Limitlessness
by A. J. Haney
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son [John 3:16]
On this trip I have seen unlimited love and sacrifice from our hosts, as well as our teammates.
From our hosts:
Welcome to our church, sleep anywhere, dinner will be ready at 6:00; Welcome to our house, I will take anyone that wants to go skiing out on my boat; The church is providing lunch, dinner and breakfast for everyone while you are here; We are providing free boat tours of the city; Enjoy our facilities, and here is a donation to your cause; Our family is here to take you around to every bike shop in town for shopping and/or repairs; Hop in our car, we’ll take you to the mall, Target, wherever you would like or need to go; Just bring your laundry down, we will wash all your clothes for you; Help yourself to any of the food or beverages here, don’t mind those price tags, they are free for you.
From our Fuller Center family:
Let me clean up your bike for you; No, you go ahead and use the last of the milk, I can eat something else; I brought down your bags for you; Go ahead, you can shower first; I don’t mind sleeping over there, you take the carpeted area; I’ll pay for the taxi ride into town; I already swept the floor, I saw you were busy preparing to leave; Your laundry is sorted and folded, here’s your stack; Lets mark this area as hazardous, so the other riders can avoid it; Do you need any sunscreen, here use mine; let me help you take out the trash; I brought extra (*insert any item here) please use some of mine.
2 Comments
Finishing out the passage of scripture…"that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish"… surely brings comfort and assurance as you and the other bikers meet difficult challenges on the road. Even though I don’t comment on every blog entry, I read them all and always look forward to the next one. I personally have not biked long distances but I did long distance walking in the early years of Habitat. (1983 700-mile from Americus to Indianapolis; 1986 1000-mile from Americus to Kansas City.) We averaged around 18 miles most days. Like you, I remember those 6am starts getting a jump on the heat; removing shoes and socks to air out our feet during breaks; thought our lunch stop would never come; had passers-by shouting things like "Get a job!", "Want a ride?", "You must be crazy walking in this heat!", "Saw you in the paper…more power to you!" Too, we would be encouraged by people throwing cash out their car windows and bringing fruit and vegetables from their gardens. Now in my 70s, my flat feet will no longer allow distant walking. However, I still have plenty of "padding" on my backside and could do maybe 20 miles a day but not 60-80. Perhaps the Fuller Center could organize a Bike Adventure specifically for Seniors. A Grandparents/Grandchildren Trail Ride could be appealing to us older set. Well, these are a few of my thoughts for today. Blessings and my prayers go with you.
Hi Linda, I continue to be amazed at how far you all traveled on those walks…without any wheels! Thanks for your encouraging message. To your suggestion of having a ride for grandparents and grandchildren, first I thought I’d mention that we regularly have riders join us in their 60’s and even 70’s, and one guy in his mid 80’s! Those people are pretty amazing, so for more ordinary people we’re actually going to be having a new 2-day ride this fall! It will be on the Silver Comet Trail (near Atlanta) and is quite flat and pedestrian-only. People will be able to choose their distance, as short as about 20-30 miles (details coming soon). It would be great to have you join!