Bennington, Kansas

Before we left Tuesday morning, Justine got a call from a friend of hers in Bennington (Janice and Joe). Justine called Janice the night before in attempt to find me and Tom a place to stay in Bennington. That morning, Janice offered us help saying the first option would be to call the Bennington Bible Church and the second option would be to stay with her (she and her husband were already housing some guys in town for a rodeo). That said, Tom and I did call Bennington Bible Church first.

Justine and Art gave us a ride up to highway 18. We took pictures, said goodbye, and Tom and I were in the saddle once again. This day of riding was supposed to be fairly short. I thought it would be 40-ish miles, but it turned out to be 50 miles (as Art had told us, but I had hoped was wrong). I think that because I was falsely expecting a shorter day the ride seemed even longer. We were also fighting the wind in the morning, which is always tasking.

We took a lunch break in a cemetery near Beverly. I called Bennington Bible Church and spoke with Carolyn, the wonderful secretary. She took my phone number and my blog site saying she would call us back. I put on some warmer clothing because the sky was spitting and it was a little chilly. I had a long time to check out the cemetery before we were back on the road.

By our next break Carolyn had called me back and left me a phone number to reach her at. I tried the number and got ahold of her husband, Jerry. Because of the bad cell service I dropped three calls before I got her cell phone number from Jerry. Then I couldn't hold a signal long enough to talk with Carolyn. She left me a message saying that we could stay in the church (which was fantastic news!), but I wanted to touch base about any other plans for the evening, so I rushed over the next few hills trying to get cell phone service again.

Within a mile of Bennington the rain started pouring. I had my jacket readily available and I slipped it on. The rain stopped as quick as it started and we were riding north through Bennington to the church. We arrived at the church and were greeted by the pastor's daughter, Mickinzi (sorry if I spelled it wrong ;) ). She was a sweet little welcoming committee. She took us to her dad, Todd, and we were shown around the church.

The church was a very nice building considering the population of Bennington is only about 700. Their congregation is about 200 strong and something felt different there as soon as I arrived and began meeting people. Mickinzi made the sweetest welcome card I have ever seen (and it totally made my afternoon). Someone dropped in and left us a note and snacks in the kitchen before our arrival too (which I found out was orchestrated by Carolyn). I finally got to meet Carolyn later in the afternoon. She was shopping for a barbeque her daughter was throwing on the one year anniversary of a tornado that took out her dog kennel and half the dogs (that's her daughter's business). Carolyn brought us a rotisserie chicken, salad, milk, and gatorades. She opened the whole church to us. I also had the pleasure of meeting members of one of the praise bands too. They were all so friendly and I felt God's love pour out from our interactions and I saw their desire to pursue Him in scripture, prayer, and fellowship. I was in awe of this community. It was immediately clear that God is doing some really cool things in this church.

Before the end of the evening, Carolyn told me that there was a 40% chance of rain in the morning. Truth be told, I was really looking for an excuse to stay an extra day because I felt something tugging at me there. That said, I jumped at the opportunity to spend another day to get spiritually right. I felt a little off in the past couple days. I think since Plainville or Hill City.

I had started to feel a burden. That maybe Tom was not in this mission on the same level as I was... I felt like he wasn't trying to connect with God like I was. Well, Tom's a pretty quiet guy and won't really open up without me asking him questions and I hadn't gotten much out of him in regards to what he wanted from this trip. When I wrote the mission statement he agreed with all the parts, but didn't seem to have any passion to actually follow through with them. He acted very nonchalantly about the entire spiritual side of the trip. When we expounded upon the mission statement most of the additional details came from me. He expressed his consent, but I didn't feel any excitement from him. I wasn't really sure what his mission was. I was glad to have him, but I didn't feel any support. I feared his motives might be a hindrance to my mission. What if he has a mission that does not align with mine and as a result forces me to do something I'm not comfortable with. I don't know. I had asked him about why he was coming, but he had very limited responses along the lines of "it felt right." I think my discomfort finally hit a boiling point and I opened up about it to Carolyn (although, I should have talked with Tom first). Another reason for my unease is that he hadn't responded positively to my attempts in asking him about his spiritual experiences thus far (that is, he seemed to be just along for the ride). I did talk with Tom on the trip from Manhattan three days later and I was reassured that he is in it for spiritual growth too (albeit a little different from my own pursuit) and I'm not alone.

I shared my story with Carolyn. She also shared some stories and she prayed with me. Carolyn was so earnest and prayed fervently. She cared about my mission more than me right at that moment I think. I believe in part that I had grown into a sense of complacency in regards to the trip. I had accepted that I would do it long ago, but I'm not sure I really understood (and I still don't fully understand) the implications of this journey. The spiritual high I was on when God first told me to come on this journey had warn off. I had a struggle the week before leaving because I was not excited as I thought I should be. I really didn't know what to expect from the trip (would I have fantastic revelations, would this be like a Biblical story played out before my eyes, etc.). Well, I take that back. I felt under pressure that something great had to happen from this trip. My expectations were undefined, but high. In addition, I had become afraid of how my trip was developing. I had not spent any time in scripture (because we had not set aside the time. Now I have suggested to Tom that we read at every break and I think he supports that idea) and my prayer while riding has not always been easy. I feared that I was failing to fulfill my mission. Yes, I was physically riding, but there was a spiritual side of me I didn't feel was moving. I could see something special going on in the church and that comforted and encouraged me. I was surrounded by people pursuing God. That's a big reason I stayed one more day. Because the community encouraged me and my spirit needed rejuvenation.

The next morning, I woke up with the following scripture in my head: "Be still and know that I am God." For whatever reason, it was in my head and it reaffirmed my decision to stay that day. Tom and I went to bible study at 6:30am. The fellas were really nice and we had a good conversation. Pastor Todd took us out to breakfast afterwards at a local cafe. Good food. We came back to the church and I took a two hour nap. Then Tom and I went to Carolyn's house for lunch, laundry, crossword puzzles, etc. It was a very good day. After Carolyn's house we went to the church for a prayer meeting (which was honestly tough for me because I was sleepy, but I was so impressed by the hearts of the women praying). After prayer, we left for dinner. Carolyn and Pat (a lovely woman and mother of Becca, who is in the praise band from the night before) drove us to Minneapolis, Kansas for pizza.

The company we had in Bennington could not have been better! Everyone we met was fantastic and I just loved them. Carolyn has an amazing heart and she was precious. On our final day, two angels arrived and made us breakfast (Pat and her daughter Becca). The smell of bacon wafted upstairs to the high school room we were sleeping in. We said some final goodbyes, took pictures, and were off again.

We rode to Bennington, Kansas on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. We also stayed Wednesday, May 27, 2009.

Notes:

-We were going to go to Junction City on Wednesday. We did not have a place set up to stay, but were considering a homeless shelter on the advice of a Catholic church. That sounded promising.

-I did not get much into scripture on Wednesday even after recognizing that was something I was being convicted of. I decided that the message of being still was also significant. I need to trust God. Calm my own thoughts of worry and confusion and keep following Him. I need to slow things down. When I wake up I need to pray and start my day in His presence. Instead of getting up and "go, go, go" right away, I should consider God, this life, and why I live.

-I talked with Tom on Friday (after Manhattan) in more depth and I was reassured that his purpose for this journey is spiritual. I was glad I asked. I am taking more initiative in fulfilling my mission because otherwise it will slip by and I won't be happy letting opportunities escape me.

Sylvan Grove, Kansas

Daryl took us to breakfast early (around 6:45am) and we had some tasty breakfast sandwiches. The weather was fairly cool all morning and the sun was shining. I remember seeing more and more trees. That excited me. I also saw more and more roadkill. That disgusted me. However, the landscape was gorgeous. The air was also noticeably more humid.

I don't recall a lot from the ride now except a few things. First, a turkey scared me half (well maybe just a tenth) to death as it flew away from the side of the shoulder. I should probably look ahead so I don't get so startled. Within another mile the other half of me was scared to death. This time a skunk popped out of the brush near the shoulder and as I rode near it it turned tail about four feet away. I thought I was in for it! I swerved and I nearly shouted but suppressed my voice enough to say something along the lines of "uhhhhh" (probably louder than I should have considering the skunk might have been frightened already). Fortunately, we were spared, but I really thought we'd have a surprise for our host that night.

About 100 feet after we encountered the skunk I saw a black truck at a stop sign nearby and as we approached the driver said "look who it is!" It was Julie's (from Hill City) brother, Jeff (I'm pretty sure that's his name). We had a nice powwow and I told him about the skunk, which we all saw galavanting down the shoulder from where we had come.

We made great time. By 2:30pm we had arrived at the Sinclair gas station a couple miles north of our host's farmhouse. Justine was the first person to reply to our communication about a place to stay and food to eat. I called up to Sylvan Grove by the Friday of Chapter Camp (two Fridays prior) and she emailed my by that Sunday night saying we'd have a place to stay. She and her husband Art drove up separately to pick up me and Tom (and our bikes, which rode in Art's truck). Justine was a beautifully kind woman (and not elderly, if she's reading this ;) ). I found out right away that she had taken in a bicyclist before. We arrived on the farm, unloaded our things, showered, and went downstairs to visit in the kitchen.

Their house was so beautiful. I have never seen a farmhouse like this before! There was history all over the walls, character in the halls, and something just felt magical... like something out of a movie. Justine and Art gave us a tour of the city of 350 (we got to see some historic sites and go inside their Lutheran schoolhouse which was probably a century old) and told us about the history of the town - the farm rivalries, the wealthy banking/politician families, and where the name of their town comes from (all the groves within the trees where they would meet together). They shared about their family including their childrens' professions (Justine's only disappointment is that there was not an engineer in the family :P ), some family history (like the Portuguese sailor on Justine's side), and what they do on the farm. I soaked it all in.

Justine and Art have a fairly simple life on the farm. However, Justine is pretty interested in political topics and Art has an incredible knack for math and science. He got his degree in English, but was only six credit hours from having a Bachelors in math. There are some non-trivial issues in the small town life. Justine is trying to bring a convenience store back to the town and started making a business plan for review by the city's committee. Art has to deal with the inconsistency of moisture for his crops and the fluctuations of prices on hogs, cattle, and crops. Some years are good and some years are bad. Nonetheless, they shared with me and Tom all they had without reservation. Justine was one of the most naturally hospitable people I have met thus far. She would take anyone in. No questions.

One thing that sticks out about my interactions with Justine is that she seemed a little beside herself that God has not given her a mission like mine. She seemed eager to do something for God, but couldn't because He hasn't told her to take a trip like this one. I wanted to reassure her that it is clear God is using her in her little town of Sylvan Grove and that His calling is different for everyone.

For breakfast the next morning we had scrambled eggs and pancakes. They made enough for an army. I guess the last cyclist they hosted ate a ton. I warned them that our appetites were not too big, but they didn't feel put out by us not eating everything.

I cannot share enough about these two amazing hosts. They have a different lifestyle than anyone we've met, with different concerns, and different connections to God. They did not seem as active in their pursuit of God through scripture or prayer (as some other hosts), but their love and hospitality showed they still follow Him. My prayer for them is that they encounter God no matter what activity or project they are working on and know that He is with them desiring constant companionship.

We rode to Sylvan Grove, Kansas on Monday, May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day).

Tom's Video Blog

In case you are interested, my riding partner Tom Begley is keeping a video blog of the journey. His web address is http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=386044265599B59B

Plainville, Kansas

We arrived in Plainville around 8pm. I was afraid the whole drive that something would happen to one of my bags, but everything arrived safe and sound. Nancy (Julie's sister-in-law) dropped us right off at the Church of the Nazarene and Daryl and his wife met us outside. Daryl took us inside his gym and we left our bags and bikes inside before going to his truck to grab dinner. We went through Plainville (a very quaint town) and stopped at a little food shop to get some sandwiches. I got to talk with Daryl a little about his story and about his church.

Daryl and his wife (Shona) have three girls, two of which are twins. He happened to go to school at Colorado Christian University. They had been in Plainville for five years and the gymnasium in which we stayed was fairly new (and built by the hands of members of their congregation). Daryl said he likes the small town atmosphere and that he thinks it is a great place for his family. It was really neat to have a connection to Daryl via the Westminster Church of the Nazarene (where I attend bilingual church on Sundays). He knows of the pastor there (Stan, who is now moving to larger responsibilities in the Pacific region) and the youth pastor.

Tom told me before bed that he thinks Buffalo, New York would be a good stopping place for him. I'm not upset. My plans were never set in stone except to go on this trip. However, I would like to go to Michigan to see my family. I know I have a lot of support there and I'd love to show them what I've done.

We didn't have much time with Daryl because it was getting late. Nonetheless, he is clearly a family man who greatly loves his congregation. I am grateful for his acceptance of Tom and me, providing a place to stay. He took us out for breakfast the following morning (at the same little food shop/gas station) and Tom and I left around 8am or so for Sylvan Grove.

We drove to Plainville, Kansas on Sunday, May 24, 2009.

Hill City, Kansas

We left Colby pretty late. It was after 9am, but it was worth spending more time with the family. In hindsight, all our stops so far have been a little rushed. That's a part of the reason that about that time I decided to suggest to Tom that we shorten our average daily mileage from 80 to 60 miles per day. That way, we should have more time in each community (to visit, to be in scripture, etc.), more time for planning and reflecting, and we wouldn't be as exhausted when we arrived.

Our day went pretty fast. I remember we stopped by Don and Vera's farm and took some pictures (of a farm that was most likely the one next to theirs) and pushed on fairly easily to Hoxie. We grabbed lunch at a gas station and rested. We found out from a local (and from Wynn's husband Ray) that the biggest drop in elevation in Kansas is to be found between Colby and Hill City (maybe it was between Hoxie and Hill City in particular). That meant we'd end up going down in elevation about 300 feet or so, but there were still a fair share of inclines on the way to Hill City.

The scenery started to change. We started seeing less crops and more pasture. Cows are apparently very inquisitive creatures. They all stop what they are doing and intently watch Tom and me ride by. I also saw more trees, which may in turn have a correlation with the number of carcasses we saw (if you see those in advance you hold your breath, trust me). We also started seeing some neat rock formations (limestone).

We had a southern wind that day and we were riding east. That said, not having a headwind was just about as good as having a tailwind. It was just after 5pm when we arrived. We weren't expecting a place to stay for the night (I hadn't been able to connect with anyone), but I did not give up on hope that God would do something to take care of our need for shelter (besides us setting up our tent). So, Tom and I stopped at the first church we saw (the Catholic church) and I went inside to talk with whoever I could find. The father I had talked to the day before came out and asserted once again that he didn't think he could help us. He said we could come back during mass at 6pm and ask some ushers for help. Tom and I decided not to wait and headed to a gas station to buy some food for supper.

I was still not resigned to sleeping in the tent and waited almost expectantly for God to perform a miracle. And He did. While Tom was in the store, a man walking to his car asked me where I was going and how I could afford it. I explained our situation and... nope, no miracle there. Tom returned and as we were getting our bags ready to go a boy on a bicycle rode up to us. His name is Gage and he asked us where we were heading. Sometime during our conversation we learned that he attends the First Assembly of God Church. That was interesting. I had tried to contact that church the week before with no luck. Dean (our host in Cope) also gave us the phone number of the pastor there, which also yielded no results. I asked the boy the name of the pastor wondering if Dean's information was somehow incorrect but the boy said it was Stephen just as Dean told us. And some way or another, Gage offered to lead us to his pastor's house.

As it turns out, Stephen and his wife Julie had been in Kansas City all week and therefore couldn't answer their phone or check messages. They had only returned home two hours before Tom and I arrived. Gage and I explained the situation and soon enough Steve and Julie welcomed us into their home. All five of us had pizza for dinner (food never tasted as good as after any of our rides ;) ) and Steve and Julie slowly adjusted to having two strangers at their table. I personally have felt pretty at ease with being in a stranger's home each day. I'm not entirely sure why, but I feel like nothing is entirely out of the norm... it's just people.

I was impressed that Steve and Julie welcomed us despite only arriving home two hours before us. It reminded me of when John the Baptist died and Jesus went away on a boat, but a huge crowd was gathered when he reached shore. Despite being in mourning, he took compassion on them. The situation I found myself in is clearly different, but I'm glad that Julie and Steve took compassion on us strangers. By the end of the night they had extended an invitation to their church in the morning (a guest speaker from Delta, CO was in town for his 50th reunion) and they even arranged for Julie's sister-in-law to give us a ride to Plainville after church to save us the trip and give us a day of rest.

After dinner we all visited in the living room. Steve is very fascinated and interested in technology... particularly in regards to his cell phone. He was trying to work on his twitter and facebook all night. Tom and I added him as a friend and did what we could to help him address all his tasks (like getting a photo on his twitter). Everyone went to be before 11pm, but I stayed up to work on my blog. It has been a time consuming task, but a worthwhile one I hope.

When I awoke in the morning I washed my face and brushed my teeth as per ritual. I saw that Julie was reading out of her Bible aloud for herself and Steve. They read the daily segment of a one-year Bible each morning. Julie said that "scripture renews your mind" and emphasized the importance of being in the Word. As part of my mission statement and my desire to learn more about God, I should be reading scripture each day, but have not been making it a priority amidst all the other things I could be doing (namely visiting our hosts, riding my bicycle, eating, and sleeping). I could read during some of our breaks (our 10-15 minute breaks every hour or so of riding) and perhaps I should encourage Tom to join me. Now that we have decided to shorten our average daily ride, Tom and I should have some more time to pursue God in scripture after arriving in our destinations as well.

We left for Sunday school around 9am. The message of the guest speaker (Ted) was prayer warfare and spiritual warfare. One of Don and Vera's children (Carl) mentioned spiritual warfare two nights before. This is a topic I do not have much exposure to and I was curious to see what I'd learn. I'm still processing. Prayer is an important part of this journey for me because I want to learn how to pray. That is, I want my heart to match God's heart and I believe praying often is a useful, peaceful, and beautiful act.

Ted spoke with great conviction. He told us about the armor of God and protecting ourselves from the evil one. I've read about the armor of God before and I still need to digest what the Bible says in those regards. I wasn't particularly moved by this portion of the sermon. However, I noticed that Ted had a definite fire in his words to whatever end. I become wary of what is being said when I hear someone speak in this tone. During church service Ted continued by speaking about prayer. I feel as though sometimes when people talk solely about one aspect of something I lose sight of the whole. Ted started by saying "all prayer is warfare." He had the congregation repeat after him. "All prayer is warfare." I wasn't sure I agreed, so I stayed silent.

Well, that statement actually upset me a little. I was not sure how to reconcile that with Jesus's love for everyone. If I am to do everything out of love then I would have a hard time declaring war. Right? War seemed so aggressive a term to use. That's what I meant by fire earlier... strong, burning words said in a tone that you couldn't ignore.

Eventually, I decided a couple things. First, that Satan is against us, whether we realize it or not. There are temptations lurking in all our lives. And we can fight those temptations and conquer them with the help of God. Second, when we seek God in prayer, reading scripture, and fellowshipping, we are opposing Satan. That said, if you like to see it as war, I suppose you can. Maybe that gives you motivation to fight. For me, God's love is my motivation and if this is an inescapable battle I will trudge forth with love (and gratitude) in my heart for my Creator and for my neighbor, perhaps for now oblivious to the trenches and foxholes all around me. God will give me strength, prepare, and protect me when danger comes my way.

We ate dinner (that is, lunch) after church with the family and the guest pastor. I knew that Tom and I were getting a ride to Plainville, but I was expecting it during the early afternoon. We all sat in the living room for several hours and I was waiting for the word from Julie's brother, Jeff. Jeff had to leave for work and he didn't have room in his truck, so it turned out that we were going to be taken by Jeff's wife, Nancy, after the evening church service. Julie may have noticed that I was a little unhappy by the circumstances and I briefly shared my feelings of unease at having to wait. I was not so used to idle time and if I had known we were going to wait a couple extra hours I would have napped or blogged or read. Alas. Sometimes we do not have control and at the least I was happy and grateful to be with caring people, under a roof, and well-provided for.

Church service in the evening was about praying before witnessing to people in order to release Satan's hold on them. That was interesting. I think it is good to pray, but I don't believe there is a formula. There were a lot of strong opinions and beliefs preached that I haven't had exposure to and I just haven't done enough study or had enough experience to refute or accept some of what was said.

After the service, Tom and I were in a truck, speeding to Plainville at our fastest pace yet!

We rode to Hill City, Kansas on Saturday, May 23, 2009.

Colby, Kansas

It seems as though Tom and I leave later every day from our hosts. On Friday, I woke up at 5:50am (I wanted to maximize my sleeping time since I had a sore throat) and hurriedly prepared myself and ate breakfast. Jeff woke up early (all of our hosts have sacrificed their regular sleeping schedule to accomodate our desire to leave early) to make breakfast and I didn't want to leave it sitting for long.

We ate breakfast and visited. Becca gave me pain killers for my throat and wrapped my knee with some bandages (surprisingly, they held up the whole day despite the tape coming undone). We left their house sometime after 7am and conditions were wonderful for riding.

Our first big stop was Bird City about 15 miles away. We ate outside a diner and interacted with the congenial locals. Next we took a break at McDonald, Kansas 9.2 miles from Bird City. There was a nice rest stop and we took out the radio to listen to the Weather Band station. We checked the forecast the night before and we were expecting winds in the afternoon (hence trying to leave early each day).

Eventually we arrived in Atwood and ate our lunch outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. I started to make phone calls trying to prepare for th days ahead. I was particularly concerned about Hill City. We had not been able to speak with anyone there up to that point (and it was just a day's ride away!). I finally did connect with the Catholic Church there, but the father informed me he didn't think he could help (especially since it was Memorial Day and alumni weekend).

After I finished making calls, Tom and I were on our way. The hills started immediately. The first climb took forever and the sun was hot. We had 30 miles to Colby and we traversed hills, a several-mile long construction zone (which the workers kindly helped us navigate and travel safely through), and lots more farmland. At one of our breaks a man (working for the city or county, I believe) stopped in front of us and warned us there were two more big hills with bridges at the bottoms. It was good to have a heads up and a friend along the way.  The hills might not have been a problem except that we were fighting winds all 30 miles from Atwood.  At least the wind kept us cool.

It got cloudy near Colby.  We finally saw the city and stopped by the traintracks to call Wynn.  I first called Wynn while at InterVarsity's Chapter Camp a week before.  She was the sweetest woman to talk to over the phone.  A great listener and engaging.  She did ask her church (First Presbyterian Church) the week before if anyone could provide us a place to stay and food to eat, but everyone in her congregation was too shocked by a vandalism incident (someone sprayed a fire extinguisher in their kid's church room the night before) to respond.  She said that at the least we could stay at her house.  When we spoke earlier in the day (during our break at McDonald) she told me we'd be staying with her parents (and that it'd be full house with lots of chaos... I love chaos :) ).

Wynn only lived a few blocks away from where we stopped and she met us outside her house.  She invited us in, gave us water, and finished making meatballs for the spaghetti  that night.  We put our bikes in her husband Ray's truck and got a ride to her parents'.  We were welcomed straight away by Don and Vera.  A lot of the family was already there.  Wynn's older brother Carl and his wife (Janet, I believe), Wynn's son Cody, and Wynn's sister-in-law, Nancy.  It felt like home.  I felt loved by Don and Vera right away.  Soon enough, I felt treated like one of the family (and Don and Vera have a big one!  Forty or so grand and great-grandchildren).

Don is in his mid-80's and Vera is in her early 80's.  They were still moving pretty well.  Don was a farmer and a spectacular handyman (and craftsman).  He's had to slow a little because he has emphysema, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure.  He's on oxygen, but he's chipper.  He built so many things in his house I was astounded... and all great workmanship too (apparently he can also sew!).  He eventually left his farm to his second son in 1984.  Ater deciding the day after Christmas (if memory serves me right) to be done, they had moved into their current home by February.  That is a hardworking man.  Vera was so sweet and tender with me.  She told me about her pop, that she had Polio as a baby (one leg - her right - was an inch shorter as a result and she had to wear a brace, so her dad wouldn't let her run around.  That said, she only didn't run while in his sight ;) ), and she gave me the house tour.  She convinced me to stay for elephant pancakes in the morning.  Tom and I were going to leave early, but that would have meant Don and Vera would have to get up hours earlier than normal.  I decided it was better to sleep in and not be a burden to them any more than necessary (and Tom agreed).

Don said he used to ride a bike five miles to pick up Vera from her house and take her back to his for dates before they were married.  It was sure cute to see Vera's face when Don brought that up.

The house was full of artifacts, pictures, Christian trappings, and love.  It took a little while, but soon I felt welcomed into the family by all.  Cody (Wynn's son) cooked supper and cleaned.  What a good son and grandson he is.  I'm impressed by his accomplishments (3.8 GPA, class President, football player) and his ambition (to go to KU or KSU so he can run a business), but I was most impressed by his thoughtfulness towards his grandma.

More family arrived shortly before bed and they had six kids!  Four foster care kids and two natural.  What a great group of people.  Of the new arrivals, the wife was Vera's granddaughter.  Such a big family!  I think Don and Vera must have done a great job to raise their crop right.  So much of their offspring loves God and their lives demonstrate that.

There have been hard times too.  Vera is a cancer surviver, but two of her daughters died in the last six years because of cancer.  I don't know how they manage the heartache, but I expect it's got to do with a firm grounding in their faith and their love and trust in Jesus Christ.

It turns out my great grandpa Donnelson was born just west of Colby in Brewster.  There are ties everywhere, but now, I feel like I have family in Colby.

We rode to Colby, Kansas on Friday, May 22, 2009.

St. Francis, Kansas

Pastor Dean woke up early on Thursday morning (before 5am) and started preparing breakfast. I haven't been able to sleep through the whole night since starting on this journey... I usually wake up once or twice for whatever reason (maybe just in anticipation of the day ahead) and check the time on my cell phone. Twice I've woken up 30 minutes before my alarm and in those cases I just get up and start my day earlier so I have more time to visit before leaving. Anyways, Dean cooked lots of eggs (over easy), toast, and ham that morning and sent us packing with apple sauce for a snack. It was a breezy, overcast morning and based on Dean's forecast I was anticipating the worst. And we got it.

We left Cope just after 6am and the wind made our trip more difficult from the get go. It was cold and my knees hurt. We made it the 11 miles to Joes pretty fast and I put on my wool leggings and underarmor (funny that the first time I didn't start off with them on I ended up needing them the whole day!) by the Joes volunteer fire station. It got colder just before we left. About a mile outside of the town the first raindrops hit. We stopped, Tom put on a jacket, and I brought out the trash bag to cover my sleeping bag. We rode a couple hundred feet and I stopped to put on my rain jacket too. After putting on the jacket, I was so warm that the raindrops felt like nothing on my face and my legs. The presence of the warmth actually staying inside my chest was just about all that mattered then.

About 8 miles outside of Joes we stopped for a break and I saw that the wind was blowing a sprinkler completely sideways. Tom and I teamed up against the wind by switching who was in the lead every mile or so. That way, one of us was somewhat more protected from the wind. I decided that morning that fighting wind felt different than fighting a hill. With wind you can come to a near stop when a big gust hits you. With a hill (assuming there is no wind) you struggle upwards, but you know what to expect.

About 12 miles outside of Joes the rain picked up. It was like God had turned on a sprinkler system over Tom and me. We rode through that for eight miles. I learned to love and hate "wind-carrying monsters." It all depended on which direction they were heading. If they were traveling the same direction as us, the monsters (semis or pickup trucks) left in their wake a vaccuum of air that would fill my jacket like a sail and carry me ten feet further with no effort on my part. If they were coming from the opposite direction, the monsters left in their wake a hurricane of mist and wind that made me thankful to be wearing my sunglasses... I just had to keep my mouth closed too. Every time one of those monsters came, I gripped my handlebars and bent my chest low to brace myself for the visibly impending wall of water.

We just chugged on. I don't know how, but we made it through the rain. The wind didn't stop. We stopped in Idalia, the last place with a diner before St. Francis. We ate the special, a bacon cheeseburger and fries, with chocolate milk. The folks there were very friendly and we got to share about our trip. Then we were off again. The ride was long coming into Kansas. It was a 79-mile day. Once again, I don't know how we did it. I remember seeing a lot of farmland and taking more frequent breaks.

The wind did finally let up by the time we reached St. Francis. We arrived in town and I hurriedly made phone calls to try to prepare for the coming days (calling Wynn in Colby, KS and trying to make a contact in Hill City) because it was already 4:50pm in Kansas (I was unaware of the time change before seeing the signs as we crossed into Kansas) and people would be heading home from work already. I didn't get ahold of anyone, but left messages trusting everything would be all right.

My next call was to Jeff, our host in St. Francis. Jeff contacted me when we were on our way to Byers. The strange thing about when Jeff first contacted me and left a message is that I could not recollect ever trying to call him. He said he was the pastor at the First Christian Church and I had never called there. I wasn't about to question however he had come to know about my trip, though. It turns out that the Methodist church in town relayed our information to him because he is the treasurer of a program to take care of visitors (usually vagrants, I suppose) to St. Francis. I told him my story via telephone on Tuesday after arriving in Byers and he said he'd see what he could do (and sometime before arriving in St. Francis he told us we'd be staying with his family).

So, he told us to meet him at his church and he'd escort us to his house. We missed a turn going there (I think the stop sign had no street name on it) and had to stop a police officer to get directions. Coincidently (or not), the policeman was an attendee of Jeff's church! He took us straight there. Jeff welcomed us warmly and we left for his house a few blocks away.

Outside of Jeff's house, his wife Becca and children (and neighbor's children) were waiting. Becca was wearing a Michigan (University of Michigan) t-shirt and I knew already we'd have something in common. We met the kids (and found out they had colds!) and brought our things inside. I got a tour of the house from Jeff and his son (a 4-year old boy) and I learned that they are trying to complete paperwork and prepare for becoming foster parents. We talked and caught up and I told him about the cities Tom and I had been in so far.

For dinner we had burgers and baked potatos (Becca was thinking "complex carbs and protein," she was nursing student in college) and baked beans (I couldn't have those 'cause I'm allergic :( ). She and Jeff have been married nearly six years (I believe) and got engaged about five weeks after meeting each other! They were our youngest hosts yet. They were fantastic. Becca didn't find out until 2pm that day that we were staying at thier house and understandably had some concern about two males staying in her house with her children, but Jeff reassured her that he had checked us out. I felt at home there and we were well-provided for.

Jeff was hoping to be in an assistant pastorial position in Dallas, where he's from, but ended up in St. Francis after widening his job search (and looking for full-time pastorial positions) and listening to God's plans for him (and that meant that he had to leave his and Becca's family in Dallas). It is a great story of how listening to God can be rewarding, but challenging. In St. Francis, they noted that the farmers in the area are social Christians. They are Christians because things have always been that way with their families. There is a lack of a personal relationship with Christ (and that is what I experienced before January of this year before God gave me this mission). So, Jeff and Becca regularly pray for a revival in St. Francis. I can sympathize with that.

The other thing that stands out in my memory from conversation is that people there are just so busy with all their activities that they have no time to spend quality time with one another in community (outside of family); just being with one another. Jeff believes that people are too busy to be very intentional to spend time with people outside of structured, regular (e.g. weekly) activities, and Becca said that people will continue to fill up their schedules with those activities because you are judged in St. Francis according to those activities you participate in. I think it's worthwhile to slow down and be intentional about spending time with others :).

We had a time of prayer before bed. I was thoroughly exhausted, but remained conscious in light of the importance of this time with them. I will continue to pray for their family (in general and for their foster care process) and their town. I appreciate the love they showed us and their concern for our well-being. Though we were strangers, we knew one another via our relationship with Christ.

Jeff and Becca took great care of me and Tom. They woke up early to cook breakfast (eggs, biscuits, bananas) and Becca gave me medicine for my sore throat (which I think just came because of all my exertion and lack of sleep). They have a beautiful family and beautiful hearts.

We rode to St. Francis on Thursday, May 21, 2009.