I am continually being refreshed each day. I think God intends it that way. God has a blessing for us each and every day. Yesterday’s blessing was for that day, and today He has given me a new blessing.
I must admit to you, the process of coming back into the United States to be on the path God has set before me has been a difficult one. I have felt alone without the community I was surrounded with. I have felt discouraged that my efforts have been fruitless or that I simply have not done enough with my time. I have questioned whether or not I was in the right place.
But I praise God. I knew that this transition of life back into the United States would not be easy, so why was I so surprised when it actually became difficult? I feel like God has been pointing out to me the things that He wants me to do here. And He has continually encouraged me in what I am doing. I know that I am where I am supposed to be. Since I moved up to Flagstaff, I have felt God pouring refreshment into my soul, washing away the discouragement that I was clearly brought down by. I have been able to go on prayer walks around my neighborhood each day. And God is giving me new vision and direction, and He has been opening doors of opportunity as well.
For several years now, I have had this desire to ride my bike from the Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. Well this desire came back to me a few months back while I was riding my bike around Phoenix. I have been unsure of whether or not this was just something that I wanted to do, or if it was an opportunity to do something that would open doors to share what God has done and is doing around the world. I spent a good deal of time praying for confirmation to step forward in making this endeavor happen.
Last Friday, I met with a staff member of one of the larger campus ministry groups at Northern Arizona University. We were talking about the direction that ministry was going. It came up that they are uniting the campus ministries, joining up with International Justice Mission (a fantastic ministry that works towards freeing people caught in human trafficking), and are pushing for God in global issues. Right there both our interests were sparked because I felt God nudging me. I shared with him my idea do this bike ride in order to share the stories of what God is doing around the world and letting people know how much need there is for help.
Now this idea for a bike ride is moving forward and becoming a reality. It appears that I will be joined by two others, Stephanie Fisk from the World Race, and Clay Massey, a long time friend of mine. Together we will be riding from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, where we will backpack down to the river and back out, then ride our bikes back to Phoenix. It will be approximately 450 miles of biking and 20 miles of hiking over the course of 8 days. Sounds intense huh? Well through this, we are going to be speaking at churches and working directly with the campus ministries at NAU to tell our own stories of God working in our lives. To tell the world what is happening around the world, and to call people into a life of adventure following after Jesus.
So my friends, with this, I am asking for your help. If you know of any groups, churches, or anybody who would be interested in this story, please contact me. I am praying that this would be an event that would push other people out of their comfort zone, as I certainly will not be comfortable stuck on that bike seat for 8 days.
Side note: I started training on Saturday, riding my bike 44 miles. I was plenty sore, and I couldn’t sit down for the next day. But I am truly excited about some of the opportunities that are coming up to share with my generation.
