The Freedom Riders

Wednesday, it rained.

By itself, that’s not so unusual. If you spend enough time cycling on open roads, you’ll encounter some rain. Our team was stopped in a parking lot to repair a flat when the first drops fell, so they sheltered for about 45 minutes under a store overhang.

While we waited, we noticed five young guys in cycling gear. A conversation began and we met THE FREEDOM RIDERS, five students from Moody Bible College who are cycling across America to fight human trafficking.

Crazy, huh? Under the same overhang in a rainstorm in Monument, Colorado we encounter five kids cycling for the same cause that motivates our ride.

I asked one of them why he was doing this hard thing. He smiled and said, “I love Jesus and I saw a need.”

Simple enough.

You should click the link above and read their story. It’s pretty incredible.

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Tonight we talked about the difference between helping and serving. We challenged each other to strive to be true servant leaders, finding opportunities to lead as servants and serve as leaders.

A bike tour is a great place to practice those principles and see them in action. We don’t need followers and we don’t need bosses. We need everyone on the team to lead with Christ-like humility.

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So here’s something that doesn’t happen every day. Tuesday our support team was setting up lunch near a bike trail in Denver. A man approached and said, “I saw your jerseys and I support what you’re doing. I’d like to help, and this is all I have.”

He handed them a six-pack of beer, climbed into his beat-up old truck, and drove off.

I’m trying to figure out how to classify that donation.

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I didn’t ride at all on Wednesday–the route was far too difficult for me. The team spent nearly nine hours climbing some nasty hills including the Palmer Divide. They rode really well together and kept each other going.

In terms of terrain, this was our toughest day. Thursday it’s Colorado Springs to Pueblo, where our hosts have planned a big event. So we’re off early to allow time for flats, wrong turns, and the other things that make this an adventure.

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