Getting ready for the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash 5k & 10k tomorrow.
It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.
My grandmother, Viola Smith (“Nanny”), passed away last Saturday night at 99-years-old.
Playing with my daughter Sara
Her funeral was Tuesday, and during the service, the preacher read two poems that were written by my cousins Kathy and Cody Haskins (Grand-daughter & Great-Grandson). I thought both of these poems were very special and wanted to share them. This first one is from Kathy, and I will post the one from Cody in a couple of days.
Granny, A Best Friend
What A Life You Have Lived.
What A Life You Have Shared.
A Great Example For All,
In The Way That You Cared.
With Only A Fifth Grade Education,
The Teacher You Have Been,
Not With Books And Paper,
But With Your Helping Hands.
We Can’t Thank You Enough,
For The Values You Instilled.
A True Christian Lady,
With Drive, Determination, And Will.
You Answered When Called Upon,
To Help In Times Of Need.
It Might Have Been To Babysit,
Or Show Us How To Plant Some Seeds.
We Will Hold On To The Memories,
Each And Every Day,
That Began In 1911,
On The Tenth Day Of May.
I Can See Your Blue Volkswagen,
Out In Front Of School Each Day,
I’d Climb In With Excitement,
For I Was Going To Your House To Play.
Biscuits Were Your Specialty,
Coconut Pie Such A Treat,
Cake With Chocolate Icing So Good,
Your Cooking Was Hard To Beat.
You Taught Me How To Sew.
You Taught Me How To Cook.
You Taught Me How To Iron,
No Matter How Long It Took.
Thanks For Being The Grandmother,
Everyone Would Love,
I Promise To Pay It Forward,
While You’re Watching From Above.
Your Journey Here Has Ended,
Tired You’ll Be No More,
You Go Home To Glory,
On That Bright And Peaceful Shore.
Kathy Haskins
April 3, 2011
My thoughts on the 2nd annual Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg, TN
Oak Barrel Half Marathon
April 2, 2011
www.oakbarrelhalf.com
My Run: Overall, the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg was my seventh half marathon. This race was capped at 1000 entries, and there were just under 900 that made it to the finish line.
I went into this race with a lot of uncertainty about how hard I could push myself. During the fall and winter, I ran four marathons and one half marathon in a five month span. At the Murfreesboro “Middle Half” marathon in October, I set a new PR of 1:31 (6:57 pace). After completing the Mercedes Marathon in February, my body was pretty trashed and I decided to re-evaluate my training plan and race schedule. This included a re-commitment to P90X/Insanity, and not scheduling another marathon until October.
Kate getting to hang out with one of the Cats @TPAC
Well today has been another eventful day in Honduras. We found out around noon that our Tuesday flight on American Airlines has been cancelled, and there is no indication of when the flight between Tegucigalpa and Miami would resume.
While everyone is safe there are a few things that are becoming critical such as individuals running out of prescription medications. After exploring multiple options, all 22 members of our group have been rescheduled on a 12:47pm Delta flight to Nashville through Atlanta.
This rescheduling means that we will incur a significant additional expense, but we are hopeful that our travel insurance and the credit from American Airlines will cover most, if not all, of the additional charges.
The group made it safely back to Tegucigalpa tonight, and we will head to the airport early tomorrow morning.
Please continue to pray for our safe return!
Our group has now been in Honduras two days longer than planned. We are currently at the Mission Lazarus Posada/Refuge on a cool morning in the mountains.
As of now we are scheduled to fly out of Tegucigalpa at 2:20pm tomorrow afternoon. I know the situation in Miami is still uncertain, so your prayers continue to be appreciated.
We made a slight change in plans last night and will now be traveling to Tegucigalpa this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. Our plan is to have a small clinic in Jayacayan this morning, and some of the men will be working on a construction project at the Posada. Shortly after noon, we will pack up and head north.
I am still grateful that everyone is safe and that we have a place to stay and food to eat. God is good!
The Maple Hill group was supposed to return to Nashville this afternoon, but our flight out of Tegucigalpa was cancelled. This was due to a fuel tank explosion that occurred at the Miami airport. The plane that was supposed to leave Miami was not allowed to leave, so no plane for us to board in Tegucigalpa.
This has created quite a backlog of people trying to get out of Tegucigalpa and we have been unable to find an alternate flight for our group until Tuesday afternoon.
Instead of staying at a hotel in Tegucigalpa, we decided to make the 4-hour drive back to the Mission Lazarus Posada/Refuge in San Marcos to save money.
We have now safely arrived back at the Posada and are sitting in front of a nice fire. The plan is to worship with one of the local congregations tomorrow. On Monday the ladies will be setting up a small clinic in one of the local villages, and the men will be helping with a construction project.
Our plan for Tuesday is to drive back to Tegucigalpa for our 2:20pm flight to Miami. We would appreciate prayers that these new travel arrangements will come through and that our group will remain safe.
Even though this is frustrating, I’m extremely grateful that everyone is safe, and that we have a place to stay. I’m also grateful that the problems are in Miami and not in Honduras. With the political unrest that occurred last year, we know that things could be a lot worse than they are.
I’m also grateful that we had an amazing week. Nothing that has happened with our travel plans can diminish that. As I close this post, I’m thinking about the 21 souls that came to Christ during the brigade. We should pray for these new brothers and sisters continually that God will bless them with the strength to remain faithful. The following are the names which need to be lifted up in prayer:
*Carmen Maria Darce *Gladis Darce *Gladis Johanna Darce *Tomas Darce *Oneyda Bricano *AmParo Aguilera *Sindy Castro *Yerika Castro *Mari Oneyda Fuentes *Selvin Cordova *Emilson Cordova *Osman Peratia *Meylin Cardenas *Rut Castro *Norma Matute *Rixa Jarquin *Pedro Munoz *Darwin Munoz *Christian Armas *Wendy Estrada *Gabriela Mendoza
Our final day in Namasigue was almost beyond words. I’m emotionally overwhelmed, and incredibly sad to be leaving this community. I also have great joy because of how good God is, and how powerfully He has worked in Namasigue this week.
Today the medical team treated 180 more patients in the clinic which makes a four-day total of 655! Great work by everyone who participated in the brigade and made such a HUGE impact on this community.
The evangelism team had an overwhelming day. We began by studying with a couple who had invited us into their home. The husband plays soccer with Javier, and asked us to come and study.
Studying with Meylin Cardenas and her husband…
All of us had the opportunity to teach, and the wife decided to commit her life to Jesus Christ. The husband could not be convinced and said that he would wait for his wife to lead him. This was very curious to all of us since he had invited us to their home.
Baptizing our new sister in Christ…
After the study we went down to the river, and I was blessed to be able to baptize her into Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Later that day, we visited with a young lady who is the sister of Sindy and Yerika that were baptized yesterday. We studied with her for a long time, and she kept saying that she was not ready.
Studying with Rut Castro…
Javier said the we should go, so everyone started to head toward the van, but Espartaco kept teaching. Javier came back and the two of them continued to study with Rut. She decided that she wanted to commit to Jesus, and again we headed to the river. Dondi was blessed to be able to baptize her into Jesus Christ! Praise God!
Dondi baptizing our new sister in Christ…
From there we visited with a family to drop off a sack of food. Javier had explained that the children of the house had been faithful in attending the local church since it was planted, but the mother had never committed to Christ. He said that he hoped she would be open to study in the future.
As we came to the house, Javier asked me to pray as we dropped off the food. I prayed that the mother, Norma, would open her heart to the study of God’s Word, and ultimately commit her life to Jesus. As I finished the prayer, she said that she was ready to study right now, so I began to teach her.
Studying with Norma Matute…
As I was studying with Norma, Javier went across the street and began studying with another family. I had only been teaching for 15 or 20 minutes, and could tell that she was very open to the message. I asked her if she wanted to commit her life to Jesus and be baptized for the remission of her sins. She immediately said YES, and gave me a big hug!
As we were taking Norma to the van to head toward the river, Javier came and said that a woman named Rixa from across the street also wanted to be baptized, and that there were others on the same street that wanted to study.
Espartaco, Wayne, Dondi and I headed to another family down the road, while Javier and some of the young men studied with a gentleman across the street.
We studied with a man named Pedro and his mother. Pedro’s wife was already a member of the church. As with Norma, I could tell that Pedro was very open to the message, and very shortly asked if he wanted to commit. He also said YES very quickly.
Studying with Pedro Munoz and his mother…
Pedro’s mother said that she knew what she needed to do, but would do it later after thinking about it for a while. All of us studied with her at length about the urgency of making a commitment, because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Unfortunately, she could not be convinced.
As Espartaco, Dondi & Wayne were studying with her, I headed across the street to where Javier was studying with a young man named Darwin. He had spent eight years in America, and had just recently come back to Namasigue.
Javier studying with Darwin Munoz…
While Javier was studying with him, Darwin said that he wanted to commit his life to Jesus Christ and be baptized. We also received word that one of the men on the evangelism team, Erminio Armas, had a 13-year-old son who wanted to be baptized.
Baptizing Christian Armas…
The evangelism team traveled to the river with the five who wanted to be baptized. I was blessed to be able to baptize them into Jesus Christ! Praise God!
Baptizing Rixa Jarquin…
After the baptisms, Javier exhorted the two men who were baptized to work towards being leaders in the local church in Namasigue.
Rejoicing with our new brothers and sisters in Christ…
From there we delivered several food bags to various members of the local church. We also visited with the mother of a young lady who had been working with the evangelism team, Yeny Guevara. Yeny’s mother is suffering from Leukemia and will soon begin chemotherapy treatments. Javier offered a prayer for her mother, and told a story about a critical medical condition he had earlier in his life that God had brought him through.
Kaitlyn Jamison from Maple Hill was with the team in the afternoon, and was able to share with Yeny that her mother had also had cancer. Yeny, and most of the members of the evangelism team began to cry. It was quite an emotional moment in the midst of a very emotional day.
Next, we visited with the Armas family. With the baptism of Christian, and the repentance of Hector earlier in the week, all of the members of the Armas family are now christians. The father, Erminio, asked that we pray to thank God that his entire family were now servants of God.
We came back to the church building well after dark, and began to say our goodbyes to everyone. As we were packing up the van, Javier came back and said that there were two more young ladies who had been studying and wanted to be baptized. He asked me if I would stay and baptize these two girls.
Baptizing Wendy Estrada…
It was well after dark, and not possible to go to the river, so Javier said that we could use the wash area inside his house.
Baptizing Gabriela Mendoza…
Being able to baptize these two young ladies was another great ending to another awesome day, and an incredible week. In all, 21 people committed their lives to Christ and were baptized this week. Praise God!
It was really tough to leave Namasigue, and to say goodbye to Javier, Espartaco, and the rest of the evangelism team. There is a part of my soul that is in Namasigue, and I can’t wait to go back again.
Wow! The days just keep getting better and better in Namasigue. The Medical Team treated another 223 patients for a total of 475 since Sunday afternoon. This team continues to amaze me!
The Evangelism Team also had a very productive day. We started the day preaching to the people who where waiting to be seen in the clinic. These consisted of both individuals who were members of the local church and those who were not Christians.
Preaching to people waiting for the clinic in Namasigue…
After Dondi and I got a chance to teach the people at the clinic, we headed out into the community. Today my father, Pat Agee, was able to go with us.
Our first study was with a mother and two of her daughters. Javier and some of the young Christians from the community had already been studying with them, but they were hesitant to commit due to their father/husband.
Studying with the mother and her two daughters…
The two daughters made the decision to commit their lives to Jesus Christ, but the mother could not be persuaded due to her husband. Javier will continue to study with her in the coming days.
We traveled down to the river, and my father was blessed to be able to baptize these two young ladies into Jesus Christ! Praise God!
My father Pat with our new sister Sindy Castro…
…and our new sister Yerika Castro
From there we visited the home of Dunia, one of the first converts in Namasigue three years ago. With the help of her father, and the local church, Dunia was able to move into a new house yesterday. She had specifically requested that we come by and offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for the house.
Praying with Dunia in her new house…
In the afternoon, we studied with a lady who had never attended the local church or been involved in a Bible study. When we arrived, Javier encouraged some of the younger men from the church who were traveling with us to also participate in the study along with us. This was incredible to see, because Javier is training these young mean how to teach the Word of God, and indeed these young men are already active in evangelizing the community.
Studying with Mari Oneyda Fuentes…
We studied with this lady for quite a while, and over time her heart began to soften. All of us had an opportunity to teach, including two of the young men who were with us, Janier and Arnold. She ultimately responded to the Gospel, and wanted to be baptized into Jesus Christ.
Again we went down to the river, and I was blessed to be able to baptize her into Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Praise God for our new sister in Christ…
Finally, we were able to study with three teenagers. The father of two of these young men was already a Christian, and active in the local church. He is also the uncle of the third young man.
Studying with Osman Peratia, Selvin Cordova & Emilson Cordova.
We studied with them until very late in the afternoon, and they also decided to commit their lives to Jesus Christ! Again we went down to the river and Dondi was blessed to be able to baptize them. Praise God!
Praise God for our new brothers in Christ…
There are several things that stood out to me today.
1.) It was an incredible blessing to be able to spend the day with my dad. This was the fifth day in our last two trips to Honduras that I have been able to evangelize in Namasigue. However, today was the first day that my dad was able to go with us. It was really powerful to see him baptize two new sisters into Christ, and to be able to share in this incredible work with him.
2.) I am incredibly thankful for Espartaco Alonso. Espartaco is the preacher for the church in Choluteca, and has been translating for us all week. Not only is Espartaco a great preacher and evangelist, but he has also been very patient in translating our teaching, our prayers, during baptisms, etc. It has been great to get to know him this week, and I hope to be able to work with him again in the future.
3.) I am impressed at the way in which Javier (preacher in Namasigue) is training the young men who have been traveling with us this week. They are very active in making contacts and in evangelizing the community. Also, they are already planning to begin follow-up work with all of the individuals we have baptized this week beginning on Thursday, after we leave for San Marcos Wednesday night. Having a team in place to do follow-up work is critical for these new Christians, and what a blessing these young men are for this community.
4.) As we were walking down to river for the baptism of the three young men this afternoon, I was able to have a conversation with the father/uncle, who speaks pretty good English. He said that he was incredibly thankful we had come to Namasigue to teach, and hoped that we would considering coming again and again. That really touched my heart, and it was pretty neat to be with a father as his two sons and nephew were baptized into Jesus Christ!
The evangelism team rejoicing with our new brothers in Christ…
As we finished the baptisms, the sunset was beautiful over the river. It seemed like the perfect ending to an AWESOME day!
Another AWESOME day in Namasigue!! Today was the first full day in the clinic, and the team was able to see 178 patients. That absolutely boggles my mind. What an incredible impact the medical team is having on this community!
I was again part of the evangelism team with Dondi, Wayne, Javier & Espartaco. We delivered food bags to 6 families and studied with three individuals.
Delivering food in Namasigue…
The first study was with a young Christian who is struggling with the influences of Satan in his life. We spoke with him and attempted to encourage him to be faithful to God and His church.
The other two studies were with individuals who had not yet accepted Christ into their lives. Praise God that both ultimately made the decision to join the Kingdom of God and be baptized into Jesus Christ!
One study was with a woman who was the only member of her household that was not a Christian, though she had been visiting the local church for almost a year.
Studying with Oneyodi Bricano…
We studied with her for around 30 minutes, and then traveled down to the river, and Dondi was blessed to be able baptize her into Christ. Praise God!
Rejoicing with our new sister in Christ…
The other study was with a woman who had never attended the local church, and we studied with her for quite a long time. All of us got an opportunity to study with her, but it was especially impressive to watch Javier at work. Even though he does not speak English, his passion for the Lord is obvious.
Studying with AmParo Aguilera…
Once she made the decision to to be baptized, we again traveled down to the river and Wayne was blessed to be able to baptize her into Christ. Praise God!
Wayne with our new Sister in Christ…
It is an incredible privilege to be able to work side-by-side with Dondi, Wayne, Javier & Espartaco. These are all great men who love God, and love sharing his Word.
What an AWESOME day in Namasigue!! Well I guess this is officially day 2, but the first day where we were doing actual work. The day started with worship in Namasigue. As always, worshiping with the Christians here is an extremely encouraging experience. The preacher, Javier gave a lesson from Philippians on being happy even when problems arise.
Javier preaching with Cameron translating…
After worship we finished setting up the clinic and began seeing patients around noon. There were 74 patients that went through the clinic this afternoon.
I was part of the evangelism team that included Dondi Malone, Wayne Smith, Javier (preacher in Namasigue), & Espartaco (preacher in Choluteca). Espartaco was our translator. We left the clinic around 1:30pm, and studied with two different families and brought food sacks to two others during the afternoon.
The first study was with the Darce family. We studied with them for the better part of an hour, and all of the adults in the household made the decision to commit their lives to Jesus Christ!
Adults from left to right … Gladis Darce, Javier (preacher), Tomas Darce, Carmen Maria Darce, Gladis Johanna Darce, and Me.
We went down to the local river for the baptisms, and I was privileged to be able to baptize all four of them….
The study with the second family went well, but they are not quite ready to commit. Our plan is to come back and visit with them again later this week.
Every year before I come down here, I start thinking about how much of a hassle it is to get everything ready, and how much I’ll miss my family, and begin wondering whether or not it is worth it. And, likewise every year I’m totally blown away when I get down here. What a priviledge to be able to share the Word of God with the people of Honduras. What an awesome day, and what an awesome trip to share again with my dad. Praise God!!
Why aren’t you signed up for the 401K? …I’d never be able to run that far.
You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.
U.S. marathon finisher total surpasses 1/2 million mark for the first time [in 2010].
If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It’s raining? That doesn’t matter. I am tired? That’s besides the point. It’s simply that I just have to.
Man Trains For Marathon While Eating McDonald’s-Only Diet – The Consumerist
Don’t recommend this, but thought it was interesting. Thanks John & Jeff for sending me this link.
We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.
The human body has limits. Go Find them!
If the word quit is part of your vocabulary, then the word finish is likely not.