I sit down today to finally write another blog entry. A lot has happened since my last entry. So I hope you have time to read it all.
The only disappointing news for this blog entry is that I
have not officially received any new pledges for the Little Eden scholarship
fund. I have, however had a lot of people
tell me they plan to pledge money and that is encouraging. I am currently just a little over halfway to
my goal of $10,000!
Just a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to go spend
the day with Mike and Sylvia Eden. What an
incredible treat to get a chance to just spend some time visiting with both
these amazing people who are perfect examples to me of what it means to be a
true servant to God. They both have
family, friends, and lives here in the states along with personal struggles they are dealing with, all the while they continue to put themselves
last and the kids of Little Eden and their vision of what God has called them
to do first. You spend just a short
amount of time with these incredible people and you immediately see the joy and
love they have for the Lord, their own family, and their extended family in
Kenya at Little Eden. They are an
encouragement to me to know that we as people can make a difference in this
world if we listen to what God tells us and we follow our heart. I am just thankful that I can help in this
small fashion by raising money to help these kids get better educated. It is what helps me push through my training
and strive to push myself towards my Ironman race in November. We all need to realize we are all capable of doing
something great! So many of us are blessed
in so many ways, and it is easy to forget or not realize it. For some of us it is that we are financially blessed
where we do not have to worry about making bill payments, or if you can even
imagine worrying about where our next meal will come from or if we will be able
to provide for our family. There are so
many who deal with this struggle every day.
That is true in Kenya, and it is true here right in front of us in our
own city. For a lot of us it is the gift
of our health. Can you imagine dealing
with Cancer, MS, or any of the many other diseases which take away people’s
freedom to even have the strength to get up in the morning and do the most
basic things or get outside and do something active. I can list a ton of people right now who have
or dealing with this themselves or in their immediate family. It’s difficult to remember just being able to
walk is a gift and we are to use all of our gifts to glorify the Lord. I guess it’s why I like idea of challenging myself
physically to a point I would not normally go.
All I can say is I am thankful for my family and friends who I am
blessed with and I hope I can continue to grow in my faith and make a small
difference in this world somehow. I am
thankful to many people like Mike and Sylvia who are reaching out to those in
need and making an impact in this world ultimately for the Glory of God. I am thankful for the way so many of my friends at church encourage and inspire me by going on so many mission trips and doing incredible things.
On the triathlon front…..I have raced in two races since
completing my Ironman 70.3, doing the Kemah Olympic Triathlon and the Combat Triathlon
in Texas City. The Kemah race was a bit
of a disappointment since the bike portion was canceled due to the bad
weather. I did however have a great swim. I also had one of my best runs ever at the
Combat Triathlon a couple weeks ago. I
came close to hitting an 8’15’’ average pace which shatters any previous
running PR. In was a Sprint PR for sure.
I also was able to volunteer at Ironman Texas this year and
what an experience it was. I saw a lot
crazy stuff working Transition 2 in the change tent. I saw guys who looked like they had no business
going out to go run a marathon, and I saw some guys who seemed like they were
out for a Sunday stroll. I learned a lot
about what I need to prepare for in my transitions. The highlight of the day was working the
finish line from 9 to midnight. I got to
see most of my Tri4Him team mates cross the finish line and I also got to see
my good friend from Church cross the finish line. It was so encouraging to get a chance to talk
to each of them once they finished and share in those moments of triumph. On the other had I also had friends who were
not able to finish like my college friend and fraternity brother Robi. It is really encouraging to how he handled
the entire ordeal and how he is already determined to continue in his journey
to become an Ironman! Each one of these people who do these races show we our bodies can do incredible things.
I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful Monday and
your week is off to a great start!
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