Ride For Haiti, part 2, Day 6

May 6, 2011

Journal

Today Martina and I traveled from Columbia, SC to Lancaster, SC.  I pedaled 73 miles.  The church we are at this evening is called Reformation Lutheran Church.  A small congregation and church started in 1953.  Julia Edwards met us and showed us around and gave us a key to the place before she left.  That is one thing I am always so grateful for.  All the congregations we have stayed with have been so trusting and welcoming.  When the evening is over they leave us with the key and tell us to make ourselves at home.  It would be a much more difficult trip to undertake if we were treated differently.

Today, we experienced the normal challenges of traveling as well as a first.  An old lesson was reinforced with me, don’t  take your eyes off the navigator if you don’t know where you are going.  For more, see the devotion for today.  A new challenge faced today was a cold, several hours long, drizzle.  I wasn’t cold as  long as I was pedaling.  But as soon as I took a break the cool breeze reminded me that I was wet.  But by  mid afternoon the sky cleared and it was sunny again and I dried off.  If you look at the pictures for today you will see Martina and I once again huddled under the porch of a little country church and had lunch.  God put one there for us so that  we could stay dry.  Once again dogs were an issue.  I was chased by all kinds of mutts as well as a Doberman and a Rottweiler.  Martina got  me a new toy to defend myself, a very loud air horn to blast at them  when they get too close.  It worked well.  The land was  rolling hills.  The strangest thing, Martina took a picture of it, while we were traveling through farm lands and forests, suddenly out of nowhere, and really out of place appeared these massive, 10 and 20 ton boulders.  How  they got there and why is beyond me.  They were  so out of place.  Very interesting.  We enjoy staying in touch with many of you.  Thank you for your emails and phone calls.  It is great to hear from  people back  at home.  Today was the midway point.  We have six more days of riding and then two days to drive back home.  God bless you all.

Ride For Haiti, part 2, Day 4, Devotion

May 4, 2011

Devotion

John 16:33  “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take  heart, because I have overcome the world.”

This morning Martina and I knew that we had a long distance to cover.  So we made sure that we got an early start.  By 7:15 AM I was pedaling and Martina was leading the way.  She had  the route planned, we knew how we were going to get to Augusta, Georgia from Statesboro.  Martina  goes to a lot of effort to find streets that are rural routes because they have less traffic.  What she can’t plan, nor can anyone else, is what the conditions of the roads and weather will be.  Some of the roads were very rough and some were dirt roads making riding over them very challenging.  Some of the roads had rumble strips along the sides so that I could not ride over them.  There were lots of hills which are always a challenge to climb.  Then we started off with temperatures in the sixties and a light rain.  Yuk!  But the worst of all was the stiff breeze coming out of the northeast that blew  against me all day.   Instead of being able to average 14-16 mph speed, I was working hard to maintain a speed of 8-11 mph!  I had to work much harder all day today against these conditions  to get where I needed to  go.  The good news, with persistence, discipline and hard work we reached our 81 mile goal, Augusta.

Friends, life is like that for us each day.  We have our plans worked out to accomplish certain goals.  And then sin happens.  It is all around us.  It is a part of everything we experience and do.  It comes in a thousand different shapes and forms.  There is no escaping it.  So what do we do, we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross and what Jesus said,  “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  Then with this promise we give our best effort, being persistent, disciplined and working hard.  By the grace  of God we  too will be victorious.

Prayer:  Gracious Father, life is hard.  Sin makes things so difficult.  Help me to rely on your promise, to believe in the victory of the  cross, and to not give up.  Amen

Ride For Haiti, part 2, Day 4

May 4, 2011

Statesboro, GA to Augusta, GA

After a wonderful evening and presentation with Dr. Randy and wife Sandy Smith and their friends from church and work Martina and I got a great night of sleep in their home.  When we woke up in the morning the temperature was in the 60s, it was overcast and raining lightly.  Cold yuky weather to start our day.  We were on the road by 7:15 AM.  We knew we had 80 plus miles to cover.  Martina does a great job of finding back roads so that we can ride through farm country.  The down side of that is people let their dogs run free.  So when I ride by they love to chase me and bark and growl.  So what Martina does is that she looks for  the dogs before I arrive and then she slows down and ride beside the van using it as a shield from the dogs.  It works most of the time.  But today one came after me, and it had part pit bull in him.  He was big strong fast and mean.  I screamed and yelled at him, but he didn’t care.  So I took my bottle of Gatorade and squirted him in the face.  That shocked him and he backed off.  Maybe I have  started something here.  Now Gatorade can market itself as a deterrent to mean dogs.  I hope I get a cut of the  sales.  Besides mean dogs I fought a strong breeze blowing against me all day.  Sometimes I was pedaling so hard and then I would look at the ground and it was  barely moving past me.  Discouraging!  Once again I want to sing my praises of the very small Baptist churches that seem to be everywhere in the southeast, way out in the most remote  locations.  I don’t know how they survive but I’m sure glad they do.  Because quite often they are the ones providing me with a shade tree or front porch to rest and have lunch.  See today’s pictures.  We arrived this evening after pedaling 81 miles at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in downtown Augusta.  Praise God, they have a parking lot.  Pastor David Hunter greeted us warmly and showed us around and made sure we have all we need for a restful night.  God is good, all the time!

Ride For Haiti, part 2-Devotional

Day 3

May 3, 2011

Romans 13:8  “If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.”

In my first few days of the bike trip I have experienced first hand what a wonderful difference great leadership can make.  Leadership according to the Bible is not something you demand or deserve or covet.   Biblical leadership is servant leadership.  And when you have it people gladly allow you to lead them.  A servant leader is humble, sacrificial, and is not seeking the spot light.  A servant leader does not have to insist on his way or force people to follow him or her.  When that is happening they have lost any hope of leading others.  Today Pastor John Barichivich and this evening Doctor Randy Smith demonstrated that people love being a part of what they are up to.  “You point the way and we will follow you.”  And the reason is that they have served these people well and have earned their loyalty.

Our churches need men and women  who understand biblical leadership.  People who don’t understand biblical leadership and are serving in positions of leadership in congregations, are a detriment to the health and vitality of the congregation.  In the same way, people who have been blessed with the gift of leadership and are not serving God with their leadership gifts, are preventing the church from being a powerful agent for God and good in the community.  Are you a biblical leader?

Prayer:  Lord help me to know if I am a biblical leader, and if I am then give me the courage to serve.  Amen.

Ride For Haiti, part 2

Day 3, Journal

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Rincon, GA – Statesboro, Ga

Today was all about speaking to God’s wonderful people.  At 12 noon we were fortunate to gather for lunch with  the wonderful members of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Rincon, GA.  Pastor John’s wife Julie made a delicious chicken noodle soup and blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.  I think all the people who came didn’t come to hear me talk about Haiti, rather to eat Julie’s delicious lunch.  There was a sincere interest in being a part of the Village of Hope sometime in the future.  However, there is also the reality that there have just been a number of terrible tornados in the southeast that have done tremendous damage and they want to reach out to the churches and communities that suffered loss and destruction.  I told them that I know the Lord will guide them to do the right things at the right time.  He always does.

Martina and I pedaled away from Jerusalem Lutheran Church at 2 PM and made our way to Statesboro, GA where we were expected at 5 PM at the home of Dr. Randy Smith and his wife Sandy.  They are members of Pittman Park United Methodist Church in Statesboro.  This congregation has a very active missions ministry.  They have been on many mission trips among some of the poorest people in the world.  Dr. Smith and Sandy invited everyone from their church to come to their  home if they were interested in hearing more about Haiti.  They also invited their friends whom they have been on several mission trips with.  We had a wonderful group of doctors, nurses, teachers and craftsmen over for dinner and then I did my presentation.  I think it is amazing that people so moved by the love of God and concern for the poor would take part of their vacation time to go and serve others.  I am sure that Pittman Park Methodist Church is a wonderful congregation to be a part of.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are off to Augusta, Georgia.

Ride For Haiti,part 2

Devotion

May 1, 2011

Matthew 7:2:  “For others will treat you as you treat them.”

Martina and I met the most wonderful couple last night, Saturday.  Because we had a presentation at Lord of Life Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, I called the pastor, Pr. Paul Elbert and asked him if Martina and I could come Saturday evening already and set up at the church.  Pastor Paul said that would be great.  We arrived around 6 PM at Lord of Life.  Pastor Paul met us there.  He was so happy to see us, so gregarious, so much wanting us to feel welcome and appreciated.  He showed us  wear to set up our camper and then he  drove towards home.  He was only gone about 2 minutes, Martina and I had just moved the camper in place, when he  came back.  He said, this is ridiculous, you still have to set up your camper and my wife and  I have several empty bedrooms in our home.  You have to come and  stay in our home this evening.”  Now, I need to tell you, Pastor Paul had never met Martina and I, except for 20 minutes before.  His  wife Chris still had not  met us,  yet they invited us to their home.  They gave us a beautiful bedroom with  our own bathroom and left us alone for the evening.  In the morning when we woke up  they  had the breakfast table  set for us and coffee and juice and cereal and fresh  cut strawberries  ready.  For absolute strangers!!!

Here’s the point, when  we  arrived at Lord of Life and met the people before, during and after our presentation they all treated us the same way.  They were  warm and friendly and went out of their way to welcome us.  I believe firmly that the personality of the congregation  is so much a reflection of the pastor.  Pastors, beware!  Pastor Paul and his wife Chris have created a community of welcoming and loving people.  When we parted we were all so glad to  have been together.  There is no doubt in my mind that Lord of Life is a wonderful congregation to be a part of their community.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, please plant your love in my heart so that I will be loving to the  stranger, for I am a witness to your love.

Amen

Sunday, May 1

Lord Of Life Lutheran Church

St. Simon’s Island, Georgia

Today, was the first day of my Ride For Haiti, part 2.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, the Ride For Haiti was actually supposed to be a three week event from Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, Florida to Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Virginia.  That trip was supposed to take place last September.  However, due to unforeseeable circumstances we were only able to ride from Boca Raton to Tallahassee Florida in September and we postponed the rest of the trip for May, 2011.

Pastor Andy Hagen of Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton and Dr. Chris Ricker of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church and Pastor Frank Wagner of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, along with Diane Jerauld as our navigator and the driver of our support van all made the trip in September.  However, for this part of the journey, Ride For Haiti, part 2 it will only be Pastor Frank Wagner and his wife Martina Wagner as the navigator.

The part one of the Ride For Haiti was 501 miles  long.  Part 2 will be approximately 1000 miles.

Ride For Haiti part 2 picked up where the part 1 ended.  Today, the  first  day started  in south Georgia at St. Simon’s Island.  We have never been there before.  What a beautiful island of  the most  spectacular Oak trees.  Huge grand trees heavy with what  call Spanish Moss.  All the homes and stores and golf courses are located under the Oak trees.  The wonderful people of Lord of  Life Lutheran Church invited Martina and I to speak to their Sunday morning adult ed class as well as some of their older Sunday School youth.  We had 42 people present.  Lord of Life is a 23 year old congregation.  They bought their sanctuary  from a Catholic congregation that moved out into new facilities.  A beautiful church nestled in the large Oak trees.  You will see it in the picture we attached.  Martina and I worshiped at their 8 AM service and then we did our  presentation from 9:15-10:15.  Lord of Life Lutheran has a wonderful pastor, Paul Elbert.  He has been there 6 years.  Pastor Paul is a second career Pastor, meaning he worked for 25 years in the corporate world before deciding to answer the call to seminary and to being a pastor.  He says Lord Of Life will be his first and only church before he retires.  Paul and his wife Chris moved to south Georgia from Chicago.

After we presented at Lord of Life then we  changed our clothes and planned to start riding towards Savannah.  One small problem, our car battery was dead.  We had left our refrigerator running off our car battery.  Fortunately one of the church members was able to jump us and off we went, leaving around 11 AM.  We rode until 4:30 PM and then I needed to load up into the car so that we could be at our next church, Trinity United Methodist in downtown Savannah by 5 PM.  So today I rode 51 miles and then I had to call it quits.

Something nice about riding in May instead of September, it’s Spring and the flowers are blooming everywhere and the temperatures are in the 70s and 80s instead of the 90s.  Much better for bicycle riding.

I did not know that Trinity United Methodist, where Pastor Enoch Hendry has been pastor for 9 years, is right in the heart of downtown Savannah.  They don’t have a parking lot.  Our camper this evening is parked in three curbside parking spaces.  We have cars and late night diners and bar hoppers and horse drawn carriages walking right by  our camper.  Amazing!  The funny thing was, when we got here three cars had taken the parking spaces that we were supposed to use so Pastor Hendry took street duty and waited for each space to clear and then he would run out and put  a garbage can in the space to reserve it.  Well, he finally got all three spaces and we could pull in.  I’ll bet people have never seen a pop up camper  set up in the middle of their down town.  My daughter Jessica said we are the first class street people  of Savannah.  I just wonder how many police officers are going to stop by our camper during the night and wake us up  and ask what we are doing here.

The adventures carry on tomorrow morning 7 AM as we pedal on to Rincon, Georgia to Jerusalem Lutheran Church.