I ran a half-marathon?!?!

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 5am, pretty tired and feeling like I could be sick at any moment. I ate a bagel and walked around with every nerve on edge. Yesterday was the day I ran my first half-marathon. For those who have known me for a while, you know this is probably one of the last things I would have ever considered doing, even a year ago. So, needless to say, this was a huge accomplishment for me.

Training for the half-marathon was a lot of work, but luckily I had a lot of extra time on my hands this semester, especially after my senior design expo was finished. But even with all that training and the countless miles I ran, the actual race was a lot harder than I expected. My only goal was to run the whole thing, which I managed, all 13.1 miles, and for that, I am happy, and very, very sore today.

This is my finisher's medal

Land Loss

Today my heart breaks for the Ache community of Kuetuvy. I spent this past January living in this remote jungle community, getting to know the people, falling in love with their simple culture and loving these beautiful people. The Ache have been battling the Paraguayan government for years to rightfully own their ancestral land. After a law that would rule in favor of the Ache passed in the Paraguayan legislature, it was up to the president to either pass the law, or veto it. There was a lot of hope that he would pass the law and the Ache would rightfully own the land where their ancestors had lived for generations. Unfortunately, he vetoed the law, sending the Ache community of Kuetuvy a roller coaster of emotions and mourning. They have hope that one more try will earn them their land, but prayers are needed as they try once more to legally gain the land they have been living on for years.

One of the missionaries we worked with while in Paraguay sent these compelling pictures as the community mourns a huge loss.