It’s kinda fun to wear matching jerseys just like the members of a real cycling team.
Of course we didn’t have a high-tech team bus with sponsor names plastered on the sides. Our team didn’t have specialized climbers, sprinters, time trialists, or domestiques (the riders who assist the team leaders).
One thing we did have was magnificent soigneurs. On a cycling team, the soigneur (French for “one who provides care”) looks after the riders’ physical needs.
We had an incredible soigneur team. Deb, Claire & Phil, Sandy & Doyle, and Kim drove support vehicles and got our gear down the road. They met us at rest stops, set up snacks and lunch, and kept us fed and hydrated.
They shopped for groceries and cooked meals. And when someone got tired and hot, they were there with an air conditioned vehicle and a kind ear. They were encouragers, photographers, nurses, and a welcome friendly face on a long stretch of lonely road.
The soigneur is the servant leader of the cycling world. The riders get to have all the fun. They stay up late and get up early. They cook and pack, wash dishes, figure out directions, then hurry to the next stop and wait to make sure we have what we need. We couldn’t do this without their unselfish, sacrificial attitude.
Our soigneurs provide a blueprint for how we change the world.
- Find a project that matters.
- Ask How can I help?
- Do whatever’s needed.
- Don’t worry about who gets the credit.
If you get a team of people together doing those things, amazing things happen.
There’s no limit to what can be accomplished by a committed, passionate team of people if they work together and trust God for the outcome.
It helps a lot if you have an amazing, dedicated team of soigneurs.
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