Make a story with these pictures!

We have been in Greece for almost a week. And so much has happened.  Annette arrived last Thursday October 28th at 5:15 P.M. I spent a day by myself and it felt a bit intimidating being in a place where I do not understand the language. It has been a while since I last traveled to a foreign country and my sense of orientation is a bit rusty. Nevertheless I found my way back to the airport using public transportation to pick Annette up.  

By accident I thought Annette would be arriving at 2:45 p.m. so I had some time to spent at the airport. I discovered that they have a museum there too and I visited it. In the upper picture is what they believe Athens looked like centuries ago. And here on the right is a pictures of weights and the half round object is the lid of a bee hive and underneath there is a lamp, it looks like a candle holder but was not meant to have a candle but oil.

Finally Annette's plane was arriving, so I went down to wait for her. Before I knew I was surrounded by paparazzi, I figured that someone important was about to arrive. So I asked whom they were waiting for and they told me that Maria was about to come out. I have no idea who Maria was, she is a famous runner but I had no clue. They told me her last name but it was Greek so didn’t catch it. Annette came out and I was so relieved to see a face I knew.  Maria Menounos also came out and we understood that she is a famous NBC personality that occasionally runs marathons, she is Greek and a national super star. Many people came to the airport just to welcome her.

I also welcomed the delegation of Brazil as you see they were all wearing yellow and the delegation from Uruguay was also very festive with their colorful wigs. I saw people from all over the world, I got to talk to some of them too. The Marathon registration booth was right in the same arrival area. You can say that I welcomed everyone by name and shook their hands. Not literally but it felt like it.

I was there to welcome my friend Annette and I was so happy to see her face and knowing that she made it all the way to Athens. Welcome Annette, I pray we will have a great time in Athens, I am so happy to see you here!

The Spirit of the Marathon

The journey to Athens

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I got on time to Paris but my flight to Athens way delayed due to the air traffic control strike. For some days now I have seen on television the people expressing their anger and discontent with the government but this morning I got to see them at the airport, marching and making lots of noise. When the plane landed at the airport I saw a Concorde fuselage displayed in the middle of the landing strips. 
The Charles de Gaulle airport is so big and high-tech and the people that work at the airport are very friendly, including their security personnel.  The temperature was 10 degrees C.

When my flight took off to Athens I could clearly see the fields and the beautiful combination of the autumn colors. Then I took a nap almost involuntarily as I was very tired.
When I woke up again I was amazed by the view of the mountains and then it changed to the Greek island scenery. When the plane landed in Greece it started raining and the temperature was 26 degrees C.

During the connection time in Paris I met a few couples from LA that were also traveling to Greece for the marathon, some of them have injuries in their knees and they are going to run anyway. They think I should just run, I told them I think they should not run...Then I met a lady from Brasil, she is here for the same reason and she was telling me of her plans for next year, she is going to South Africa! She also has an injured knee-cap. I took the local bus to travel to the city, it only costs 3.20 euros, the taxi was about 35euros. The Metro would have been a better option but they are on strike! Once in the city I shared a taxi with the Brazilian lady and got to my hotel, the taxi driver charged us too much money(20e) but he looked descent and gave us a tour as he was driving, so he earned it. So I learned that tomorrow is the biggest national day for the Greeks Ohi (means No) Day that commemorates the Battle of Greece during the second WWII. Read more here
Now is time to take a shower, get something to eat and work on my Greek!

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A taste of the Classical Marathon Athens, Greece, 2010

Run the Good Race 2010

Have you ever been to a race? It is amazing, if you have been part of a race you know what it feels like to be waiting behind the Start line. You are pumped that you are going to run and you have a time set in your mind of how long you plan on doing your run. if you have never been to one just look at the picture here and look how many people are just waiting to start the race.

Everyone has a story on why they are there, some run for fun, others are in a running group supporting a cause, others just want to accomplish a personal goal or just keeping themselves in shape. I run too, and I run because I believe that a race is very similar to our journey in life. But I am talking about the journey of our faith. In the months ahead I will prepare for my 1st Marathon. I have run two Half Marathons and now I am striving to do my first Marathon.

The Bible also compares a race with our lives, look what it mentions in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

This verse right here motivated me during my last 3 miles during my Half Marathons, usually at these last miles the body is very tired and feels like giving up. It feels the same when we have a relationship that is going nowhere, a job that will not give us a prosperous future, perhaps a tough sickness; you name it. There are times in life where we just want to quit. I have Christ in my life, so I have hope and faith to persevere and keep going as to get the prize.

The finish line is never as crowded as the starting line, at this point many lost the dream of winning, some give up and don't bother to reach the finish line and others are disqualified. If you were to compare your life today with a race, what kind of runner are you? Will you make it to the finish line? Tell me, what is your story?