Just Another Day on the Road…Right???

Tony hands over the wheel to Hannah

Today was our earliest and longest day on the road up to this point on the trip. I have to say I am not one for waking up early if there is the option to sleep in, but beating the heat is well worth it. The day began by saying our final goodbyes to Tony. He has been a blessing to all of us and it was truly a pleasure to spend time with him. He graced us with a devotional and a special lyrical prayer before we hit the road. We also welcomed a new rider, HannahJoy. The journey on this warm 16th day of July was from Kokomo, IN to the south side of Indianapolis, IN. On these long days of riding we have to hope for some entertainment along the way, which is just what we got (although without Mr. Iafigliola around it was a little more difficult). Cornfields have surrounded us for the past few days and we were finally introduced to riding in the big city. This was a new experience for many of us and seemed to be embraced and enjoyed by most.

Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis 

Indianapolis was beautiful. The skies were blue and the radial layout of the city provided for wonderful views down the streets. Our third pit stop of the day came at about 53 miles at the heart of Indianapolis. We stopped at the Indiana War Memorial and were greeted by the press. We had our picture taken quite a few times and even did some interviews for the largest radio station in Indianapolis. 

Press

After stopping in Indianapolis some of the riders proceeded to Grace Assembly of God, the church we would be staying at for the night. Ryan, Lisa and myself went to a local hardware store where we were on People Helping People radio. Jeff Cardwell, a man who has been working with Fuller Center extensively for quite some time now, devoted an entire 30-minute show to the trip and Fuller Center. The show should be aired this coming Saturday and Sunday on a multitude of radio stations (or at http://www.phpnetwork.org/

). I was so pleased not only for the trip to be on the show but also just the fact to hear about a show that did something like this. Media today is so obsessed with the negative aspects of this world, and celebrity news, but how is that sort of publicity going to improve the world…it’s not!!! 

Pastors of Grace Assembly of God

The ride was not all about publicity today, although that is wonderful without a doubt. There were also a few mishaps. From what I hear, although I did not see it, Esther tipped over twice. Now I say tipped over meaning she was not injured. We all seem to do it. I know Thad and I did it the other day within 5 minutes of each other. It is those clip-in pedals, they get us every time. Anyways, she is alright. Melissa was lucky enough to get not one, but two flats today. What are the chances, just a string of bad luck I suppose, hopefully she can sleep off the bad luck tonight. Finally, we had what I would like to call an apple attack. Emily had just finished enjoying a nice juicy apple at the second rest stop when she decided to discard it into the nearby woods. She wound up and somehow managed to hit Susan, who was standing two feet from her in the head. “I didn’t want to look weak by not getting the apple to the woods so I threw it as hard as I could” Emily later said. Susan looked around as if the sky was falling. Don’t worry though, no harm was done, Susan was wearing a helmet.

Nick's First White Castle 

Grace Assembly of God provided a delicious dinner from Panera for us. Later on some of us went to see the new Harry Potter movie. We had intended to see it at 7:00 but somehow we were not able to get to the theatre until 8:30 so it has been a late night. On the way home Ivan wanted to stop at White Castle. Nick has never had White Castle before, so he was really excited about it and provided some good laughs as normal. Then Esther decides she wants a cheeseburger from White Castle without the meat. This really threw the White Castle workers for a loop. They had no idea what to do and Esther really didn’t understand why. She kept saying “I want a cheeseburger without the meat but with the flavor.” Between our White Castle experience and reminiscing about the apple incident the ride home from the movies was a riot.

Ivan & Megs in Indianapolis

Today was a day for bonding. It is really odd how well we seem to know each other after less than a week of being on the trip. God has brought a special group of individuals together and to no surprise he has begun to bond us together with super glue.

Tim & Angie Davies from Grace Assembly of God

We would like to give a big thank you to Grace Assembly of God for greeting us with open arms and nourishing our bodies with a delicious dinner. Also, thank you Jeff Cardwell for having us on People Helping People, and helping the Fuller Center to grow and help those in need. We thank you for your continuing prayers for we know it is by the grace of God that we are here and it will be by the grace of God that we make it to where we are going.

Emily Turned 2-0!

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up.”
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

written by: Eric Schweinhart

photos by: Esther Hyejin Chung