Chameleon Adventure Race 2009

This weekend I participated in the Chameleon Adventure Race in Middleville, MI for the second year in a row. This year I did it with my brother-in-law, Aaron.



Basically the race consists of finding check points using a map and compass using a variety of modes of transportation including biking, paddling, and running/trekking. They give you a map with all the check points plotted, and then you have 6 hours to complete as many as possible and return to the finish line.

This wouldn't be such a difficult task if all the check points were placed right a long a road or trail. However, we often found ourselves trouncing through some pretty dense forest/brush/prickers causing you legs to look like this afterwards:

And if it wasn't dense brush, we could usually find a way to be knee deep in a swamp or bog. Sorry, no pictures of those experiences. The water/mud combination would not have been camera friendly.

Things were moving along pretty smoothly, and we were finding a good number of check points. However, between the second to last and the last check point we were going to get before our six hour time limit was up, I lost our passport. The passport basically verifies all the check points you find by getting a punch at each of them. Unfortunately, without this you get a big fat DNF (did not finish) in the standings. We still crossed the finish line. But I wasn't happy. Here are my thoughts as we crossed the finish line:

We didn't finish in the standings, but we did manage to still take home an award! The race also awards the team who finds and brings back the best piece of trash. I happened to find an old school radio from the 70's or 80's. I knew this had a good chance of winning the prize for Best Trash, but it weighed 15-20 pounds. I decided to strap it up to my pack and carry it for the next 3 hours. It turned out to be worth it, especially after the lost passport debacle. We were each rewarded with a $100 gift certificate to Merrell!

All in all we had a good time. I am already looking forward to the next Adventure Race in September. Here are a couple more pictures including our faithful supporters Jenna, Theresa and Abby who braved the cool temperatures and the rain!

One Church, Two Locations

Jenna and I have been attending Radiant Church in Richland, MI for the past couple months. We have really enjoyed it thus far, but had yet to be too involved or really feel connected. We had both been praying for the right opportunity and that God would open the door for us to serve him better.

Well, recently Radiant unveiled that they would be starting a second location in Portage, MI! When I first heard this I thought it sounded like a spectacular idea, but figured it would be months until it got underway, but last night we figured out it would be starting October 4. Talk about perfect timing! We couldn't be more excited for this chance to get in on the ground level of a church. The fact that we now only have to drive 5-10 minutes to church instead of 25-30 minutes is also a huge plus.

It also opens up opportunity for all kinds of service and volunteering. I am eager to see how God will use this church expansion to reach the un-churched and the de-churched, as well as give us a an opportunity to grow in our faith.


"You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:22 (NLT)

I made a Blog!!

I did it. I finally made a blog. After months and years of threatening to make one, I finally did it. Now, what shall I write about?