Training

In the midst of our home renovations, I've been squeezing in some training. Up until last week, I mainly did 3 mile runs 3x's/wk with a long 5 mile run on the weekend. Now, I am doing 5 miles runs 3x's/wk & a long 7 mile run on the weekend. I'm very excited at the progress! Only 47 more days to go!

I'm excited to see how far I can go while in St. Louis the first weekend in May. The lower altitude mixed with flats roads will no doubt be a welcome relief!

Are we crazy?!?!? Day Three & Four

Well, Ben worked really hard again Saturday & Sunday to finish the floors. There are 2 rows next to the fireplace that still need finished as well as the baseboards but other than that, it is done & looks great!

There are no more DIY projects planned for us anytime soon! We're ready to have our weekends free to enjoy the outdoors! I will post some more pictures when it is completely done but this should give you an idea.

Sadness

This week I was very saddened by two significant events. The senseless shootings at Virginia Tech & the killings of three Christian men in Turkey. As I'm sure you've heard about the VT incident, these other killings may be news to you.

The Christians were found bound and beaten, with their throats slit. Two of the men are Turkish nationals & one was German. My heart aches. I spent a year of my life in this country, reaching out to the Turks. These men worked at a book publishing company associated with the same organization I was a part of while there.

One of the men that was killed used to live in the city where I lived, Izmir. He recently moved to Malatya to spread the gospel in the eastern part of Turkey. Back in 2000 this same man was jailed for "insulting" Mohammed & Islam in Izmir. Of course this couldn't have been further from the truth. He was simply handing out bibles to those who requested one. Since no witnesses could be found who would agree & stick to the lies of authorities, the case was dropped.

Turkey is a country that is 99% Muslim. Although there are some freedoms to share the gospel & attend church, some people will do anything to stop Christianity from spreading. Although this is an extereme case & doesn't happen often, it confirms that there are still those who will stop at nothing to ensure that the gospel does not spread.

To read more about this horrible event, click here

Please join me in praying for:

1. Those who labor in Turkey for the Lord: for their protection, and for open doors to share God's love and Gospel in the aftermath of these atrocities.

2. The Turkish church: as it bears the loss of these dear brothers and key leaders, and continues to bear persecution

3. The families of the victims

Are we crazy?!?!? Day Two

Ben worked really hard today & finished the dining room! It looks great! I didn't help much. I just worked on other odd jobs around the house.

'Til next weekend...

Are we crazy?!?!?

Day 1:
Well, Ben & I began our biggest Do-It-Yourself project today! We are installing Pergo flooring in our living & dining room! Today we tore up the carpet & removed the baseboards in the dining room. We would like to finish the dining room tomorrow. Next weekend we'll tackle the living room & hopefully finish! While Ben was working on the floor, I painted our kitchen/dining room wall.

I'm excited to get this yucky & worn carpet outta here!

This is what our floor WILL look like...


The rest of our stuff!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16

Happy Easter?!?!?! It's snowing today!!!

Coffee With A Story

I love coffee. I have not always preferred coffee, though. It was not until I lived in Turkey & had a roommate that insisted I take a sip, did I try it. (Thanks Alison!) Ever since I returned to the states in 2000, I have rarely gone without a cup each morning. Just as there are many days in which I drink it soley for the caffeine, there are many a times that I drink it for the social aspect. There's something about sitting down with a good friend over a cup of coffee. Some of the best conversations I've had involved great friends & great coffee.

I also love my church. There are many things I love about it - authentic community, true worship, mission focused & that it serves coffee! More importantly, I love that it serves coffee with a purpose. The coffee is from Rwanda's Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee.
The money donated helps coffee growing families. Part of the proceeds also help the women of Inyakurama (widows working to restore their lives). This country was devastated by one of history's largest cases of genocide in the '90s which left families torn apart & a country crippled economically, socially & polictically. It's great to see something I cannot live without each morning contribute to making a difference in the life of a family halfway across the world.

Training

So, my training up until Sunday mostly consisted of short 2-3 mile runs. I have been training at Garden of the Gods which is pretty hilly, but builds endurance fast. I run 4x's/week with my long run on the weekend. Before Sunday, my longest run was 3 miles. However on Sunday, I managed to run 5 miles! The weather was gorgeous, the run went smoothly & I was highly encouraged afterwards. My legs were a wee bit on the wobbly side, though.

It is a great to be at the point where I feel that I can keep running for a long, long time. There is this hurdle at about the 3 mile mark that once I overcome it, I don't get anymore out of breath at mile 5 than at mile 3. HOWEVER, my leg muscles have a hard time keeping up until I've run the longer distances a bit more consistenly. So, I'm glad that I'm over the 3 mile hurdle. Now, if my legs would just keep up!

Opening Day!

As far back as I can remember Spring = sports, outdoors & more sports. Whether I was playing catch with my dad, shooting hoops with my brother, playing softball, soccer, or tennis, I was outside. I simply love the exercise, comradery, competitiveness, and challenge of sports. I also enjoy all of these aspects as a spectator, too.

So, today is opening day for the St. Louis Cardinals! Opening day brings with it the chance for a new start. 160+ games to go with the pennant race wide open & the World Series Champs on level ground. While living in St. Louis I always knew when it was game time. The city goes absolutely Crazy for the Cardinals! I will miss going to games with friends & the excitement of game day. And although we will be watching the game over 800 miles away with fellow St. Louisans, Jon & Lindsay we will no less enjoy all that Opening Day & Spring means - warm weather, green grass, the fresh smell of flowers & the sound of PLAY BALL! Good-bye winter, see-ya next year!

Oh, & GO CARDINALS!