As I write this, I’m reflecting on one of the many hundreds of interactions that I and seven other cyclists have had in the past eight days on the “I Will Go Ride” from Washington DC to St Louis (1700 kilometres). We have three days of riding to go and then the GC Session.
Michael Worker, AUC secretary, Torben Bergland, associate GC health director, and I were standing under an oak tree with our bikes to have a break from the 35°C Kentucky sun as we waited for some of the riders to catch up with us (they were talking with others we had seen beside the road). As we waited Kerrie (not her real name) pulled up in her car. She wanted to know if we needed water or would like to sit on her porch on this hot day. She was intrigued by the three of us.
We politely declined her offer as we had just reloaded with water and the shade of the tree was adequate. Kerrie wanted to know what we were doing and so I told her—giving her the brochure explaining how we were riding in honour of Australian cyclists who sold Christian books all over Australia. I told her we were giving away the same books (The Great Controversy and Your Bible and You) they sold and offered those books to her. She gladly accepted them.
Kerrie then told us how she wanted to read the entire Bible through but her liver transplant operations had caused a major interruption in life. Her body rejected the first liver but things seemed to be going well with the second. As she told her story I offered to pray for her and her health and family. She was delighted. As I opened my eyes tears were streaming down her cheeks as she said, “Thank you!”
“That was really nice,” she continued. “I love reading and these books will be a priority to read.”
The head winds, rain, cold, steep hills, aching muscles and sore seat are worth it when you know that you are being used by God to encourage people toward His kingdom and being a disciple of Jesus.
