Since the beginning of the year, one of my goals in working at the chácara has been to form a running team. I have experiencd firsthand how running gives me an incredible high and is a natural form of "therapy" to help build physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual toughness. It started very naturally with just a few of the guys and me running together on Wednesday afternoons, at the conclusion of my weekly visit with them. The idea began taking on a life larger than its own, and I perceived that God was leading me to help these guys come together to compete, and learn about setting goals & perseverance in the process. The more we ran together, the more guys joined up, and I sensed that they were taking their recovery and their relationships more seriously. They were beginning to realize that anything is possible!
Last Sunday this "dream" became a reality, as we formed an eight-man team and each one ran 5.25K in the Porto Alegre Marathon Relay! You can run the whole 42K marathon alone, as I've done before, or you can run the race in teams of 2, 4, or 8 people. The team was composed of myself, Kevin Blume, Marcio (the young man I featured earlier in the month) and current students Wilson, Rodrigo, Eduardo, Fabio, and Christian. Anderson and Josimar came along as the auxiliary unit. We finished in 4th place out of 13 teams in our category!! What an amazing accomplishment for these young men! Who would ever think that a group of ex-chemical dependents could form a running team and finish a race at an average of 13k per hour?
This is Wilson, who was our fastest runner of the day: 21.40, he beat out the coach! (I ran 23.10 still recovering from strep throat the week before). Wilson has been at the chácara for two months and is determined to beat the odds and finish his treatment. He has made amazing progress to this point and the sky is the limit for him as it is for all these guys! 
These two guys are Eduardo and Rodrigo; they are brothers. They have been at the chacara for seven months now. They are both monitors; the have certain responsibilities within the halfway house in terms of looking out for the other guys and enforcing the rules. They are winning the victory in Jesus and burning up the track!
Pictured here are Christian and Fabio. Both of these guys are on their second stay at the halfway house; Christian stayed for nine months the first time, while Fabio stayed for four months. This time, they are both taking their recovery to a new level, one that was missing the first time. They are great examples of guys who got a second, a third chance and are making the most of it!
As amazing at it sounds, the best of Sunday was yet to come! After the race was over, we went to Sogipa for our monthly celebration worship service. And believe me it was a celebration! Christian, representing the guys, spoke about what this race meant in the context of the larger race of Christian faith that the apostle Paul spoke of in various instances. The church was really enthused by the interaction with these young men and the powerful testimony they shared of the lessons learned through their race today.Praise God for working in the lives of these young men through the world of sport! Who knows what these guys are capable of? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That's our motto!
This is the reformed structure from the outside. We gave it a dynamic new paint job, new windows and doors, tile flooring, and new lighting. It is all ready to go! When we finish reforming the reception building, and obtain the equipment we want for the classroom, I will post about the new reception area and also the inside of the classroom (right now it is serving as the temporary reception/office area). 
The guys love it! Next week I will be telling you more about some of their stories and new directions in life!
