What a nice relaxing day Hank and I had today. We did not get up till after 7 AM. I made a good cup of coffee and we enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee cake, toast, orange juice and coffee on our deck with Marti and Kobie Du Plessis. It was relaxing to just sit and enjoy the sunshine and the gentle breeze, and to listen to the birds for a little while. Just having the time to enjoy breakfast was a treat as usually we are in a hurry to get on the road.
Marti, Kobie, and Hank cleaned the bikes while I did the laundry for all of us. I also cleaned out Hank and my laundry baskets that would go back on the gear truck. I got rid of stuff we did not need or did not use. It took us to 1145 to finish all our work.
At 1 PM we headed to Calvin to drop off our clean bikes and to put our laundry baskets back onto the gear truck. It was pretty quiet, as a lot of cyclists had already headed out to the Celebration Service at Fifth Third Ball Park.
The Celebration Service started at 3 PM. It was hard to say how many people attended but probably we had over 6000 people. Fifth Third can hold 10,000 and it was half full.
Tyler Buitenwerf shared with us why he rode what motivated him. Due to his injury, he broke his collarbone; he could not complete the entire tour. His priority had been shifted. In his emotional testimony, he realized his destination was ending the cycle of poverty not riding from Seattle to Jersey City. He wanted to remind us as well that it is not about the ride but about the cause. God sometimes reminds us in challenging ways to keep our priorities in order and not to forget what and why we are all about.
The main speaker was Shane Claiborne who challenged us to truly live the life of Jesus. He also shared with us his visit with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. He shared with us how Mother Teresa had deformed feet. When new shoes were donated, she felt she should not have the best shoes and always picked the worst shoes which over the long term caused deformity in her feet. She is an example of a person honoring the needs of the poor over your own needs. Shane said the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give these things to others. We are to be the fragrance of Jesus in this world.
After Shane, one of the cyclists Kyle Meyerink, sang a song he composed and wrote while he was riding his bike this summer. His voice, the music and words were powerful and were very much enjoyed by the audience. The song is “Hear Our Cry”
Your skies are blue, your oceans deep. Perfect is your world.
Yet our lives we choose to keep.
Your children young and old, Lost and empty we’ve been
Crying for you, our Lord, our King. Hear our hearts as they begin to sing!
(Chorus) Sitting on the streets, hiding in the alleys are your people
Empty are their hearts, crying for your love and a chance to be with you.
Today’s a new day, but it feels like yesterday
Still your people try to fight Away from you.
When will the world choose? When will we come on home to you?
When will the trouble in the world go away?
(Bridge) So hear our cry of love… Hear our cry of love for you.
This has been the largest celebration service so far. It was a thrill to walk around the ballpark and to receive shouts, whistles, and clapping as we were walking around. We felt like Olympians. Thanks to the people of Grand Rapids for welcoming, encouraging and supporting us. Afterwards we had an opportunity to talk to lots of people who had come to be at the service.
Tomorrow we start, the last leg of this amazing journey. We only have two weeks left. We now have 193 cyclists cycling from Grand Rapids to Jersey City. It is a very large group and many of the new cyclists are really looking forward to starting and being on the route. As we prepare for the last two weeks, cyclists will be thinking about the end and what they will be doing after the tour. A number of cyclists have left jobs and will be considering how God will be using them in the future and what opportunities for service they will have. All of us will also be faced with how we will continue to advocate for the poor and make a difference for them in the future. Does our work in “ ending the cycle of poverty” end when the tour ends? What role will we play in our communities and in our workplaces?
Peleton Meeting at Woodlawn's Ministry Centre. Tonight we were with the 193 cyclists. Thanks to Brookside for supper tonight, Church of the Servant for breakfast and Woodlawn for their generosity for the use of their building. Thanks to all the volunteers in Grand Rapids who worked hard to make this weekend relaxing and a success. Thanks to all the churches who prepared food and feed us while we were here.As we begin our last leg, I also encourage you as reader to consider what you will do to make a difference locally and globally. I have shared with you, many of the messages we have heard that challenged us as cyclist. As a reader I encourage you to also seriously consider where and how God calls you to “end the cycle of poverty” for others. Check our website to see how the money raised will be used and consider how you might make a difference for these agencies.
Pray that we will continue to be bold in giving testimony to God’s call to act justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with God. Pray that we will continue to bike safely and care for others who need our help. Your prayers and support are very much appreciated. I am meeting many of you as I bike across the country. I am encouraged that the many of the blogs are appreciated and read.
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