Jacer's Racers, a walk/run for life in memory of Jace Steinhaus

Thank you, our dear prayer warriors, for the on-going prayer and thoughts for our family during this critical time of healing from our grandson’s death. We’ve all admitted being in a fog at times with some days speeding by with little real productivity. However, in the midst of this fog, we’ve been driven to our Lord’s Word for comfort, strength, and wisdom taking more time than usual to ponder His goodness in the midst of hurt and trial. In truth, we shouldn’t wonder at the countless ways God has been blessing in the midst of this particular time of brokenness. His Word says we should expect His grace to be manifest in our weakness. God is good and gives sustaining strength and comfort to those who seek Him earnestly even in our imperfect and inept ways! We’ve all learned a tremendous amount about what walking in faith truly means. We miss our little man very much and feel such a conflict of emotions when we look at his pictures and watch his videos. What life he had while he was with us; a gift from God that is now with our Lord.

Life continues speeding past for all of us. Barry, Sean, and Danny all are spending many hours at work, Lauren has been subbing in for coaches on vacation or leave at Sienna Plantation Aquatics and volunteering at a local crisis pregnancy center, Madelyn has been coaching and nannying, and I’ve been picking up numerous ‘pieces’ with preparation for classes, finding my house again, getting reacquainted with friends, and being glue around here while the rest of us ‘run away from home’! One thing all six of us have noticed is a profound tiredness that can’t be ignored. We were warned to expect such amazing lethargy, but putting all warning aside, we have still been surprised by it.

Now on to the purpose of this email: Our little Jace lived almost three months. Those of you who attended Jace’s June 14th memorial service and/or the reception that followed it may have picked up a Jacer’s Racers card announcing the ‘possibility’ of a Walk/Run in memory of Jace three months from his death to raise funds for a ‘pro-life’ organization. The details of this low-key, casual event are coming into place. Our family is viewing this event as a time to not only remember Jace as a true example of worthy humanity, a life worth sparing despite physical handicaps, but also as an event to raise some funds for an organization devoted to giving the love of Christ to women in crisis situations, struggling with the decision to end life in its most vulnerable form, the unborn child. We learned from our experience with Jace that abortion comes in many ‘packaged pleasantries’, geared to obliterate the real gift from God each human life is. The ministry of Living Alternatives not only provides for the unborn child but also provides physically as well as spiritually for the mother of that child. This website http://www.livalt.org/index.html will give you more information about the ministry of Living Alternatives. For some time, Dan and Lauren have helped support Brad and Heather Crain, a couple working specifically with the Living Alternatives home in Tyler, Texas.

For more information about the Jacer’s Racers Walk/Run for Life on Saturday, September 6, 2008, please see http://www.jacersracers.com. Registration is now open and will end August 22, 2008, so that we can order t-shirts and determine our need for police escort at Memorial Park in Sugar Land (junction of University and Commonwealth Blvd in Sugar Land). Our timeline for that morning is casual. We’ll gather at 9:00 AM, complete check-in, open with prayer and enjoy some time of fellowship as we walk/jog either a 2.5k or 5k track or seriously run a 5k or 10k track. Gatorade and Water will be in abundance. Whatever you fancy for that day, serious running for time or fun walking/jogging for fellowship, please consider donating to Living Alternatives.

Life is worth living and preserving, but the other lesson our Lord taught us through Jace is just how real and how close heaven truly is. We hope this memorial morning is a time for both celebrating the preserving of human life and enjoying the heaven-sent fellowship of those in Christ.

For Life lived in the Lord,
Kathy for the Harts and Steinhauses