My fish and loaves

Today was bizarre. I didn’t ride and opted to be in the van so that I could rest my knee and prevent further injury. Thinking it would be quiet and restful, I was thrown off when, halfway through the day, I started
having feelings of wanting to be on my bike. We’d stop to give our team water,
and they would recount their stories of massive uphill climbs and this
interesting biker-couple we keep running into, and I felt like I was really
missing out. I honestly did not think that I was going to normal"">want to get on the bike this trip; the weeks have been passing and
each day that we set out for another ride, it is difficult to get back in the
saddle. But today, a quick spin on my bike (to ride through the World Famous
Drive-Thru Tree in the Redwood Forest!) had me saying quietly to myself, “It
feels good to be on my bike.”

I believe that God redeems all things, though, and he definitely revealed his purpose for my presence in the van today. Heather, who is also nursing an injured knee in the van, and myself had some great
conversation about purpose and expectations. We are both wondering what we are
doing and why we are here. As the trip progresses and circumstances change, I
am seeking my role in the group and Heather is considering how she can give to
the team now that she can’t ride as much as she wants to. Not wanting regrets,
we are both seeking to re-orient our minds so that we can give as much to this
tour and to Marsabit, Kenya (like what I wrote about last night).

Gary Haugen, founder of the non-profit organization International Justice Mission, wrote in his book Good News About Injustice, “Many who lack faith will shrink away from the distant, dark world of injustice… Others, by contrast, who recognize
the voice of their Good Shepherd will respond with joy: “Here I am. Send me!”
(Isaiah 6:8). They will embrace the orphans and the widows of the world, as
their Savior did. With the hurting, the oppressed and the abused in mind, these
people will come to the Master with their meager offering, their widow’s mite,
their inadequate loaves and fishes and simply say, “Jesus, can you do anything
with these?” And while the men “close” to Jesus will scoff, “How far will they
go among so many?” Jesus himself will say, “Bring them here to me” (Matthew
14:18, John 6:9).

For those who think that missions like this cycling trip are not possible because of injuries or anxieties, I argue that instead, we bring what little we have to Jesus and ask, “What can you do with this, Lord?”
Offering ourselves as we are, accepting our realities and letting ourselves be
vulnerable – that’s trust, and that is the kind of faith that I really believe
God asks of us.