Blessed

In my last writing I mentioned the responses of my two Daughters to my running results.  After showing Isabella her comments, she said that she does not remember saying them.  In her defence she was six years old at the time.  What was interesting was her comment about Reid Coolsaet Canada`s best marathon runner. After seeing his picture on my blog,  Isabella asked me "why did you put him in your writing?  He did not do very well at the Olympics."

 

27th in the World is not good enough for Isabella for someone she does not know, and yet she overlooks her own Fathers results (which are much further down the pack).

During a training run as I thought about this contradiction I realized something.  Isabella looks at my running results with grace filled eyes.  Because of her Love for me she does tell me quite honestly after each and every race she is proud of me.

 

Her attitude mirrors how God looks at me and all of you.  His Love for us has Him overlook all of our flaws and He looks upon  us with pride through His grace filled eyes.  Unfortunately many times instead of looking upon others as God does I look at others through the same eyes Isabella used on Reid.  I end up judging and holding others to a high standard I could never hope to achieve myself.

 

My family was not able to support me Today as Gloria picked up the Flu on Friday and we decided waiting outside in the negative weather with the strong North winds would not be wise.  Isabella hugged me and wished me well as I was leaving.  To make sure not to let her down I told her "I am not going to win today."  She replied "I know."

 

Katarina wished me well, (there was no cash prizes so this pressure was off me.) As I turned the first corner of the race I ran onto Isabella Street and thought my family is here with me today.

 

I just finished  The Egg Nog Jog a race put on by the running club The Georgetown Runners.  On it`s website this race is referred to as "the prettiest road race in Ontario with picturesque views through Terra Cotta."   After running this event last year I thought of contacting my two Lawyer friends in The Toronto Core Group regarding the legality of such a statement.  To make sure The Georgetown Runners cover themselves legally, in the fine print at the bottom of the same website are the words "North America`s toughest road race".  If you look really closely it also mentions a link to elevation charts.

 

 Here is the elevation chart

 

 

 

What I have learned in my Running career is that if you are a Race director and your course is relatively flat you do not have such a chart, for example Mississauga and Toronto Marathons, our own Ratanak 5km.  The races I have run with crazy hills, such as Hamilton's Around the Bay, and The Boston Marathon both have this chart.

 

I met a runner from The Georgetown Runners club at The Toronto Marathon who actually got a glint in his eye and started smirking when he talked about the Egg Nog Jog.  I can almost picture the registration committee laughing, and elbowing themselves as entries come in from runners from other Cities who do not know what awaits them.  I was one of these runners last year. 

 

This year at the start a  fellow runner was complaining about the placement of the finish line.  I asked a question I knew the answer to "Is this your first time here?"  Another runner gave me the knowing look as we both thought to ourselves, when he gets to the hills he will not be concerned about the 10 seconds difference he loses at the finish line placement.

 

The Boston Marathon has a series of huge hills beginning at the 30 km mark.  The person who created this course did their research and found that most runners have depleted their lactic acid in their bodies at this point, thus making it even harder to finish this race.

 

Whoever designed the Egg Nog Jog course put similar thought into it.  The first 2km are straight downhill.  Last year I remember thinking to myself,  Isabella may finally have a race result of mine to be proud of as I was in about 10 th place of 700 at this point.  I also remember thinking to myself "I think I should slow down as I do not know what is coming up next." 

 

What comes next is a steady 3km hill, followed by a very steep 3km hill.  Last year as I ran I remember seeing a sign with squiggly lines warning of the approaching steep hills.  I thought to myself, great cars are being warned about the steepness of these hills and, now I am going to have run them.  Next is 2km of flat ground where last year the man and I got into the speed race with his chanting "They are mine, They are mine" in reference to the girls in Cambodia.

 

To finish off approximately the last km is straight down another hill, which seems like good news, but running downhill is where most running injuries occur, and after finishing such a gruelling race it is very hard keeping your legs from going out beneath you.

 

Last year at the finish line another out of town runner asked me "if I knew that the course was like this? " I told him no, and he let loose with about thirty seconds of cursing.  Morals aside I agreed and marvelled that he had the breath to even talk as I could not.

 

This year I took it relatively easy and finished 20 seconds behind last years time, but ended up closer to the leaders (probably because of the wind.)

 

Friday I thought about last year and thought to myself why did I choose to go back,  there was another race on a far easier course that I could have went to on the previous weekend.

 

Hills have become symbolic to me in terms of  victims of sexual abuse,  I feel each victim must start each day of the rest of their lives at the bottom of a steep hill.  Even being a victim once is one times too many and the abused person faces a steep climb each and every day of their lives.

 

The girls in Cambodia have been victimized sexually thousands of times and face a hill the equivalent of Mount Everest.  I can never, ever relate to this abuse, but in my small way by willingly picking a challenging race with over 6 of the 10.8km  up steep hills, for a brief moment I hope to enter into a small portion of their lives.

 

I still have never stopped running on a hill in training or a race. Also faced with such a daunting task of trying to help give these precious children a new life I cannot be afraid to do things that may seem difficult and as I have learned involving myself in these girls lives, there will be no easy way.

 

Driving to the last Toronto Core meeting I had such a sense of excitement, almost joy as I was on my way.  I stopped myself for a minute and thought to myself we are probably going to hear of some very disturbing stories at the very least of despair and unfairness.  This will include young girls and boys.  They may include graphic stories of sexual abuse, and yet you are looking forward to this I thought to myself?

A definition I found for the word blessed states bringing happiness, pleasure, or contentment.

Many of our Churches preach on prosperity and being blessed.  Most people associate being blessed with wealth, health, and possibly fame.  During my prayer before the Ratanak 5km walkathon it was pointed out to me that three times I asked for God to bless the participants.

 

  In the Beatitudes Jesus said

  Blessed are the poor in spirit

  Blessed are those who mourn

  Blessed are the meek

  Blessed are the hungry

  Blessed are the merciful

  Blessed are the pure in heart

  Blessed are the peacemakers

  Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness

 

 These are a few comments I have received from people who read my blog.

•   The Lord has blessed you with a very sensitive heart.
•   Thanks for including me in your journey with Ratanak.  It is such a blessing and you have definitely inspired me.
•   May God bless you immensely as you effectively serve as His hands, feet, and voice for the downtrodden.
•   You are fortunate to have found this area of your life to become involved in.
•   God has gifted and blessed you with His compassion.  I love how you are choosing to allow Him to work beautifully in your heart and tears.

 

Again I ask myself the question am I blessed?

I have been involved with Ratanak International for over 6 years.  I have two daughters, they were ages 6 and 4 when I started.  I have heard more stories than I can remember about the sexual abuse of young girls in Cambodia who are the same age as my daughters.  I now know of terms such as "Pink rooms", "international pedophiles", and "sex tourists."

 

I have became aware of the highly, organized network of Evil that shares information on how most effectively abuse these children and evade Law enforcement agencies.

 

I now look upon most Men I meet with some suspicion.

My oldest daughter Katarina has three Vietnamese friends, two are twins.  Walking home from school with them many times my mind wanders to Cambodia and the treatment of girls their size, girls their age, and girls with very similar features.

 

 

Last year at my youngest daughter Isabella's birthday party a girl came who really brought this close to home.  She is a girl from Vietnam, a girl who does not speak at all.  The parallel between the girls in Cambodia who are voiceless to their abuse struck me very hard at a day of celebration in my House.

 

  Psalm 34 18

 

 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted

         and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 

To answer the earlier question.  I am blessed to have the freedom to pursue true freedom for the exploited children in Cambodia.  Involving myself in the exploited children of Cambodia has brought me joy, happiness, and contentment.  I think in part because as the verse above mentions, Jesus is with these girls and the tiny fraction of my life that I give in trying to help these girls brings me closer to them which in turn brings me closer to Him.

 

To conclude as Christmas fast approaches I would like to bless you.  I may live like this blessing some of the time, but I have met four people who live like this all the time and I would like to mention them in appreciation for the example they set for me and many others.

 

Brian McConaghy founder and director of Ratanak International, Lisa Cheong Country Director for Cambodia Ratanak International, Jessika Mak Toronto Representative Ratanak International, and my Father who has given his life to people who mirror the people Jesus spent his whole time on Earth with.

 

  Franciscan Benediction

 

  May God bless you with discomfort

  At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

  So that you may live deep within your heart

  May God bless you with anger

  At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people

  So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace

  May God bless you with tears

  To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war

  So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy

  And may God bless you with enough foolishness

  To believe that you can make a difference in the world

  So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

  To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor

 

  Amen

 

 Larry

Keep the Earth below my feet

As I prepare for the upcoming 10.8 km Egg Nog Jog in December, the 21.1 km Chilly Half Marathon in March, and eventually the 42.2 km Cleveland Full Marathon in May I thought back to my first Marathon.  As I have talked about many times I now have the full support of my family. My first marathon was the Mississauga Marathon 2009.  For some reason the Race director scheduled it on Mother`s day.  The next part of this writing is taken from an email sent to a group of Faithful and somewhat naive Ladies who offered to pray for me as I attempted my first marathon.  Faithful, because they are still praying for me and my family.  Naive as I am like the gift that keeps on giving in that they may never be free of my prayer requests.

"I am not the smartest husband, and I have a lot to learn about members of the opposite sex.

However even I realized that 12 years of marriage, and bearing me the two most wonderful kids in the world deserved some sort of special reward for Mother`s day.

In one of my rare wise moments I saw that watching your husband limping around the house, watching him taking Epsom salt baths, popping Advil’s, and smelling the wonderful fragrance of tiger balm muscle cream, was not what Gloria expected as a reward.

So I decided I would take Gloria and the girls out for dinner on Saturday, the night before the marathon.

I should have saw what was coming next as for quite some time Katarina and Isabella had been asking me about what they called "my race".  I quickly told them it was a Marathon I was not going to race.

This didn`t seem to work so well as the next day they would again inquire about "the race."

Katarina hadn`t shown as much interest as Isabella but at dinner she found out that the first three finishers would receive cash prizes.  I hope I do not bother Lisa Cheong too much in the future because this girl has a career somewhere in the financial market, and I could use some connections.

Well at dinner Katarina asked me what our family would do with the money if I was to finish first.

I assured her there was no possibility of this happening.

She then asked me what we would do with the money if I came second.

I again assured her there was no possibility of this happening.

She then asked me what we would do with the money if I was to come in third place.

Yet, again I assured her there was no possibility of this happening.

She told me I had to think more positive if I wanted to finish well.

I think I had dashed her plans of another family vacation.

Next was Isabella's turn.

I finished 336 out of 1413 competitors.

I was, and am a little surprised and quite content with my placing.

Don’t let Isabella’s sweet and angelic looks fool you.

Do you know her response to her Father’s placing?

Daddy you did terrible!

Three days have not softened her stance, as I suppose she had visions of her father on a podium collecting gold like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt, so hearing that 335 people beat me is not a consolation prize for her.

Well as they say, “if you want to know where you stand in life ask a child.”

Since that interesting dinner I have come a long way as has my family.  Katarina really got excited about the Boston Marathon prize money $150 000 and worked out a deal with me that our family would keep half and Ratanak International would receive half if I was to win this race.  As you will see later I came quite a ways back of collecting the prize money.  Katarina has come to accept that I will never make any money at my running and celebrates the fact I am able to finish.

In the above email I wrote three days have not softened Isabella.  I think it took three years for her to accept my placing’s.  In Boston you are given a number based on your qualifying time.  I was given the bib number 8 144.  To say Isabella was not impressed is an understatement.

Isabella has come full circle thanks in part to a group of Teachers at her School who run 10km races and were impressed when she told them of my running.  This summer while watching a world class track meet on television Isabella asked me if "I could beat these runners?” yes she has come full circle indeed.

I remember a song from my childhood; it is from the show Sesame Street.  I am going to play this game with you now but I am going to change the words from things to people.

One of these things (people)

One of these people is not like the others.

One of these people just doesn`t belong.

Can you tell which person is not like the others?

By the time I finish my song.

          This is Reid Coolsaet

Birth place Canada

 

Height 5feet 9inches Weight 140 pounds

Accomplishments:

3rd place Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2011 time of 2 hours 10 minutes 55 seconds

27th place London Olympics Marathon 2012 time of 2 hours 16 minutes 29 seconds

1st place Around the Bay 30 km race 2012     time of 1 hour 33 minutes 20 seconds

 This is Geoffrey Mutai

Birth place Kenya

Height 5feet 6inches Weight 119 pounds

Accomplishments:

1st place  Boston Marathon 2011 time of World`s fastest ever 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds

1st place New York Marathon 2011 time of  Course record 2 hours 5 minutes 5 seconds1st place Berlin Marathon 2012 time of  Course record 2 hours 4 minutes 15 seconds

  

This is me
 

 Birth place Canada

Height 5feet 11inches Weight 185 pounds

Accomplishments:

6 234 place Boston Marathon 2011 time of 3 hours 25 minutes 10 seconds

683 place Around the Bay 30 km race 2012 time of 2 hours 26 minutes 22 seconds

6th place Erindale Park Children of Merendon Mountains 10km 2011 time of 45 minutes 19 seconds

As I compare my accomplishments against these two World class Marathoners of whom I have raced against I am grateful people make donations for Ratanak International when I run instead of relying on me to try and collect prize money.  I also can see where Isabella may have had the gift of wisdom at a very young age.

Throughout the years I have heard many Pastors’s using the story of the frog in the pot of water in a sermon.  The story is that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will jump out right away.  If you put the same frog in a pot of cold water and gradually turn the heat up the frog will not notice the difference and will stay in the pot being boiled to death.  The Pastor always used this story with sin in our lives being the frog.
I used to wonder why I never heard an example of this story being used in the positive.  For example Mother Theresa and other great people of our time.  Did they have a gradual process of doing good that lead them to a lifetime of the amazing blessings that they were responsible for?

I have come to realize training for a marathon in my life has become the frog, in that I am doing much more then when I started in September, but I have a long way to go to when I really stretch out my training in March and April.  Like the frog if I tried to train now like I will in April I am pretty sure I would be injured.

This is, for those who are interested a two week sample of my training.  It is a pretty good reflection of what I do to prepare for a marathon, although each week I will add a few more minutes of training to each cardio exercise, until my outside runs are over three hours with 10x Centennial Hill, my treadmill runs will be as long as seventy minutes, my elliptical training will be as long as two hours, and my bike rides will be well over one hour.

To save time and space when I write worked out; it means approximately a 45 minute time I take to lift weights, stretch, and do sit ups.

October 28 ran outside for 48 minutes

October 29 worked out, 50 minute elliptical

October 30 worked out, ran for 50 minutes treadmill

October 31 worked out, 10 minute bike 40 minute elliptical

November 1 worked out, ran for 23 minute treadmill

November 2 worked out, 30 minutes elliptical

November 3 ran outside for 72 minutes including Centennial Hill 5X

November 4 day off

November 5 worked out, ran outside for 53 minutes

November 6 worked out, 45 minutes elliptical

November 7 worked out, ran outside for 77 minutes including Centennial Hill 5X

November 8 worked out, 40 minutes bike 20 minutes elliptical

November 9 worked out, ran for 50 minutes treadmill

November 10 day off

November 11 ran outside for 63 minutes

Now I close with the words from a new Mumford and Son song which inspired me as I ran outside last weekend.

Below my feet
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood turns weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve
My hands to learn

This is a prayer of sorts for me as I do not track how many miles I run to prepare for a marathon, but it must be in the Thousands. What I could never track are how many steps I must take. This must be in the Billions and yet it would only take one misstep to injure a person. I have read about professional athletes tearing up muscles by falling on the treadmill, or even slipping on ice.

Geoffrey Mutai who I mentioned earlier developed severe cramps in the 2012 Boston Marathon and had to quit at the 18 mile mark, ending his chance to compete in the London Olympics.

So, yes Lord keep the earth below my feet as I run!

These words also take on a deeper meaning as I relate it to running in my ravine. The day I wrote this the weather was 18C Sunny and beautiful; but I really look forward to the winter down my ravine when I run in solitude.

Sometimes God speaks to us away from the hustle and bustle of life. Sometimes God speaks to us in the wilderness wherever that may be, for me this is in my ravine. In the Bible Jesus was lead into the desert to be tempted. Moses was in the wilderness when God appeared to him in the burning bush. David before he became King was hiding from Saul in the wilderness.

Keep the earth beneath my feet as I run! Let me see things as you do, let me use this unusual gift of preparing for a marathon to further Your Kingdom which in my life is advocating for the girls in Cambodia.

In spite of my sweat of hard work many times I am afraid and my blood goes weak. Let me learn from my experiences and may I bring you Glory.

In the song I mentioned above the chorus is sung three times. The first time is very low, the next time is a bit higher, the last time the lead singer`s voice literally explodes as he is singing with such emotion. That day as I ran it seemed as if I sang the first two verses but the third one I listened to as a foreshadowing of the trying weeks ahead and the reward that awaits at the end of them.

Keep the earth below his feet

For all his sweat, his blood turns weak

Let him learn from where he has been
Keep his eyes to serve
His hands to learn

That day as I ran a choir of 30 000 sexually exploited children in Cambodia sang this verse to me, and for me.

To sum up training for and running a full marathon is the hardest physical event I will do in my life. I was interviewed recently at work and I told the person interviewing me knowing what I know now I do not think I would run a marathon for myself. For a Country I have never been to, to a group of people I have never met though, this is easy.

Larry

3Strands3Examples3LessonsLearned

When I started writing a few years ago a small group of friends enjoyed my writing and asked me to forward my latest to them.  In the last nine months I have started this blog Larry42km.  The original group still receives the first notice of my writings, but in this time I have added a few more followers some of whom I let know of my writings.

When I started putting my writings onto this blog I had no idea of how this system works but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.  Something in the program keeps a running total of views, lets me know the time a person looks at my blog, and even which Country the person is viewing my blog from.

Saturday September 22 I had a milestone and much like many things in my life until a few years ago I would not have even have known of the significance of this milestone.  I had my 888th view.  Yes, the Chinese number for good luck.  I am not superstitious and I am not Chinese but I felt blessed that in a short period of time that many people have read about the work of Ratanak International, possibly some for the first time, and hopefully at least one person has made the decision to become involved in making a difference for the exploited children in Cambodia.

That particular Saturday was meaningful in another way as the Ratanak Toronto Core group had our monthly meeting.

This was an exciting time as Lisa Cheong Country Director for Cambodia was sharing some of her experiences of the last year that she served in Cambodia.  (Lisa is the person who started this group and is responsible for most of us learning about Ratanak International and it`s work.)

Tears are a part of most meetings.  Although done in as sensitive as a way as possible (without the media approach of shock value) the stories we hear about for example a five year old’s repeated sexual abuse is hard to stomach.  I find the Documentaries equally as disturbing and really hard to watch.  When the abusers try to explain away or justify their actions I am angry enough to physically hurt these men, but what really gets me is the victim`s and their families.  They look so beaten down, so hopeless I usually cry at the unfairness of these people`s lives.

My 10 year old Daughter Isabella asks many questions.  She always has and I hope she always will.  When you ask questions you are not accepting the "status quo" of what the world tells you and you are trying to find your own answers.  Some questions do not have answers that can be explained.  One question Isabella asks me quite often of which I cannot explain is "Why do you continue to be involved in the girls in Cambodia lives’ if it makes you cry?"   I would most rather do anything else than cry in public.  Yet possibly these tears are what is used as the fuel for standing up to and confronting great evils in our lives.

The first thing Lisa did at this meeting was hand out a bracelet to each person, a few people put them on with Lisa showing them how it was done.   I somehow missed the instruction and put the bracelet in my pocket thinking I would figure out how to put it on at home.

The bracelet letters say Ratanak Int`l, the colour is green with yellow strands.

A small card tucked in to the bag that came with the bracelet says

This item was handmade with Love

by girls rescued from sexual slavery.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Another card in the package has the words

Human trafficking has been identified as the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.  Agape International Mission (Ratanak Partner) works to rescue these girls from the horrific life they have endured and restore them to happy children once again.

3Strands jewelry includes a seed from the Sandlewood tree, native to Cambodia.  These seeds represent the life of a Cambodian child rescued from sex trafficking.  These same girls, as young adults, make all 3Strands jewelry by hand and are now ready to grow.

I have the bracelet with me now; each time I read these words tears well up in my eyes.  I feel like David in The Bible when he refused to drink the water after his three soldiers broke through the enemy’s line risking their lives because he said he was thirsty.  I feel sort of unworthy in a way.

I do not know if I will ever wear this bracelet.  I have thought of putting it with my running medals, for now it will stay in the bag.

Lisa than talked about a new program Ratanak has been working on for quite a while.  Ratanak with Lisa in charge has done a lot of hard work to set up a program for girls in Cambodia who are on their way to recovery from sexual slavery and want to have a chance at an Education, and are not quite ready to live on their own.  Twelve girls will be accepted into this program.  What I found so encouraging is that these twelve girls will be taken from other programs that have rescued children in them.  I like this because now twelve girls who are rescued from slavery will be able to take the place of the former girls who are ready to move on.

I wrote down some of the words from a Document titled Client`s Right and Responsibilities I just wrote down the rights.

You have a right for a safe place to live.

You have a right to express your feelings.

You have the right to be loved and accepted for who you are.

You have the right to a clean bed and clean clothes.

You have the right to protection from physical and emotional harm, abuse and harassment.

You the right to eat nutritious food

You have the right to receive medical care.

You have the right to learn to read and write.

When I read the words I was grieved for how much I have taken for granted in my life of privilege as I assume these rights every day of my life, no one has to state them to me.  Yet, how often instead of gratitude I seem to find things to complain or become upset about.

Hopefully I can look at my life in comparison to these Girl`s lives and harbour a Spirit of Gratitude, especially with Thanksgiving approaching.

 

 

When you see these pictures there is something common in all of them.  The girl’s eyes are not shown, this is for their protection.

Other people around the world who suffer and need help (AIDS victims, natural disaster victims, food and water shortage victims) have been victims of neglect, these people are victims and need help but more times than not we choose to look the other way and ignore their situations, instead of offering help.

The girls that are shown situation are different, in that they are also victims but of abuse not neglect.  Someone has deliberately physically harmed these girls.  In our increasing liberal world it is still a crime to sexually abuse a child.  So when these girls are rescued they are actually in some danger as they are potential witnesses against the powerful men who have abused them.  Their eyes are not shown for their protection.

Sometimes I think their eyes are not shown for my protection.  "The eyes are the windows of the Soul."  What stories could the eyes of a young child whose life has consisted of being a victim of repeated sexual abuse tell me; possibly more than I could bear to hear.

Annie Lennox wrote a song Universal Child about looking into the eyes of a young child dying of AIDS in Africa.  I think the meaning holds true for a young child of repeated Sexual abuse in Cambodia.

Universal Child

And when I look into your eyes,

so innocent and pure.

I see the shadow of the things

that you`ve had to endure.

I see the tracks of every tear

that ran down your face.

I see the hurt, I see the pain,

I see the human race.

I can see you, your everywhere,

shining like the Sun.

I wish to God that kids like

you could be like everyone.

Lisa then showed the words from a quote by Agape International Mission again a Ratanak partner

Did you know that when you

pray and give toward one of

our rescued girls without ever

seeing her face you help rebuild

her dignity.

You are giving a selfless love

that expects nothing in return.

THAT is what changes a life.

Right now I would like to thank all of those who have contributed funds and prayers to my Marathons, and to the many people who took part in and contributed to the Ratanak 5km walkathon.  I have thanked you, Ratanak has thanked you.  The Children you will never meet thank you!

On this note I get a sense that this year" I am going to go for it" for the Cleveland Marathon.  By this I mean in asking for donations.  Recently I was encouraged by some members of the Toronto Core Group  and their boldness in asking for funds for the "Ride for Refuge" a bike ride where all money from this group went to Ratanak International.  Be forewarned if you read my blog you will probably be sent an email in late April asking if you are able to make a contribution.

A few weeks ago Gloria told me she saw me running up Lakeshore Blvd in the Toronto Marathon nearing the finish line.  I do not remember the exact quote but it was something like " I saw you were in a lot of pain and it did not look like you were having a lot of fun."

She than told me it reminded her of another athlete she had heard about who climbed Mountains for his Charity and used the thought of the children`s pain and suffering compared to his and this image kept him going.  For myself this is true to a point; as I think of how much pain that these children have endured, the many moments in training for and running a Marathon when I think of stopping sometimes a picture of one of them appears to me and I keep going.

 

This is such a moment a photographer captured in the Toronto Marathon.  What I find amazing about this picture is my eyes.  The same as the children in Cambodia you cannot see my eyes; they are closed as a result of a combination of Pain and Sun.

The other day when I was running in my Ravine I saw an image I have seen before that will be my families, and my reward.  One day my family and I will see a sort of unveiling; we will be able to look into the beautiful eyes of Cambodian girls that we do not see now.

Revelation 21 vs 4

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Family you sacrifice a lot for me as I train for the Marathons and I am grateful; this sacrifice has started already and only becomes greater closer to the Marathon.  You have given me a "carte blanche” as long as my work involves helping the exploited Children of Cambodia.

Beautiful Family we may not see these beautiful girls eyes on Earth but we will see them in Heaven, and they will know us by name.

Thank you for all you allow me to do.

Larry