We're not in Kansas anymore

I think it's safe to say we're hitting our stride on this trip. When you find yourself saying that today's ride was "only" 73 miles and that we got to "sleep-in" to 5:00, that's a good sign that we've become fully immersed and desensitized to our own difficult schedule. We all finished the ride by 1:00, including Doug Stephens, who had hurt his shoulder on Day 1 and had been unable to bike for extremely long distances ever since due to the injury. Three Oyee's for Doug, who has toughed it out on the bike, and when unable to ride he has been a tremendous help on van duty and other ways: Oyee, Oyee, Oyee!!

On our first day riding in Oklahoma, the countryside was rolling and beautiful, and we all got to know first-hand one other thing Oklahoma is known for: "Ooook-lahoma, where the WIND comes sweepin' down the plain" We just wish the song had told the wind to blow to the south and east...As I told the group, our new plan for directions is just to find which way the wind is blowing and head straight into it, because that's normally the way we end up riding anyway so we'll surely be heading in the right direction.

A huge thanks to First Baptist Church here in Watonga. They not only cooked us homemade lasagna and garlic bread for lunch (how did they know I was Italian?) and let us shower in personal homes, but they then also came back and cooked us hamburgers and fresh cookies for dinner! A place like this might really spoil us. A huge thanks to Pastor Joe and his wife Norma for the meals and shuttling us to showers, as well as to Jerry and Ruth for not only letting us shower in their home, but also saving us by letting us do our laundry in their house when it turned out there was actually no laundramat here! We are so grateful, and we feel so blessed and joyous to have made new friends like these.

Speaking of friends, I feel so blessed to have made friends with each of these riders. With the trip now about half over, I'd like to take a moment to brag on them. As the leader of the trip, I did worry or wonder about who might sign up for such a journey, but God knew, and I believe God led each of our hearts to respond to the call so that we could do this together. For every 1 who signed up, there were 1,000 who heard about it but were too busy/not interested, 100 who said "maybe some day," and 10 who said they were interested but for one reason or another didn't sign up. To those who responded to the call, I am so grateful and feel so privileged to ride with you, and I hope and believe you feel just as blessed to have joined in.

As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:12-21, 26-27

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"... If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

So it is with this trip. The rider's are one part of the body, our hosts another, our donors another, and our prayer supporters still another. All are needed. And within the trip itself, each rider contributes certain gifts, which I would like to take a moment to recognize and share for the riders currently with us (in the order they are listed on our website):

Doug Stephens - As I mentioned earlier, he faithfully drives the van in support for us frequently (not an easy job!) and gives us a strong taste of that New Jersey humor.

Josh Rothstein - A fantastic speaker, constantly positive attitude, great humor, strong and open faith, and fun guy to be around.

Katherine Stump - Relentlessly doing things to be helpful to the group, from organizing photos to sending forward press releases to volunteering to cook us dinner.

Nathan Landrum - Very strong cyclist, another volunteer dinner cook, and of course such an inspiration to do this whole trip with a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee!

Danielle Schenk - A wonderful laugh and personality, another strong rider, and provides a feminine side to a trip otherwise too full of testosterone.

Aaron Patzwahl - You'd never guess he's our youngest rider. He is very skilled mechanically and experienced in cycling, always going the extra mile to be helpful to the group.

Tony Campbell - How could I possibly keep his short? He plans our route every single day including a hand-draw a map, he is an incredible encourager and wrote our "themesong" (which no one sings nearly as well as him), and he absolutely never complains despite being the oldest "kid" on our trip. (And today was his wife Mary's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mary! Mary will join us in her RV for the last week of the trip.)

Chris Cosby - Last but certainly not least - in fact, the first to sign up! Highly skilled in bike maintenance and repair and always willing to lend a helping hand; Chris constantly rides hard and works hard for the betterment of the group.

This trip would not be the same without any of them, just as the body would not be the same without an ear - or knees for biking! Thanks to everyone for continuing to shower us with your prayers, donations, food, and encouraging comments. You, too, are part of the body of Christ and this trip.

God's grace,
Ryan Iafigliola