There is Still Time!

 We are still collecting donations for ASM-Meru, Kenya so if you have not yet pledged or sent in your donation, you still have time. =)


To everyone who has given, thank you so much.  As of today, we've received a total of $469.00 in actual donations. Praise the Lord!

I have been in touch with ASM-Meru and they are thrilled and excited to receive this much-needed boost to their on-going projects in helping victims of HIV/AIDS and other community outreach efforts. I feel profoundly blessed to be able to be the sender of funds.

Just a reminder for those who have yet to send in their donation, please make checks payable to:

CAMPUS
Memo: Meru Project

And mail to:
13153 Hitching Post Rd
DeWitt, MI 48820


You can check earlier posts for a list of suggested pledge categories.


And please continue to check back for updates on the total amount raised and how your funds are benefiting the lives of people in Meru.


Thank you, again, so very much,
Tennille & David

Finish Time!

I am happy to report that David and I both finished under our "goal" time!  David came in at 4:25, and myself at 6:28.

What an experience!  Chicago is one of the largest marathons in the world.  45,000 people registered.  38,000+ finished.  The temperature was sizzling at a very hot 86 degrees +.  Oh did it feel good to round the corner and see the finish line ahead!

Now, we are recovering, with achy bones and muscles.

Thank you all again SO much.  I will continue to keep everyone posted on how much money was raised and what difference your funds have made.  Keep checking back!

Marathon Apparel

A red ribbon is the symbol for the fight against AIDS.  This is for you, Meru, and the victims of HIV/AIDS within your borders.  Thank you again for your pledges!

Almost Time

David and I have been gearing up all week for this Sunday, the Chicago Marathon!  Unfortunately we have hardly done any walking/running because David's knee has been hurting a little and I have been adamantly fighting back a cold.  =s

I'm quite nervous about how it's all gonna go!  Pray for us!

We've been drinking lots of water and eating lots of carbs.  Tomorrow we'll spend the night in Chicago and hopefully be fresh and ready to start the race at 7:30am Central Time.

My next post will be after the race, letting you all know how we did! =)  Thanks, again, so much for all your support in pledges and prayers!

A Message from ASM Director

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your efforts and contributions towards this noble cause.  Your participation in this project will not only be noted here on earth but in the books of heaven.

ASM was founded in 2007 as a pilot programme in Meru district.  Its innovative approach has been successfully tested in Meru Central SDA church, and now is extending its services to other churches around the area. Our main aim is to extend our services to other parts of the country.

Our vision is to see the transforming grace and power of Christ spread through Meru, Kenya, its environs and other districts in Kenya where more vulnerable brothers and sisters are found. We focus especially in overcoming the HIV/AIDS epidemic, defeating the culture of stigmatisation, and poverty eradication, as openers to allow the three angels message to penetrate many souls. ASM provides families with the tender spiritual, financial, and physical support and care they need to live better and longer lives, preventing the transmission of HIV and caring for those infected and their families.

ASM has plans of starting training classes to train youth from poor families in skilled labours, enabling them to start their own business so they can be self-reliant and more productive in the church and community.

To achieve all this, ASM depends on donations.  We thank Pastor and Mrs. David Shin who have contributed much towards two church construction projects and funding many sisters to start small businesses in Meru, Kenya.  Their contribution towards this programme has created a big impact in both Meru Central SDA and Meru West SDA churches and other surrounding churches. This work is done through teams made up almost entirely of volunteers.

We get strength from well-wishers, friends, and small refunds that are received from beneficiaries whose small businesses have already been established. All these small contributions are not enough as the demand for assistance is very great. That’s why we humbly call upon our friends and friends of Jesus to support us by any means so that we may achieve our goals.  THANK you for your kindness and consideration. God bless you abundantly. We are really eager to provide a long-lasting solution to these problems. Who is ready to assist? Please let’s join hands and extend our small and big contributions towards this noble cause.

God bless you and your family.

Tom Samson Owuocha,

ASM Director

Meru Kenya

The Work of ASM in the Community

Adventist Social Ministries (ASM) of Meru Central SDA Church has been trying to reach out into the larger community, aside from assisting church members and contacts who are battling with the affects of HIV/AIDS.  A recent venture into the local prison resulted in 50 baptisms of prisoners.  Now the ministry is actively fundraising for a satellite dish to install in the prison so that prisoners can watch 3ABN.

ASM has also recently started a library in a local high school with materials and resources that were donated.  Some of these materials were donated by individuals in the Michigan Conference.

If you would like to partner with us in furthering the work of ASM, please consider one of these sponsorship opportunities:

1.  Pledge per mile (26.2 miles)

     Platinum Sponsor: $3/mile ($78)

     Gold Sponsor: $2/mile ($52)

     Silver Sponsor:  $1/mile ($26)

     Bronze Sponsor: $.50/mile ($13)

2.  Goal Sponsor:  $100 for reaching personal goal

      David:  Under 4.5 hours

      Tennille:  Under 6.5 hours

3.  Record Sponsor: $250 for reaching personal record

      David:  Under 4 hours  

4.  General – Just for finishing

5.  Other – Make your own

All donations are tax-deductible.

Checks may be made payable to:

CAMPUS

Memo:  Meru Project

Please mail donations to:

13153 Hitching Post Rd

DeWitt, MI 48820

Then keep checking back to see the progress on our marathon, as well as what your donation is doing through ASM.

Lansing Half Marathon

David and I, along with other members of Team Revolution, just finished the Lansing Half-Marathon today!  This coincided with our marathon training program.  David met his goal of sub-2 hours, coming in at 1:46. 

I met my goal of staying at/above a 14:00 min/mile pace (which is the pace "they" say I need to have for a half marathon if I want to finish a whole in 6:29), and sub-3 hours, coming in at 2:53, with an average 13:16 min/mile pace! On top of that, I was so excited because I actually ran the last 3.1 miles!  It was thrilling to be able to do that for the first time, after having walked 10 miles. 

Another source said we could expect a marathon to take us twice as long as a half, plus 30 minutes.  So hopefully, we are right on track.  

Chicago, here we come!  

Thank you for your pledges!

The pledges are rolling in and I'm overwhelmed with excitement.  Thanks everyone!  I might have to see about raising our pledge goal! =)

Who Does ASM Help?

JANE KARIMI is a 45-year-old widow and HIV+.  She has one child and two orphans under her care. Bon Mambo Mugambi is 10-years-old and in 7th grade, Vivian Kajuju is 9-years old and in 2nd grade, Eva Makena is 6-years old and in nursery school.  Jane works at casual jobs for survival. These jobs are not stable nor long-term.  Food is scarce in their household and they depend predominantly on well-wishers.  Her children are not able to receive constant, quality education as there are many fees she must pay in order for them to continue attending, as well as provide them with school uniforms and books.  Jane is also suffering from many complications associated with HIV/AIDS. Highest priority is to stabilize their income to provide steady education for children.

GLORY NKIROTE was born in 1998.  Her Mother died in 2000 and her father died in 2006. Glory lives with her grandmother who is a peasant farmer. She is 10-years-old and in fifth grade. Glory's academic ability is above average, yet she is in poor health and lacks very essential necessities for general sustenance.  She needs medical attention, lacks good nutritional food, and lacks parental love. She lives with her grandmother who attempts to pay for Glory's school fees with garden vegetables because of a lack of cash.  The school administration has allowed this due to Glory's age, but this will not be sustainable.  Highest priority it to obtain a donor to sponsor Glory through school.

LOYCE MUTHONI is 38-years-old and single. She grew up in a family of eight children to a single, poor mother. Loyce is from a very dry, poverty-stricken region of Kenya where nothing can be grown without proper irrigation. She has chronic chest problem's which has contributed negatively towards her physical development. Her illness has never been diagnosed due to lack of funds. She has been doing casual jobs for many years to raise money for her medication. Loyce needs proper medication in order to get permanent relief, any income-generating activity to sustain her, and better housing.  

Why Meru?

Ever since David and I first talked about doing races together, including triathlons, it was a dream of ours, with some of our friends, to do so while raising money for missions. A friend of ours, Israel, had the idea of starting a race team, called Revolution, that would do just that.  Here is one of our recent projects:

In 2007 I spent four months in Meru, Kenya and became very involved in the local church.  While I was there, a church ministry named Adventist Social Ministries (ASM) was started, designed under a similar model of what is known as Adventist Community Services (ACS) in North America and Bermuda. ASM is a ministry 1) designed to meet the needs of local church members suffering from the affects of the AIDS epidemic, and 2) has a vision to expand to reaching the needs of the local community.  Beneficiaries consist primarily of widows whose husband's have died from AIDS, and their children.  Through donations, ASM has helped widows start and expand small businesses, providing training, and enabling them to provide for their children both physically and educationally.  As beneficiaries receive assistance and in time generate income, they are giving back what was originally given them, providing an opportunity for ASM to expand their services to even more families in need.  Most recently, also, ASM has reached into the community by starting a library in a local secondary school from materials that were donated.  


This has been a passion of mine since 2007 and witnessing the lives changed through the work of ASM is profoundly rewarding.  Although ASM continues to make an impact on many lives, there are still many more on waiting lists.  Won't you partner with us to help women like Mary Berthe, Catherine Coullabaly, and Ceclia Makena, widows who have been left to beg from well-wishers and whose children are suffering with no hope of a future without an education?  These are our sisters, sons and daughters.


You can partner with us in this mission project, and give us even more motivation towards finishing our first marathon, by considering one of these sponsorship opportunities:

1.  Record Sponsor: $250 for reaching personal record
      David:  Under 4 hours  

2.  Goal Sponsor:  $100 for reaching personal goal
      David:  Under 4.5 hours
      Tennille:  Under 6.5 hours

3.  Pledge per mile (26.2 miles)
     Platinum Sponsor: $3/mile ($78)
     Gold Sponsor: $2/mile ($52)
     Silver Sponsor:  $1/mile ($26)
     Bronze Sponsor: $.50/mile ($13)

4.  General – Just for finishing

5.  Other – Make your own

All donations are tax-deductible.  Please post a comment below with your pledge, then follow this blog to hear about the remainder of our training (Chicago is just 2 1/2 weeks away!), how we did at the race, and continue following to see the lives you've impacted through your donation.

Checks may be made payable to:
CAMPUS
Memo:  Meru Project

Please mail donations to:
13153 Hitching Post Rd
DeWitt, MI 48820

Why a Marathon?

My husband, David, and I are set to complete our first marathon on October 10, 2010 in Chicago. This has been a life goal of David's as his father has run multiple marathons.

As for me? Well, to be completely honest, marathons have never been my thing ... but I guess it's growing on me. =)

It all started when I was talked into the Heart Throb 5k in February of 2009. Then it was the Capital City River Half Marathon in September later that same year. More 5k races followed. Then, my unofficial race partner, Lynda, mentioned she wanted to do the full Chicago Marathon. The rest is history and here I am. =)

For the record, David is running the marathon and is undergoing the grueling 18-week training program.  I'm walking it and hoping for the best!  (Yes, I'm training too....)