June 25 on the TransAm

Today was a most welcome rest day. The kitchen here at our hostel was well stocked with everything we needed for a hearty breakfast. We ate breakfast, read the book of Titus together, and spent some time in prayer. Rose, the volunteer caretaker of the hostel, showed up for Sunday School just before 10 AM with her contribution for the church potluck in hand. Soon afterwards the teacher (Debbie) showed up and, after her, all the others came trickling in as well until there were 12-15 of us. The class covered a series of review questions regarding the book of Acts. I was very encouraged by how freely everyone chipped into the discussion. I also contributed a few things but was careful not to miss the opportunity to learn from the others.

The service was well attended by a beautiful array of ages. There were several young children, teenagers, middle-aged, and some elderly. Everyone was delighted to be here, showed appreciation and love for each other, and clearly enjoyed worshipping the Lord. The church is looking for a pastor so the preacher was on a rotation with some other men in the area. He preached an encouraging sermon from Rom 8.31-39, reminding us of God’s faithfulness.

During the service they have a place in the liturgy for a Missions Report. Rose stood up and read an entry from the blog of one of the cyclists who’d stayed here last week and asked for continued prayer for the many cyclists on the TransAm who take advantage of this oasis here in Dayville. When she was finished the Elder leading the service acknowledged our presence and I had the opprtiunty to share that I was a pastor traveling the TransAm with two of my sons and that we were very thankful for the hostel and to be sharing our rest day with them in worship.

After the service everyone piled into the fellowship room for the potluck. Many people greeted us and we enjoyed good food and great fellowship. Dayville Community Church used to be Dayville Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) but nearly 5 years ago voted to separate from the PCUSA over it’s increasing liberalism and unite with a more conservative body.

One of the dearest people we met today was Lily. She is 16 and lives with her family just behind the church. She brought some of my favorite things to the potluck today, things like carrot cupcakes, pecan pie, and biscuits. As I complimented her on her baking, I learned that she does a lot of cooking at home for her family because her mother has multiple sclerosis. Naturally, with Chantry having MS for so many years now, we found some common ground and enjoyed conversing long after everyone else had left. I shared with her how very helpful Kangen Water and ASEA have been to Chantry’s MS and encouraged her to put her mother in touch with my wife.

When everyone left we brought the bikes back into the church from outside only to find that Forrest had a flat. We spotted the tear in the tube but could find no way to explain how it happened, especially since it was on the inner side of the tube. And when we went to put in a spare, we discovered that the tire was pulling away from the bead, again without explanation since this is a brand new tire. Given our need to leave early in the morning in order to get over Dixie Pass and our not having a spare tire, this was not good. So we decided to head down to the Mercantile Store to buy a new tire and tube.

But before we left I was thinking about dinner. I wasn’t hungry yet; I was wondering what we would eat for dinner. There were desserts in the fridge left over from the potluck but nothing for dinner. We could have the ramen noodles I bought yesterday (although I was saving those for a pinch). Just then, Lily walks in with a bowl of risotto and a large bowl of biscuits. What a nice surprise and blessing. We thanked her profusely. Then she said her family was going to head to the swimming hole and wanted to know if we wanted to come. I told her the boys would be delighted to go after we got Forrest’s bike fixed. So we headed out to the bike shop and planned to hook up with them later. It’s now 6:30 and they all just piled into the van with Lily’s mother, Sarah. I went out to meet her and thank her for the invitation to my sons. She was very sweet, just like Lily. Her MS has progressed much farther than Chantry’s ever did. She is on oxygen and at times unable to get around. I will be praying for her and her family. She has six children, though I’m not sure how many live at home besides Lily, with Lily being the oldest of them.

Today’s temp stayed around 100 all day and topped out at 102 so we were thankful to be off the bikes.

Three other riders just showed up–Greggy, Andy, and Christian, so it looks like we’ve got to make some room! They’ve been doing some aggressive riding, covering 70-100 miles a day. Guess they’ll be passing us up pretty quickly tomorrow 🙂 I’ll look forward to hearing more about their travels.

Thanks for your prayers and thanks for following. Thank you also for your many comments. I’m usually not able to reply, but we’re always blessed to read them.

Until next time… 🙂