VACATION: Silverman, The Ups and Downs of the Journey.11/06-14/2008

The Silverman full distance triathlon is my favorite. It is located outside of Las Vegas, NV in Henderson. The 2.4 swim is in beautiful Lake Mead. The 112 mile bike ride goes along Lake Mead until it turns out into the desert and then backtracks through the desert to Henderson. The marathon is on a 2 loop course in Henderson. The setting and the people make this the best full distance triathlon in the country. The course makes it one of the most difficult in the country.

Celeste and I arrived on Thursday afternoon. After the airport we got settled in at the host hotel and enjoyed some dinner. After that we crashed. The three hour time difference caught up to us.

I woke up really early the next morning (Friday) so I went out for a 4:30am run. After that I went to Wal Mart to pick up some supplies and breakfast at McDonalds. After breakfast Celeste and I went out to Lake Mead so I could check out the water and get in one last swim. After that I went to pick up my race packet and take some time to walk around the race expo. Then it was off to pick up my bike at the Bike Shop. I spent time reassembling it and then test riding it. I bought a few items that I needed for the race. The day had been long and busy so I returned to the hotel to chill for a bit before the Pasta Dinner. After dinner it was time for bed!

The next day (Saturday) began with a Pancake Breakfast and then a trip out to the lake to drop off my bike and transition bags. The day was beautiful! There was much talk about the weather forecast for race day. It was to change drastically. It was to go from beautiful to beastly. Cold, wind, rain.... Standing there at the lake under a blue sky, bright sun and warm temperature I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Two years earlier the race day had been cold and windy. Not again I thought, and prayed.

Saturday night we went to Central Christian Church before heading to bed early...

Sunday AM: The forecast was right on. We woke up to cold and wind. There wasn't any rain at 4:30am, that was to come. We arrived at the lake and got checked in. We had time to get our special needs bags turned in and do a last minute check of our bike and bike transition bag. Then it was time to get ready for the start of the swim. It didn't look too bad out on the lake PTL. \o/

We gathered at the waters edge for the national anthem. Then Frank, the race director, talked with us a moment before starting the race. The first two legs of the swim went well despite the heavens opening up during the second leg and the lake becoming a bit more choppy. Then all heck broke loose as we started the third leg back into the wind. The chop turned into waves. I saw white caps, I saw rain, I saw the wind create spray, I saw swimmers struggling to make their way along the course. Fortunately for me, there was another swimmer near me so we were able to chat from time to time to make sure we were heading in the right direction. When we made the final turn to head back to shore we got to a spot where the lake settled down. Oh happy day! The swim in was good until my left calf muscle decided to start cramping. I swam through the cramp and made it to shore. It felt so good to be on land.

I was helped out of my wetsuit and then given my swim to bike transition bag. I quickly changed and then made my way to my bike. I walked it out of the transition area and then began the mile climb from the lake to Lakeshore Dr. It was cold and windy! I ate a Trailmix bar as I rode up the hill, it tasted so good. Once on Lakeshore Dr. I picked up the pace. It felt good to be going fast. This didn't last long because Lakeshore Dr. has lots of ups and downs. The strong wind was a bit scary on the fast downgrades. Before turning to head out into the desert the rain started again. I was so cold. At one point the rain felt like the sleet I had encountered in Colorado during my GTD ride. I dismissed that thought but later found out from other racers that it actually was sleet. I pressed on and finally made the right turn to head out in the desert. I could see lightning off in the distance. It was far away so no worries.

The ride out was mostly good. I was passing more riders than were passing me. I even passed 3 on one uphill section! At that point I knew all the mountains I crossed over during my GTD ride had payed off. About 10 miles before the turnaround the wind was in our face and the road was a bit rough. I was looking forward to turning back and then stopping at the half way feed zone. At the feed zone I was so hungry that I ate 2 trail mix bars, 1 cliff bar, a banana. I washed this all down with lots of Gatorade. I felt renewed so I mounted my bike to begin the last half of the ride. I felt a bit tired but I was riding consistent with the group around me. Then just before the 60 mile aide station I felt a wobble.

No, not again. I looked down and back at my rear wheel and I could see the wobble. My heart sank and I began to pray. As I approached the aide station I called out for a spoke wrench. Nobody had one. What about the mobile mechanic? I asked. Nobody knew where he was. I decided to go on. The wobble became worse over the next 10 miles. At the 70 mile aide station I asked the same questions. No wrench, no mechanic. At that point I knew I couldn't cover the next 42 miles with my wheel as it was. It was hard, but I decided to abandon the race at that point. The workers were awesome. They made sure I got food and fluids and stayed warm.

I sat there for over an hour waiting on sag vehicle. There was no phone service out there so I couldn't let Celeste know what was going on until I was in the sag vehicle and we were getting closer to town. She was relieved to hear that everything, except my rear wheel, was fine. The sag wagon took me and another racer who had to abandon the race to a vehicle that would transport us to the bike to run transition. There I was able to gather all of my stuff and return to the hotel.

The race was a disappointment, especially since I had a better race going than I did in 2006. I couldn't complain though because that was my first mechanical failure ever during a race. I had been blessed to be free of race day mechanical failure for 27 years. Not bad. Now that the race was behind us we could look forward to the week of vacation to come.

Celeste and I had a good time despite being on the run. We ate dinner with Lt. Col. Dan, Sue and Caleb Runyon, who had attended UFCCH years before we arrived.

We enjoyed some time seeing The Valley of Fire north of Las Vegas. We took time one day to see some of the different hotels and watch the fountain at the Billagio. One evening we went down to Fairmont St. for dinner and then the light show. It was a good week. Now it was time to return home for the rest of this semester and Gator football!

We have a heart for NV ! \o/

"Christianville" in HAITI Oct 29th - Nov 3rd

My long awaited return to Haiti was finally here. It had been a year since I had been there. I was heading down to a Christianville Board Meeting and then spending some time at a couple of churches and an orphanage in the mountains. Finally, I was going to preach at the La Salle church on Sunday.

This trip, this country, this mission is special to me because this is where God changed the direction of my life as a sophomore in college. I went with a group from Milligan College to work at Christianville over our Christmas break. I remember Port au Prince being hot, busy and dirty. As we got out to Christianville it was still hot but much more beautiful then the city. We had a great 10 days of work and ministry. At the time I didn't realize that it would take me 20 plus years to return.

Several years ago God opened the door for me to join the Board of Directors for Christianville. My first Board meeting was at Christianville. It was so different when I finally returned. Health clinics, elementary, high school and college kids, a guest house, a growing farm that included fish ponds.... My how things had changed.

This was my third Board meeting at Christianville. The economic situation in the states had affected Christianville as much as other missions around the world and in our own country. This was going to be a challenging meeting but a good time to be with those on site who serve there day after day after day.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon. The duration of the trip from Port to Gressier took us toward dinner time. We finally arrived at Christianville and joined up with other Board members who had arrived earlier in the day. Our evening was spent in fellowship and sharing about issues that faced Christianville. Then it was time for bed. It's a challenge to sleep away from home, especially in third world countries. Dogs bark throughout the night and then the roosters begin crowing way before daylight.

The next morning after breakfast we began our Board Meeting. The morning was spent with some folks who were a part of the history of Christianville. They helped us understand more about the past as we were getting ready to address the future. After lunch we began hear reports from the various ministries that make up Christianville. This continued into the next morning then after lunch we had to tackle some tough issues and make some tough decisions. We went into the night so we could finish up. The two days had been long and tough but productive. We closed our meeting time with prayer.

Early Saturday several of the Board members packed up and headed home. Those of us who were staying a few more days walked to the village just beyond Christianville. Two boys took us to their home to meet their family. It was good to see where they lived and to meet their mom, dad, brothers, sisters.... After our walk about we returned to Christianville for lunch.
That afternoon we loaded up in the truck and headed up into the mountains. We visited two churches. The first church is basically an open air church. The pastor is legally blind. His assistant brought him out to meet with us. We shared for a bit and then had prayer with him. The second church is further up in the mountains. The bottom floor is complete but the second floor is still under construction. They build as they have the money to do so. One of the church leaders and his kids showed us around. We concluded our time with them in prayer as well. After the church visits we returned to Christianville for dinner. As usual, the food was delicious.
The next morning I had the opportunity to preach at the La Salle church which is right next to Christianville. After a great time of worship I shared with them from Acts 2.

That afternoon we decided to visit an orphanage up in the mountains. The way there was quite bumpy and at times we were not sure we were on the right path. Recent storms made it a bit of a challenge to navigate the landscape. We arrived at the orphanage as the light of day of dimming. We brought with us a sack of rice and a sack of beans. Amy and Doug had gotten word that the orphanage was running out of food. Everyone was excited to see us and see that we brought food along. They showed us all around the orphanage and the church. We had a great time. Now it was dark and time to return to Christianville. It was hard to believe that this was my last night at Christianville.

The next morning after breakfast we left Christianville for the airport. Our trip to the airport went well so we were there a bit early. After getting checked in we were able to go upstairs to relax and grab a bite to eat. We visited for a bit and then headed downstairs to board the plane. The flights to Miami and Jacksonville were good. The layover in Miami was long so we had plenty of time to eat dinner, drink coffee and talk more about Christianville and the challenges that face it.

My late arrival in Jacksonville meant a very late arrival in Gainesville. I was glad the drive home was uneventful and that I was able to crawl into my own bed. I slept great. No dogs barking. No roosters crowing. It was good to be home.

The plan is to return to Christianville next October to meet again. I am praying that we will see good fruit growing as a result of decisions that were made. Please keep Christianville, Haiti and the kids in your prayers.