Day 15: "Peace, Be Still!"

"Everything is going great, just great." That's what I told my son at 11:30 last night. When I woke up at 3 am with my stomach churning, things weren't so great. The restroom we could use in the middle of the night was 2 miles away, at least that's what it seemed like. I sat in that restroom from 3 am-5:15. When I finally left, I discovered I couldn't make it back to the tent and had to stop at the Port-a-Pot 1/2 way back. I crawled back into my sleeping bag at 5:30, hoping against hope that I would feel better when the sun came up. In my present state I did not see how I would be able to ride 55 miles.

I didn't sleep, just rested, and hoped. I did not want to skip the day's ride; that would leave a hole in my sea to sea tour. I decided that I would try to ride and call the SAG wagon to pick me up if I had to. To my surprise I had a bit of an appetite at breakfast. Nothing fancy or fatty-just some cereal with lots of fibre. I saw a member of my small group and told him what a tough night I had. He commiserated and empathized. Then I asked him to pray for me. He put his hand on my shoulder and prayed.

In Sunday's Worship Rally the minister had preached on Jesus calming the storm. The storm in my stomach wasn't life threatening, but it did threaten to knock me off the bike. Ralph could appreciate how important it was to me to ride and prayed fervently for my stomach and stamina.

I was one of the last riders to leave the camp. My goal was to survive the ride, take all day if I had to, just get it done, and hope to feel better tomorrow. According to my calculations I had 8 hours to ride 55 miles. Surely I could average 7 mph.

I began the ride rather tentatively. "I don't know if this going to work," I thought as I pedaled up the first hill. At the 7 mile mark there was a large hill that I handled quite well. My confidence shot up. "If I can handle that hill, I'll be able to handle anything this ride throws at me. Just take your time."

As I road through the Idaho desert I felt my stomach quiet down and my strength go up. At the thirty mile mark the wind picked up, most of it at my back. What a gift! I cruised along at 20-23 mph, enjoying my strength and speed. I was no longer trying to survive; I was trying to fly.

When I consider my starting point, I would say this was my best ride of the tour. What a surprise! I am so grateful that Jesus is Lord of all creation, and that all sorts of storms yield to his command.