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On June 19th, the Story's (Don, Teri, James, Elsie, Annie, Jonathan) will all head out on a 3,600 mile cross-country bike trip from Spokane, Washington to Yorktown, Virginia. Once we get to the East Coast on August 6th, the bikes will go on the back of the sag-wagon and we will do a rapid-fire tour of a few major cities.
This trip has several reasons actually:
- Why wouldn't you want to see the US up-close and personal at about 12 mph?
- I am reminded of the line from "Chariots of Fire" when Eric Liddell says, "God made me fast and I feel His pleasure when I run." Even though I am definitely not fast, I do feel His pleasure when I am out on my bike.
- Our four kids will see and do things that they will never forget. We are so thankful to be able to give this gift to our kiddos.
- We will be raising money for AFRICAN WIDOWS AND ORPHANS PROJECT, a ministry of Kingdom Kids. If you want to help, please click on the link above and there is a place on that site where you can contribute. Or go to www.AWOP.org. This project raises money for the children and women in Africa who can't support themselves. We love the mission of AWOP because the situation in Africa is different than other countries. When children are adopted from China and other similar countries and brought here, they are already abandoned with no families to care for them. In Ethiopia, the moms are giving up their children to come live here in the hopes that they will have a better life. AWOP has realized the uniqueness of this situation so is helping keep the children in Africa by setting up clinics, micro-loan projects, daily meals, etc. If someone took the same money they would spend to bring one child over here to live with them and instead left it in Africa with AWOP, they would change a HUGE amount of lives. These families are also taught about Jesus and how He gives hope, even when the world seems hopeless. As there is tons of AIDS and therefore death in Africa, this in itself is the biggest gift they offer.
- Our friend, Cindy Dibble, has gone 0ver to Ethiopia with Michelle, who heads up AWOP. Upon their arrival by the next morning, before they had even opened their doors, there was a line down the street of women coming to give up their children. Cindy said it was heartbreaking. The moms are nursing a baby while holding their other children close by and begging for AWOP to take their children to America to give them a better life. This option of helping them there instead feels so much better to us, knowing how much these moms are willing to sacrifice, giving up what they most love for the chance at a better life. Thus, we are thrilled to be riding for AWOP!Thank you for supporting them! All money donated goes completely to this project.
- And final reason for riding? No yardwork for two months!!!
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