Most of you already know that Phillip and I returned from our Habitat 500 bike ride on Saturday. We accomplished the ride without accidents or injuries. I did break two spokes and one peddle on my bicycle.

Even though I do a fair amount of work for Habitat for Humanity, I seldom give much thought to having a simple decent place to live. When it rains, I simply close the windows, and if it looks like a severe storm is in the works, I simply go into the basement.

Phillip and I slept in a tent this past week, and had reason to wonder whether or not our shelter was adequate on two different nights. The first night, I was impressed with the severity of the lightning and thunder, the duration of the storm, and the close proximity of the storm.

Many times I've been close to storms and I've tried to count the number of seconds between the flash of light and the sound of the thunder. On this night the flash of light and the sound of the thunder were taking place in the same instant. The storm was right on top of us and it lasted for well over an hour. The words to "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" were running through my head. I was spending the time in prayer. I was actually praying for our survival, which is something I seldom think of doing. At the time, I could think of doing little else.

Obviously, we lived through the night. The lightening didn't hit our tent, but the tent did not succeed in keeping us dry. Our sleeping bags were damp in some spots, wet in others, and that was the state of most of our things.

The next night, another storm arrived. This storm wasn't as electrical as the evening before, but the winds were stronger, and there was more rain. The wind pulled three of our four tent stakes out of the ground, and since the rain was coming down sideways, we received a through drenching in the tent. The combined weight of Phillip and I lying on the bottom of the tent is the only thing that kept the tent from blowing away. I spent the next evening at a laundry mat washing and drying all our clothes.

Transportation is another thing I take for granted. I put all our clothes in a pack, strapped it to my back, and rode my bicycle two miles to the laundry mat. I missed supper that evening because I was doing my laundry. I ate some dried fruit from my pack before I went to sleep.

Food, transportation, shelter, and clean dry clothing are some very basic items. Most of us are people who seldom have to think about how we will provide for those basic needs. Yet each time there is food on our plates, clothes on our backs, a car in our driveway, and a roof over our heads, we ought to remember to thank God for showering blessings upon us.

Another thing I often take for granted is good health and a life without pain. On the sixth day of the ride, the blisters caused by too much contact with my bicycle seat, broke open and began to bleed. The most painful time for me was when I first left a rest stop and sat back down on the bike seat. I would ride for a couple of miles with the pain, and then things would begin to go numb. On the last day, I spent a considerable amount of time standing on the pedals.

There is a considerable amount of pain and suffering in the world around us. I hope that my peddling and your contributions will result in some of that pain and suffering being reduced or eliminated. I thank God that Phillip and I both have the health to do the peddling. I thank God that some of you joined in sponsoring us on this ride and I thank God for food, transportation, shelter, and clothing.

May our God, the provider of every good thing, shower blessings upon you and yours from this day forward and forever more.

Sincerely,

Pastor Birk