Ben Skoda (c) one of the tour directors going over using social media. Gunnar Johson and Jeff Jansen.
spent a good day on friday with New Hoper Todd Morris who was on business in the springfield, mo area. he was kind to serve as my driver since i had some time to hang. we grabbed lunch at panera and then he dropped me off at hope community church (love the thread God is weaving…new hope…hope church…present hope tour). once the team was a assembled we walked through introductions. amazing hearts all. as part of our introductions we had to talk about our fears. there was real encouragement that all of us share similar fears…insignifiance…injury….failure. it was a blessing to hear the stories from each of our team members. such incredible diversity and passion for Jesus. Big church…small church…vocational leaders, volunteer leaders…but all committed to leverage our effort to raise awareness for the those devastated by the tornadoes in joplin and tuscaloosa. i mentioned in an earlier post the team has a huge personal connection as Aaron Brown lead pastor of St Pauls UMC in Joplin is on the team.
here’s a quick video from yesterday.
what’s up for today is a early bike to convoy of hope’s hq here. convoy is leveraging the rebuilding in these communities and a major sponsor of this ride. i love convoy’s mission. for those at new hope you may remember our EVO student ministry hosted a concert – Rocking for Haiti – two weeks after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and our students and community raised over $2,000 for recovery efforts there.
one of our other key sponsors is Hello Somebody…Hello Somebody is a non-profit brand that exists to impact and change the world through love, passion and creativity. Their purpose is simple: feed the hungry around the globe. Each of the team members got a sweet watch to help communicate the message.
on another note…Venture Expeditions has provided team kits which includes spandex shorts. to be honest this a huge stretch (pun intended) for the most of us on the team. i’ll write more about that later…and maybe send a photo.
my hope is to share a prayer concern each day…one that the team is working through together. today we want to pray specifically for Convoy of Hope. Their mission…their work…that our (yours and mine) donation will be inspiring gift to them. We preay that the Present: Hope Tour will be a reminder for those we encounter of the damages and cost of natural disasters. We will be doing a 9 mile bike ride with Pastor Aaron today in Joplin. We’ll be meeting with families who have lost everything…please pray that our presence will be a blessing.
please leave a comment that you’re praying…many are looking at my blog…your words will be a huge encouragement to all of us.
blessings!
Looks like a slow start. If you started faster, you wouldn’t have to ride so many miles each upcoming day :o)
Nice they gave you a watch. Now you can tell exactly how long each muscle cramp lasts, or how fast you’re breathing, or if your heart is about to its bursting point!
Just razzing you! LOVE what you’re attempting…and knowing you, you’ll accomplish it! Thinking about you daily on this endeavor and praying for you each time a thought of you returns to mind. You’re quite an inspiration, Tom!
hi lovey…. I miss you BUT AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! I definitely want to see the spandex ~ ha, ha, ha… with you in the spandex. 🙂 praying all the time when my mind isn’t crammed with other stuff. i got a 90 on my theory quiz… now I need to do that in pathophys. we are off to see Sarah… xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo
Tom & Present:Hope Tour Team. You already know this, but I’ll remind you anyway: God has called you to do this thing that is bigger than you, individually and collectively, so that you will rely on His power and He will be glorified in the journey as well as the results.
Many, MANY people are lifting you in prayer these next two weeks – just as Ruth and Melinda have already said…with every thought of you and the journey you are on. May God provide protection such as you have never seen from fatigue, injury, accidents, illness, doubt, worries about home, technology failure, and all the other things He already knows are headed your way to divert your attention from the goal. May He provide an abundance of encouragement, prayer, humility, focus, energy, redemption of time, love, support, pain relievers and Ben gay. 🙂
You WILL succeed, because God will “qualify the called.” You are the stones being dropped into the mirror-like lake with ripples that will reach the distant shore far, far from the place you are dropped. The impact you will have on others, and this world, will be beyond your vision and earthly comprehension. Remember always, that our picture of success is often so different than God’s. Our view is myopic; His is perfect. Always. Go with His love and strength and KNOW you are helping enlarge the Kingdom. You are essential to the plan God has put in motion. Why? Because He called you to do it!