Vacation in PR; Run for Congo Women update

This weekend Zek achieved his goal of 216 miles in his Run for Congo Women! So far he has raised $355. Thank you for your support, and please continue to pray for the DRC, which is the size of Western Europe. Some recent news about the DRC is included at the end of this post. This will be the last post on this run and fund raising effort.
We have just returned from a nice trip to Puerto Rico. We enjoyed spending time with family and catching up, but it was raining almost every day. So, no beach for us. We really enjoyed seeing our niece, Eva. She is so smart and loves to dance and play with Tracy (aka Lulu). Trishie has taught her many different children songs, like "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "The Wheels on the Bus", and she knows all of the hand motions. The bad part is that these songs are too catchy, and we were constantly humming them and annoying each other.

Pictures from our visit to the oldest fortress in the Americas, El Morro:

Pepe, Eva, and Trishie enjoy lunch at El Hamburger:







Tracy's brother, Manuel, brought a girl home on Tuesday, and we tried our best to scare her away. Zek had some vacation scruff, refusing to shave, and Pepe (dad) was in top form. Yet, she still came back on Thursday for round two. It must be serious.

Before we went to PR, we stopped in Miami to see some friends. Here is a picture of our trip to the everglades:

Tracy is getting excited for her rotation in New Mexico, and Zek is trying to get a few business trips organized for June (domestic and abroad). So, stay tuned.

Our dogs are doing well but one of them, Ellie, has been a real terror recently. One of our good friends watched them while we were gone, and it seems he survived! However, the couch did not. We're hoping things with Ellie will improve with age and training. Last week was Kaya's 1 yr anniversary with us and she is doing great.

We hope each of you are well. Let us know what's going on in your life and how we can be praying for you.

God bless,
Zek and Tracy

DRC news:
A rape happens nearly every minute
Rebuilding the railways
Trial of two Rwandan Hutu leaders accused of masterminding atrocities in eastern DRC

You can see my running progress here. Thank you to everyone who has donated to this cause. I'm grateful for your support and you've given me added motivation. If you didn't get a chance to give before, there is still time. My fundraising page is here.

Situation in the Congo

I am over 4 weeks into my running plan. So far, I have run 83 miles of the 216 I hope to run in 12 weeks, so I am ahead of the goal. One of my favorite runs has been through downtown Denver--while on a business trip. I ran out to Invesco Field at Mile High, where the Broncos play, from downtown Denver. Most of this run was along the South Platte river, which also runs near my hometown.

You can track my progress here.  Eighteen miles a week has proven more difficult than I originally thought, but it's also been fun. Thank you to everyone who has donated to this cause. I'm grateful for your support and you've given me added motivation.  By the way my fundraising page is here.

I also want to write a little more about the reason for my fundraising and tell you a bit about the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I remember distinctly that one of the reasons for my interest in Africa in general was an article I read in Christianity Today--sometime in the early 2000's. It told the story of  a doctor in the DRC, and that story has stuck with me.

The current conflict in the DRC is the most violent event since WWII. I couldn't find the original article I read so many years ago, but here is a Christianity Today blog post that tells the story.

Did you know that the median age in the Congo is around 16? That means that most likely, you'd already be dead. It is even worse for women--more than two-thirds of women have been raped. This is why I run:  to build awareness (for myself and others) for the plight of the people in the DRC--a situation I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

The Congo was originally colonized by Belgium. During that time it was abused for slaves and rubber.  Now, the DRC is the 12th largest country (18th by population) and it has the second lowest Human Development Index score (right behind Zimbabwe). For many years, it was called Zaire. And, it is not to be confused with it's neighbor to the north, the Republic of Congo.  Both take their names from the Congo River, the second largest in the world.

Here are some interesting pictures celebrating the DRC's 50th anniversary of freedom from Belgium:
In pictures: The DR Congo at 50

Some recent news articles about the DRC:
DR Congo colonel Kibibi Mutware jailed for mass rape
Unesco: Conflict robs 28 million children of education
Congo's east - Still smuggling New DR Congo centre for rape victims opens
DR Congo: Six killed in 'coup bid' against Kabila

Finally, here is a map showing the development index of various countries. Pay special attention to the the black color--these countries are lowest on the scale.

UN_Human_Development_Report_2010 map

Run for Congo Women

Friends and family,

If you've known me for very long, you know how I have a passion for Africa. In fact, I believe it is my calling to help the people of Africa meet their economic needs. But with student loans, a loving community here, and plans for a career, I feel somewhat tied down and anxious to actually do something.

Now, I've found an opportunity to do something:  For 12 weeks I will run for the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Why the DRC? Quite simply it is the worst place in the world to be a human. And, it is literally one of the most under-reported and under-cared-about crises. (Zimbabwe is up there too.) For starters, the DRC has seen the greatest number of violent deaths since WWII, more than any other place in the world.

Well, I'm not the type of person to ask for money, but I think this is a good cause. I've created a page where you can donate to Run for Congo Women. It's a good organization and the money will be used for things like financial aid, job training, rights awareness, and leadership education.  Check out runforcongowomen.org to learn more.

My purpose in doing this, though, is less about the money. Instead, I hope I can inspire you to think outside your world and learn about others who are suffering. I hope you'll be inspired to do something too.

So in the future, you can look forward to more information about the DRC and constant updates on my progress as I try to run 216 miles in 12 weeks in remembrance of the women of the DRC. I'm starting with a 5k next Saturday with the Atlanta Track Club.

Click here to go to my fund-raising page.

Sincerely,
Zek

How many miles do you think I will actually run? Post your guess as a comment on my blog and let's see who comes the closest.