Aug 13-15 on the TransAm

We worshipped with Pastor Dan Raymond and his family at Son-Rise Christian Church, a congregation of about 200. They were celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Son-Rise with several testimonials from charter members as well newer members who have come to Christ through the ministry there. As a result of these testimonials Pastor Dan did not preach. The service was composed of songs, testimonies, a Scripture reading, and an opening and closing prayer. After the service they shared a meal together, the highlight of which was fried catfish. During the Sunday School prayer time Curtis, the SS teacher, introduced us to those who were attending. As a result, a handful of people came up to us afterwards to greet us and ask about our bike trip. But besides them we were a bit surprised that so few people noticed us or spoke to us. We sat at a large table in the middle of the gym hoping that others would come to join us but none did until Pastor Dan came to sit with us near the end of our meal. I think everyone was just busy and distracted by the occasion for the service. As Pastor Dan said afterwards, it was a time of navel-gazing. 

Just before Pastor Dan came to sit with us he came over to me and asked me what time we were heading off on the bikes. “Probably sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 [in the morning] would be good.” “Well, we’re heading to Kansas City today and, I don’t mean to kick you out, but you can’t stay with us tonight.” Well that was unexpected. I’d emailed Pastor Dan requesting 2 nights’ lodging and when he invited us to stay at his house he hadn’t mentioned that they were leaving and we could only stay one night. So we were not prepared for that bit of information. “Oh, well that’s no problem. There are three campgrounds in town we can stay at.” “Ok. Good.” The forecast was for light rain all day and into the night. Neither of us wanted to camp. And where would we spend the rest of the day? In our tent? In a restaurant? “Daddy, we’ve met some nice people this morning I think we could just go and ask some of them if they have an extra room,” said Forrest. “Or maybe we can ask Pastor Dan if he knows anyone else in the church who can put us up for the night,” he continued. “Son I don’t feel comfortable going up to the people we’ve met and asking that; and if Pastor Dan had anybody in mind I’m sure he would’ve said something. God knows where we need to be and if He wants us to be in a campground for the night we need to be okay with that. He has a plan, we just don’t know it yet.” “I’m okay with a campground too but I just think we should ask.” “Well maybe I’ll do that son but for now I’m trying to wait on the Lord and follow His lead.” “But that doesn’t mean we can’t ask…” “Son, if you really want to ask, why don’t you ask God.” 

I’d asked one of the men we’d met before the service if we could take some of the leftover fish with us and he was happy to let us have all we wanted. So when things appeared to be winding down I walked over to the food tables to see how if there was any fish was left. As I stood looking over the food, on the other side of the table stood a lady getting her crockpot together to go home. I’d seen this lady earlier and we’d exchanged warm smiles. So this time we smiled at each other again. Then she said, “Hi. Is this your first time here?” “Yes it is. I’m biking across the country with my two sons and we’ve stopped here to worship with you.” “Wow. That’s amazing. Where do you live? From where are you coming and where are you going? And where do you sleep?” I appreciated her interest and answered her questions. “[As regards sleeping] it all depends. Sometimes we camp, sometimes we stay with people who’ll host us, and sometimes we stay at churches. Last night we stayed with Pastor Dan but I’m not sure where we’re staying tonight. They’re leaving for Kansas City so we can’t stay there tonight. I’ve put a call out to the pastor of Hillside Christian Church to see if we can stay the night at his church so we’ll see.” “Well I wish I could offer you a room at my house but my husband’s home sick with strep.” “Oh, that’s so kind of you.” “So what do you do for a living?” “I’m a Presbyterian pastor. I pastor the only Presbyterian and Reformed church on Cape Cod.” “Reformed Presbyterian? I read a book from a Reformed Presbyterian. She was an English professor who was a lesbian…” “Rosaria Butterfield,” I said. “Yes that’s her! She totally changed the way I think about the Bible. And I’ve since ordered the Catechism and a Psalter Hymnal. And we’ve changed the way we do the women’s Bible study because of her influence. In fact, I’ve given her book away to all my children.” What a blessed surprise to enjoy this common ground! I encouraged her to continue studying the Reformed Faith. “I wish we could have you stay at my place… I’ll see how my husband is feeling when I get home.” “Well, I’ll give you my number so you can call me if that would work out or if you think of anyone else in the church who might be able to help us. By the way, what’s your name? I’m James La Belle.” “I’m Amber Theobald.” We exchanged numbers and I left there thankful to be in God’s hands and confident that He had a place for us.

When Pastor Dan was ready to leave we rode with him back to his house and immediately began packing up. I wanted to get out of their way so they could enjoy the rest of their Sabbath and would have the time and space they needed to get ready for a trip to Kansas City. We said our goodbyes, thanked him for his kind hospitality, and headed outside to our bikes. It was lightly raining so we decided to put our rain jackets before heading out. “Where are we headed?” Forrest asked as we stood in Pastor Dan’s driveway donning our rain jackets. “I don’t know yet son. When the Lord gives me the address I’ll let you know. For now let’s head back into town.” No sooner had I said that did I receive a text from Amber. “James this is Amber Theobald from Son-Rise. My husband is still very sick, but we would like to get you and the boys a room at the Holiday Inn Express here in town. I called and there are rooms. Would you allow us to do this?” Wow. What blessed providence. As we rode off, the boys ahead of me–and ignorant of that text, I asked Siri for directions to the Holiday Inn Express. It was 1/2 mile up the road right on the bike trail, Hwy 38. I immediately took the lead and led the boys down the road, pulling into Holiday Inn Express. “What are doing here Daddy?” Forrest asked. “We’re staying here tonight.” “In a hotel? We’re paying for a hotel?” “No. This is what the Lord’s provided for us. Amber and her husband would love to have us at their place but since they can’t they’ve gifted us a night here.” We went inside and checked into our room, thankful for the Lord’s kind provision and praying that He would bless the Theobalds for their generosity. We had a place to rest, stay dry, and get a good night’s sleep. Thank you Lord. Thank you Amber. We sent Amber a picture of us in the hotel lobby with our bikes with a hearty ‘Thank you’ before heading off Monday morning. 

Aug 14

The hotel stay came with a nice breakfast as well so as soon as we were filled up we rode off, getting on the road just before 7:30. My target for the day was Houston, a 63 mile ride. It wasn’t that many miles so I was seriously considering going 23 miles further to Summersville. But, with all the hillls, it would involve quite a bit of climbing; so I planned to get us to Houston and evaluate from there whether we should go further or not. 

We reached Hartville by 10:00 and spotted a Subway. I figured we should stop to use the restroom, fill up our bottles, and grab some sandwiches for lunch. Once we were all set we headed down the road. It’s crazy how many hills we climbed. By the end of the day we’d climbed nearly 3000 ft. That’s like going over a Pass in the Rockies. But here’s the crazy part: we left Marshfield, at an elevation of about 1500 ft and ended up in Houston at an elevation of about 1200 ft. Did you get that? We dropped 300 ft in elevation while climbing 3000 ft! Now that’s a lotta hills! 

Despite the hills, we were making such good time that I was thinking we might make it to Houston around 1:30. So I thought we could push through lunch and eat there. But my left knee started hurting on the climbs so I decided to pull over at Fairview (15 miles west of Houston) for a break and lunch. We were there for about 40 mins, which gave me time to rest my knee and the boys time to play around on nearby haybails. I also called Chantry and caught up on how she and the girls were doing. When we were ready to go we noticed another cyclist riding in from the west. He stopped to say hi and we began talking. He could tell by our loaded bikes that we were touring so he asked for our origin and destination. When we told him he said, “So you’re traveling the whole TransAmerica highway!?” “Yep!” “Wow! That’s great. I live in Bend, OR so I know all about the trail but I’ve never met anyone who’s done it before.” “How about you? Where are you going?” “I’m just out doing a century ride.” “You should ride the TransAm. If you’re already a century rider you’ll have no problem…” We enjoyed a very nice conversation with Cole Farmer and exchanged pictures before he rode off ahead of us. I also sent him the link to our blog. Who knows, maybe he’ll trace our steps one day and visit all the wonderful people we’ve met along the trail 🙂 One thing that blessed me was how concerned he was for our welfare on the trial. He asked us twice how we were doing for nutrition and if we needed anything. I told him we were all set; but I know that if we needed anything he would’ve taken it out of his own pocket and given it to us. He was such a nice guy. Thanks Cole! May God bless you and your riding. 

The remaining 15 miles to Houston were getting more difficult as we went on. My knee was really bothering me. We definitely weren’t going to be able to go on to Summersville today. I had ho idea where we’d stay in Houston yet but I knew the Lord did. We passed through the small town of Bucyrus (about 3 miles west of Houston) and came upon Faith Fellowship Church. Every church parking lot we see along the way is empty because, of course, it’s not a Sunday. But this one had 5-6 cars in it so as we approached it Rocky asked if he could stop and ask to use the restroom. “Sure.” Maybe they can help us find a church in Houston to host us. Just as we approached the front door we saw a lady walking across the hallway. The door was locked so we knocked. She turned to see us and came to open the door. “Do ya’ll need something?” “Yes ma’am. We need to use the restroom if we could.” “Well, of course. Come on in, the men’s room is right here and the water fountain is right around the corner.” Miss Linda had the sweetest and warmest southern demeanor. I immediately felt comfortable around her. I told her I was a pastor and she asked me if I’d like to meet her pastor. She took me to the office and introduced me to Pastor Bill. We had a nice conversation about our bike trip. He was most happy for me that I was able to take such a trip with two of my sons. I asked him if he could suggest a church in Houston at which we might be able to find lodging for the night. “You can just stay right here. We have showers down stairs and we’ll take care of you. You won’t gain more than 4 miles going to Houston anyway.” “Wow. That’d be great. Thank you so much. I was hoping to get to Summersville today but my knee started bothering me a few miles back and I think we need to stop for the day.” I thanked him again and went to find the boys to tell them the news. 

Miss Linda had taken the boys downstairs to the “best water fountain in the church.” When I found them she asked, “Ain’t our pastor great!?” “Yes, he’s very nice. He offered for us to stay here at the church.” “Oh, that’s great. Where will you sleep?” Her granddaughter Morgan, who was with her, began pointing out the futons in the room in which we stood. “These will work fine,” I said. “I’ll take one and the boys will share the other.” Miss Linda didn’t think the boys would fit too well on the futon and quickly suggested that we come stay at her house. “I have a room with a real live bed,” she said. “Why don’t you come and stay the night at my house.” “Well, beds are better than couches. I think we’d like that. Thank you so much.” “Well great. We can have pizza for dinner and watch a movie about a solar eclipse.” I really wanted to get in a good number of miles today but with my sore knee and a kind hostess standing before me it seemed clear that God was telling us to stop and go with her. 

Linda called her husband Leon to come by and pick up our bikes so we wouldn’t have to bike the highway to her house. He showed up in a large horse trailer and, once again, we loaded our steel steeds into the back of an equestrian chariot. She took us to her house, a few miles northeast of Houston, and we enjoyed wonderful fellowship with both her, Leon, and two of their grandchildren, Morgan and Hunter. The kids played together on the trampoline and I visited with Leon and Linda. It has truly been a blessing to experience the joy and love of Christ with so many people across this vast country of ours. Wherever we’ve been, in every state, we’ve met other Christians who, though they begin as strangers, quickly become family by virtue of the bond of the Spirit of Christ. We share a common love for Jesus, a common commitment to God’s Word and church, and a common desire to serve God with our lives. It’s an amazing experience that we’d never have if we weren’t traveling across the country like this and living everyday dependent on God to lead and provide. Furthermore, it’s been such a blessing to see so many retired believers so actively serving the Lord doing what they can with what they have to serve others and show the love of Jesus to all. They stand ready to serve and open to whatever and whomever the Lord brings their way. Good lessons to be learned here. 

Aug 15

I woke up this morning to a knee still aching with pain–neither constantly nor terribly, but noticeably–noticeable enough to concern me. I had hoped to bike to Ellington today–69 miles. That was obviously out, especially with all the hills and Ozarks that stood between us and it. So what’s Plan B? Could we make it 23 miles to Summersville? I had my doubts. While Linda made breakfast I told her my knee was still bothering me and that I was thinking of only going to Summersville. “Do you know anyone there with whom we could stay?” “No I don’t. There’s not much in Summersville and there’s nothing in between here and there.” “Well I guess another option is seeing if someone with a pickup could take us to the bike hostel in Ellington. I could get a day of rest there before going on tomorrow.” “Okay,” Linda said thoughtfully. “I’ll give that some thought and we can ask Leon if he has any ideas.” When Leon came into the kitchen later and asked, “What’s your destination today?” I repeated what I’d told Linda. When I finished Linda said, “Well this is my idea. Leon, how about you take my Explorer to Springfield today and I’ll take your pickup and take a road trip to Ellington today.” “I guess we could do that,” Leon replied. “Boy, if that could work out, we’d sure be grateful.” And with that the plan was set. 

The ride to Ellington was a beautiful one and Linda and I enjoyed some wonderul conversation about the things of the Lord. Except for a detour we had to take around a road closure, we were able to drive most of the way along the TransAmerica trail. So even though we were skipping this section of the trail at least we were able to see it. The road was extremely hilly and windy–so much so that the boys were feeling queasy in the backseat. As we made our way to Summersville it was obvious that I would not have been able to bike those 23 miles today. Getting this ride to Ellington was a blessing because it brought us to a bike hostel in which I could get some rest and it also got us a little ways down the road so that we could at least make some progress towards the goal. 

Here in Ellington we’re enjoying the quiet and cool of the local library. The bike hostel is a very small studio of sorts with a small room for cots, a toilet, and a separate shower. It’s really basic but it’ll keep us dry, bug free, and it has AC. In addition, it’s right next to a large pavilion where we can hang out at a picnic table in the shade if we want. In fact, when we arrived and got unloaded we had a picnic lunch with Linda in the pavilion before saying goodbye. It’ll be nice to rest here. I pray my knee feels better tomorrow because we’re in the middle of the Ozarks now and we’re planning to be back on the bikes tomorrow. I don’t have my maps handy so I’m not sure where we’re headed tomorrow but I know we’ll have fun following the Lord every step of the way. 

Thanks for praying and thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂