Andy's Reflections on The Ride For Marale

The weather was cold and rainy as we rode the last 75 miles of our journey across the United States. We made our way to the Oregon shore through towering evergreen trees, dense lush underbrush and up and down over several mountain passes. I had not expected this part of the trip to be dreary. I had envisioned a blue skied paradise.

As we rode west through the streets of Cannon Beach, Oregon I began to smell the salt. It was now quite cold due to the ocean breeze, and the drizzle had not subsided. There it was, the Pacific Ocean. I had ridden my bicycle from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and... I didn't really feel any different. I had envisioned this moment to be one of euphoria. I expected a mountaintop experience, but instead I had a "you mean this is it" moment. I didn't really even want to get in the water. I was cold and tired and suddenly let down by the mundane nature of this event that I had been placing on a pedestal for the last 70 days.

It was at this point that I remembered the many timesi had heard that life was more about the journey than the destination. Cliche, I know. I began to reflect back on the past 6 months of my life. I thought of all the initial planning, fund raising, and gathering support we had done. I thought about Walking For Water (what a great day). I thought of all the conversations I had been a part of. All the early morning training rides Morgan and I did. Then I began to remember all the host families we stayed with, all the meals we had been a part of, all the sights we had seen. It all came flooding back and I was a little overwhelmed. It almost seemed like a dream, like none of it had actually happened.

I didn't know how to respond. In that moment I felt allI could express was praise to God for allowing me to experience something like this. In no way did I deserve to be this healthy, wealthy, or blessed. God didn't have to look out for us each day as we rode. We didn't have to survive all the traffic we rode through, or meet as many wonderfully hospitable people as we did. God had been entirely too good to us. In the same sentence, I should add that this trip would not have happened without all of the incredible support we received from our family and friends. I would likely fail miserably if I tried to create a list of all the names of people who helped to make this happen. Instead, if you are reading this, consider yourself thanked! I am truely greatful. I have a new perspective on what it means to be generous and I have resolved to become as hospitable and supportive of the people around me as people have been for me over the past few months.

Sitting back and reflecting on how this trip has impacted me is really tough to do. I have been stretched in many different ways, most of them non-physical. (A word on this... It does not seem that I am in great shape at this moment. In fact I might be in quite poor shape. Only the muscles required for pedaling a bicycle are strong. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, paddling a kayak, have all proven to be quite strenuous activities over the past few weeks.) On the social side of things, this trip quickly took the form of a practice marriage. Morgan, Matt, and I ate, slept, rode, spoke, did laundry, shopped, explored, and played together for 78 days. We shared money, food, and everything else. Each decision had to be made with all three of us in mind. Three opinions, one ultimate choice. We had to ride at a pace suitable for all of us, eat food we all could stand, take routes that we all agreed on.... I had never done anything like this before. In fact, I am generally a fairly independent person. I enjoy my freedom. I can say that I failed on numerous accounts to be an encouraging, supportive, positive part of our team. I said things I shouldn't have, I acted selfishly, and I learned a lot from the consequences. Don't take this the wrong way, Matt and Morgan were incredibly patient with me and we actually got along swimmingly (well, that is). I learned a lot about doing life with other people and I feel that I grew up a lot in the process.

Spiritually I learned as well. I feel more than ever that God is abundantly good and that I am of the weakest caliber. Even in my failings at discipline in spending time with God and placing trust in my own strength and wisdom rather than His, God was faithful. He stuck with me, protected me, and spoke louder than usual. This was a summer for teaching. I continued to feel that God was with me throughout this adventure and can see his hands all over the events of it. He placed us in so many situations that stretched our character and showed us about Himself. Even so, I am certainly looking forward to more of a routine in which my time with God can flourish again.

Another wonderful thing I learned was thrift. I learned that a person can survive quite well on less than $5 a day. This was quite a realization to me and showed me just how possible it would be to sustain a life of travel and adventure on a bicycle. We ate oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and a rotation of pasta, rice and lentils, or potatoes for Dinner. We always obtained our jelly by begging for individual packets from diners we always made the most of any opportunity to eat for free. Waste not, want not. I experienced first hand how a person could be homeless and content. Regardless of your circumstances, you still exist in a similar human experience to those around you. Life still consists of unexpected treats and difficult letdowns. As many people before me have mentioned, "It is all relative"

How about the people in Uganda? Well to this point we have managed to connect enough people to raise roughly $13,000 for the construction of water systems in three Ugandan villages: Marale, Piswa, and Kitany. This is roughly $2000 short of what might be considered our goal for the ride. To be clear, the villages of Piswa and Marale have received the funding they need to begin constructing clean water systems. The village of Kitany is currently $2000 short of this realization.

Advocating for people you do not know is an interesting endeavor in and of itself. For one, it is devoid of relationship on my end. I do not know these people, and short of a trip to Africa, I never will know them. I am satisfied only to know that someday I will be spending eternity with our creator and meet some souls there who were impacted by an ambition God gave me. Storing up treasures, if you will.

Conversely though, when we help people we do not have relationship with, is this a cop out? Am I only helping these people because I am too afraid of the hard work it takes to enter into relationship with the needy people around me? Is this my way to feel good about myself without bogging myself down with relational involvement? These are serious questions I have begun to ask myself. I would welcome any other opinions of the matter. Ultimately I am glad that our efforts were able to bring a number of people in Uganda clean water, and I trust that God will in deed use this effort to bring more people to himself. This much I know for sure.

What is next you might ask? Well, this summer I have constructed an enormous list of possibilities for next summer. Some on the top of the list are work for the National Forest Service out west, spend a summer working in Africa, take a bicycle tour of Europe, buy a small and inexpensive chunk of land and build a small cabin from the ground up, or go back to Camp ECCO. Really I have no clue, and that is how it should be. Immediately, I will embark on the adventure of being a good Resident Assistant in a freshman dorm at Albright College. I am also looking forward to continuing to hone my skills as a math and physics tutor. I am still pursuing a degree in Math and Physics and hope to become a teacher someday.


In conclusion, thank you all again for being a part of this mission. I hope to speak with many of you about the trip as we get a chance to see one another in the coming times.

Peace be with you all.