Why I Run

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon. I did it! My time was SLOW but I felt amazing the entire time and flew through the final 4 miles. It was a surreal and supernatural day. The entire week was emotional for me. I was super teary and tender as I considered who I was running for and how much these past 5 months have transformed me.

Yesterday began at 4am, which was really 3am with daylight savings time (who decided this? I want to send them an email.). After a shuttle and bus ride, we arrived at Dodger stadium at 6am. Immediately we entered the Stadium. We had exclusive access inside the Stadium for our Team World Vision pep rally. Over 500 runners were on the team this year! Again, surreal. By 7:25 the gun went off ... and we stood there among the throngs of people waiting for our turn to cross the start line. It was an incredible day. I ran with over 65 runners from Newsong and together we've raised nearly $50,000 for clean water wells in Malawi. Our church has been partnering there for over 5 years. We LOVE our community in Malawi and I know first-hand how transformative clean water is to a community. Team World Vision raised over $700,000 for clean water wells throughout Africa!!!!! CELEBRATE!

One of the most humbling surprises in this journey is that I had the distinct privilege and honor of sharing my story at the Team World Vision dinner. Hundreds of runners gathered the night before the race and my story was a part of the time together. This is my story (in 3 1/2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-bgiDZIqI&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Don't want to miss out on donating? Clean water matters a whole bunch. You can give (tax-deductible) HERE.

The best is yet to come. And, YES, I'm running again.

And Then He Was One.

One year ago today, we were holding this newborn miracle. 

Four pounds, five ounces. 16.5 inches. Born at 33 weeks. He was born way too early yet exactly on time. That's the thing about God. 

Today we celebrated the first year of his life...

In line with our multicultural family and community. Asher donned a Korean hanbok. The line of the day was Judah's: "Hey Mom, is that Baby Asher there?" Our family: part Puerto Rican, part Ethiopian, part Caucasian and part Korean. We wanted Asher to wear a traditional Korean hanbok and do the toljiabee where he'd choose his destiny. He was offered a bowl of rice for becoming rich, yarn for long life, an apple for health, ball with the Ethiopian alphabet for athletics, a book for academics, sports wrap for medicine. He chose the apple. :) He didn't hesitate. A friend also loaned us 4 homemade beautiful towers to make it even more special! "Please save me." My Oreo Cookie. Judah is really the BEST big bro and Addise the BEST big sis. I love being their mom. I can't believe I get to be their mom. "LOOK AT ALL THESE PRESENTS!" Why is the wrapping better than the actual gifts?!?! Trying on his new, personalized octopus backpack from Grandma and Grandpa. Cool dude. My boy. I could blubber on about the fullness this little miracle has brought our life. I could wax eloquent on how God exchanges our tears for joy. It would be easy to rattle off adjectives as I proudly share his vibrant personality and this preemie's developmental bounds. Instead, I will leave with a blessing for our second son's first birthday. Asher, you are a miracle. When we named you "Asher Zacarias" we did so with painstaking intentionality and already you are living into your identity. Because God remembered our prayer for a child years ago, you have blessed our life beyond feeble words. Happiness consumes your face and body and being. And you have filled our home with even more happiness. We didn't know we needed you but our whole family has so desperately needed you. You've brought healing and wholeness and simple goodness. As you grow, may you know that you are loved, no matter what. May you remember the God who made you and be a blessing to others because you have been blessed. May you grow into all of who God's created you to be. May your life really count for something good and lovely and noble.  I love being your momma. Happy birthday, baby boy. Just showing off on his birthday. "Preemie" doesn't define this one...

Asher's Dedication

Last month we joyfully dedicated Asher Zacarias Diaz to the Lord. We vowed before our local community of believers that we would do everything we could to train him in the ways of Jesus and we invited them into the journey. His dedication was a public promise to raise him to be all he was created to be and to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Asher's dedication was also special because my mom was able to be there. Our lead pastor, Dave Gibbons, dedicated Asher. We love Dave so much and are so grateful for the nearly 9 years of relationship with him and his family. I also love how Asher received this blessing but it flowed over into the blessing for all the kids being dedicated and our entire church. Prophetic? Maybe.



We also chose Psalm 146, especially verse 5, to claim over his life. The miracle that he is, we wanted to affirm his life as a blessing to be a blessing throughout the earth.

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
²     I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
    I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

³ Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
⁴ When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
⁵ But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
⁶ He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
⁷ He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
⁸     The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
⁹ The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem,^[b] throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!