Oklahoma Trip This week will be a slow week around JeffRandleman.com.  I’m taking one of my sons to Oklahoma to go rock and fossil hunting.  As a result, there will only be a minimal amount of activity here.  My normal, weekly posts will appear as scheduled, including the Saturday Quote, Sunday’s Memorize Scripture, and Monday’s Coffee Break. Normal activity will resume next week. Wish us luck.  My son hopes to find some pretty cool fossils and rocks, but whether we do or don’t, it will be some good time spent with him.

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Many of you may know that I have decided to train and run a marathon. What you may not know is that I have decided to do this not for myself, but for people in Zambia, Africa, and around the world who do not have access to clean drinking water. I am running so that Africans do not have to walk for their water.

My goal is twofold: I want to train and condition myself to run a marathon, and reach for even loftier goals afterwards. And I want to do this in partnership with Active:Water, raising funds for and awareness of the crisis in Africa and other places around our globe where people do not have access to clean drinking water.
 

The African Water Crisis

***Much of the following information has been taken directly from Active:Water’s website. You can read about the African water crisis in more detail here: www.activewater.org.***

For a large portion of the earth, water is scarce. In fact, less than 1% of the world’s fresh water supply is readily accessible for human use.

For millions of others, water may actually be available as an abundant natural resource, it just simply isn’t available to them. It may be below shallow ground cover, but there is no technology to access it. Or it may be fresh spring fed water, but it is owned by major corporations that bottle the water for other countries more fortunate. The truth is, water is a luxury item most simply cannot afford.

The average American individual uses 100-176 gallons of water per day, while the average African family uses about 5 gallons per day (World Resources Institute).

Water-borne illnesses are the leading cause of natural deaths in the world. More deaths per year than guns, cancer, vehicle accidents, or even war.

Cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid, malaria, schistosomiasis… are all deadly diseases in developing nations.

Some water-related diseases won’t kill you, but some will leave you permanently blind, such as trachoma.

Clinics are few and far between in impoverished communities. Lines are often very long, and water illnesses are very quick to overtake their victims.

Children under the age of 5 are often victims of water-related deaths. Most mothers will lose one or more children to a sickness caused by lack of safe drinking water and/or sanitation.

Active:Water is an organization that is working with Blood:Water Missions to bring clean drinking water to the people of Zambia, Africa.

The Mapalo is one of the communities in Zambia receiving help from Active:Water. They have water tables at about 10-15 feet which allow easy access for hand wells, but the problem is that there are many unsettled latrines that allow typhoid, cholera, and giardia bacteria into this water source. These diseases kill many people each year, especially children under the age of five. It became so bad that the government named the region Chapulu Kusu, which means “Cursed Village”. In 2008 the village asked for the name to be changed to Mapalo, which means “Blessed Village”. They wanted the name changed because of the hope that they have for their future because of recent water sanitation changes Active:Water has helped make!
 

What I Am Doing To Address The African Water Crisis

I have teamed up with Active:Water to raise awareness about and funds for the water crisis in Africa.

Team Active:Water is a group of individual athletes all over the world who share two passions; being fit and saving lives!

Through vigorous training, competitive participation, and compassionate advocacy, Active:Water team members fulfill their dreams of athletic conquests knowing that every drop of sweat from our own personal sacrifice is leading to a richer, fuller life for another. This mission is accomplished through the funding of clean water solutions for communities in developing nations all over the world.

Simply put, because I am willing to perform at my best, share the story of 1.1 billion people who lack access to safe drinking water with my friends, and challenge others to make a difference on my behalf, countless lives will be changed and thousands of lives will be saved! I run, so Africans don’t have to walk for water.

I have decided to partner with Active:Water by raising funds and awareness as I run in several races over the next year.

This fall, I plan to begin racing by running in two 5K runs. Later in the fall and winter, I will run in additional 5K and 10K races; and in late winter or early spring, I plan to run in at last one half-marathon, possibly two. Races TBA.

My ultimate goal (for the moment) is to run a full 26.2 miles in the Lewis and Clark Marathon, in St. Charles, Missouri, in September of 2010.

Please prayerfully consider partnering with Active:Water and supporting me as I raise funds and awareness of the African water crisis. And please know that I appreciate your time and consideration.

I’m doing my part. You can join me and help!
 

You Can Help Me

It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference in Africa’s water crisis. A simple donation goes a long way to providing safe and clean water for another human being. For example:

    • $10.00 provides clean water for
       1 African for life.
    • $20.00 provides clean water for
       2 Africans for life.
    • $50.00 provides clean water for
       1 African family for life.
    • $3000.00 provides clean water for
       1 African community for life.

Another way you can help is by forwarding this email to as many people as possible. Help me spread awareness of the African water crisis!

And finally, and most importantly, you can pray. Pray that enough people see the need and decide to help do something about this water crisis. Pray for me as I train and condition. And pray for the people in undeveloped areas of our world, who don’t have access to clean water, and are dying in masses as a result.
 

Make A Donation

Make a difference! Make a donation online now.

Simply go to: www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/jeffrandleman.

It’s simple and secure.

Or you can mail a personal check made out to Active:Water to:

    Jeff Randleman
    1210 North Ash Street
    Mountain View, MO 65548

Thanks for helping me make a difference!
 

Upcoming Events

Here are a few of the upcoming races that I have registered for. You can make a donation to support me as I run these races, and/or show up at the race to offer moral support and encouragement.

    • October 10 – St. John’s Sunshine Run, a 5K race
       in Springfield, Missouri.
    • October 31 – The Ozark Greenways 5K race
       in Springfield, Missouri.
    • September 2010 – The Lewis and Clark Marathon
       in St. Charles, Missouri.
 

Thanks For Your Help!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know that there is a lot of information here that can consume much of your time. My prayer is that as you read, your heart was touched. Please consider helping me to do my part to address this global crisis. Please consider making a donation on my Active:Water webpage. Any amount you are able to give helps to save lives.

Thanks again for your help!

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As a photographer by hobby, this was just too good to pass up. Enjoy!

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Coins are beautiful items, worth much more than simply face value. You can enjoy the physical beauty of the coin, considering it’s strike and luster. But if you look deeper, you can see a whole lot more.

Coins represent history. Many of our nation’s coins have an historical significant attached to them.

Lincoln Cent - Obverse

Take for example the Lincoln cent. First minted in 1909, it commemorated the birth of Abraham Lincoln in 1809. Designed by Victor David Brenner, the bust of Lincoln on the obverse has remained mostly unchanged for the last 100 years.

This is one of my favorite coins to collect. With a hundred years of production, and from three different mints, the Lincoln cent can turn out to be a very large collection. And finding the older varieties in a high grade can be quite challenging. This is a collection that may take years to complete: to find just the right coins that catch the eye, and look great in my album. It’s a challenge worth the effort to complete.

Wheat Reverse

The reverse of the coin displayed two stalks of wheat until 1958. This was a simple design bearing two wheatheads in memorial style. Between these, in the center of the coin, are the denomination and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, while curving around the upper border is the national motto, E Pluribus Unum, Latin for “From Many, One.”

My favorite variety of the Lincoln cent is the Wheat back. When buying rolls of cents to dig through and find certain dates, I tend to keep “Wheat Pennies” no matter what grade thay may be. I just have a special place in my heart for these beautiful coins.

Lincoln Cent - Steel

In 1943, the United States Mint ceased production of Lincoln cents in the normal fashion. Instead of coining cents in the normal copper alloy, they were produced with steel. This allowed the copper to be used in the war effort. Steel cents are an interesting variety in the Lincoln cent era.

Steel cents are dfferent enough that they catch the eye quickly. High quality examples of 1943 cents tend to stand out dramatically in any collection. And the history that they represent is breathtaking.

Memorial Reverse

On February 12, 1959, fifty years after the coin’s origination, and 150 years after the birth of Lincoln, the reverse was changed to a design containing the Lincoln Memorial.

The imposing marble Lincoln Memorial provides the central motif, with the legends E Pluribus Unum and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA completing the design, together with the denomination. In his book Theory and Practise of Numismatic Design, Steve Crooks states that because the Lincoln Memorial is shown in sufficient detail to discern the statue of Lincoln on the reverse of the penny, Abraham Lincoln was the only person to be depicted on both the obverse and reverse of the same United States coin until the release of the New Jersey state quarter in 1999, which depicts George Washington crossing the Delaware River on the reverse.

And finally in 2009, the Lincoln cent will be released with four different reverses. These four designs, unveiled September 22, 2008 at a ceremony held at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are:

Log Cabin Reverse

• Birth and early childhood in Kentucky – this design features a log cabin and Lincoln’s birth date 1809. This penny was released into circulation on Lincoln’s 200th birthday, February 12, 2009, at a special ceremony at LaRue County High School in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln’s birthplace. It’s been nicknamed the “Log Cabin Penny.”

Indiana Reverse

• Formative years in Indiana – this design features a young Lincoln reading while taking a break from rail splitting. Nicknamed the “Indiana Penny,” it is scheduled for release on May 14, 2009.

Illinois Reverse

• Professional life in Illinois – this design features a young professional Lincoln standing before the state capitol building in Springfield, Illinois. Nicknamed the “Illinois Penny,” it is scheduled for release on August 13, 2009.

DC Reverse

• Presidency in Washington, D.C. – this design features the half completed Capitol Dome. This fourth penny is scheduled for release on November 12, 2009.

And in 2010, yet another redesigned reverse for the Lincoln cent will be minted that “shall bear an image emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country,” and so the Lincoln Memorial reverse will be replaced.

The history represented in just this one denomination of American coin is staggering.

1909 Lincoln Cent

And yet, take yet a deeper look. There is more history to be found, or envisioned. When you are holding a Lincoln cent from 1909 in your hand, you can almost imagine what it was like when that coin rolled out of the coin press a hundred years ago. Imagine what it was like in San Francisco, or Denver, or Philadelphia in 1909.

And while that penny was in circulation, think about all the world events that took place. That cent was in someone’s pocket during World War 1. It may have been donated to a war cause during World War 2. It might have been in a coin roll in a bank while the US was in Vietnam. It may have been circulating through the stores, or in a collector’s safe when the Berlin Wall fell. It’s seen the greatest times, with great men and women like Teddy Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush.

And it’s witness the worst of times, and even worse people. It existed during Hitler and the Holocaust; it suffered silently with America through the racist civil rights battles of the 1960s in the South; it was bearing mute witness during 9/11.

And now you are holding it, as it faces unimaginable future events. What else might it see?

If that coin could speak, what would it tell you? It has a lot for us to learn. Are we willing to listen? That coin hold much more value than the “ONE CENT” printed on it’s back.

Dig into your pocket. Look at your change. What history might you find in your pocket?

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The funny thing is, I spent more time this evening searching for and editing the perfect photo for my header.  The shot of the mountains that you see above is a photo I took about sunset while we were on our family vacation in Como, Colorado.  I set up my camera and tripod in an overgrown field at Camp Como, fighting of mosquitoes the size of my hand (ok, maybe they weren’t that big…).  As the sun set, the mountains turned various shades of purple.  It was worth the wait.

As I waited for the light to fade just the right amount, I was overcome with a sense of awe at God’s creation.  And to think, this work of his hands, this was made for me.  Overpowering thoughts cascaded through my mind as I sat in wonder at God’s majesty.  Simply amazing…

Update…
Since transferring my blog to this new domain, the picture in the header is no longer there. Here is the image:

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