April Run Totals May 2, 2007

First, thank you all for have given. You are truely generous and encouraging. Please know that you will receive a proper thank you once we return from Honduras. Until then, I sincerely thank you for your generosity. Currently, you all have raised over $700 to help the people of La Acequia in efforts to supply clean drinking water, personal hygiene, and building supplies!

Sunday afternoon, my friends and I ran for 1 hour and 46 minutes, which is our longest so far. After completion we were all so tired, and we could think nothing but, wow, the race on Sunday is going to be tough.

The biggest lesson I think I have learned from this journey happened later on after that run. A group of us are hosting a Hunger Banquet on Thursday. This banquet is to help educate people of our community of the unequal distribution of wealth throughout our country and the world. We are hoping to make people aware and then show them opportunities to get involved both locally, nationally, and globally. I’m very excited for it.

The banquet is a simulation where the people are split into different groups, randomly, called low, middle, and upper incomes. Each group will receive a meal based on the income group they are in, low (60%): rice and water, middle (25%): rice, beans and water, high (15%): speghetti, salad, option of drinks, etc.

Sunday night, after our long run, our group decided to partake in a meal much like that of the low and middle income groups (85% of the worlds population). A while after eating a meager rice and bean meal, I felt horrible. My head was spinning, I was cranky, tired, I couldn’t think and just pooped!

I got home and thought, I have had 3 meals today, with plenty of water, I CHOOSE to run for an hour and 45 minutes, and I have a nice bed to get into for rest and to sleep away the famishness I felt at that moment.

My eyes swell with tears as I think about the millions of people who, unlike me, are lucky to get one meal per day, walk for hours to get water, water that may not even be clean, and then rest their bodies on the hard ground.

I hope to press on during the race on Sunday, remembering as I struggle that I run for those who do not have a choice, for the most part they are born into it. I run that I may not sit in my own comfort, but remember.

I hope that you too, have learned from this journey and can in your own part of the world make a difference for those who struggle daily for simple things we take for granted.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8

Thanks!

t-minus 19 days! April 18, 2007

19 days until the race! To be honest, I am sorda tired of running, especially since the weather still isn’t warm up here! Its April for goodness sake!

Please send any kind of support to:
Attn: New Life Fellowship
661 Hawknest Court
State College, PA 16801

Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I hope that through this you have learned information about poverty and the issues of injustice in this world. I have listed some websites that I have found helpful as I continue to educate myself on injustice and oppression in this world and ways that I can be involved to help. I encourage each one of you to step out of the comfortable lives we live and explore ways to help change this world. I believe all of creation is being redeemed and we can be a part of it.

Oxfam: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
Bread for the World: http://www.bread.org/
World Relief: http://www.wr.org/
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/
One Campaign: http://one.org
Your local Food Bank
http://www.justiceandcompassion.com/

Love to all

March Run Totals April 1, 2007

March has been a busy month. I traveled for the first three weekends and did not really have much of a chance to run. So I am pretty impressed that I’ve beat my run totals for February! I’m a little behind on where I would like to be miles wise, but it is ok as we found out the other day that my nikeplus sensor is not exactly accurate. I’m a little over on milage each time I run. The nikeplus is essentially a podimeter, so being a few tenths over is not too bad.

This month it has been so busy that issues like poverty, hunger, and opression have been far from my mind. It is very easy to sit comfortably in the American life style and forget that we are a very small population with a very large portion of the wealth. Reminding myself of this makes me thankful for what I have, but also jump starts me to want to know the oppressed and to use what Eric and I have been given to help end that oppression. May I remember more often!

God is with us if we are with them March 12, 2007

“True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom”
Take 5 minutes to watch this youtube video of Bono. I think you will all be moved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDueMj7RlsU

February Run Totals March 1, 2007

Can you believe its the end of February! I can’t believe it. Unfortunately living in the north, I’ve probably got about 6 more weeks of winter left. I learned this month about how lucky I am to have places to run inside.

At some point, when the temperature is below 10 degrees for a while, when it heats up to say, 32 you think its a heat wave. I decided on a crisp morning of about 31 degrees that I would take a nice run outside. My plan was to try to run about 5 or 6 miles. Well, dumb me forgets that the normal route I take, bike paths, are not cleared in the winter. So all of the bike paths had about 6 inches of frozen snow. I took other routes, but all along thinking they were very treacherous. I had to walk over ice spots and make my way through icy snow. It wasn’t pretty. I did end up falling at once. 7.3 miles later, I made it safe at home, where I vowed not to go back out side to run unless the snow melts or it was above freezing.

Other than that the running is going great!

I have received lots of emails and encouragement from you all. Special thanks to Natalie and Chess for running tips!

So far my run totals equal: 81.65 miles
If you are interested in helping La Acequia in Honduras you have a few options:
1. Sponsor my miles by sending a check after my race on May 6th which will complete my runs. I will post the final run totals and you can decide from there how much you would like to sponsor per mile.
2. Sponsor per month by sending a check based on my monthly totals
3. Just give a donation
4. Give a donation in the form of a gift certificate so that we can go purchase hygenie products to take down to the town
5. Continue to encourage me by getting involved with educating people in your community about poverty issues locally, nationally, and globally. Post on this blog so that everyone can get ideas about how to get involved!

Every cent you give will go directly to helping people in La Acequia. It is not going to pay for our travel expenses, but will go towards purchasing hygenie products, helping to get clean running water to the community, and creating a program to help educate women in the community.

Please make checks out to New Life Fellowship and mail to:
661 Hawknest Court
State College, PA 16801

love to all and thanks!

Amazing February 18, 2007

Take a look at this post from a blog I frequent. I cried when I saw the trailor for the movie, Amazing Grace, coming out this weekend. The movie is based on the story of the slave trade and the men who helped bring it to an end.

http://emergingwomen.blogspot.com/2007/02/amazing-grace-sunday.html#comments

Poverty enslaves people, both literally and figuratively. I can’t wait to see this movie, that I might not be complacent to the of cause of the oppressed.

Get in my Belly! February 14, 2007

Yogert
Wheatbix with blueberries
Protein bar
apple
half a chicken sandwich
large cookie from the ice rink
carrots
chicken tortilla soup
Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

What does all this have in common? Its all in my belly today. Yup, all of that. Funny thing is I found myself hungry all day until now, after finishing the skinny cow. I watched Eric eat his soup tonight and I laughed as he desperately tried to pick out the black beans before taking a big bite.

It made me think. I get to choose what I eat. Everyday. Not only do I get to choose what I eat, but I never, ever have to choose NOT to eat.

There are 6 billion people in the world
1.2 Billion people live on 23 cents per day
The wealthiest 1 Billion people have an average income of 70$ a day
Of the 6 billion people- half live on less than 2$ a day

Every 16 seconds someone in the world dies of hunger
2 out of 3 Americans are considered overweight

Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half the world does on all goods combined

I am so thankful for the country I live in and the prosperity I have. I believe we are given incredible resources for a reason.

Run with me.

January Run Totals February 2, 2007

Thanks so much everyone for your kind words and support all ready!
I’ve just finished my run totals for the month of January. Running 35 miles in four weeks has not been too bad.

I must say, running again feels great..but it is much more difficult in the north than training in the south. It has snowed every day for the past week so running outside has been quite difficult. I’ve managed to use my connections with the athletic department to have access to some indoor facilities. Sunday we ran at the football indoor complex while my rugby team practiced. It was great, but I felt very week as I watched my women’s rugby team practice. Its a great sport by the way!

Anyway, please feel free to post a comment with any questions you might have about the miles we are running, the training schedule, Honduras, and supporting our efforts. I will post my run totals every month, so you can pledge monthly, or on a total basis at the end of the training schedule, just include it in one of your posts or you could send it to me in an email.

thanks for running with me!

Later
Meg

Poverty January 26, 2007

Poverty: The state of being poor; lack or means of providing material needs or comfort

Poverty is much bigger than just hunger. In fact Hunger is a symptom of poverty. Poverty is a result of poor environmental conditions, low income, lack of effective health care, trade restrictions, lack of education, gender equity issues, child mortality, and maternal health.

La Acequia, Honduras is a poverty stricken community of approximately 250 homes.
The town struggles economically, the water supply is contaminated, most people can not get jobs because they have not finished primary school, and children suffer from a lack of much needed medications.

In May 2007, a team from State College will be traveling down to this town in efforts to improve the water quality, educate adults on personal hygene, create programs for women to learn how to support themseleves, and spend time laughing and loving with the local children.

I am excited to be a part of that team and will be posting regularly as I learn more about Honduras, poverty, and the heart that Christ teaches we should have towards the poor, the helpless, and the oppressed.