A Christmas Strength Fundraiser to Spread Joy

 I love lifting and that’s a fact.

Strength is something I place high on my priority list in life. Some of the other things on the list are family & friends, helping people be happy and ice cream.

To be honest, there’s nothing I like better than seeing someone happy and knowing you’ve played a part in putting that smile on their faces.

That is why this Christmas I’m going to do something different.

I’m going to use my strength to help put a smile on peoples face.

I’m going to use my strength to help them have an awesome Christmas.

More on that later, but right now I want to say that I’m no where close to becoming a freakishly strong lifter. I’ve trained hard to achieve a pretty decent level of strength and I still train myself to become stronger each day.

With the strength I’ve build up over the years, I’ve decided to join a random competition.  No prior planning and no proper training, I’ve just decided to join it

In fact, I only found out about the competition 3 weeks before the competition date. This pretty much eliminates whatever “special training” that might set me up to be at my strongest form.

No super saiyan mode for me this time.

The competition I’m joining is a push pull powerlifting meet.

So instead of competing in the squat, bench press & deadlift, this meet only requires participants to bench and deadlift.

And the reason why I’m competing despite not being prepared is mainly because this meet is 2 days after my favorite holiday.

It’s two days after Christmas.

That also means it’s 2 days after the time I go all out on food without a sense of guilt.

I believe that Christmas is the day Jesus was born, the same Jesus that would later die on the cross for all mankind.

You do not have to share the same religious sentiments I have, but whether you take the death of Christ to be fact or a fable, you can’t discount the theme the story tells.

The theme of selflessness runs through the story of Christ and I truly believe that is what Christmas is about.

It’s about giving( whatever gift it may be ) without expecting a something back in return.

And that’s why I’m competing.

I’m giving my strength to help raise funds to buy presents and gifts for the children in Cambodia.

I’m trying to put a smile on the faces of the people in Cambodia this Christmas.

This is why I need all of your help and your contribution would mean the world to me.

Here’s how I’m planning to use this meet as a medium to raise funds:

– The goal of powerlifting is to lift the heaviest amount of weight once for the squat,bench & deadlift (in my case it’s just the bench and deadlift)

– I would like people to pledge a certain amount of money for every kg I total in the bench & deadlift combined.

– Pledges start from as low as 10 cents, goes up to 20 cents and 50 cents and the highest would be 1 Ringgit (or the currency your country uses) per kg I total.

– I would do the best I can to hit the highest amount that was pledged.

Here’s an example of how it would work:

John decides to pledge 160$ and chooses the option of 0.50 cents per kg lifted. That means I would need to try my best to lift a total of 320kg.

To help facilitate the pledging, here’s some info you can use to help. In my previous meet, I hit a 97kg bench and a 175kg deadlift. That would total up to 272kg total.

To check out how I did on my previous competition, click HERE

My all time best lifts not recorded in competition is a 112kg bench and a 208kg deadlift. That would bring me to a 320kg total.

However, competing is very different from hitting a new best in the gym. With shorter rest periods and the execution of the movements back to back, I might or might not be able to hit a 320kg total.

However I would easily be able to hit a 300 kg total, so you can use that number as a gauge to decided how much you want to donate.

So pledging based on a 300kg – 310kg total would be a safe bet and a 330kg total would definitely push me to lift heavier.

To make this a success, I’m partnering with two missionaries from Malaysia Terence and Debbie have dedicated a year of their lives to help out in an organization called Legacy of Hope International(LOHI).

To read more about Terence & Debbie, click HERE

To read more about LOHI, click HERE

After speaking to the Terence, he told me what the pledges will be able to achieve. So here’s a rough idea of where your pledges are going to. Here are some of the “gifts” you will be able to contribute to:

200USD(The gift of Christmas) : A Christmas even for pre school kids including gifts and everything you’ll find in a Christmas party.

500USD(The gift of food):Enough rice to feed 5 villages

6000USD (The gift of education): Building of a literacy center for the locals.

*Cambodians uses the USD as one of their main exchange of currency.

Above are how your contributions would be able to make the lives of many better and how you can help me do the same.

Click here to be a part of the Christmas Strength Fundraiser!!

For everyone reading this, I would like to thank you if you’re thinking of pledging. For every single cent you decide to pledge, know that your contribution will play a huge role in the lives of the local Cambodians.

Many times we take for granted the things we that we have. This Christmas, I would like to urge you to help me help make Christmas for the Cambodians an unforgettable one.

Also know that despite my lack of preparation, I would give it my all in the meet and lift the heaviest amount of weight I possibly can, not for me, but for the people of Cambodia to have an amazing Christmas.

With that I leave you with a personal favourite quote of  mine:

Strength is not about lifting the heaviest weight, it’s about lifting the spirits of others.

Strength is not about lifting the heaviest weight, it’s about lifting the spirits of others<—– Click to share this quote!!

To play a part in making the Christmas for the people of Cambodia awesome, check out the fundraising campaign at the link below:

Click here to be a part of the Christmas Strength Fundraiser!! 

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