I realize it has been a significant amount of time since I have posted anything or had much communication. For that I apologize. But I hope this finds you well. There have been significant changes for me since I have come off the world race. I am sure that most everyone who came back home after something so intense and life changing will have plenty more changes once they return. Some will be foreseen and others will not. But that is the beauty and adventure of it all. Even when you think you know what is to come, it rarely looks like you expect it.
The biggest and most beautiful change for me, my ultimate blessing, has come into my life. The Lord has prepared for me a bride, and soon Jenny Dawson and I will be getting married! For some this is no news, but I realize that many people out there who read many blogs of mine will be fairly clueless.
I must say that the Lord has chosen to bless me far beyond anything I could imagine. Way back when I was in Peru, God spoke the name Jenny to me. I did not really know what that meant at the time. But several months later Jenny Dawson got off the bus in Swaziland and a friendship began. I was still clueless that this could be the Jenny behind the name that God spoke to me. Then a romance began to develop while we were both in Thailand. We continued to talk most every day via email while I was in Cambodia and she remained in Thailand (anyone who remembers my love of the "Blue Pumpkin" might now realize why I loved the internet so much).
When the race ended for me in Hong Kong, I had prayed many hours about and for Jenny. I knew she still had six months left on the race but I felt strongly that I could not just let her go. The day before she left to go into China, where I would painfully not be able to communicate with her for a month, I told her of my feelings and we both decided to give things a try. The next month was very difficult, I missed her so much. But I felt in my heart that God was protecting her and that what we had was a beautiful gift.
Almost six months later, Jenny came home to Florida. The next day, I flew in to see her. Unbeknown to Jenny, God had spoken to me while she was still on the race that this was the woman that God had been preparing for me, and who He had prepared me for. After two weeks in Florida with her wonderful family who never threatened to kill me, Jenny and I flew back to Arizona as she moved to be out in Flagstaff with me.
God told me to wait until August 1 to ask her to marry me. He said we
needed at least three months to just be around each other. Wanting to be obedient, but not wanting to waste time, I bought a ring. On July 31st I asked Jenny's dad if I could have his daughter's hand in marriage and he graciously welcomed me into the family. On August 1, Jenny and I went to the beach in her home town of Sarasota and I proposed to her at sunset. She cried (in the good way) and hugged me tighter than anyone has ever hugged me before. It took her five minutes to even look at the ring. Eventually she did say "yes" and I was much relieved. A random man walked by and even offered to take pictures at the exact moment I was proposing, so we happen to have pictures of the surprise proposal. It was a truly beautiful moment! I felt that the Lord set everything up perfectly.
The actual proposal!
We are now in Colorado Springs and happily engaged. We will be getting married in January on the beach in Sarasota.
That is most certainly the biggest news of my life and I am honored to share it with you and I thank you for having spent the time that you did supporting me and praying for me on the world race. There is a whole new set of adventures that the Lord is leading me, and now Jenny Dawson on, together.
I write this with great humility and gratitude. Life is a funny thing. One minute you think you are right on top of things. Everything is great. You are coasting. And in a minute you can be humbled.
I realize there are a lot of people out there who have been following my journey for a year and a half now. You have read when the times were good, and you prayed for me when things seemed hard. Since the race has ended, I felt I had a grip on things. I felt I had figured a lot of things out. Maybe I thought I had the upper hand on people. If ever that was the case, I repent of that now. I know that God has a lot of things in store for me. And to believe that I am in control of those things is pretty ridiculous. I have no idea what is coming.
I thought I knew what would happen when I came home from the race. Maybe I thought everyone would hail my return. Maybe I thought no one would care. Maybe I thought all the world needed was me to come around and tell them how things are. If ever my pride got in the way of what God was doing, I repent of that now. I thought coming on staff with AIM was the perfect solution. Maybe I thought that was the key to my life. I don't even really know right now.
All this to say that as of now, I am no longer going to have the "staff" position with AIM. I don't think that anything went wrong. And at this point, I'm not exactly sure why I spent only six months on staff. But God does seem to be saying it's okay now to put my hands to what most people do. That is to work hard, love the Lord, support others, and enjoy life.
I am deeply grateful for everyone who has ever supported me in any way. I know it has taken a lot of sacrifice from a lot of people to make possible what has happened in the last year and a half. Many people have shown faithfulness to the Lord and to me through their generosity. Many people have spent hours on their knees on my behalf, covering me with prayer. It is difficult for me to express how appreciative I am of everyone who has been a part of this. Any previous attempts at this have come up short, and do not convey what it has taken for you to be a part of this.
I ask for your continued prayer as I walk with the Lord, not really knowing where He is leading me next. I really don't know what is about to happen. But I trust the Lord. One thing I learned from the World Race is that my Father is worthy to be trusted. Just because I am not in the poorest country in Africa does not mean that I no longer need to trust Him. Every day is a step of faith.
Once again, thank you for walking this journey with me. I pray that the Lord will bless you mightily in the days to come. I love you all and I am humbled by what you all have done for me this year. Thank you.
I have now been working for AIM for about three months. So I feel an update to all my supporters and friends would be appropriate.
First of all, transitioning back into the United States after experiencing the World Race has been a challenging but good experience. I think that most people have felt like they exist in sort of an awkward in-between-state-of-mind. We have experienced something radical and have clearly been changed by it. So to go back to just the same sort of lifestyle before without at least change of mindset about it does not really seem to be an option, at least for myself. And yet it seems to be difficult to really move forward because, again for myself, I don't really know exactly where to go. I feel like I have hundreds of options at my fingertips, many of which seem very good, that it can almost be paralyzing. Maybe there is a fear that whatever I do, it won't be good enough, or radical enough, or worth people's money enough. I think other racers have expressed the same sort of sentiments. "We are changed!... uuuh, now what?"
This process of coming back has been a big learning experience for myself. It has felt like an extremely slow process and has been frustrating at times. But I know that God is in it. And repeatedly, He has told me, "Just keep going. Its okay not to know. It's good not to know. Just dont stop and do nothing." So I have been trying to move forward. And in retrospect, I know that I have. A lot of really good things have happened. And I really am continuing to grow in faith in the same kind of rapid rate that occurred during the race. But I know that I don't have things figured out, not that I am expecting to have my life solved.
In my time working with AIM, I have spoken with churches and groups in Los Angeles, around Phoenix, in Flagstaff, at the Universities. I have had my story told (brilliantly by Jeff Goins) in Relevant Magazine. I have been a part of organizing a bike ride to raise awareness about human trafficking in which we saw several organizations, an author, and leading resources on human trafficking, share on nightly nationwide conference calls. I have had lots of one on one meetings with people interested in serving in missions. I walk around the neighborhoods near me each morning. Through this, I have met quite a few really interesting people. I have been working with a "mobilization team," which essentially like a recruiting type team, focusing on simply telling our stories, and encouraging others to go and have their own type of experience, encouraging people to step outside of their comfort zones while following after God. We have seen an increase in people who are choosing the World Race as an outlet for serving God. So essentially, we have seen good things happening on the way to meeting some of our goals.
A common theme among racers is that life is ministry, and you cannot compartmentalize that into only a certain aspect of life. I guess it has been a big learning experience to take that, which I very much believe in, and translate it into practice.
So I will be moving forward day by day. I still do not really know much about what I will be doing in the future. But I am very thankful to have an amazing group of people walk with me every step of the way. I am extremely grateful for your generosity with your giving, and most certainly for all your prayers. You all mean so very much to me!
Thank you all for being a part of Team Up, Gear Up: Biking Against Human Trafficking
Here is a video documentary of our travels. It's the thrilling made-for-TV version based on the award winning blog series The Great Bike Adventure part 1, 2, and 3! Grab some popcorn and enjoy!
We made it to Prescott at last and pushed through the last few miserable miles to my friend's house. Her and her husband were waiting for us to arrive and had prepared an amazing barbeque. We gorged that night on beef, showered for the first time in 7 days, and slept peacefully in the warmth of their house.
We woke up to a beautiful morning, and the smell of coffee brewing. The wind fled during the night and showed no signs of coming back, much to our relief. After a delicious home cooked breakfast of pancakes and fruit, we mounted up for our final day. This was the longest day of riding of the entire trip, 95 miles, but was our most enjoyable day by far. The wind was nowhere to be seen, and the long stretches of down hills whisked us quickly back into the valley of the sun. We ate lunch at the bottom of the incredibly steep Yarnell Hill with a man we had met our first day on the way to the canyon. Mike was a local artist, carving intricate murals out of wood for people all over the world. We chatted and shared stories of our travels over the beer he offered us. This place seemed to be a gathering point of interesting characters. I swear Santa Clause himself drove up on a motorcycle with a sidecar that looked like it was from the Cold War. All sorts of men gathered here, the real salt of the earth types. It looked like they worked hard, and loved it. They wore their Carhartt overalls proudly, and firmly shook hands with their dirty, weathered, and beautiful hands.
The sun rose high and showered us with its warmth, which felt good after the icy chill of the previous day. The miles here were flat but quick as we passed through a few more small towns that mark the outskirts of Phoenix. Before long, the sun was at our backs as the traffic of the big city picked up and the traffic lights signaled our journey was coming to a close. Relief that rest was coming soon was met with a sense of sadness that our adventure was coming to a close. The Safeway that was our staging point for our departure greeted us. The unsuspecting shoppers were clueless as to why a small group of cyclists were celebrating in the parking lot. We gave each other high fives, loaded up our gear and all crammed into the truck. We sleepily drove across Phoenix to make it back to my parent's house where we were greeted with much joy, relief, good food, and great beer.
It was not always easy, in fact, it rarely was. But that is what made it an adventure. The painful miles of biking and hiking, the wind laughing at us, the bike problems, were all part of the adventure. I think a life following after God is often like that. It is usually the really difficult parts that were the most defining moments. The challenges are there for us to test our mettle, so that at the end, we have something refined by fire, which is hard to come by these days. I believe life is an adventure, and it should be lived as such.
But making it to the Colorado River was worth every painful step and each weary pedal of the bike. The beauty at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is unparalleled. The Grand Canyon holds this mysterious quality in which nothing outside of it seems to matter. Time, worries, nothing else is important when you stare off into the vast canyon. Being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is like being held in God's hand, you are completely enveloped by it, and you feel perfectly at peace.
As I sat by the river and prayed the next morning, God gave me something He knew I would need. I noticed a washed up piece of driftwood that would make a perfect walking stick. With only a matter of hours to enjoy at the bottom of the canyon, we ate breakfast, broke camp, and headed out of the depths. My knees were in serious pain, so I relied heavily upon my newfound best friend of a stick.
The sun beat down on us worse than it had the day before. We were previously in shade all day because of the canyon walls and the late sun. But the wide open rock early in the morning caught all the sun and radiated like an oven. Even in the spring, the earth here was scorched. I moved a stone to try to sit on it under a slight covering of shade. A scorpion scurried out, following the stone as I moved it, and quickly took refuge under the shade. I moved the stone again, and this time the scorpion hid under my fallen Clif Bar wrapper. Even the scorpions knew to stay out of the sun.
Late that afternoon, we found ourselves back on the icy trail near the top of the rim. It is truly amazing the differences held within such a small ecosystem. Oasis at the river, baking desert, and snow-filled pine forest, all engulfed us within a few miles. We wearily clambered out of the canyon and were immediately met with an icy chill of wind. A few hours ago we were nearing heat exhaustion, and here we were bundling up with our winter clothes.
That night we crashed at our campsite without ever starting a fire or doing anything else. We slept a good 12 hours before we got back on our bikes to begin our journey back to Phoenix. The next morning, we were woken by a bitter chill wind. We unexcitedly prepared our bodies and our bikes for the next 60 miles of biking. No one was eager to get back to riding, as we all desperately wanted a day to rest. But the road called to us, and we found ourselves miles away from the canyon within a matter of hours. We all expected our road back home to be filled with many effortless miles cruising down hill with ease, but today the wind would not have it. We faced 20 to 30 mile an hour winds all day. We crawled away from the canyon at a frustratingly slow pace. Late that afternoon we arrived at our campsite just outside of Williams, AZ, high on the Colorado Plateau. We quickly had a fire blazing and food cooking. Even though we had such a difficult day, our spirits were high. We even celebrated by picking up some Fat Tire beer to bring relief to our weary bones.
The wind died down and we stayed up late telling stories around the campfire. We prayed the wind would not come back at all and that we would enjoy the rest of our trip down the mountain back to Phoenix. We each climbed into our own tents happy that night. But around 3 am, the wind came back more violent than ever. I lay in my tent that morning praying that it would go away when the sun came up, but it only got worse. That morning we tried to get warm and stretch to loosen up before getting back on our bikes. But the wind made it impossible to warm up. At 7000 feet, the vicious wind chilled our bones. As soon as we started, we knew the day would be miserable. The wind refused to grant us passage. Even on one of the steepest down hills of the entire trek, we had to pedal to keep going. The wind blew us around like balloons in the wind as trucks whizzed by at 80 miles an hour. We each hoped that as soon as we got down the hill that the wind would die, but that never came. We crawled through each mile as the wind seemingly got worse and worse. We inched our way into the valley between Williams and Prescott, where the wind was absolutely terrible. It was like trying to ride your bike directly into a tornado. Tumbleweeds flew by on the road and we were pelted in the face with blowing dirt and debris. I think I heard the Wicked Witch of the West cackling away. At one point I seriously considered hitching a ride with a man who saw us struggling along and felt compassion on us by offering us a lift. It was not even so much that I was too tired, but I actually feared I would be blown over and into traffic. The narrow shoulder along this stretch seemed like a death trap. At one point I was leaning 30 degrees over to the right side of my bike to avoid being pushed into traffic. I consulted with the other riders if we should hop on the truck to go the rest of the way. But something inside me knew we just had to keep going. I think God was saying, "I've got you. Just keep going."
After returning home from the World Race, I enjoyed grabbing my bike and riding up and down the streets around my parents Phoenix home. Part of it was just to get out and be able to think about all the things I had just experienced, all the things I did not want to forget. Through the World Race, I had my eyes opened up to so much. I saw things I never would have imagined I would have seen. Some of which were incredibly beautiful. Miracles, divine providence, pure joy, and natural wonders continually amazed me during my travels. But there were also hardships, pain, natural disasters, things I can not understand. But I believe that the darkness is all part of God's magical creation, making the light stand out ever brighter.
These things were etched into my mind. And as I was riding my bike one day I really felt like God was nudging me. I felt inspired to do something big. And immediately the idea of riding my bike to the Grand Canyon and back came into my mind. I had thought of doing it before, but it never seemed feasible. It was always a little out there. But this time, I really thought it was God behind it.
I have always had a passion for the outdoors. Ever since I was a young boy and my dad would take me out into the wilderness camping, I loved being outside. I even celebrated one of my birthdays by going camping with my family. I think I got a slingshot that year for my birthday. My neighbors never slept easy after that. But I have always felt a strong connection with God while out in the wilderness. There is something about the quiet serenity of nature and the majesty of creation that always made me feel close with God. Before I left on the World Race, I spent 2 weeks traveling to national parks around Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, all by myself. It was a fantastic time to just be with God.
I believe that God wants to use our passions for His glory. That's why I think He wanted me to do this bike ride. But Biking Against Human Trafficking was certainly more than just a bike ride. God took my passion for the outdoors and adventure, and paired it with something. I saw only a part of the horrors of human trafficking, something I simply cannot forget. I wanted to be able to tell the story. And I wanted others to react and be a part of instituting change. He paired that with my desire for my generation to get out and have their own experience with God.
Following after God is rarely done with ease. The bike ride was no exception. I was immediately met with a lack of interest, or maybe doubt, would be a better word here. People's first reaction seemed to be doubt that I could even do it, and maybe doubt that it would actually happen. I'm sure most people figured it was just a passing fancy that would never flesh out. In my mind though, I had decided that even if I were the only one to go, I would still make it happen. But boy I was hoping it wouldn't come to that.
After several weeks of trying to get people on board with this thing, I finally got a response. On the same day, I received calls from both Stephanie Fisk and Clay Massey telling me they wanted to take part. That is when it started to gain some momentum. Stephanie really used her passion for fighting human trafficking to get all sorts of organizations involved. It was really amazing to see her work hard on this and see things fall into place. Clay suddenly became our gear supplier and resident mechanic. All sorts of people were getting excited about this in his home state of New Mexico. He even had churches donate about $3,000 without him ever asking for any. A few weeks later, Eric Retterbush came on board and put together a great website. Each person was taking his own giftings and passions and using them to really make this whole event come together.
But the real challenges came when the rubber actually hit the road and it was time to depart. Not one of us had ever done something like this. Most of us were only able to train beforehand just a few days. Stephanie was unable to ride a single day outside because of all the snow in Iowa. She was not even able to bring her own bike out here, but she had to borrow one from Clay. Eric Retterbush's bike broke two days before we left when his derailer (the thing that changes the gears) busted. The local mechanics refused to do anything with it and told him to buy a new bike. So we threw some road tires on my dad's mountain bike, giving us our four bikes.
The uphill and the distance were both challenges that we expected to face. But we met a few foes that we had overlooked or not expected altogether. Hiking the Grand Canyon turned out to be much more difficult than we ever anticipated. We hiked a trail off the beaten path that was much steeper than a normal Grand Canyon hike. For the first half-mile we were forced to pick our way slowly down the trail as it was still covered with snow and ice. Our heavy backpacks and our light tennis shoes made this section of the trail incredibly awkward and even dangerous. A slip on the ice could have us tumbling down the Grand Canyon. At this point, my knees were already hurting from all the repetitious pedaling on my bike. Now I had to hike down 9 very steep miles of trail.
Yesterday, Stephanie Fisk and I had the opportunity to do a radio interview together. It is about a 45 minute interview, and it was quite fun. I invite you guys to listen to it by clicking on this link. Stephanie and I got to talk about the upcoming bike ride, along with some of our experiences on the World Race... check it out!!!
Some of you might not know that we have also put together a separate website just for the Biking Against Human Trafficking event. Make sure to check that out as well.
We leave in a matter of days to embark on the big bike ride adventure! I am very excited about it!!!
Passion: a word we might hear a lot of this week. The Passion of Christ, it is all because of Christ's passion that we have life. We cannot live without it.
Easter is less than a week away. The day after Easter, a few of us will be biking from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. We are doing it because of passion. If you read any of Stephanie Fisk's blogs, you would know that she is very passionate for this issue of human trafficking. She has been touched in a very personal way by her experiences. God has pricked something in her heart that makes her want to reach out to these people stuck in human trafficking. It really has been amazing to see the way in which she is going hard in this battle for the freedom of people she has never met.
I have been greatly moved by what I saw in Thailand and Cambodia as well. But I have been even more moved by the way I see a large percentage of people in the United States live without hope. Many commit their lives to jobs that do nothing for them. Many wonder about their purpose in life. Many chase after the wind because they have not found what gives them satisfaction.
This is not about missions. This is about living a vibrant life full of passion.
I am just a guy who is grabbing a bike (it's not even my own bike) to encourage other people to find what it is they are passionate about. I want to see people in the United States really follow after their dreams. If God has put something on your heart, you need to go for it. Do it for God, and for you. God receives a lot of glory when His children live lives that are full of passion, or as John Eldridge puts it, "fully alive."
What is something that is deep within you that you just cannot shake? Is it compassion for homeless? Is it to fight for those trapped in slavery? Is it for people stuck in addictions? Or even a love of the outdoors? A love of adventure? Sports? Art? What is it that God has ingrained in you like a fingerprint? Our lives reflect the glory of God when we pursue after the things that God has made us passionate for.
I want to encourage people to follow after these things, and to do it in such a way where Christ is at the center of it all. Is there a dream you have had that you put on hold? Did you forget it altogether? Go back to it and dust it off. Look deep into it. God is delighted when His children are delighted in Him.
Cycling for Freedom: World Travelers ride their bikes to fight slavery
How could you possibly react when a monster as terrifying as human trafficking first confronts you? You cannot simply look the other way. The problem is all around, even in our own backyard. Yet it lies in the shadows, behind closed doors. It stays quiet. It remains more of a whisper of evil that most people will never hear. But must not be allowed to continue to destroy lives in secret. It is estimated that human trafficking is a 30 billion dollar a year industry, second only to drugs and firearms. An estimated 27 million people are lost in the hopelessness, forced into horrible conditions where they lose their identity and their humanity. How do you tackle an issue this large?
Team Up, Gear Up: Biking Against Trafficking is shedding light onto one of the darkest and often overlooked issues of our day. I have had the idea that I wanted to ride my bike from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon for several years now. And after I returned from the World Race, when I traveled to 13 impoverished countries, I felt compelled to act. While traveling to these countries, I saw firsthand the horrors of extreme poverty, natural disasters, war torn lives, and people bought and sold into slavery. I felt sucker punched by these issues. How can people live like this in the 21st century? It is more survival than living.
Several times I was offered "boom boom" while in Cambodia. I learned later that that is slang for having sex with little boys. In Thailand, many of the girls on my team developed relationships with girls who would "work" for up to a dozen men a day. The situation was truly heartbreaking. Many of my teammates are still dealing with the things they saw. But a heart moved to compassion can be a more powerful force than even the most wicked of evils.
I will be joined by several others cycling for change, some of them were companions of mine during the year spent around the world. Stephanie Fisk spent time in Thailand, a place well known for the rampant sex industry. She worked directly with some of these girls. She also spent time in Northern Thailand, where many of these girls come from. Families often sell their children into these working conditions, with the dream of a better life. But the dream is quickly turned into a nightmare when they realize what has happened. These are vulnerable people, their lives often at risk if they try to escape. The fact that millions of people all over the world are being forced into dehumanizing working conditions is horrifying.
Stephanie says, "I will never forget their eyes. They are no longer the nameless and faceless. Their stories are etched on my heart and into my mind."
Now that I have returned home, my most difficult decision is where to go for coffee, or what movie to rent from Netflix. But something inside of me has been disturbed. How can I go back to living an ordinary American life? I feel like I am being held accountable to the things I have seen. I can't go back. I have to do something about these issues. Others must know as well.
Beginning March 24th, I will be joined by a group that will cycle 450 miles from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. We will also hike down and out of the canyon. This expedition will take eight days to complete. And we are hoping that others will be able to join us, even if just for one leg of the journey.
Several organizations are joining this campaign. Not For Sale, ALERT, Make Way Partners, Innocence Atlanta, The Well, and others will each be sharing in a nightly nationwide conference call. A representative will share what they are doing and give testimonies, followed by a time of Q and A, and corporate prayer.
The hope of Team Up, Gear Up is to bring awareness and to arouse a response. I believe that there are many young people who truly desire to serve others, live outside of themselves, and be a part of something big. The next generation of believers has an activist spirit, wanting to incorporate change. My goal is to challenge others, encouraging them to live radical lives of love and compassion. Together we can bring love and light to those trapped in darkness.
Biking Against Trafficking is my way of fighting for people who have been robbed of their voice. It is my way of saying we can all live in a way that gives people hope. If you want to be a part of Team Up, Gear Up: Biking Against Trafficking, call in to 1-218-486-1600 followed by the access code 472085# at 8 pm CST March 23rd through the 31st. Listen to testimonies and pray for those who are trapped in human trafficking. Find out more about Biking Against Trafficking by visiting Stephanie's blog. Want to join the ride, but are nowhere near Phoenix? Saturday, March 29th, I am challenging others to get on their bikes and ride. Tell others, grab your bike, and ride for freedom!
Eric Hanson and Stephanie Fisk both work on staff for Adventures In Missions.
For more information, contact Eric Hanson at erichanson@adventures.org Or call 602-316-4449
