Running By the Food

Today's run was a veritable tour of fine dining. Though tempted to stop for a bite, I kept running as I came upon the Brickhouse/Polaris Experience Center:

...I've gotta keep my eyes on the prize. It was also difficult to keep going as I passed Pizza Ranch. The Silver Dragon makes it extremely difficult. I think they purposely pump out intoxicating aromas to draw people in.

I also ran by the Polaris plant today:

At least one web site considers it to have one of the best factory tours in Minnesota. I took the tour a couple years ago and have to agree that it was a good experience.

Near the end of my run today was "The Heritage of This Place", a sculpture by artist/metalsmith Sue Suess:

Barring injury, I should be able to complete my goal of running every street during the next week or two. My next few runs are going to have to be my longest - probably about five miles each.

Color Run

My niece (in the background) was part of a 'Color Run' in Seattle last weekend. She said it 'was a blast'. Perhaps we should try this in Roseau sometime... (No, I don't know how they keep the colored dust out of their eyes and lungs.) More pictures here.

Bible Camp in Wisconsin

As the bus bumped along across the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, I listened to the 4^th grader who shared my seat.  “I’ve never been to Wisconsin before,” she said with wide eyes.  She paused and thought for a while.  “I've never been star-gazing before.”  Another pause.   “I've never swam in a lake before.  I've never been in a boat before.  I've never sat around a campfire before.”  I smiled, excited about the experience she was about to have at her first time at camp.  Looking back at the twenty-some other kids on the bus, I wondered how many of them were about to see and experience God’s creation in ways they never had before.  I also prayed that as they got away from their everyday life in the city—and as many of them left difficult home situations behind—they would encounter God in a new way.

This June will mark our third summer of taking a busload of students from Northeast Minneapolis to a camp 2 hours away near Danbury, WI.  This has been a grand project, involving a partnership between Living Hope Ministries and some servant-hearted youth groups from Wisconsin.  For me, a staff member of Living Hope, it is a great blessing to spend the week praying for the students, building relationships, and helping out where needed while trained high school students serve as counselors and program staff.  The kids have a blast and build memories that I hear about all year long.  More importantly, they get away from the stresses and distractions of home, giving us wonderful opportunities to share about Jesus to listening ears. 

One unique thing about this camp is that all of the kids come from the same place.  They build relationships that continue to build when they return home, and they are able to hold each other accountable to commitments they make at camp.  Our vision for this camp is that the spiritual growth and relationships that occur there will continue to have an effect in Minneapolis as we seek to build a strong Christian community and see lives transformed.

This summer, some of the funds from this fundraiser will supplement the generous funds of our partners in ministry from Merrill Bible church in Wisconsin.  Because of the generosity of so many, we will be able to charge a very low registration fee for the campers, many of whom come from low-income families.  We will also be able to offer a pay-what-you-can-afford policy to those who cannot manage the $25 cost. 

We will be taking a group of 2nd-8th graders to camp on June 19-22.  Please pray for the students and adults who are preparing to lead the camp, and pray that God will lead many students to attend and encounter Him there.

East Side of River: Conquered

Today I decided to go back and finish off the remaining little streets left on the east side of the Roseau River. Now the focus is on the west side. The last few days I've been running by the storied Roseau Memorial Arena:

... and the Roseau Fair Grounds, home to one of the best county fairs in the state:

Needless to say, I am overwhelmed by donations and pledges that are coming in. It's getting into serious money - very encouraging.

May Walk/Run a Success

It was a great day for a race. The weather was perfect. 63 runners and dozens of walkers showed up. Here we are at the opening gun siren. (I'm the one with the gray hair.):

Duane Mast was the winner at just over 20 minutes:

Young Ellie Nelson was first among the women and fourth overall. She flew over the finish line in about 23 minutes:

I came plodding in at 35:15:

Yes, I was every bit as tired as I look - even more. My time was much worse than expected... On the bright side, there's much room for improvement. Stay tuned.



5K Coming Up

Thanks for all the support and encouragement the last couple days. It's fun to see this thing taking off.

For those of you in Roseau, the 9th annual May Walk/Run is coming up this weekend. All proceeds go to the fight against diabetes. More information here. I hope you can join us.

Here I am trying to finish strong in the rain last year: