WINNING THE RACE

Winning The Race

London, England, Aug 10, "Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar provided one of the most emotional moments of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games when she crossed the finish line in the 5000 meter race to win the gold.

 
She then pulled a picture of the Virgin Mary out from under her jersey, showed it to the cameras and held it up to her face in deep prayer.

 
An Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, Defar entrusted her race to God with the sign of the cross and reached the finish line in 15:04:24, beating her fellow Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the favorite to win.

 
A teary-eyed Defar proudly showed the picture of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus that she carried with her for the entire race."

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, 

but only one gets the prize? 

Run in such a way as to get the prize. 

 
1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV 

Fort Santa Cruz

Fort Santa Cruz is a fort located in Oran City, Algeria. It is one of the 3 forts of Oran City and is interconnected with the two other forts by tunnels. Fort Santa Cruz was built between 1577 and 1604 by the Spaniards. The fort is located at a height of about 400 meters on Mount Murdjadjo.

Fort Santa Cruz, Oran is one of the three forts in Oran, the second largest port city of Algeria; the other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the western end of the port and Fort St. Philippe, a replacement of the old castle of the Saints known in Spanish as Castillo de los Santos, at the centre of Oran. The three forts are connected by tunnels. Fort Santa Cruz was built between 1577 and 1604 by the Spaniards on the Pic d’Aidour above Gulf of Oran in the Mediterranean Sea, at an elevation of above 400 metres (1,312 ft). In 1831, the French occupied Oran and the fort.

A small chapel, known as the Chapel of Santa Cruz, stands close to the fort. This chapel has been refurbished with a tower, which has a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, said to be a replica of that at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, styled as Notre Dame de la Salut de Santa Cruz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Santa_Cruz,_Oran

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oran_Santa_Cruz.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ChapelleSantaCruz2.jpeg

Las Lajas Sanctuary

Las Lajas Sanctuary is a basilica church built in the most peculiar site – inside the canyon of the Guaitara River in Ipiales, Colombia. Its construction lasted for 33 years from 1916 to 1949. There was a claim that an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen in the area. The miraculous image on the stone is still visible today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Lajas_Sanctuary