Day 56 - July 13 - Louisville (Rest Day)

Day 56 - July 13 - Louisville (Rest Day)

We spent the day with the Roach family, cheering for Sam and his softball team; who were playing in a special olympics softball tournament.  What amazed Luey, Andy and me was the joy in everyone's faces, whether they won or lost.  What an inspiration and an example!  There was no one yelling at an umpire!  And, cheering was just as loud for a strike out as for a home run; as everyone gave their best effort!  How contagious the smiles -- "Pure joy!"

How many people have we known through the years who have had no "disabilities," but have walked through life with a frown on their faces?  And, even in the church?  Lord, may it not be so in me!  And, if it is, may I visit a special olympics competition very soon!

Well, there was one argument today; for which we were not to blame.  We cannot mention names, but a member of the Roach family disparaged Skyline Chili (a Cincinnati tradition that has no equal), and has even led her daughter astray.  How sad it is when we pass our misguided biases on to our children; which is a true mark of dysfunctionality that we fear only a 3-Way could cure!

And, if you are a poor soul who has never had Skyline; now would be a good time for a road trip to Cincinnati!  And, if you've been invited to the "Great Banquet," why not stop along the way and pick someone up who has not heard that they too are invited!

Sharing with the River Valley Christian Church tomorrow!  What a blessing to join in worship with the family of God!

PS - Luey has taken some great pictures of Louisville -- they are on the Flickr account!

Thank you for your prayers!
Dave, Luey and Andy

Days 52-55 - July 9-12 - Louisville

Days 52-55 - July 9-12 - Louisville (NACC)
East Louisville (8 miles)

We spent this week at the NACC (North American Christian Convention), in Louisville.  If you've never been to a NACC, I'd suggest you make plans to attend a future convention.  Thousands of people gather for Christian fellowship, to worship and reconnect.  We were delighted to be a part of it!  And, because it was held in Louisville, which is the city where Team Expansion's world headquarters is located, many from our mission organization were involved.  Also, we were especially glad to spend several days with Brenda, Emily (our oldest daughter) and Noah.  Brenda's folks also spent the week with us!  And, what a blessing to spend four days with God's people; to reconnect with old friends and to make many new ones!

Did you see my bike hanging from the rafters of the Team Expansion booth?  It was fun to watch people in the exhibit area walk by and then look up at the Gloritrek bike, sparking some great conversations about unreached people groups (UPG's).  Also, what a blessing to see the wall of UPG's, with old and young praying fervently to the Lord of the Harvest to open doors for the Gospel and send forth laborers into those fields!  (Did you know that your church can contact Team Expansion, and have the wall of UPG's sent to your church for a weekend?  What a powerful reminder of the task that still remains!)

The theme for this year was "Victorious," and all the messages were from the book of Revelation!  The preaching was outstanding!  The final challenge was given by Joni Eareckson Tada, who has spent the last 40+ years in a wheelchair.  What an inspiration she is, and an example of how to live a victorious life in Christ!  Living victoriously does not mean being free from adversity, but rather understanding from where our strength comes -- "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." (Zech 4:6b)  What a blessing -- to live without fear in the face of hardships or trials -- for the victory comes from the Lord!  (And, after hearing from Joni, you'll not hear me complaining about having sore legs anymore!)

And, to this end we preach, to this end we ride; that the nations might know Jesus Christ -- the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, through whom victory was purchased by His blood!

We said goodbye to family on Friday afternoon.  They headed back to Central Illinois, and we headed 8 miles east to the "Roach Motel."  (their description, not mine) That is, the home of Terry and Tracey Roach, who are hosting us on behalf of the River Valley Christian Church.  What a fun family!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy

 

Day 51 - July 8 - Louisville, KY (NACC)

Day 51 - July 8 - Louisville, KY (7 mi / 2,446 total mi)

We made the short ride from SE Louisville to downtown for the NACC (North American Christian Convention.  Several of the Team Expansion folks were setting up the booth and wall of unreached people groups, and we joined in on the fun.  It was great to see our co-workers who serve full-time here in Louisville.

Many would dismiss the importance of the stateside personnel, but let me say that without them we could not do what we do overseas!  They are the true unsung heroes!  They do what they do because they love the Lord, and want to see His kingdom come around the world!  THey do not receive the praise they deserve!  Seriously, we're a team, and without their vital ministry, we would not be as effective.  Who would recruit?  Who would train?  Who would insure that our e-mail remains secure?  Who would publish reports?  Who would hold us accountable?  Who would provide expert advice on how to plant churches in distant lands?  Who would.......?  Granted, the churches that support us and pray for us are vital too?  But the roles for both the mission organization and the church are different.  Both are necessary for the missionary to be successful!

Support the missionary -- YES -- both in prayer and financially!  Support the missions organization -- YES -- both in prayer and financially!  WIthout them the 7,162 will not be reached!

See you at the NACC!  Look for the bike hanging from the rafters!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy

Day 50 - July 7 - Louisville, KY (Worship Day)

Day 50 - July 7 - Louisville, KY (Worship Day)  

Our 50th day on the road -- we drove the Ashley's new SUV to Southeast Christian Church this Lord's Day morning.  Southeast is one of the largest churches in the country and has partnered with Team Expansion in numerous projects around the world.  An old classmate from Cincinnati Bible College (now CCU), Dave Stone, is the senior minister.

He preached on a topic I've never heard anyone preach about on a Sunday morning -- pornography!  Very well done, Dave!  Having a son entering his teen years, it was well worth hearing!  How vigilant we must all be to protect our eyes, and the eyes of our children.  What an addiction that can destroy lives and families!

After worship we went out to Team Expansion's Emerald Hills and walked the trails.  It was beautiful out there on a Sunday afternoon.  What a day of rest and worship!  I thanked God for the 300+ full-time missionaries around the world who are on the front lines in reaching out to the UPG's of the world!  BTW, how many are there?

We are looking forward to the NACC, and a week of fellowship with thousands of the Lord's faithful.  We hope to see folks we've not seen in years.  We hope to be blessed and to be a blessing!

I'll be sharing about Gloritrek on Wednesday morning, at 8:30 AM.  Not sure of the location.

Hope to see you at the NACC!  You can see the wall of unreached peoples -- all 7,162 of them!  What will YOU do about that number?

Thank you for praying!

Dave, Luey and Andy

Day 49 - July 6 - Salem, IN to Louisville, KY

Day 49 - July 6 - Salem, IN to Louisville, KY (45 mi)

Sorry, this is a couple days late -- we were without internet for a couple days.

We were blessed on Saturday morning to have Steve and Susie Edwards with us as we rode into Louisville.  Steve rode with us, and Susie drove their car with our saddle bags.  Though it rained the entire morning, we made good time, arriving at the bridge across the Ohio River before 9:30 AM.

When it is raining, it is really hard to figure out what to wear.  Putting on a rain jacket is like bringing on a greenhouse effect -- instantly sweaty.  Of course, to not wear a jacket gets you instantly soaked.  I opted for not wearing a bike jersey and just wearing the rain jacket.

We rode on from the Ohio River to the home of Larry and Cathy Ashley, long-time friends of Mack and Elaine.  And, though they are vacationing in Europe, they still loaned us their home and new Buick SUV.  What a blessing!

Because it is a holiday weekend and the weekend before the NACC, we had difficulty arranging a church to host us this weekend.  No worries, we'll be attending Southeast on Sunday.

We thank you for praying -- as we are now more than 2/3 of the way into Gloritrek, and have seen over and over again, the Lord answering your prayers for our safety.  We are blessed!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy

Day 48 - Bloomington to Salem, IN

Day 48 - Bloomington to Salem, IN (53 miles / 2393 total miles)

We were doubly blessed to be able to spend the evening with John Dunn's family in Ellettsville and Bloomington.  Ron (John's brother) and Florence treated us so well, we didn't want to leave -- even homemade ice cream!  The fireworks yesterday evening were really entertaining!  Of course, Luey and Andy were thrilled to join in the 4th of July festivities!  We got to Judy Dunn's home a little before 11 PM.  Judy is John's mother.  She had, earlier in the day, transported our bikes the 15 miles from Ellettsville to Bloomington, as there is no way we could have gotten back on our bikes after all the food they fed us!

This morning, Judy fixed us a wonderful breakfast and gave us all hugs as we said goodbye.  We got a little later start this morning because we had been up fairly late last night -- we were on the road a little before 8 AM.  We rode IN 37, which is a four-lane highway; and then IN60, a two lane route.  Though we didn't have as steep climbs today, we still ended up ascending nearly 2000 ft.  Our legs were all a little tired when we got off the bikes at a small motel here in Salem.

We will soon go over 2,400 miles; which puts us more than 2/3 of the way to NYC -- less than a month from now, Lord willing!  I still won't allow myself to dwell on August 3rd, and NYC!  Lord, "give us this day, our daily bread."  And, don't worry about tomorrow; but speaking of  tomorrow........got a great phone call just a few minutes ago!

Tomorrow, Steve and Susie Edwards will join us into L'ville.  Yeah!  (Steve is the guy who ran across the US more than 15 years ago.)  Susie will drive a support vehicle for us, so we won't need to carry our bags!  Yeah!  And, Steve has already driven tomorrow's route, so we shouldn't get lost riding into L'ville!  Yeah!  Staying at our long-time friends home in L'ville -- with a hot tub!  Yeah!  See how the Lord continually provides?  We are truly blessed!

PS - Will you be at the NACC?  Send us an e-mail:  gloritrek@gmail.com.  We'd love to see you!
PSS - Lots of new pictures have been uploaded to the Gloritrek Flickr site.

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy

Day 47 - July 4 - Terre Haute to Ellettsville, IN

Day 47 - July 4 - Terre Haute to Ellettsville, IN (50 miles)

Happy 4th of July!  Rich and Mary Alice spent their morning fixing us breakfast!  They came home very early just to prepare us a wonderful breakfast -- everything we needed to start the day!  We set out at 6:30 AM, and in a new time zone -- our 4th on Gloritrek.

I remember saying, "It's only 50 miles today!"  I failed to mention we would be climbing more than 2000 feet, up and down little hills which got taller as we traveled east .... and steeper!  Ron and Florence Dunn (John Dunn, our co-worker from Taiwan, and younger brother of Ron), saved the steepest climb for only a mile from their home!  So, for the second day in a row, we've been spanked -- first by Rich and Pickle Ball and then by the hills of S. Indiana.

We had a nice surprise in Spencer, IN; Steve Edwards and his wife drove out to meet us.  Steve knows what it is like to go coast-to-coast, but he did it running!  He actually came through Fisher, IL; back when I was still serving there.  Steve may join us on Saturday for the ride into L'ville!

We are again stuffed!  BBQ chicken, apple pie, green beans from the garden, homemade ice cream....After fireworks tonight in Ellettsville, we'll be spending the night in Bloomington with Judy Dunn, John and Ron's mother.  She reminded me that the last time she was in Taiwan, Noah was a newborn, and  had just come home from the hospital.  She held Noah when he was just a baby!  Noah was a good baby!  Where did Brenda go wrong?!?  :-)

We're looking forward to the fireworks!  Last summer it was too dry to celebrate with fireworks!  Thank you, Lord, not for fireworks, but for freedom -- because "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (Jn 8:36)  It is for this that we ride, so that those who have never know one moment of freedom might one day meet the author of freedom -- Jesus Christ!  May it be so Lord -- in us, in this nation and among all the 7,162 UPG's -- to the glory of God the Father!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy