583

583 !

It's only 583 days till I begin pedaling from Cedar City, UT to Santa Barbara, CA.

The maps have been ordered and both Jeff and Nike and Jim and Bren have confirmed that they are excited I am coming. Jim has already ridden the pieces of the Western Express route and Pacific Coast route that I will be riding so he is going to be a great resource. He and Bren want to meet me somewhere along the coast and ride toward Santa Barbara or Los Angeles with me.

It is go cool that God introduced me to Jeff and Nike and Jim and Bren. You never know what will come of those meetings along the way.

This past Go the Distance Campaign was successful, but I believe that the total given for the first ride can be doubled.

Please pray that we will put together a more effective campaign for Go the Distance...Again.

Thanks and God bless you!

bob g.

Go the Distance AGAIN in 2010

GO THE DISTANCE...AGAIN

My recent Go the Distance bike ride from Flagstaff, AZ to Gainesville, FL covered most of the United States from east to west but not all. Therefore, in May 2010 I will fly to Cedar City, UT and pedal to San Francisco, CA to complete the Western Express route.

Then, after visiting friends and seeing San Francisco for a day I will ride down the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara, CA. This is just one of the sections of the Pacific Coast route that begins in Canada and ends in San Diego. I will cover 1,158 miles in 14 days! That will give me an average of 82 miles a day. Several friends are talking about riding one of the weeks with me. I hope to have at least one person riding with me each week.

Once again I will be seeking partners for my ride. UFCCH took a huge leap of faith to purchase the current Christian Campus House and I am excited about helping to "pay down our loan" by doing something that I love to do. If you would like to partner with me for my ride per mile or with a donation let me know.

A highlight of the trip will be seeing friends I met out on the road. I met Jeff and Nike on a training ride to St. Augustine. They live in San Francisco. They took 6 months to ride the perimeter of the United States and Canada. They rode over 11 thousand miles! They said I have a place to stay when I come to San Francisco.

I met Stacy from Seattle here in Gainesville at the Millhopper Starbucks. She was riding the Southern Tier route by herself (she made it to Houston, TX then had to fly home to take care of her husband who became ill). She was an awesome resource for me as I planned my trip. We still communicate via e-mail. When she found out about my upcoming ride she immediately let me know that her parents live in San Luis Obispo, CA and they want to host me when I pass through.

I met Bren as I pedaled toward Escalante, UT. She drove past me and stopped up ahead. I stopped and we talked. She let me know her husband was pedaling behind me. A bit later after a long climb I met her husband Jim. We got to spend time together on and off the road over the next two days. Jim and Bren live in Los Angeles and want to host me before I fly home.

This is going to be an awesome journey. I can't even imagine the sights I will see and the people I will meet but I know God has some cool stuff in store for me...again.

The bike maps are in the mail. Please pray for me as I prepare for this journey, recruit sponsors and recruit riders. I will keep you posted throughout my preparations and ride.

For the sake of the call!
bob g.

AK Days 8 - 13: Reflections

Days 8 - 13 -

CAMP!

Camp has been over for awhile but I wanted to finish out with highlights from the week.

WHAT IS GOING ON?

That is what some of our staff wondered as they encountered some challenging kids. We met together the first night and talked about the different situations and we turned it over to God. It was awesome to see God work through camp and the staff to touch hearts. Kids that looked to be a challenge became a blessing. We were fortunate to have a balance. Though there were some kids that looked to be a challenge, there were many others that were excited to be there and excited about the week to come.

PROGRESS

As we gathered at the end of the first full day of camp staff frustration had turned to hope. Progress had been made throughout the day during family time, group games, hang time, worship sessions...that brought hope to the staff who had been so disheartened the night before. God was answering our prayers.

BREAKTHROUGHS

Days 2 through 4 brought about many breakthroughs in regards to relationships with kids, kids trust with the counselors, kids attitudes about camp, each other and spiritual matters. This became very evident in the Worship and Family Group times. No longer were they like pulling teeth. They were now vibrant and enjoyable. This was exciting and we know it was a direct result of lots of prayer and lots of counselor investment in the lives of the kids. We were giving praise to God for these breakthroughs!

IN CONCLUSION

The whole trip was amazing. God heard our prayers and provided us all with an amazing time at camp. Steve and Leslie poured their hearts into this week. Being local they invested so much of their time and money into the camp and we were the beneficiaries of their investments. They didn't do it so that they might be recognized for it (and I am sure they are uneasy as they read this), they did it because they have big, big hearts for kids and they desire to give them the opportunity to encounter Jesus who can rock their worlds.

THANKS

To the team that stepped out in faith to plan, prepare, pray over and lead a week of camp for kids that most of them didn't know. To Brooke and Jacob who went the extra mile to lay a firm camp foundation here so that we could build upon it there. To Steve and Leslie for all that I mentioned above and more. To God who made it all possible and did more than we ever could have imagined.

RIGHT NOW

It's September 24th and we have been home for almost two months. Some dialog has been going on between the campers and counselors, pray that God will use this dialog to keep each other focused on him daily.

THE FUTURE

Brooke, Jacob and Ben will be putting a team together to return next June, 2009. Between now and then there will be lots of prayer, communication, encouragement, advertising.... Please join me in prayer as this team comes together and prepares to impact the lives of kids again at Orton Ranch.

To God be the glory!

bob g. and team alaska