eligible donor, to give regularly.
I’ve also realized that my innate desire to donate blood is connected to my faith in Jesus. Jesus has saved my life. A blood donation can, literally, save someone’s (physical) life. Jesus sacrificed for me. A blood donation requires sacrifice, of time, comfort, and giving a part of yourself for the sake of another. A blood donation is nothing like Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for humanity, but it participates in a similar way by sacrificing and placing the needs of our neighbors in this world above our own.
So, if you are eligible to donate, consider a blood donation. It may not be easy or enjoyable, but I do think it’s a way (one of many) of loving like Jesus. Donate in Lexington in May and support a great charity, Faith in Action, while you’re at it! Just schedule your appointment online or by phone and when you check in on the day of your appointment, tell them you’re donating for Faith in Action as part of the May 2010 Charity Challenge!
10K Training
Kristi's Training Mileage:
Trevor's Training Mileage:
Good Reads
Kristi's read shelf:
Trevor's read shelf: