A few days after they graduated from William & Mary, my son and six friends set off on a 4,000-mile bike trip from the beach in Hampton, Virginia, to the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco, California, to raise money for young adults with cancer through the Ulman Foundation.
They spent nights at churches, community centers, and friends’ homes, trying to save as much money as possible to support the cause. They needed to eat a lot because they were 50-100 miles a day, so they appreciated donated food and discounted meals.
I got to be the support van driver from Bloomington (Monday, June 9) through to Omaha (Monday, June 16). I really enjoyed my time with the young men, and the scenery from Illinois, across Iowa, and into Nebraska was spectacular.
But what really astounded me was the kindness and generosity of a wide variety of people, almost all of whom were connected to a church.
Day 1: St. Luke Union Church, Bloomington, Illinois
My wife and I drove from Madison to the church in Bloomington, where the first creature we met was Hope, Pastor Andy’s friendly dog. Andy and church administrator Susan gave us a warm welcome to this blended Presbyterian-United Church of Christ congregation.
Andy chatted with the riders as they ate the lunch Chris and I brought, and he invited us to attend the Scout meeting that evening to tell the Scout group about the trip.
Because Pastor Andy had been traveling and had just learned about our group 48 hours previously, he apologized that they didn’t have dinner for us. Still, he called a few men of the church, and they had a delicious breakfast ready for the group the next morning.
Day 2: Open Prairie United Church, Princeton, Illinois
They rode 85 miles to Princeton, stopping for lunch on the banks of the Illinois River. That lunch and several other meals were provided by Ken G, a Facebook friend who was a member of the Presbyterian church I served in Richmond, Virginia. He wanted to support the logistics of the trip: food, gas, lodging, etc., so he sent me $500.
The crew hit the 1,000-mile mark that day, about 25% of their trip complete.
A couple of the bikes needed repairs, so a few of us were late for dinner, but they saved us food and it was fantastic. The good folks of Open Prairie provided brats, salads, chips, fruit, and ice cream, and they left a pile of protein bars and fruit, along with cereal and milk for the early breakfast.
I loved the sign on the church that encouraged people to follow the way of Jesus: be kind, feed the birds, tip nicely, smile, and more. Thank you, Pastor Adam and congregation!
Day 3: Newcomb Presbyterian Church, Davenport, Iowa
On a very warm day, the bikers covered 70 miles to Davenport, one of the Quad Cities. The home-made muffins from Open Prairie were a much-appreciated mid-morning treat. We crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa and enjoyed another riverside lunch. (“Thank you, Ken!”)
Pastor Kerry and the good folks at Newcomb Presbyterian Church provided us with pizza for dinner.
We enjoyed good conversations with several members as they prepared for their vacation Bible school.
We unrolled our sleeping mats, and the lights were out by 9 pm. Every day, the alarm goes off at 5 a.m., as they try to get on the road before it gets too hot.
Day 4: Home of Ian and Laura, Iowa City, Iowa
Organizing lodging for 65 days across the country is not easy, and our son Matthew asked for help with a few gaps in the schedule. Being a Presbyterian pastor, I used the national website to arrange several dates for this week.
Jenny and Nick, members at our church in Wisconsin, used to live in Iowa City, so I asked them if their former church, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, might be available. It wasn’t, but they reached out to friends from church, Ian and Laura, who offered us their five-bedroom home even though they were on vacation. Their adult daughter welcomed us, and her two-year-old son gave us the tour of the house, showing us all the bathrooms where we could “go potty.”
We very much enjoyed the comfortable beds. We cooked about 24 burgers on the grill and did several loads of laundry. I remain amazed and grateful for this kind and generous Presbyterian family, who opened their home to total strangers. I found myself thinking about Hebrews 13, which says: “Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Ian and Laura were our angels in Iowa City. I am grateful to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church for nurturing generosity.
Day 5: Home of Liz and Larry, Malcom, Iowa
The bikers rode about 65 miles, most of it on gravel. Between Iowa City and Des Moines are several small towns, and I contacted two that have Presbyterian churches. After we lined up a connection in Malcom, the pastor at the church in Brooklyn, Iowa, emailed, offering their space as well. I told her we already had housing in Malcom, and she encouraged us to come to Brooklyn for the town’s 175th anniversary, which included a Kiwanis chicken dinner.
Our housing came through the good people of the Malcom Presbyterian Church, which has only five active members. Two of those members, Liz and Larry, invited us to stay at their home, in their “shop,” which is three miles out of the small town of Malcom.
The spacious red shop building also had a shower and a toilet, for which we were grateful! Liz and Larry welcomed us warmly, telling us about farm life and their family. We enjoyed hot dogs, marshmallows, and Liz’s homemade cake around the fire. Larry asked if we wanted to see a windmill up close. We did, so we hopped in his pickup truck and enjoyed a short tour of the land.
Larry and Liz talked a lot about their church; they certainly have learned the gospel call to be kind, generous, and love neighbors. Larry told me that this was the finest bunch of young people he had ever met. This was probably my favorite stay of the week, giving us the chance to connect across lines of geography, culture and age.
The sunset at Larry and Liz’s place was beautiful. The next morning, they wished us well as the bikers got ready to depart.
They were very impressed with the long bike rides; Larry told a couple of the riders something like: “you boys got energy like fire ants in a skillet.” (Something might have been lost in translation, haha.) Liz texted me a couple days later to wish me a Happy Father’s Day.
They told us we would always be welcome to come back.
Day 6: Valley Community Center, West Des Moines, Iowa
The bikers rode off as the sun came up and were glad to get back on pavement after a few early miles of gravel. (They rode about 50 miles of gravel the previous day.) They rode 75 miles to West Des Moines and the large and beautiful Valley Community Center.
The Valley Church built the VCC as a gift to the community. The church funds the operations of the center, for the good of the community. Valley Church has five services each weekend and thousands of members, and in contrast the Malcom Presbyterian has just five active members. But both congregations are finding appropriate ways to follow the greatest commandment of Jesus: to love God and neighbors. And both reflect the generous love of God.
Ali, the center’s director, met us, showed us where the showers and laundry machine were, and then provided tamales for dinner from a local Mexican restaurant. They were delicious.
After the boys left on Sunday, I stopped at a local diner for a quick breakfast. My waitress told me that she had been homeless for several years, and one summer she was living in her car and hadn’t had a shower in a month, and then the VCC opened, and she had the best shower of her life. She now worships there.
Day 7: Adair Presbyterian Church, Adair, Iowa Nishna YMCA, Atlantic, Iowa
It was an 82-mile ride to Atlantic, and the riders suggested stopping in Adair for lunch around noon. I restocked the cooler, thanks to Ken, and planned to meet the bikers in the park for sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies and Gatorade. Then I looked online and saw that the Adair Presbyterian Church gathers for worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., so I decided to join them since I had time.
Pastor Richard and his wife warmly welcomed me before the service, asked about my travels, and welcomed me during the service. Pastor Richard also prayed for our group’s safety. Most of the 15 people in worship greeted me following the service, and one of them gave me a $100 cash donation for the team. Thank you, Adair Presbyterian Church!
After a good lunch, we arrived at the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic, where we enjoyed the pool, showers, and laundry. Lisa, the staff person who showed us around, is a member of the Atlantic Presbyterian Church!
After dinner at a local restaurant (Thank you, Ken, one last time), we got ice cream, and my son Matthew bought me a cone in celebration of Father’s Day.
Day 8: Hope Presbyterian Church, Omaha, Nebraska
Because the 75 miles to Omaha had more hills than we expected in Iowa, the riders were thrilled to arrive and find inflated mattresses, sheets, towels, and toiletries from the good people of Hope Presbyterian Church.
The riders had planned to stay there for a rest day (and two nights), but after a schedule change, Pastor Mike and his congregation were nice enough to let the group stay there for three nights. And my initial contact with the church said that they would provide a spaghetti dinner, that first night, (while I was on a plane back to Madison) but instead, they had steak! The congregation provided two more dinners and three breakfasts. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” (Matthew 25:35). Indeed!
We started with Hope the dog and ended at the Hope Presbyterian Church. We talked about “Shawshank Redemption,” which is all about hope. I thank God for the extraordinary generosity that we experienced over this week, which gives me hope. I thank God for the strength and determination of the riders, which gives me hope. And I hope that because of this experience, we can all be more generous, kind, and loving in the future.
