Day 7: Family

By: Kathryn Grossnickle

This morning after a great warm breakfast spread prepared by the pastor and the men of the church we had our morning devotion.  Jack started it off by reciting a poem that he wrote.  The poem was called

Natchez Poem
When I started out
I felt strong and stout
But as I went
My legs felt spent

I asked my friends
About good mends
For tired feet
And an aching seat.

As the miles rolled by
With clear blue sky
I got advice
Both bad and nice.

Drink lots of water,
Think about your daughter
Change your gears
Avoid your fears. 

But the best I got
Helped a lot
“Just do your best,
Then stop and rest.”

Tony played the guitar and sang us some rhymes about the “Cycling gypsy.”  As we departed Parkway Baptist Church in Houston, MS the sun was shining but it was very brisk.  We were all happy to see the sun and know that the day would get warmer eventually.  As we headed down the Natchez Trace there was a lot of head wind but we were all eager to make it to our next stop.  We had 74 miles upon us to Kosciusko.  After the first rest stop we started taking off our heavy gear since the sun warmed us up. 

As I write this blog with many thanks to amazing people who I have met along the way.  I wanted to give a few shout outs to a few people.  For MaryRae who drove the truck two days so my dad and I could ride together meant a lot to me.  To Matt and Ben Rivers who pulled me along the way today after my dad helped with the SAG vechicle.  To Ryan and Melissa who organized this trip and made sure everyone was comfortable.  You guys are truly amazing for all the work you have done to make this trip memorable and rewarding.  No other words can describe you two.  To all the friends I have made and I am happy to say that we are one big FAMILY. 

One thing that stuck to my mind today was, “Just keep going.”  As many times as I wanted to give up I just kept pedaling to the next spot.  I think the last 10 miles today were the worst.  With the head wind and feeling that I just wanted to get off my bike.  No matter how we feel sometimes we should always try and do our best to never give up. 

Helping others had a huge impact on me yesterday because there is always someone else that has it worst especially when you think you may have it bad.  Driving through the poor sections of town and then doing mission work all together as one big family meant a lot not only to us but to the people who will be climbing the steps that we built to their new house. 

We finally arrived to Parkway Baptist Church in Kosciusko.  We all plotted our spots in the big room, some people went to explore town or do laundry, some went to the grocery store to get things to prepare for dinner, others waited in line to take a shower with the one shower that we had, some of us sat outside and chatted in the sun and others just relaxed until dinner.  No matter what we did all shared stories about our day and experiences like one big happy FAMILY.