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

 

May Angels lead you in

May angels lead you in

Hear you hear me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in
May angels lead you in

These are some of the lyrics from a song May angels lead you in performed by the group Jimmy Eat World made famous in the movie A Cinderella story.  I like the song a lot; it is an interesting song as a choice for the movies love song as it is not a perfect fit, as it deals with loss and regret more than love.

 

One night while laying out on a lawn chair looking at the clouds moving overhead I thought of these words as a fit that I can see for the next steps in my life.  I thought back to all that has happened in my six years of being involved as a volunteer for Ratanak International and I wondered to myself "do I make these decisions that seem so strange so risky on the surface?"  Decisions so out of character of my personality, or is there a force so much greater than myself leading me to these choices?  Indeed as I embark on the next path of my life I truly see that Angels have indeed led me in and are all around me, not to say life is easy and everything goes perfect, far from it at most times, especially as my involvement in the Cambodian children's lives goes a bit deeper. My last entry on this blog was immediately after the first ever Ratanak 5km walkathon.
 

I wrote I felt the need to rest to take the Summer off of being actively involved in the work of Ratanak International. A Pastor friend confirmed this decision as he emailed me "I affirm your decision to take a break.  The woodcutter who stops every now and then to sharpen his axe will end up cutting a lot more wood then the woodcutter who never stops working.  May the Holy Spirit sharpen the keen edge of your passion for the exploited children of Cambodia so that it will penetrate more hearts." Taking a break was not easy for me.

Jeremiah 20 vs. 9 

If I say I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, his word is in my

heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.

I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.

This sums up my feelings for the exploited children in Cambodia.  I could not go cold turkey. I sort of worked out a compromise.  I received emails from people in the Toronto core group letting me know about some of the latest news.  I also sent out a couple of emails, and I would go on the Ratanak website quite often to catch up on the latest news.

I did rest as I found it nice actually getting about seven hours of sleep some nights helped my body recover.  I did not pray as much as I should have.  My beautiful family enjoyed the hot weather as much as we could, we did get to the beach and a cottage as well.  I almost finished the mountain of yard work only to have another mountain appear.

What I can relate to in the words of the Pastor are not so much about the axe, but what I feel was accomplished in my time off is that the arms that swing the axe and the body that controls the arms were rested allowing me to see into the future. Two events of the last week showed me that my "sabbatical" is over and it is time to go forward.

I attended a race to benefit the Impoverished Children of Guatemala.  I picked this race because it was at Erindale Park where we held the walkathon.  I was hoping to again see the outlook of the park and areas on where Paul and myself can improve (Paul willing) if there is to be a Ratanak race in 2013.  I did indeed see a few areas I could have improved on and met three people who encouraged me.  The first was a man who was a year older than myself and was quite an accomplished runner, he actually won this particular race.  He called our ages "vintage"  nicer then some other names that come to mind, and he gave me a lot of ideas including the name of a book that he felt should help me to run faster.  I am not holding my breath on the faster, but I am hoping to become more efficient.

The next person I met was an endurance athlete who does crazy things to raise money for Charity.  He recently rode his bicycle from Calgary to Mexico.  He also is the Ontario Sales Rep for a company who sells Natural products for endurance athletes, he gave me his card and we have exchanged emails of which I have been encouraged to ask any questions related to keeping hydrated during training for and actually running in a marathon.  The last person I met was the race director.  I encouraged her for taking the time to organize this event that benefited needy children and let her know about my involvement with Ratanak.  She responded that "we are kindred Spirits" and that she attended the Meeting House in Oakville, had heard about the exploited children in Cambodia and had purchased a CD of Kelita Haverland`s (A woman who has raised a ton of money and recognition for Ratanak through her gift of Music.)

The next event occurred a few days later at a friend of my families Cottage.  There was a map on the wall that caught my attention, especially the name of the map.  I could not find a picture of the map on the Internet but I believe I found something even better.
The monument is called The Wilberforce Settlement.  In 1830 a group of fugitive Negro slaves from Cincinnati settled in this vicinity.
The settlement was named after the great British abolitionist William Wilberforce.  I thought later about what "sacred" ground that this area was founded on.

 

One day during the Summer I thought back to a chance encounter I had in April 2011.  It was the night before the Boston Marathon and my family went to a Restaurant for dinner to meet some Cousins we have who live in Boston.  At the table next to us was a large group including an older man and a man in a wheelchair.  As my family left our table the party next to us asked "who was running tomorrow?"  Someone pointed at me and they wished me luck, someone from our group told me that is "Team Hoyt."

I had not thought about this encounter until the middle of July this Summer, when I decided to google the man`s name. The father`s name is Dick Hoyt, his son`s is Rick.  The son was born with a severe case of Cerebral palsy.  Dick pushed his son in his wheelchair for a short race over thirty years ago.  Rick told his father "he felt like he was running the race."
Dick said "that was all he needed to hear."

They have completed over 70 full marathon`s together, including 30 Boston Marathons.

They have completed 247 triathlons together.

They have completed 1 077 total races together.

If interested I would highly recommend looking up "Team Hoyt I can only Imagine on YouTube" as this video shows how much sacrifice this Father does in the course of a race, this particular one is in Hawaii and is an Ironman triathlon. They have inspired more people then they will ever know.

Their theme is "Yes you can." To say the least I was very inspired as I watched and thought about the Love and sacrifice that this Father was willing to endure to help his son.

 

 

I realized in a strange way my biggest contribution to Ratanak and the exploited children in Cambodia seems to be the unique ability to run full Marathon`s and until I am not able to I should continue this pursuit. The question then became which marathon should I aim for?

Before the Toronto Marathon I thought if I run a B.Q. short for Boston Qualifying time I would have to consider running in The Boston Marathon next year.  I even had a future title penned Back to Boston.  I finished ten seconds short of a B.Q. time, so this was out of the question for this year.

I then thought a perfect race would be a marathon in one of the American States close to the Canadian border in the spring providing it would fall within my work schedule.

I choose this because I figure my family deserves some sort of a mini-vacation for their support.  By going to the United States my family could do some shopping on the day when I recover from the marathon. I can run a full marathon, but within ten minutes at a crowded shopping mall I have been known to get headaches, dizzy, nauseous etc. Believe me this is a win win situation for me and my family.

Now I had to decide which marathon to run in. Buffalo has a marathon in the spring, but I felt not this year perhaps in the future. New Jersey has one as well, but at a recent wedding my family attended.  A couple told me it took them eight and a half hours to make the trip to Mississauga from New Jersey.  I felt this was a little on the long side. Michigan has a marathon as well, but this is its second year and I felt there could be some organization problems. Pennsylvania has one called the "North South Marathon."  Each participant has to wear either a grey or a blue shirt symbolizing the side they would support in the American Civil War (I am not joking).  Although one year I would like to run for the side that fought against Slavery I felt this was not the year so I took a pass. A sign part way through my runs in the Ravine mentions that this trail is "the Etobicoke Creek Trail.

 

It starts in Toronto, winds through Mississauga, continues through Brampton and upon completion will end up in Caledon some 50 kms away from the start.

I thought of the four Marathons I have run in, and their Cities:

Mississauga         Mississauga Marathon`s 2009-2010
Toronto                Toronto Marathon 2012
Brampton             Boston Marathon 2011
Caledon               Cleveland Marathon 2013

I know absolutely nothing about Cleveland.There is a lot of positive`s however, the date May 19 fits in with my work schedule and I will only have to take minimal time off.  This is also on Victoria day so my Daughter`s will not have to miss much time at school.  The Hotels I have looked up are about half the price of Boston, also it is not as far as a drive.  On the website participants are encouraged to send out inspiring stories of why they have chosen to run this marathon, and I have sent my story in.

Some possible challenges are Gloria will have to work on the Friday before the marathon so I may be driving to a City I have never been to at night, also May 19 is the latest date I have ever run a marathon on and I fear like Betty White`s sitcoms title it may indeed be "Hot in Cleveland" for this marathon.

So now for the fun. I will begin training for this in September.  I have hopefully learned how to be ready for a marathon and I will slowly build the necessary miles allowing me to complete a full marathon.

 

This means I will have to start having Epsom/Sea salt baths again.

This means I will have to figure out how to make my work`s allotted funding for Massage Therapy (hi Melanie) and Acupuncture (hi Esther) last.

This means I also will again become a frequent shopper at the Running Room Outlet store (hi Carey).
This means my house will again have the aroma of Tiger balm.
This means I will have to get used to sleeping with ice packs under whichever body part hurts most again.
This means my seven hours of sleep I am getting in the Summer will be a thing of the past.
This means my family and coworkers will see me a little more tense, a little more on edge.
This means so much to me I am excited just typing this out.

In the Movie "How to train your Dragon" a boy named Hiccup befriends a Dragon named Night Fury in secret, as Hiccup is a Viking and Dragons are Viking`s enemies. Night Fury`s tail was wounded when Hiccup caught it so Hiccup designed something which allowed the Dragon to fly.  A very moving scene is when Hiccup who lost his own leg in a fight with a huge dragon securing Night Fury`s freedom walks outside for the first time with his prosthesis.  Hiccup walks over to Night Fury and is able to ride his Dragon again.

In the Bible Jacob had a wrestling match with the Angel and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Dick Hoyt who I mentioned earlier has had some Injuries requiring Surgeries which are the result of running so many races with his son. I have came to realize there is something very beautiful in being willing to sacrifice for someone or thing, even to the point of injury. I hope that what I perceive as a sacrifice that some may find Beautiful.

I sent a copy of the Hoyt`s story to Brian McConaghy founder and Director of Ratanak International. This is his response "Such a picture of a father`s love.  An illustration of God`s love for us.  We are told to run the race but in actual fact we are carried.  Every day of our Christian walk we are carried.  Until one day we will be carried over the finish line and credited with all the work that was not ours.  The "well done faithful servant will be the result of us being carried and placed at the foot of the throne by Grace.  Our only effort was to accept the offer of being carried and yet God credits us with being "runners" amazing!

My first reaction was to think of the incredible Humility this man has as if anybody could feel a little pride for the lifelong pursuit of sacrifices trying to bring freedom to the children in Cambodia surely Brian would be the one.  As I thought about his word`s for a few days I saw where his illustration actually is a recurring story in my races. 

I am far removed from the naive person who said five years ago I was going to run a Marathon.  My eyes have been opened to the physical difficulty, as well as the emotional and especially spiritual challenges. I start out each year strong, Healthy, and positive. During the course of my training there always is some pain or injury to work around.  I usually try to train harder then the actual race will be.  I try to run more Hills then the marathon will have.  Last year I ran a training run of 28 miles which is longer then an actual marathon.  I run on a treadmill at my Gym at least once a week to help with speed and also to get used to the uncomfortable heat that hits me in a very poorly ventilated area.  In spite of all this I seem to have a huge surprise in many of my races.

In a 10.8 km race called the Egg Nog Jog in Halton Hills last December, A man started chanting "Me Ha My, Me Ha My, Me Ha My." and tried to pass me at the 6km mark, for some reason I sped up and raced ahead of him. About a minute later the same man came up beside me only this time I could swear I heard him saying "They are Mine, They are Mine, They are Mine." in reference to the children in Cambodia, again I sped up and raced ahead of him. Third time I hear him coming again, louder this time "They are Mine!, They are Mine!, They are Mine!"  I said "No they`re Not, No they`re Not, No they`re Not and again refused to let him pass."  This man did not pass me before the finish line.

At the 2009 Mississauga Marathon I wrote about the lady who followed me up the steepest Hill and used my body to shield her from the 50 km/hr Wind, at the top of the Hill she said ”thanks I would not have made it without you."  I wrote about how the girls from the NewSong Center have to climb a steep hill every day for the rest of their lives and how I have to be willing to take on some of their burdens in leading them up this Hill. 

At the 2010 Mississauga Marathon I ran the last 14 kms with severe cramping in five separate muscles in my legs, yet this is also when I wrote about the girls being represented by the rocks I picked up on my longest training runs calling out "No more Auction block for me" as I ran.  At the end of the race I wrote about seeing all 13 girls appear to me singing about their freedom.

The 2011 Boston Marathon`s race was not that eventful, however a computer Crash on the day of registration had me giving up on running in this race, until one night two months after the crash an email appeared to Gloria`s email account, not mine asking me to complete my Boston registration form.  A friend who is an I.T. specialist told me this was impossible and stated that "I have friends in high places."

Last year`s 2012 Toronto Marathon I trained for a lot of things, however I did not train for the dehydration and cramping that resulted from being able to have only one cup of water the last 12 kms of the Race. At the beginning of each marathon race I start out strong.  I feel like I am the father and I am carrying the girls from Cambodia to the finish line.  Something unexpected seems to happen and I feel I cannot take another step.  This is when I usually utter what I have come to know as my marathon prayer out of desperation.  God then answers it and I become like the son Rick while God carries me to the finish line.  The interesting thing is that I have had some races with no problems at all, these are usually the ones in which I place much closer to the front; and yet when I am struggling so much to finish, the times when I feel God has to carry me to help me finish, these are the times when my most powerful writing comes out.

I wish everything goes perfect from now until May 19.  I hope I have an easy race with no drama at all, I hope I raise a lot of funding and awareness for Ratanak International with little effort and excitement, but I am not counting on it.

To close, this Summer I realized how much time and energy I waste on issues that don`t really matter, and how much more efficient I could be if I learned to ignore what does not matter and take stands on only the important issues.

The next words are from a commercial by the company Tap Out which is huge in the Mixed Martial Arts community.

My fight matters.  Does yours?

In everyday life fights materialize.
No championship belts.  No grand prize.
Just the reason you rise and strive to overcome.
It`s not about the battles won.
It`s what you stand for.
It`s sacrificing your comfort, and carrying on for a cause.
It`s for self satisfaction and not the applause.
It`s tearing down walls.
It`s what your exercising your might for.
My fight matters.  Does yours?

Larry

Ratanak 2012 5km Walkathon

May 17, 2010

 “ For a marathon runner, Boston is the place to be. Three months ago, I noticed my training times were on pace to qualify me for the 2011 Boston Marathon. I kept this to myself, but qualifying for the event became my goal. One day while running, I decided to aim for Boston and use the knowledge, experience, contacts and credibility to organize a small 5km walk/run for Ratanak International.”

June 6, 2011

“500,000 people came to Boston to watch the marathon. $125 million dollars were generated for the city. It caused me to dream of having that kind of support for Ratanak International. I dreamed that one day could be set aside in the many places Ratanak has reached. I thought of Mississauga, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Buffalo, Calgary, England, Ireland, Australia, and even Cambodia. I saw the girls from NewSong taking part in their own 5km walk. It would be a day when people around the world could walk or run in support of those who cannot. A day that is coming!”

As a boy, I remember watching The Odd Couple on TV. The characters were Oscar and Felix. In my own life recently, I was part of a couple that, if not odd, was definitely different. The Felix of this partnership is Paul, Toronto Ratanak representative.

And the Oscar is me, Larry, Ratanak volunteer.

The modern Felix loves music, plays the guitar and his house is full of Beatles memorabilia.
The modern Oscar loves sports and has tried every one; his house still has old hockey equipment and even his old boxing gloves.
The modern Felix works for a city and is a computer genius.
The modern Oscar works for a billion-dollar corporation and is constantly asking one of his daughters for help on the computer.
The modern Felix took part in one bike race - without endangering Lance Armstrong’s records.
The modern Oscar has run many races, and although he’s never quite met the high standards his daughters expect of him, has always finished in the top half of each race.
The modern Felix is a man who smiles all the time and is full of grace.
The modern Oscar rarely smiles, and longs for and admires people who have so much grace.
The modern Felix is optimistic and stays cool under pressure.
The modern Oscar is realistic and can unravel when pressure comes his way.

Putting our skills together, we were able to bring my dream to life: on June 2 in Erindale Park, Mississauga, we held the first-ever Ratanak 5km walkathon. We also had great support from our families and the City of Mississauga staff, and the support and prayers of the Toronto Core Group.

My first venture with Paul was to open a bank account to ensure proper bookkeeping for the event. Paul, always a planner, booked an appointment with a bank representative and off we went. Two minutes in, things were not going well: the bank employee asked to see a letter from the government proving Ratanak’s charitable status. (We hadn’t brought it with us.) We left the bank and wondered what to do next. We walked into another bank without an appointment and waited a while, but we were able to leave with what we needed.

Looking back, I realize this was the way most things went for this event. Paul took over the registration and had more than a few challenges in setting up the website. For me, one of the most challenging days was the day before the event. I had the day off work and had a long list of last-minute stops. For people who do not live in Toronto, the weather that day may have been the worst I can remember. It rained the whole day, heavy rain that comes in sideways, leaving you soaked and shivering within seconds. The wind reached 80 kph, and was strong enough to move my van on the highway. I got drenched at each stop and had trouble seeing the road through the rain. I stopped listening to the weather forecast for Saturday because I pictured Paul and myself being the only two people at the event. The City of Mississauga sent me three emails voicing their concerns about how the “inclement weather” would affect the event.

But the lowest point happened on Friday night. Gloria, my beautiful and amazing wife, and I set out to measure and mark the course. The rain and wind did not relent; parts of the course were full of water, so staying dry was not an option. A short way after the 2km mark we had to stop. Water from the Credit River had flooded onto the course and there was no way to walk through the knee-deep flood. Going home, I thought to myself that this event may become the Ratanak 4.2km walkathon. Earlier in the day, I thought maybe Satan had the weather for today, but I trusted God would reserve the weather for tomorrow. We had set the date months in advance when the weather was unpredictable. I had trusted that God would provide a nice day.

After returning home, I gathered my courage and looked at the Weather Network. The rain was supposed to stop at four o'clock in the morning. It was to start again at noon. I thought to myself that God had indeed set aside this place in time for an event to bless His precious children of Cambodia.

A few more snags awaited me on the day of the event. The 401 west was closed and some volunteers were a few minutes later than planned. My stopwatch refused to start, so we decided to time the event with the clock on Gloria’s phone. After a bit more juggling, the event was ready to start. Then the participants were off.

Fifty-five people took part. No records fell, but a few people ran impressive times. Runners always ask each other about their best times, and it makes me think of a shirt someone wore in a recent race. The shirt said, “Ask me about my best time.” I loved the answer: “My best time is the time I raised enough money to send a child with cancer to camp for a week.” The best time on Saturday was a group of amazing participants who braved a chilly, overcast day, an equally amazing group of volunteers who put up with me patiently and lovingly, and my “Felix” who registered and tracked donations and even checked people off as they finished. The best time was knowing that 55 people walked a total of 275 km, and raised over Seven Thousand dollars to help many children in Cambodia get a second chance in life.

I always see images in the races I run and write about them. Because I was busy on Saturday, I only saw one, yet it is an extremely powerful and beautiful image. My sister-in-law, Natalie, brought her almost-two-year-old daughter, beautiful Evangeline, to take part in the event. Natalie ran most of the race and carried Evangeline on her back.

I was standing near the finish line to greet each participant. When Evangeline saw me, she made a fuss and told Natalie she wanted to run to Uncle Larry. I watched in amazement as Natalie and my wife, Gloria, each took one of Evangeline’s hands, and the three of them finished the race running together. I thought to myself that this a picture of what is happening today. Money raised from events like this take exploited children out of places of danger and place them safely on the back of someone who loves them and is willing to carry them when they are weak and vulnerable. In time, the children will heal enough and be able to run on either side of the people who love them. Although Evangeline couldn’t run by herself on Saturday, one day she’ll be able to. In Cambodia this is already happening, as some of the very first Newsong girls, girls who have been horrifically abused, have been accepted and are going to University.

Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission and author of the book Good News About Injustice, starts his book with the words, “As the father of four small children I find myself thinking more and more about the core gift I would like to give them to take into the world.” He went onto say he wished to give them courage.

As the father of two not-so-small children, I would like to give them a gift. The gift I would like to give is “to look down, and not up.” By that, I mean, “Don’t look up at people who are more successful or have more money than you. Don’t look up at people who are more famous or more attractive than you. Look down toward people who have less than you and who need help. Look down and offer whatever you can: your time, your money, your love. Look down and thank God for each and every blessing He has given you, and share them with people who need them most.”

My two daughters continually amaze me. They both are light years ahead of where I was in terms of helping others when I was their ages. Katarina wrote about the Michael Jackson song “Man in the Mirror” and what it meant to her. She was singled out for praise from her teacher for her depth of understanding at such a young age.

An idea in the note we handed out to each participant came from Isabella. We gave out this note, along with a ball on Saturday:

“Two Dollars or Priceless”

Thank you for taking the time and effort to participate in the first-ever Ratanak 5km walkathon. Take this gift from us as a reward, a prize for your hard work. I know it does not look like very much, but please read on!

Today this event benefited children in Cambodia whose start in life was something most of us cannot even imagine.

The shirt you were given has the words “Not Forgotten” written on it. Ratanak International, the non-profit organization that will receive 100% of today’s donations, has not forgotten these children. Each volunteer who helped with today’s event has not forgotten these children.

The ball you are holding was bought at a dollar store. The purchase price for all of these balls could have purchased two children in Cambodia. This ball has no value; it is a disposable item. The children you walked for today, at one time, had a lot in common with this ball, but NOT ANYMORE!

These are the words from a ten-year-old girl born in Canada. Her hope is that she can help a ten-year-old girl in Cambodia. This is what this ball means to her. My hope is that, for some of you, her words will ring true:

“This ball is a clear and see-through plastic. It has hundreds of little pieces surrounding a little ball inside the rubber. When you bounce the ball, the little ball inside the big ball lights up very bright and glows for a very long time.”

“The little ball represents the exploited children in Cambodia. The many little pieces surrounding the little ball represent all the people who work to help free these children. When the children are free, the light is able to shine brightly through them and eventually by them.”

So what is next for me? In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Solomon talks about a time for everything. Verse 3 talks about a time to kill and a time to heal. Verse 8 talks about a time for war and a time for peace.

I have been to war twice in the last three weeks. It has taken a heavy toll on me. It took my body ten full days to recover from the Toronto Marathon. Planning the Ratanak 5km was a different sort of stress. I have given my heart and soul for the children of Cambodia for the last six years. I am taking the summer off; I think the word is a sabbatical. I am watching my daughter play soccer and my other daughter take Zumba classes. We are planning to go to the beach. I am going to try to catch up on a mountain of yard work. I may rework some old writings. I am going to pray. I am going to rest, and I am going to come back in September hopefully a stronger, more efficient and wiser advocate.

After the last marathon I wrote that it might be my last. A lady named Annie asked me twice if this was so and even had Gloria ask me. I ran 10 seconds slower than a Boston qualifying time so the Boston Marathon 2013 is not an option for me. Annie, I still don’t know, although I admit I have googled upcoming marathons in American cities for May 2013. Cleveland has one that fits my work schedule and has a question on their web page encouraging participants to send them the reason they choose to run in this marathon, with publicity and prizes being sent to inspirational stories. Annie, stay tuned.

In closing, my amazing editor told me amidst her sea of corrections in my last writing that perhaps I should identify what my Core Group is, as people reading this may not know what the words mean. My rebellious nature raised up and I ignored this suggestion. Sorry if I leave anyone out.

The Toronto Ratanak Core Group was founded by:

Lisa, a lady with a background in finance
Here are some of the people in our group
Paul, who works for the city
Jessika, who works in a law firm
Me, the marathon runner
Tori, an Engineering student who designs and sells the Not-Forgotten shirts
John, who works with seniors
Joy, a piano teacher
Linda-Ruth, a lawyer who decided to be a stay-at-home mother to raise her daughter
Janice, who works in business
Sarah, who works for another city and creates beautiful jewellery to raise money for Ratanak in her spare time
Esther, an acupuncturist
Mary, who works with challenged children
Mir-ha, a school teacher
Susan, who helps troubled women
Hilary, a pastor`s wife
Phil, I do not know his vocation but he is a great photographer
Isabelle, a teacher

If I were putting together a group to raise awareness for the children in Cambodia, I would start with a lawyer, a doctor, a police officer, a soldier, a pastor, a politician, many counsellors, and I would add a few movie stars, rock stars and a billionaire or two. This is the army I would pick to fight for the children in Cambodia. Funny how things work in God’s economy. My group has very few, if any, from my list. What we have is a united group that believes we are weak and insignificant individually, but together with God leading us, we are crazy enough to believe we can make a difference in this world.

The man who helped me set up this blog was amazed at how many hits it has received, as several websites have picked it up, allowing access to people in parts of the world I never could have imagined. Possibly you are one of them. Possibly you are moved, and even challenged by some of this writing. Possibly you are wondering what there is you can do to help someone but think you don`t have the skills.Cambodia may not be your calling. Many other parts of the world need people to help.I encourage you to take whatever you have to offer and jump in wholeheartedly. You will never regret this decision.

Larry