Just a few highlight:

Got to spend time with “my” Oksana…sad to see her heading to the dorms, but we are putting a plan in place to continue helping her.

Worked with a great team…many parts made up the whole body and it was great to be a part of. PR led amazingly and we appreciate all he did.

Got a new nickname at the orphanage…I am now the little pillow! What precious children live at Sunshine…my arms and heart will ache to hold them right up to the day that I return.

Not one…but two….losses to the boys at the rehab…soccer…soccer…soccer!

Buri Oogli…I can’t wait to hear that cage is gone!

Met a three wonderful new friends: Alina, Vova and Yulia…our interpreters and each amazing people in there own rights…the stories of people’s journeys really does amaze me!

Led some worship in two different churches: one in Krivoy Rog and the other in a Jewish village church in Crimea. Invited back with a music, team but be ready…the service was 5 1/2 hrs long.

Got to swim in the Black Sea, ate a snack at the base of the Eiffel Tower, visited the Eiffel Tower, wandered Paris for a couple of hours  and later had fondue at midnight in the Latin Quarter…very cool.

And the absolute best … by far… was to have Angel with me. Now “I” no longer have a mission, “We” have a mission…I can’t wait to see where the next couple of years take us. She did an amazing job as Momma to some of the little girls… took 750 photos so we can remember it all…met her own “Oksana”; a little one named Nastya… and she poured love on so many kids who will be changed forever because she was willing to take a step of faith.

This is the CAGE where they keep some of the residents of the Buri Oogli Centre just outside of Krivoy Rog, Ukraine.  These people were REJECTED by society because of their disabilities but of course that is no reason for them to be treated like animals!  We are doing what we can to change this place but more than anything, right now, we would like to build a BEAUTIFUL pavillion right *there* where we could say the cage ‘once’ stood!  We just need a team to come and pitch in!   from Edventures July 2009

You have probably heard the expression, “the other side of Hell”, in reference to the worst place on earth. Well, here is a place in the running for the title. This is Buri Oogli, the adult rehab centre just outside Krivoy Rog, Ukraine. These men have mental and or physical handicaps and this is where they spend the summer. I have stood in this cage… and shudder to think that it is someone’s home. These men are not animals…I looked in their eyes as the team I travelled with in 2007 gave them water and saw a flicker of hope…then I watched it fade back into despair as they turned to take their places in the cage.

These men are “the least of the least.” There are people who want to have a hand in changing the lives of these men. I am one of them.

I know this is a little long, but here is a poem I wrote about this place.

The Cage                                     © Leon Burt 2007

I peeked around the corner and there it stood

The cage…my cage!

I despised it, but no one would listen

They, the system, they just do not understand

It is only a crippled foot

Does it make me a monster?

How can it make me dispensable?

Just a wrinkled ankle

I cannot imagine that I deserve a cage

What a crime it is, to be born crippled

Why do I deserve it?

Was it my sin…No?

Then whose, that I be born so?

High and impenetrable

The Cage will be my home

How can I escape my sentence?

Only by the mercy of others or merciful death

My mind reels and I consider my alternatives

Those streets, just an expansive cage

This cage is…

My punishment …or my place of safety?

A shadow hangs above the door

A shadow I can wear

A cloak, black, of hopelessness and despair

No garment that I want, yet it reaches

Sinking invisible, palpable talons into my brain

Fusing to my very being, I ‘feel’ them

Invading me, holocausting my humanity

I am no longer a man,

For men are never treated so

Living in the caste below the dogs

This darkness closes in and the cloak envelopes me

Not wanting to succumb, I suffer

‘Accept your fate, this is your lot’

The cloak screams into my subconscious

The “I” fades and the ‘it’ emerges

“Don’t struggle against me; this is who you are,

Abandonment, you were made for it”

Then this cup of water, so simple

Yet profoundly, it touches me

It silently screams, louder than the pain

It grips the hand of darkness, dislodging the talons

It outshines the shadow of the cloak

It says “someone loves you, you are special, and someone cares”

Enough care exists in the heart of men

Enough to love even this

To see my plight and fly to me

I have nothing to give in return

I only smile

I looked outside and saw the cage

I looked inside and caught the eyes of freedom

Injury is a huge hurdle in this race. Just ask Paul, one of the 3 guys in the main challenge. He hurt his back and had to deal with the after effects http://www.100lbchallenge.com (check out his blog “He Man”).

Getting hurt is no fun and now I have my first hurdle. My right foot is so sore I can barely walk and there is no way I can run. Hope I can still work with the punching bag and rubber bands. Maybe this is a really good week to try and get a bench so I can do some upper body stuff.

Oh well… onward and downward! Still want to be below 300lbs  by the time I head to Ukraine (Aug 18). Here’s to overcoming hurdles (incidentally Perdita won her last big meet, so I guess it is worth it to keep jumping the hurdles!)

The only thing you don’t want to be consistent in a case like this is your weight staying the same. In retrospect though I suppose it is better that gaining back what you have fought so hard to get rid of. Still sitting where I was last week is a bit of a disappointment, but not totally a surprise. Little too much cheating this week and I haven’t taken time to make lunches. Not a good idea!

Gotta get myself to a good consistent workout routine. I have been saying that for some weeks now but life just really seems to get in the way. Still sitting at 315lbs this moring, but my walk route got a little longer and the couple minutes of running didn’t absolutely drain me.

Baby steps…!

It took a thousand steps to get where I am and it will take at least a thousand to get back to where I want to be. Little steps like little changes, desicions and alterations to the way I live life. Gotta have a plan for every opportunity so the step I take will be in the right direction.

This week has had some great steps and some …not so great! Had a couple of fantastic workouts and felt really good after each one, but got so busy that I could only make it to a total of 3 again. Lots going on right now and I am having a hard time planning life. Second was meal timing. I totally fell of the wagon and ended up on three days having almost nothing all day and then being starving and voracious when I got home at 9 PM. Things to work on…

I suppose the weight loss is the deal here so the total is now at 15lbs and a little bit. I am sitting at 315 lbs right now but should be lower. I was at this weight on Tuesday and should have been able to have a much better final tally.

Thanks for the support and keep the comments coming. They are a great encouragement.

After a couple of amazingly hectic weeks, I still found time to work out, on average, every second day. Not quite the number of workouts I want to get to but better none the less. As I look at the stats for the blog, it is cool to see that at least a few people are regularly looking to see how things are going. It it good to know that people are concerned. It is great motivation to do the work, make the good choices and be consistent when you know people are watching your progress.

I believe the last count, two weeks ago was 320.5, well for the grand total on Friday morning when I weighed in…315. Down another 5.5 lbs for a total of 15 and a bit. Next big milestone is 305; that will be a total of 25 lbs lost. Want to be there by or before the end of July…here’s to consistency!

This week has been very odd. I have been absolutely overrun with stuff to do related to the accident so I have again only gotten 3 workouts in. Definately aiming for 4 this week!

Weight has been bouncing around like a yo-yo as well. From the bottom end of 318 to the high of 322. But we settled in the middle at the same place as last week. 320.5. Maybe next week will be my first big one.

As it turns out, I am not only happy enough, but very pleased. I still lost 1.5 lbs this week. Little changes and small decisions are still paying off. For the first time in a long time the scale flickered to 219 lbs before settling at 220.5 in the end. So officially I am down 9.5 lbs so far.

Getting the garage gym set up this week if at all possible and that should give me a little jumpstart. I am also starting to seriously shop for a bike although I don’t quite know the features I want as of yet.  Time to start getting some new recepies on the go but time to cook is limited…especially to try something new.

Thanks for the concern regarding the accident and the encouragement as I continue on this part of the journey.

Go to the following link for more information http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105738569971&ref=mf or contact me via e-mail, phone or facebook message.  Basically 8 teams of 6 plus goalies. Friday June 26 starting at 6:30 and finishing on Saturday. Picture of the winning team will be placed on this blog and on the Facebook homepage for the group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59019789163

We want to raise as much money as possible for the kids. There is so much to do and since we as a team can’t stay in any one place for very long, a lasting effect is made when we help to fund projects through the people already on the ground.

One example: A couple of teams in 2007 funded the purchase of an industrial washing machine and installation of washroom facilities at an adult rehab centre, Buri Oogli near Krivoy Rog. These may never have been provided without the team who went and those who supported at home.

Still working on getting said garage gym together, but I think I have a lead now so hopefully that will be done by the end of the week. Also looking to get a bicycle in order to change up some of the routine since boredom in working out is a sure fire way to make you quit. Courtice has lots of quiet roadway between Hwy 2 and Taunton Rd. I have a 6 Km and 12 Km track already picked out.

Did one extra workout last week for a total of 3, and they are getting a little longer..almost 45 min of cardio and weights. Also becoming more organized in the workout and making them more effective. Was planning to add another session this week but the accident on Monday put the brakes on that. Turns out this is a week to just try and maintain. In the next couple of weeks I will move up to the five that I want to reach. Then work all five up to about 1 hr 15 min.

Thanks for the kind words. I am really enjoying hearing from all of you.