Roll up the Rim to.... What!!!!!

Well certainly not to Win! Oh wait, let me back up and put this into context. I know I'm swimming against the stream on this one, I've seen your bumper stickers that say give me my Timmies and no one gets hurt! Please understand, I'm talking about me here, so please don't hurt me!

As I drove through the drive through today, for my 3rd Hot chocolate or Carmel Smoothie in as many days, it hit me like a tone of bricks... What am I doing? This is so counter productive to the goals at hand. You see, I don't drink coffee, never have, just never got a taste for it. So the Tim's line just isn't one of my routines. HOWEVER! Come roll up the rim season and I'm there, Hot Chocolate, Carmel Smoothies and of course the elusive "chance" to win. It sucks me in every year and was just about too this year as well..... I started to think about my commitment to eat better and thought I'd better check on line to see what a Carmel smoothie was really worth, turns out my Large Smoothie was somewhere in the range of 12-14 grams of fat, then add an apple fritter- just more bad news. So all this to say, I'm really tempted, and I have to put a lot of energy into thinking this one through. I will take it day by day, but I'm going to try and avoid the lure of winning a car, a laptop, a donut or an encouraging "please play again", and instead, drop my 2 bucks in the bin for these projects. It's not much but it will add up.

"Sleepy" and Juan Carlos - Youth at Risk in Guatemala

As you read this Blog, I hope, no I more than hope, I pray that you are asking yourself the question, Why is this guy so determined to walk 325+ kms for people, sometimes, thousands of miles away that he doesn't know. And Why these projects, Respite? A community Center? Employment? Well,,,, if you are at all doubting my reasons, watch this....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp3wYljptgE

It is a short 20 minute documentary about life in Guatemala for youth and Gang violence. I will warn you now, it isn't pretty, but it is the truth... And if you listen carefully to the stories being told about "sleepy" and Juan Carlos, you will hear this... Even the worst of the gang members, street thugs and murderers started off as children. Children that got sucked into a path of destruction and evil because there wasn't other options for belonging, love and education in their community, instead they found that in gang life. I say. for the community of Lake Amatitlan, it does not have to be that way. There can be a beacon of light and hope, that will offer children a place to belong, a place to learn, live and grow, and a place to give to their community rather than take from it. I know this will be a place where the message of Gods love, belonging in Him will be heard loud and strong. This place can be planted in that community and You and I can put it there with every step I take on this journey or every dollar that is sacrificially given.

2 weeks from yesterday, myself and a team of 8 others, from across Christian Horizons, will arrive in Guatemala to start the journey of building this community center, this center of hope and light. Please consider how it is you might partner with us to complete this building and to reach the financial goals required.

Thank-you.

Devotional Thoughts! Doing the Impossible

I Shared some thoughts about Doing the Impossible, the other day at our office devotional time.

They got posted on our CH Devo Blog - Click HERE to visit it at

http://www.chdevotions.blogspot.com/

I hope it is an encouragement to you!

The Saturday To Do List

Just a quick update. I walked 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym this morning and am about to go back this afternoon and try for 4-5 more.

went shopping today as well and got these.

Some Canada stuff (pencils, balloons, stickers, flags....) for the kids we will be working with in El Zapatillo, Guatemala (only 2.5 weeks to go!)

University Students to the Rescue !

I'd like to introduce you to

Andrew, Arani, Sukhraaj, Deepti, Waisum and Saurabh


They are University of Waterloo Students that are pitching in to do some PR and Media work for the DASH. I think this will also include developing the Dash Facebook site, which is great news, cuz I don't really understand facebook, just yet, but I'm trying.

Welcome Aboard guys, we ALL really appreciate everything you bring to this effort!

Being HIS hands and feet !

Hi All.... I want to take a moment and introduce you to Nina.

Nina, Along with many others, are becoming the army behind this DASH! READ her story, perhaps it reflects your own, or will encourage you as it has me

Thank Nina for sharing!

Dave

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Most certainly I tell you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

This verse has stuck with me all throughout my life, and it feels like now is the time and here is the place to explain why that is and how I came to be so passionate about the Dash. It all started aprox 10 years ago, I found myself in the middle of a concert with Mercy Me and the Newsboys…tears streaming down my face my hands raised high in the air dedicating myself to a mission. WOH hang on a second… a mission? Are you crazy...How are you going to do that? Where are you going to go... and most importantly When do you think your going to have the time to do this... These were some of the questions waiting for me when I returned home from that concert and I decided that I had jumped the gun. Everyone was right I didn’t have the time or the resources to dedicate myself to a mission in another country….. Maybe what I thought to be Gods voice calling me out to do a mission was just in fact a rush of emotions and that I wasn’t ready to do something so huge… and that was it…. I forgot about it…. Never thought about it after that….. Until May of 2008 at the Connections meeting, funny how God has a way of bringing things back around to us full circle. I was sitting in the connections meeting when Dave presented his idea of the Dash, I remember it as clear as day, a couple of claps a couple of giggles over the funny picture of the cartoon on the screen in jogging pants and a sweat band…. But there was something there for me…. Something that I wanted to reach out and touch and I realized in that moment that it was God bringing me back to where he started me 10 years ago at that concert. Back then I didn’t have the life experience or the resources or the dedication to commit myself in any way towards the life of people in another country… but that day… at that meeting…. It was all laid right out in front of me and I made a commitment to myself and to the Dash and essentially to the people living in the one bedroom hut on the screen in front of me that I was going to do something about it this time. I began to pray about what God was doing in these countries and in the lives of the people that we support here in Ontario and I asked him to show me where and what he wanted me to do. It was a little frustrating at first I will admit. I have two boys aged 4 and 2 and, I prayed to God many times and made it very clear that I was not thrilled about hopping into a plane and heading to a different country and that is when I realized that I don’t have to…..I don’t have to travel anywhere…I don’t have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to donate…..I don’t have to organize huge fundraisers and beg people to be involved….All I have to do is be WILLING and to pray, pray and trust that God will use me in whatever way he sees fit and be okay with whatever he brings my way. As I was reviewing our finances just recently on the computer (thank goodness for modern technology!) The numbers jumped right off the screen at me….. For the amount of money my husband and I are spending in Tim Horton’s coffee every month we realized that there would be more than enough to sponsor a child.

I had coffee with Dave recently and he challenged me and encouraged me to continue to think of ways that I could make a difference, The more I thought about our conversation the more excited I became about the different ways I could get involved when another thought struck me….. Every month we participate in aprox 3 hours of staff meetings at the programs we work in…… What if we sacrificed those 3 hours of LT and got paid out in relief and in turn took that money and put it back into CH Global…. We would essentially be giving up 3 hours out of our lives once a month….to buy a child school supplies….bandage an open wound….help to build a home......

It’s not an easy decision to get involved, with every comment on the blog; with every dedication to help out comes an expectation to follow through this time and it is a scary commitment but God promises me that he will provide. He not only provides me with help in my finances but also provides me with time, and compassion, and patience, and grace…. and most importantly he has provided these individuals in these countries, people to help them and pray for them and help make life a little more bearable…. he provided them with US with me and with you….and it’s up to us from there, to do the work that he has set out for us to do, to be his hands and feet extended. God bless you as you serve in whatever capacity he has enabled for you.

Nina Malcolm

Serving in Chatham, ON

Ps. Here's a suggested video to put it into perspective and inspire. Enjoy!

THE MAP !

This is the route I'm going to be walking

The Map in Google Maps, Click Here

10 or 11 Days, 335 KMS.

Please consider sponsoring me or getting sponsors and walking with me.

for more information please contact davesdistrictdash@christian-horizons.org

Thanks

Dave