Day 26 - June 13 - Hinton to Oklahoma City, OK

Day 26 - June 13 - Hinton to Oklahoma City, OK (46 miles)

We stayed in a nice little motel in the little town of Hinton.  We ate supper and breakfast with a bunch of oil drillers.  All nice guys who were very curious about what we were doing.

Traveling along I-40 we saw all kinds of debris and destruction from the recent tornadoes.  It was very sad to see buildings destroyed and trees snapped or ripped from the ground -- what power those tornadoes have!

We finally said good-bye to I-40, just outside of OKC.  From now on we'll be traveling NE.  Met a nice motorcycle cop on a new BMW -- a sweet ride!  Arrived at Mark and Cathy Hinderliter's by 10 AM.  Cathy is a chef, and began feeding us almost right away.  Mark came home for lunch.  Cathy is Chuck Foreman's younger sister, and they have an adopted son from Taiwan.  It was great seeing old pictures from their trip to Kaohsiung in 2003.

We had an evening Gloritrek program at Cherokee Hills Christian Church.  It was a nice gathering for a Thursday evening.  They asked lots of great questions and even asked for the PP files, so the missions committee could review the material and make additions to what they are already doing!

We really enjoyed visiting with Mark and Cathy -- it was very difficult leaving their house this morning!  Did I mention that Cathy is an awesome cook -- homemade strawberry/rhubarb yogurt -- just one of the things we had for breakfast!

Back to the tornadoes -- some of you will not need to imagine that a tornado is bearing down on you, but how would you feel if you were in the path of a tornado; nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.  Wouldn't you be terrified?  Now, imagine what it would be like to stand before the Judgment Seat and not know the Savior, our Redeemer, our Mediator.  Nearly everytime someone saw an angel in the Bible, they were terrified.  Imagine standing before the God of all Creation and not being ready for that day.  We've passed hundreds of crosses along the highway, indicating that someone died in that spot on the highway.  I wonder how many were ready to see the Lord.  Yes, there is an urgency in the Gospel going to the nations!

Thank you, Mark and Cathy!  We were truly blessed yet again!
Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey and Andy

Day 25 - June 12 - Elk City to Hinton, OK

Day 25 - June 12 - Elk City to Hinton, OK (65 miles)

Casting Crowns sings a song, "Who Am I?"  A portion of it goes, "Not because of who I am, but because of what you've done.  Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are -- I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still, you hear me when I'm calling; Lord, you catch me when I'm falling, and you've told me who I am --  I am Yours.  I am Yours."  I was listening to this song early this morning as I pedaled across a rolling prairie here in OK.

The God of all the earth, our Creator, our Father; knows and loves us!  He delights in accomplishing His will through us.  How completely awesome that we have the opportunity to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  How completely amazing is God's grace and love for us -- not because of anything we've done, or who we are -- but because of who God is!  That there are still entire people groups who have not had the opportunity to know this God -- how can we sit passively by and allow the world to live in darkness.  True, we are merely "a vapor in the wind," but the Lord delights in doing amazing things through us -- to God be the glory!

Today we climbed more than 1200 ft over 65 miles.  For most of the morning we had the wind from our right side -- sometimes helping and sometimes wanting to blow us into the traffic.  We made good time today, averaging nearly 15 MPH.  We stopped a few times to refill water bottles.  The heat and humidity is coming earlier each morning.  I had worked up a good sweat by 7:30 AM.  It is expected to be 103 F here in Hinton this afternoon.  If you are looking at our map, then you noticed we came farther today than was scheduled.  This will hopefully allow us to arrive a little earlier tomorrow into OKC, and the Cherokee Hills Christian Church.

Please pray for Brenda, as she'll be flying from Portland to Tulsa tomorrow morning -- hosted by our friends from way back -- John & Julie Wiscaver.

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 24 - McLean, OK to Elk City, OK

Day 24 - McLean, OK to Elk City, OK  (75 miles)
(Yes, I am correcting the timeline -- we are on day 24, not day 23)

Afternoon temperatures are going over 100 F, so we left the Cactus Inn a little before 6:00 AM.  Our breakfast was pizza and poptarts.  It was about 37 miles to the Texas / Oklahoma border, and we were treated by the Lord to a wonderful sunrise -- colors that only God could paint!

We stopped by the OK welcome center -- the nicest rest area I've ever seen -- even Elk antler chandeliers!  We've met lots of nice folks at the rest areas we visit -- even sharing the reason for Gloritrek.  Sometimes, we've really had to tear ourselves away!

Right after we left the welcome center, we caught up to Hiro again -- the young man from Japan who is biking and camping solo across the US.  He is carrying a lot of gear -- and has a bigger camera than Luey!

We got off of I-40 and rode 10 miles on Route 66.  We followed the original highway, which is now overgrown with trees.  We enjoyed the quiet highway, but not all the bumping along.  So, we opted to get back on I-40.  We arrived in Elk City a little after noon.  We understand there is a Christian Church here in town.  Our co-worker in Taiwan, Scott Pagel tried to reach the church for us, and never had any success.  Too bad, as we'd much prefer to share our message, rather than spend another night in a motel!  We're looking forward to OKC and Tulsa, as we have churches hosting us in both places!  Also, Brenda will fly into Tulsa and spend the weekend with us.  It will have been a month since we left Taiwan to begin Gloritrek!

This morning I was thinking about URGENCY as we biked along.  There is an urgency in our biking -- to finish biking early and beat the afternoon heat.  Is there an urgency to the Gospel message?  You bet!  Jesus said, "I am coming soon!"  Come, Lord Jesus!

BTW, to see more pictures, you can click on the "Pictures" tab on the home page -- it will direct you to a Flickr acct.

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 23 - June 10 - Amarillo to McLean, TX

Day 23 - June 10 - Amarillo to McLean, TX (75 miles / 1245 total miles)

It was time to leave Amarillo, where we had been hosted wonderfully by Lennie, and the WACC brethren.  Lennie was heading to camp in NM, and we headed east, following I-40 and Rt 66.  It was 70 degrees by 7:30 AM, and got up to 100 degrees by 1 PM.  We were aided by a strong SW wind, and averaged 15 MPH an hour, but 4 flat tires slowed us down a bit.  One for Luey(#10) and 3 for Andy (#12).

We arrived about 11 AM at Groom, TX; and the 183 ft tall cross.  It was really amazing -- certainly worth stopping to see.  Statues surround the cross depicted Jesus before Pilate and all the way to Calvary.  It's definitely a special place!  And, you may notice that we diverted from our original route (to Pampa, TX); and now you know why -- we wanted to see the cross at Groom!

Today we also met a cross-country solo biker, a Japanese fellow who spoke very little English and is tent camping.  He was so dark, I never would have guessed he was Japanese!  I would expect we'll see him again!

We arrived in McLean about 2 PM,  as the sun was really starting to beat us down.  We're in a little motel -- very nice, called the Cactus Inn Motel.  Peggy, the owner, is a really nice lady, and I'd recommend this little motel to anyone.

Tomorrow is another 75 miles to Elk City -- and we hope to get an earlier start.  Thank you for praying!

Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 22 - June 9 - Amarillo, TX (Worship Day)

Day 22 - June 9 - Amarillo, TX (Worship Day)

We spent the day with the Washington Ave Christian Church.  Lennie McCay, Assoc. Minister, was a terrific host.  I spoke to Lennie's SS class, a fine group of 60-70 adults.  Since they were studying Acts; Lennie chose 3 of the 10 ten-minute topics:  God's Passion for UPG's, the Story Behind Gloritrek & How We Share the Gospel.  It was a great morning!  In worship we looked at the story in I Kings of Elijah and the widow of Zaraphath.  In order to see God do amazing things (like the flour and oil never running out), she had to first act in faith -- making a cake for Elijah.  Because of her faith, she and her son lived!  And, I think we'll one day see them in heaven!  Faith can conquer fear!  It was good for us to hear!  Every day we set out on the bikes we pray:  for strength, for safety, for God's glory to be revealed through our efforts.

For lunch we went to the best Mexican Resturant in Amarillo.  We all ate way too much!  Then, we went to replace Luey's camera with a smaller version, as his 35 MM camera broke down in NM.

Sunday evening we went to an all-church picnic with WACC brethren.  We got to eat homemade icecream!  It was a wonderful evening!  The evening ended with watching game 2 of the NBA finals, and packing for the week ahead -- 400 miles to Tulsa!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 21 - June 8 - Amarillo, TX (Rest Day)

Day 21 - June 8 - Amarillo, TX (Rest Day)

Have you ever heard of Palo Duro Canyon?  I hadn't, until we arrived in Amarillo!  Lennie McCay, the Assoc Minister at Washington Ave Christian Church has been a terrific host!  We had steak last night, B-B-Q for lunch today and visited Palo Duro Canyon this morning!

Palo Duro Canyon is like a mini Grand Canyon.  It's really a beautiful place!  Check it out in our pictures, or visit it the next time you are passing through Texas!  Really amazing!

Brenda arrived safely into Portland yesterday, and is staying with some of our friends that lived in Taiwan!  Vu and Sandy were Em & Tab's volleyball coaches!  Brenda will also be spending time with our good friends, Alex and Vanessa.  Alex and Vu both work for Nike!

Tonight we are relaxing and watching "Facing the Giants" with Chinese subtitles!

Thank you, Lord, for rest days like these!  Tomorrow we'll worship with the Washington Ave Church! Where will you worship?

Thanks for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 20 - June 7 - Vega to Amarillo, TX

Day 20 - June 7 - Vega to Amarillo, TX (38 miles)

We've arrived in Amarillo, after a morning of riding.  Even though it was not a long day in the saddle, we still had two more flats:  Andy 10, Luey 9 and Dave 3.  Speaking of flats -- we are enjoying cycling on the plains of Texas, and not missing the mountains at all!

We are being hosted this weekend by Pastor Lennie McCay, and the Washington Ave. Christian Church.  The McCays have four daughters, three of which are at camp -- so Andy, Luey and I all have our own rooms for the weekend!  We have two whole days off -- YEAH!  On Sunday, I will be speaking to Pastor Lennie's SS class.

Brenda arrived safely in Portland.  Thank you for praying!  And, Tabitha finished her last final at U Chicago Law School -- provided she passed all her classes, she is officially a 2L!  :-)  She will intern this summer with a law firm in Houston.

We are asked often, "So, why are you doing this?"  My answer has become, "Because I believe it is something God wanted me to do.  Though I don't pretend to know God's plans for Gloritrek, I fully expect to see God do amazing things!"  We have already seen the Lord do amazing things on Gloritrek, and it is truly humbling.

We thank you for praying for us -- we could not do this without you!  The picture of the golf course sign stuck in the freeway overpass reminds us that we are entering "Tornado Alley" this next week.  Yes, prayers are appreciated!

Dave, Luey & Andy