Here I am

July 10, 2017

Wow!

So much wow!

This post is going to start from Monday when I left Mark and Cyndi's.

Had an incredible time for the eleven days I was there.

Why so long of stay?

If you look back on my posts you will know that I was physically exhausted and emotionally frayed on the edges.

1541 miles is a long ways to travel!

We ate out, barbequed, saw friends from PNG, laughed, talked, fellowshipped, stored up lots of wonderful memories.

Even got to help Mark on a project he was working on.

And Mark helped me with a bracket for my bike to keep the pannier away from the back derailleur.

So...

Monday, the 10th, I had set my alarm for five in the morning.

Wanted to make sure I got up early enough to get the last minute items ready.

Ice in the water bag.

Water filled up.

You know, a couple of the essentials.

I slept through the alarm.

And then I was being gently woken up by Mark.

Twenty minutes after five.

We were out the door at six.

Mark drove me to the where Highway 385 and I-8 intersect.

It was great to get a ride through all that city driving.

Was hard to say goodbye.

Truth here.

I seriously thought of getting on a plane and calling it "good enough."

1500 miles at #tencentsamile is good enough.

Right?

Build a box.

Ship the bike back.

Get on a plane and fly home.

Simple.

Easy.

No more heat.

No more non-existent shoulders on the roads.

You know what, though?

This a journey and journeys are not always pleasant or without hurt.

Jesus came on a journey from the Father.

He came to help those in need.

In fact, that is all of us.

He had no place to call home.

No place to lay his head on a soft feather pillow.

His grace is enough for me.

And has He been filling my life with an abundant supply of His grace, love, compassion these last few days.

Twelve miles from the junction to Maricopa.

Forty-two from Maricopa to Gila Bend.

Twenty-four more to Sentinel.

Seventy-eight miles total.

Arrived about eight at night.

The "Mama" at the little convenience store was very helpful.

Told me I could stay across the road under the roof of the no-longer-in-use fuel station.

Laid out my mattress and went to sleep.

Was hot when I went to sleep and woke up in sweat in the morning.

I think that is one of my problems.

Not cooling down at night.

My inner core is still hot from the day's ride.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Had some of the granola left over from the trip down.

Tasted good!

Got three miles or so down the road and to the rest area. 

Closed.

The large orange barrels blocking the entrance.

Saw workers so I rode in-between the barrels and over to some shade by the toilets.

My stomach was acting up with lots of gurgling noises and pain.

The workers were cool with me coming in.

And they said everything was open to use.

Good thing.

Felt like I lost five pounds after all was said and done.

Filled all the water containers.

I am drinking close to two gallons every day of riding.

Most of all that is simply leaving as sweat, evaporating, and soaking me.

Kinda like being humid and arid together at the same time.

After the rest stop I pedalled on to Dateland.

That is where I met Jacob and Marga.

Many who are following me on this ride for missions have been praying for divine appointments.

This was certainly one of those times!

They asked about the bike.

What and why I was riding.

The Lord put this wonderful couple in my path for those few minutes.

They laid hands and prayed for me.

And not just me but for the ministries I am riding for.

For the orphanage in India.

For the ministry in PNG.

For strength.

For courage.

For Christ's love to flow in each mile of this ride.

They were so encouraging!

And before they left, Jacob came and put a little green in my hand for down the road!

I am losing count of how many times this kind of scenario has happened.

I got myself a chicken sandwich.

Stuck the leftover bills and coins in my pocket.

Not sure if it was the sandwich, the heat, or a combination of different things, but none of the food stayed down.

Left my mark of up-chuck regurgetation on the side of the road.

Twice.

I made it to Tacna where I put a post on Facebook for people to pray.

It fascinates me how our stubborn, I-can-continue-even-if-sick mentality always tries to override our thoughts.

I struggle with this.

Want to push on.

Try to justify the time frame.

Need to get more miles.

Reality check.

Gonna be quite difficult to help others if I push myself into exhaustion.

Or worse.

Thankful for all the love, and most importantly, the rebukes in love, to help reign me in.

Tacna does not have any place for lodging.

Thought about staying under the covered overhang of the old motel next to the fuel station.

Was not to be.

The next closest town was Wellton.

Ten miles away.

Two choices for lodging in town.

Took me a while to pedal those miles.

Partly due to my energy being depleted.

And also the condition of the road.

It was nice to be off the interstate, but could not get any speed up due to all the potholes, patches, and such.

Thinking back, was probably a good thing to pedal slow and easy.

So I had two choices.

A fancier motel or a no frills one.

No frills won.

Had to call the lady on the phone.

She came, unlocked the office and I stepped into the air conditioned room.

It is sad to see so many of these little towns dying out.

She asked about my ride.

As we were talking I pulled my plastic money card from my wallet.

She asked if I had ten dollars on me.

Had two fives left over in my pocket from Jacob and Marga.

She said that was enough.

A motel room for ten dollars!

I was floored!

She too is a believer in Christ and gives to Operation Smile.

An incredible answer to prayer!

Got checked in, turned on the air conditioner and fell asleep for a few hours.

Praise God for these opportunities!

Had some nuts and some light food as I was still not quite up to par.

July 12, 2017

Woke up early.

Felt quite hungry.

Nibbled on one of the bars Cyndi had given me.

Had some rehydration drink at the top of the hill before descending into Yuma.

Got off I-8 at Futura Road.

Starbucks for several hours.

Called Freedom Baptist Church of Yuma (fbcyuma) to ask if I could stay on their property for the night.

Was looking for a small piece of ground where I could lay down and sleep.

Or if they might know of an inexpensive place.

After a few phone calls back and forth, explaining who I was, what I was doing, etc., this was the final decision.

They put me up in a motel!

Certainly not what I was expecting!

Why is it so difficult for us as believers to accept generosity and gifts?

We all desire to give.

Good.

Let's remember it is ok to receive as well.

And to do it with much grace.

I need to get it out of my head that I am not worthy of others help.

That is a lie from the enemy.

My worth is in Christ.

Not in the number of miles I pedal.

How many passes I cross over.

So here I am.

Grateful.

Thankful!

In wonderment at all the Lord is doing.

That has pretty much been my last three days.

Now to map out tomorrow's route.

Thanks for following along.

D.