FREEDOM TOUR 2020 completed its third event this week.
COLORADO MOUNTAIN TOUR, FRONT RANGE TOUR, ONE-DAY PROLOGUE – 132 cyclists cranked 10,100 miles and climbed more than 400,000 feet. And the HOPE & FREEDOM CHALLENGE is still going strong.
If you’d asked me at the end of March when everything was shut down, I was absolutely certain the whole thing would be cancelled. Amid the fear and uncertainty I just knew nobody would want to ride bikes. And even if they did, I knew FOR SURE we’d never be able to fundraise in this environment.
A few years ago we said our dream goal was to support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE for an entire year. Nice aspiration, I’m not sure I really believed we could actually achieve it. Certainly not in this crazy year, right?
We’re not finished, but when it’s all tallied our total 2020 fundraising will exceed $100,000. That’s one whole year of freedom from slavery and abuse. A year of food, shelter, education, and safety.
A year of hope.
+ + +
I keep re-learning the same lesson.
I think I know what’s best, so I get all fussy about how things will turn out. I want to determine the outcome.
Scripture offers a different path.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
God wants consistent, daily acts of humility and mercy. He wants us to interrupt injustice whenever we see it.
Fortunately, Becky and our team kept us on track. We plowed ahead, one step at a time, when it seemed like a silly exercise. While bigger events were forced to cancel we ordered jerseys and recruited cyclists. While everything was shut down we planned routes and created modified tour plans. I frankly thought we were wasting time, but Becky pushed forward. We launched the HOPE & FREEDOM CHALLENGE, figuring that might be all we could do.
Then – things slowly changed. Local officials worked with us to create flexible ways to ride, have fun, and keep everyone safe. And more than 300 individuals and sponsors donated generously beyond my dreams.
Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. Small steps of faithfulness, even when we can’t see where they lead. Do the next right thing. Small steps.
Four months ago I couldn’t see a path forward. Good thing it’s not up to me to choose the results.
Maybe some day I’ll figure it out. Do our best and trust Him for the outcome.