Didn't write the blog yesterday. We went from Peru to Tipton. We had no rain, the sunshine was nice, there weren't many hills, but we were fighting the wind most of the way.
Today, we started with rain again. The wind was so bad from the west that I changed our route. Instead of going from Tipton to Pittsboro, we went east on 28 then south on 19 and hooked up with the Monon Trail in Westfield. This was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made in my life!
In the beginning, the wind was pushing us. I had the gears at their highest and was going over 13 miles an hour on flat highway. When we were on the Monon, the trees were blocking the wind. The scenery was beautiful. We complete 49 miles today and are at 176 miles total. We finished in downtown Indy.
Why am I doing this? Because I enjoy riding the bike? Well - riding the bike's not bad for about 10 miles or so - but 40 plus miles a day is not really fun. Especially in cold rain, wind, and pain in the ... well, you know.
So, why am I doing this? Because I like Gary & Lori? Well, I do. They are great missionaries (and cousins). But that's not the main reason.
I am doing this because I believe John 3:16 - For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
I am doing this because I believe what Jesus said - I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
I am doing this because I believe what the Apostle Peter said when he was on trial - in Acts 4:12 - There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
I am doing this because people in Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific 1500 miles from Australia, still has people who have never heard of Jesus - that's right - never heard of Jesus at all. Some of them are still cannibals. Yes, you read that right!
I am doing this because I believe that the churches on the island of Vanuatu need well-trained pastors, and Gary and Lori are doing a great job training them. They need another classroom building. They need a house to live in. They need a place for married students, so pastors don't have to leave their spouses back home on another island while they are in school.
I am doing this because I believe we should be obedient to what Jesus said in Mark 16:15 - Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
So - it's not about me - it's not about bike riding - It's not about personal joy - (It is about the Joy Bible Institute in Port Vila, Vanuatu) - it's about the things I just wrote about above.
It's about doing all we can to take the best news in the world to even the most remote places in the world. It was a privilege to go there this past summer and meet some great people. I hope to go back in February, and maybe dedicate this building, should it be completed.
Tomorrow - a ride with some great people of New Life - then heading from Pittsboro to Greencastle on Monday! Ride on!
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