I cannot compete with all of the picture takers, especially my cousin Helen, so this blog of the last day of our bike ride will remain without pictures although so many of them are floating around in my head.
I love this proverb,’Do not withhold good’. ‘Do not’, speaks to the collective I. So many people have contributed in time, resources, expertise and prayer to make this ride a success, so many held back nothing! I think of the grade school students who gave their birthday money,ran fundraisers and sold balloons and prayed for us, they held nothing back. I think of those in our office (Carla)(Kathleen) running Euchre tournaments, garage sales, helping out with golf tournaments; Mike Huggins and Eddie Davids who gave up a large amount of time to help me plan and promote the bike ride when it was still in the dream phase, they held back nothing. To so many of you who are donors to The Lending Journey, who keep giving over and over when we share the concerns of the poor and needy, to our corporate sponsors who blow me away by their generosity-they held nothing back. There are so many more who held nothing back that I can not even begin to name them all.
I think about our bike riding team:
STEFAN- drove the van and kept everything in check on this trip, he motivated, encouraged and under pressure kept his calm- He held nothing back.
TIM- brought sincerity, passion for the documentary, He brought a focus to ensure we are telling the story the reverberates in his head. He brought a gentle spirit-He held nothing back.
Jan-brought colour and light to words through the daily blogging and was intense in detail to make sure the colour of the words were just right. He held nothing back
Wayne-was our steady Eddie. He was motivated by a servant’s heart and brought a calm to the riders, he was my wing man-He held nothing back.
Lisa- was our keen eye, always looking for the right back drop, the right angle, just the right light. If Jan brought colour in words, Lisa brought real life to video-She held nothing back.
Helen- was our heart and soul. I need not say anymore-She held nothing back
Our Borrowers-You can’t imagine how excited they were to participate in the ride, you can’t imagine how concerned they were about being able to finish the daily route-They are examples to all those who desire to be inspired-They held nothing back (Yerling,Erica,Yahira,Jelba)
David- Our director in Nicaragua was tour guide, interpreter, navigator, taxi driver, border negotiator, and faithful friend to over 100’s of our borrowers-He held nothing back.
Eliett-While we all did the daily cross country ride, Eliett stayed at the office and made sure that money was being collected and potential borrowers had all of their questions answered. With all of the craziness going on throughout the week, she still made it to the border to watch us finish the ride-She held nothing back.
To my “Mother” who imbedded the seed to serve others in my heart and to my “Father” who when the storms of life got nasty, never ran away.
“When it is within your ‘power to act’.” The question is, how do we find the power to act? I believe it begins when we look beyond our own needs, when we look beyond our own struggle and when we begin to imagine that we can be apart of the solution. The radical Jesus Christ said, “I did not come to be served but to serve.” NOW THAT IS RADICAL in a world that says Me First. You want the power to act?, looking for motivation to change your world? then contemplate those words.
Our job in Nicaragua is still not over, many people to help, many people to serve!
One last person(s) to thank, my wife and children who has lived through the challenges of my calling. Ramona is my “Adrianne”!!!!! she has always been in my corner and been my number 1 defender. (You have to be a rocky fan to appreciate this) and to my four children who always have a challenge answering the question, “What does your dad do”? May my heart to serve those in need inspire you on your own journey to look beyond yourself and change your world.