Thank You, Saint Louis Track Club!

We never know how useful our past opportunities will play into our present situations.  By that, we specifically refer to the 15 years we were members of the Saint Louis Track Club.  We were beginning runners when we joined, but experienced runners ran hundreds of miles with us through the years teaching us how to eat, how to dress, how to hydrate, and how to train for full and half marathons. They ran with us in the rain, sleet, snow, humidity and sun. They ran with us across our first finish line and many more to follow.

Now, we find ourselves in a city in the Andes, and we haven't seen one runner! No one runs!  But our 15 years of training is paying dividends here even though we aren't lacing up for runs. We could never have known how useful  our past opportunities (training runs and official races) would play into our present situation.  

Here, we depend upon our muscles and joints to get us everywhere we need to go: laundromat, supermarkets, bakeries, church, and work.  If we ran for hours at a time then, we can easily walk a few miles to accomplish daily chores now.  
Here, in the church services, the congregation stands for up to an hour  or more for prayer and praise  time.  If we ran for hours at a time then, we can easily stand for one hour or longer to praise our Lord now.     

The Nazareno escuela band and students have been training for weeks to participate in the April 21 Riobamba Founder's Day Parade.  On the days that they would go out for their two-hour training marches in the neighborhood, Jim and I would join them.  We considered it our exercise because if we could run for hours at a time then, we could walk with the school band for two hours now. 

On Saturday, April 21, the Nazareno Unidad Educativa Cristiana dressed in uniform on the day for which they had prepared.  Our students lined up in perfect rows, crisp and confident.
We had been invited to walk with the administrators and teachers.  The weather was an answer to prayer: partly cloudy-no bright sun and no rain!  As a result, thousands of spectators lined the streets to watch universities, public and private schools and military divisions march on this day of celebration.  We walked for more than two hours; teachers and staff lined up behind rows of students who stepped in perfect formation.  Their training had paid off.  The day of the march, they passed with flying colors!  Our training had paid off, too. If we could run for hours at a time then, we could walk now for several hours in support of a school that we deeply appreciate and respect. 

Our past opportunities are intentionally playing into our present situation! 
Funny, "...they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  (Isaiah 40:31)
has a pertinent meaning for us in Riobamba.  Training always pays off!