I spent most of the day with my dad, Joe. Our friendship has strengthened significantly since early 2009. It was around that time that we made a conscious effort to invest more in each other. We no longer spend time together as a father and son might, but as peers who have both love and respect for each other. We are growing more and more alike each day; a fact which has grown to influence which things bring us joy. In conjunction with mine and Stacey’s upcoming Kilimanjaro climb, I am going to raise $8,000 for Hogar Infantil Shalom; the orphanage All Saints church has sent workers to during our last two service trips to El Salvador. My father is going to raise $8,000 to get two buses delivered to King’s Castle in El Salvador.
After we got back from a trip to Starbucks, I was mulling over how to go about fundraising. Joe was on the phone when inspiration struck me, so I simply wrote on a piece of paper “I’ll race you.” And so we are racing. I have created a fundraiser on crowdrise.com with the heading “A Race to $8,000 for Samael, Vladimir and Their Sisters and Brothers in Christ.” I am excited about the prospects and feel totally engaged by this effort. By the time we have both crossed the finish line, more than a few people in El Salvador will have a reason to smile and be thankful to God; and, I think, a boy and his father will be smiling too.
albaniacalling 