The Waddle becomes a Hobble

3.5 miles, 46 minutes
6.7 miles 1 hour, 48 minutes
Cutting down a tree and stacking wood
Trimming trees and clearing brush
mowing lawn


What a terrible week! On my second run I developed blisters on the toes. First time ever for having this happen. Same shoes, same socks, same pavement. Why now? What caused this hiccup? The dang things were huge and on every toe. They would not go away. Walking was a pain in the ---. So, I changed the workout routine and did a little manual labor for Walnut Gardens' Congregation. On my second cut in felling a tree, my back twisted north while the rest of my body was bending south. Ouch!  Now, I admit my diet is not watched as closely as it should be, but I do seem to discover new foods that seem to set off the GERDS all too often. So by Thursday night, I couldn't sleep laying down because of the GERDS effect, and I couldn't sleep sitting up, because my back was screaming. All three impaired any attempt to run out the door for a quick one. That left mowing the lawn as an option for a little exercise. Mowing the lawn was like harnessing a dust storm. So, the allergies have kicked in with a vengeance. 


While I do like whining about life's little inconveniences, poverty demoralizes and puts others at risk far beyond a little back pain. Lack of dignity, little confidence and no belief in their own abilities are the most debilitating aspects of poverty, creating hopelessness, isolation and resignation. These blisters don't heal as easily as mine. Outreach International brings dignity to individuals by helping them become self-sufficient through education, healthcare and livelihood, building stronger families as a result. Outreach International brings people together to share their concerns with others, to find hope and build confidence.

Ruth Humbert was an RN from the Community of Christ Health Ministries Association (HMA) who backpacked into Guatemala’s isolated mountain villages to provide health care for isolated families. Ruth and other nurses set up 10 traveling clinics in the mountain villages, each seeing 200 patients, and encouraging patients to solve lifestyle problems that impacted their health. As a result, people replaced smoky wood stoves with new ones that were vented to the outside, reducing respiratory distress. They obtained clean water filters and grew their own vegetables. Outreach International empowers people in Sustainable Good because it’s the good that’s energized in the people themselves. Now 2000 patients a month have access to preventative health care from 10 clinics. Join me in running to the end poverty one blister, one backache, one runny nose at a time!