Run #5

2 miles this morning, and ran the whole way! But it took me 15.25 minutes a mile. Thats ok, gives me something to beat on Thursday :) I dressed too warm too. I was so cold when I woke up and then halfway through I'm trying to take off layers and undo my scarf and my earbuds are falling out agh.

I feel so tired, like I want to go back to bed. Hopefully that energy everyone talks about kicks in!

I am reading The Hole in Our Gospel, by Rich Stearns, the president of World Vision, the charity I'm running with for water wells.

The book honestly is a bit overwhelming, when you realize what an abundance we have here in the US. 40% of the world lives on $1 a day. I can't even fathom. And I never thought about the fact that there are tons of kids in Africa who live in child-headed households because their parents have died of aids.

Depressing stuff, but, not hopeless. If we all do our part, if we all support charities that help in huge ways like World Vision, there is so much help.

He tells a parable in the book of after a storm the beach being covered in starfishes, and this guys sits down and hangs his head because he feels so bad for them and there are so many you could never save them all in time. And he sees a guy picking them up one at a time and throwing them into the ocean. And he says hey what are you doing, there's so many, you could never save them. And he says, but I saved that one, and this one, and that one.

So this running team I'm on with my church, 250 of us, x's $1300 we've each committed to raising, equals $327,500. On average its $50 a person for water wells, thats 6550 people with a new outlook on life! With kids that can go to school instead of fetch water. (The book talks about a school that went from 40 to 400 kids when a well went in.)

And on average they have 1500 people run the marathon with World Vision, its the largest charity group that runs. Thats water for about 40,000 people!!!! Too cool.

Here's a video of a community getting water.

And my donation page : )