Well, it's been WAY too long since I've posted a blog on here. I feel super lame for waiting such a long time for a follow-up but I've also been wanting to get some thoughts in order after an experience like Ride:Well to share what I believe I learned.
As most of you know (or at least you who read this know), my summer story did not turn out at all as I had planned it.
And right now, I chuckle to myself because I don't think this summer was what any of us had planned on it being!
But, on a personal note, it was a tough, tough, tough summer. From day one...or should I say -1 (training ride day), this experience was not how I'd planned. I had prepared myself for a training ride experience that would show my fellow teammates how experienced I was on this bike, show them how much training and hard work I had put into getting ready for this summer.
Show them how awesome I was....to prove to them that I was gonna kick some butt on my bike this summer.
Interesting enough, after I took the first Ride:Well wipe-out 5 miles into this training ride, I knew that this pride I had traveled to San Diego with was officially gone.
I knew what this summer was supposed to be about. It was about those people in Marsabit, those people that I may never meet, getting clean water. But even talking about that before this summer carried some pride with me. Maybe I thought I was some super-hero..spending my summer saving the day for these people.
But that's not it. That's not it at all. It wasn't about me at all.
This summer was about team. It was about community. It was about me learning to rely on 16 other people that I didn't know before this experience. And most importantly, in my opinion,
It was about me learning what it means to REALLY serve.
That's what I feel like I really got out of this summer. That's what we're called to do. It's so easy for us to get caught up in the super-hero-ness of Christianity that sometimes we forget what our mission is.
Even if I needed to experience a broken shoulder to learn this, I am so grateful. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve some of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life.
I'm grateful for the people that served us.
*For the people that opened up their doors for 17 stinky, sweaty cyclists who let us come into their churches with 17 bikes and 17 rubbermaid bins of our belongings, with smiles on their faces, meals prepared, and in some cases, cold towels.
*Thank you to the woman who let us jump into the pool at her RV park and sit in an ice chest with all of our gear on.
*Thank you to the man who pulled over on the side of the road with cold bottles of water for us.
*Thank you to the members of the church in New Mexico who wouldn't let us conclude our evening without first viewing the amazing sunset.
*To those who let us ride bikes on the stage at your church, and let us sleep in your children's beds while they slept outside in tents.
*To those who gave us cards, letters, words of encouragement, and support through prayer and monetarily for Africa.
*To those who I may have forgotten in this moment, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Those small gestures have taught me and broken me more than you know and I am eternally grateful.
Thank you for teaching me about what this was all about.
In conclusion, I don't think I can finish this blog entirely without thanking 16 people in particular. To my 2010 Ride:Well team. Each of you played such an incredible part of this summer.
Jacob
Erin
Anne
Chris
Brian
Jay
Aaron
Adam
Chase
Ian
Dustin
Karl
Ty
Crystal
Kate
Theresa
*You all are just too amazing for words. Thank you for the summer of a lifetime!!*
As most of you know (or at least you who read this know), my summer story did not turn out at all as I had planned it.
And right now, I chuckle to myself because I don't think this summer was what any of us had planned on it being!
But, on a personal note, it was a tough, tough, tough summer. From day one...or should I say -1 (training ride day), this experience was not how I'd planned. I had prepared myself for a training ride experience that would show my fellow teammates how experienced I was on this bike, show them how much training and hard work I had put into getting ready for this summer.
Show them how awesome I was....to prove to them that I was gonna kick some butt on my bike this summer.
Interesting enough, after I took the first Ride:Well wipe-out 5 miles into this training ride, I knew that this pride I had traveled to San Diego with was officially gone.
I knew what this summer was supposed to be about. It was about those people in Marsabit, those people that I may never meet, getting clean water. But even talking about that before this summer carried some pride with me. Maybe I thought I was some super-hero..spending my summer saving the day for these people.
But that's not it. That's not it at all. It wasn't about me at all.
This summer was about team. It was about community. It was about me learning to rely on 16 other people that I didn't know before this experience. And most importantly, in my opinion,
It was about me learning what it means to REALLY serve.
That's what I feel like I really got out of this summer. That's what we're called to do. It's so easy for us to get caught up in the super-hero-ness of Christianity that sometimes we forget what our mission is.
Even if I needed to experience a broken shoulder to learn this, I am so grateful. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve some of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life.
I'm grateful for the people that served us.
*For the people that opened up their doors for 17 stinky, sweaty cyclists who let us come into their churches with 17 bikes and 17 rubbermaid bins of our belongings, with smiles on their faces, meals prepared, and in some cases, cold towels.
*Thank you to the woman who let us jump into the pool at her RV park and sit in an ice chest with all of our gear on.
*Thank you to the man who pulled over on the side of the road with cold bottles of water for us.
*Thank you to the members of the church in New Mexico who wouldn't let us conclude our evening without first viewing the amazing sunset.
*To those who let us ride bikes on the stage at your church, and let us sleep in your children's beds while they slept outside in tents.
*To those who gave us cards, letters, words of encouragement, and support through prayer and monetarily for Africa.
*To those who I may have forgotten in this moment, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Those small gestures have taught me and broken me more than you know and I am eternally grateful.
Thank you for teaching me about what this was all about.
In conclusion, I don't think I can finish this blog entirely without thanking 16 people in particular. To my 2010 Ride:Well team. Each of you played such an incredible part of this summer.
Jacob
Erin
Anne
Chris
Brian
Jay
Aaron
Adam
Chase
Ian
Dustin
Karl
Ty
Crystal
Kate
Theresa
*You all are just too amazing for words. Thank you for the summer of a lifetime!!*
beautiful post Melissa
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