Faithful Love

My Marvelous Wife
Over the 12 years we've been married, I've had many reasons to marvel at my wife, Peggy.  However, never before have I been more touched and inspired.  Ever since she made the decision to run the L.A. Marathon to raise awareness and funds to acquire land and build a home for a family in Kenya, she has steadfastly and selflessly dedicated her life to that single cause.

(The remainder of this post can be found at: http://www.raceandtask.com/2014/01/faithful-love.html)

Luke's Advice

Luke asked me to post this on his behalf:

how can i help muia

please get people to know about this site

tell neighbors, family, and friends

please this is for a good cause

we are trying to get 8,500 dollars

so far we have 2,017 so we need your help 

this is also on youtube (http://youtu.be/pSkrQ0PwzHY)

as you see we need to get him money to build a house when he is old enough he will build a house and take care of his family

so after he builds he would need to buy chickens,cows, and others. ETC.

so plz only you can make a difference  for muia

Thank you Mr. Allen!

Luke came home proudly holding a five dollar bill.  By his excitement, I knew something special had happened.  Not a moment after I got off the phone, he exclaimed, "Mr. Allen [our neighbor] wants to give this to Muia!"  Earlier in the day, Luke had decided to donate $26 of his own money toward Muia.  But that wasn't enough.  He wanted to everyone he came in contact with to know Muia's needs.  He went on a couple of games he plays and posted to his "clan" encouraging them to "google miles for muia."  Back in the real (as opposed to virtual) world, he made flyers that he wanted to post around the neighborhood.  It was while putting up flyers that he got to share Muia's story with "Mr. Allen."

He caused me to be proud and humbled at the same time.  As a father, few things bring me greater joy than knowing that he's grown into such a selfless and generous boy.  For myself, I'm humbled knowing that I lack his boldness in sharing this opportunity with people.

If anyone's interested in supporting Muia financially, tax-deductible donations can be made here: http://grouprev.com/milesformuia.  Thank you, as always, for your continued prayers and support.

River Run (10 Miles)

Today, Cindy and Peggy reached another milestone.  They ran 10 miles!  The last time they attempted this milestone was when Peggy broke her ankle, which was 8 weeks ago.

Early in the morning, we piled into our SUV and the Hoversons' van with the kids and our bikes.  While Peggy and Cindy ran, Mike and I rode with the kids.  We felt the hills in our thighs, so we marveled all the more at these two amazing ladies.

For those of you wondering, they completed the 10 miles in 2 Hours 7 Minutes.  Peggy's ankle/foot held up fine.

 
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Tough and Determined

Cindy and Peggy walked/jogged 4 miles both yesterday and today.  For those who've been following their training, that's not a big deal.  What is a big deal is that Cindy has had a stomach flu and a fever.  It's amazing to witness these two ladies demonstrate how we're to rely on God's providence to do His will.

Lord, I pray that you will continue to sustain them through this journey on which they've embarked for Your glory.  And for those who do not understand what would drive Peggy and Cindy to make such sacrifices, may they come to discover You; May they come to understand the changes you inspire in your disciples.  In Your Son's name...

Back to Training

Last week, Peggy and Cindy resumed their training.  Last Saturday, seven weeks after Peg broke her ankle, they walked/jogged eight miles.  Her ankle/foot feels fine.  The soreness stems mainly from painting (up and down a step ladder) than any of the training.  Peggy continues to wear the brace prescribed by the doctor.  In addition, she has been using compression socks, which many runner favor.



Praise God!  Cindy and Peggy are more determined than ever to finish the marathon.

We had another surprise donation of $200 last week, raising our total to $1,882, or 22% of our goal.  We're not sure how, but we've little doubt that the goal will be reached.

Amazing News x2

Today, at the start of the new year, we have the most amazing news to report.

#1: Dear friends of ours generously donated $1,000.  By any standards, that's a lot of money.  In their words, they realized how much more that means to a family like Muia's than anything that it represents for us here in America.  The money can completely uproot them from their dire circumstances and give them hope for the future.  Thank you Jeff and Andrea for the love and compassion you've always shown and are showing now with your generosity!!

#2: Peg is off her boot and had her left shoe on for the first time since the injury.  As you can imagine, it felt weird and she's still walking gingerly with a brace.  But that didn't stop her from going to the gym and putting in some on the bike and elliptical.  She's determined to run (or at least walk) the marathon this year.  Soon, she hopes to be able to begin training on the roads again with Cindy.  Please keep them in your prayers.

Friends, we're so encouraged.  Both of these updates add to our certainty that this will happen.  Together, we WILL have enough to acquire a home for Muia's family and completely change their lives for the better.

Praise God and thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  Happy New Year, indeed!