The FREEDOM TOUR is all about stories.
Well, it’s really about people, but the people all have cool stories. This thing that isn’t a bike ride attracts all sorts of interesting people who contribute in their own special manner. Greg was one of those folks.
I “met” Greg online several years ago in the process of establishing RICH’S RIDE as an organization. He’s been a faceless email address, the guy who requested documents and helped me fill out forms. I had no idea he was an avid cyclist, that he followed our adventures, read the blog, prayed for us.
A few weeks prior to the tour, Greg sent a different sort of email. He’s a sports massage therapist, and offered his services to our team in Colorado Springs. So he showed up and spent the entire evening relieving assorted aches and pains acquired as our team climbed the Palmer Divide. I finally kicked him out at 11 pm, though he would have happily stayed later.
The next morning, bright and early as we loaded the trailer, Greg appeared again. This time he sported his biking gear so he could ride a few miles with the team. So we cycled the entire length of Colorado Springs with someone who knew the local streets, guided us around detours, and helped us get through the first ten miles quickly and safely.
# # #
LeeAnn and her family provided dinner for our entire team on Monday evening.
Think about that. After a long day on the road, we unload our stuff and this wonderful meal for sixteen people simply shows up. No set-up, no dishes, nothing.
Can you imagine how much that meant? How much it helped us spend more time preparing for the next day, resting and sharing devotions together?
# # #
Jamie and Andrew were among the first people we asked for advice when we proposed FREEDOM TOUR ’13. We talked over lunch about different needs and the subject of a trailer came up.
“Why not use ours?”
We didn’t even know they had one. Just like that, we had access to a great 12-foot trailer, already outfitted with some really helpful interior hardware, to haul bikes and gear–for that year and every year since.
# # #
Pulling a trailer like that requires a biiiig vehicle.
In 2013 a friend volunteered his monster (ok, not quite) pickup.
Last year our captain of SAG drove her Suburban, which is sadly now on its final miles. So this year we needed a trailer-puller.
John and Patti stepped up, and Captain Deb had a spiffy vehicle to pull her trailer. And John didn’t seem to care that Captain Deb still can’t back up the trailer.
# # #
The circle around this tour grows as God brings people into our path who catch the vision. Greg didn’t join us because we ride bikes; Colorado Springs is a bike-riding city. LeeAnn and her family weren’t just providing a meal. Jamie and Andrew offered more than a trailer, and John and Patti handed over a lot more than keys to a vehicle.
Each of these folks joined us, I believe, because God touched a heart, because each saw an opportunity to contribute in their unique way. My guess is that each would say their contribution was “no big deal.” I disagree.
These stories, and so many others, are what make FREEDOM TOUR so special. First, in a tangible, practical way, each person contributed substantially to our fundraising for the Home Of Hope by reducing our expenses. More importantly, a large and powerful circle surrounds the cyclists who actually ride 500 miles. God’s using the efforts and gifts of every single person in the circle to accomplish something bigger than we can imagine.
As you ponder these stories, I hope you consider your own commitments. Whether to the FREEDOM TOUR or other efforts, how is God touching your heart? What’s your unique contribution?
What can you do that’s “no big deal” but just might make all the difference?
Please leave a comment here.
