One thing I was excited for about this trip and have
definitely enjoyed so far is the random people that I have met along the way.
Almost daily I have a conversation with a stranger about a variety of different
things. I find it so interesting to meet new people and hear their stories. It’s
eye opening to learn about the interesting things people do with their lives or
just in general how different their life is from mine.
On one of the first days of the trip I had the opportunity
to meet Don, World War II veteran who had been awarded a Purple Heart, and his
wife Jeanie. They owned a farm that we stopped on for lunch one day, and Don
really seemed to take a liking to me…but in a way I don’t think Jeanie
appreciated.
A few days ago I was setting up a water stop for the riders
when an older man named Dave pulled over and we began talking. He was acting as
support for his girlfriend Cecilia and friend Bob who were on a cross country
bike ride very similar to ours. Dave was quite chatty and told me all about how
his wife (a nurse) died of cancer in 2007, he met his girlfriend Cecilia (also
a nurse) on eharmony, and all the adventurous things she has done like climbing
Machu Picchu and Mount Kilimanjaro.
The other night I was a bar playing pool with another one of
the interns and a very friendly girl named Bonnie Jean waved me over to her
table. We introduced ourselves and she gave me a big hug. We spent time
together on and off for the rest of the evening dancing; we danced the cupid
shuffle, and I even braided her hair. In the little time I spent with her I saw
she had an amazing heart and just wanted to be loved, but it didn’t know real
love and was looking for it in all the wrong places. I did my best in the
couple hours I was with her to show her God’s love through my actions. I’m sure
I will never see her again, but I hope that somehow I had a positive impact on
her life that night.
The most interesting story of all the people I’ve met comes
from a British lad named Tom. We met Tom a few days ago on our way to Austin,
NV. He just turned 23 and is nine months into biking around the world. He
graduated from college last spring and began his cycling journey from England
in September. He has already biked across Europe and Asia. He’s working his way
across the United States right now, and in August he will fly to Ghana. From
there he’ll bike through western Africa, up through Morocco and Spain, all the
way back home. Our group adopted him for a few days as he rode with us, ate
with us, and even stayed in one of the rider’s hotel rooms. What’s most cool
about Tom’s ride is that he’s doing it for a charity called WaterAid. If you’d
like to learn more about Tom’s journey, or donate to his cause you can visit http://www.aroundtheworldforwater.co.uk/.
Tom, with riders Larry and Greg
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