Where to start?

Where to start? We're already closing in on our halfway point of the tour and I have yet to blog about any of my experiences, reflections or lessons learned during the past three weeks (of which there are many). Apologies to those who I'd promised to keep better informed of my journey.. please understand that you have not been forgotten, but that time and energy have been scarce to do so! At a quick glance I could summarize our progress by listing that we have been in 4 states, crossed 3 mountain ranges, traveled through 3 time zones, covered 1,400 miles, met dozens of new people, and most importantly, raised thousands of dollars for Blood:Water Mission's 1,000 Wells Project. But each of the aforementioned accomplishments have been speckled with such a contrast of highs, lows, and in-betweens for me, that to simply address them in such a superficial format would be a huge disservice to you on my behalf. Perhaps then, for the sake of not writing a novel, it would be best to pick just one focal point to share at the moment.

Obviously in any expedition such as this, one faces daily trials and tribulations. Geographical, emotional, physical and spirtual challenges clearly arise more frequently than in normal day-to-day life, and it is the process of overcoming these challenges that makes the journey rewarding on a deeply personal level. I was aware that such growth processes would naturally take place before the trip even began. That seemed to be a given. And to be honest, that knowledge made the tour more appealing to me on what might have been a selfishly motivated level. What is always UNKNOWN before the trip begins though, is exactly how those processes will unfold. Where will the turning point lie? What will it look like? Will I FEEL it?

I've been encouraged to continue persevering on the hardest of days in many ways- receiving encouraging texts/emails, hearing positive words, witnessing selfless actions of my fellow riders, and remaining focused on the importance of the cause we ride for and believe in. All of these things make the physical pain and fatigue more bearable. But what has most challenged my perspective on the hardships we have been facing and provided the deepest source of personal inspiration for me to continue pedaling, were a few verses I stumbled upon while aimlessly flipping through my friend Erin's Bible one evening last week. Hebrews 12: 1-4 reads,

"Therefore, since we're surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run (ride :) with endurance the race (ride:well tour :) that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward. Now He is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all He endured when sinful people did such terrible things to Him, so that you DON'T become weary and GIVE UP. After all, you have not yet GIVEN YOUR LIVES in the struggle AGAINST SIN."

And suddenly the mountains don't seem as impossibly steep, the temperatures become less suffocating, the distances appear do-able, the injustices we ride for in Africa become conquerable and my butt seems less sore :)

My thoughts...apologies if they aren't very coherent this time around. (Am a big sleep-deprived at the moment).

Hope this finds all of you well.

Thanks for reading.