We Proceeded On...exploring on two wheels.

"I am well, thank God, and in high spirits!"

2011-09-11T07:27:00.006-05:00

“I am well, thank God, and in high spirits.” (Sgt. John Ordway, on Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery) That is the message that my SPOT Satellite Tracker sent to Dan Grafton at the start and end of each day’s ride.

The ride is done. It took a bit longer than expected, but on two beautiful days in early September, I rode 59 miles for the Lord's work on the South Dakota reservations, plus the 9 miles we actually got done in July on the Lower Brule Reservation in the 105 degree heat index, for a total of 68 miles! From a personal standpoint, it is interesting that I was at least temporarily stopped on the reservation of the Lower Brule, or Teton Sioux; the same tribe whose predecessors almost stopped Lewis and Clark and the Corps on their journey up the Missouri River.

This has not been an easy year, or an easy journey for me, and I am grateful and humbled by your prayers and support for this ministry and myself. On the Sunday before Labor Day, I rode the farthest and fastest (25.01 miles at an average of 14.1 MPH) that I had ridden this year. Granted, with a stiff tailwind, but considering my recovery from my brain injury, it was quite an accomplishment. As I rode, I couldn’t help but think of Olympic gold medalist and missionary Eric Liddel’s famous quote, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” As I have healed, I have hoped and prayed to feel that same thing, God’s pleasure with what I was doing. The next day, without the benefit of the wind at my back, I was able to ride from Hinckley to Moose Lake, a distance of 33.85 miles, the farthest I have ridden this year, and the farthest I have ridden since the “Ride Across the Rez” last summer with Pastor Jeff. Not only did I feel His pleasure, but I felt your prayers, as well.

Now it is on to helping with possible Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches with Pastor Tim and Elaine Harris, and planning for the bike trips next summer. We are currently planning another trip, or maybe even two trips to Sioux Country, and have also been invited to return to northwestern Russia, and ride from village to village doing evangelism and helps ministry. We’re looking at next year with anticipation and excitement!

In closing, let me leave you with this quote from Tim Scott, a young friend of mine who is a missionary to the very farthest reaches of the planet; “The time we are given is a quest; A quest to deliver the message of hope. It is a journey that leads you to the end of the earth, into the face of the unknown... It is a moment when you step out of the normal life and live for something more. It is an expedition measured not in distance...but in the everlasting. This is the story of our journey that has brought us around the world, to witness the moments of eternity.”

Thank you for your generosity that helps us support the ministry of reservation pastors and missionaries along the Missouri River, and reach out with the Gospel message to “the nations within.”

Lila Pilamaya, (Lakota for "Thank you so much!")

We are proceeding on...

The Two-Wheeled Explorer
Isanti, MN

Ride the River II: Reaching Out to the Nations Within.

2011-08-03T20:54:00.006-05:00

I was back at my usual spot at Rendezvous Coffee Shop in Isanti on Wednesday morning, after missing my regular “Rendezvous at Rendezvous” the week before. My wife Ellen, the pastor of St. Brendan’s, and I were in South Dakota that week, assisting Pastor Kc and Diane Kopaska of Native American Ministries (NAM), and Pastors Johnny and Heidi Wade, the local Assemblies of God missionaries, in the annual “Day in the Park” outreach, this year to the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in Mission, SD. This is the third year that St. Brendan’s Traveler’s Missions Team has partnered with NAM to reach out to the children of the Yankton, Rosebud and Lower Brule Sioux Reservations. This year’s trip was called, “Ride the River II,” named after the book, “Ride the River” by Pastor Larry Christensen, which uses the Lewis and Clark expedition on the Missouri River, as a parable about man’s relationship with the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Each Wednesday at 8:00 AM, I have breakfast and a brief time of devotions at Rendezvous Coffee, unless something prevents his being there, such as work rescheduling or the annual mid-July missions trip. Normally I ride my bicycle to the coffee shop, weather permitting, in preparation for our yearly “Ride Across the Rez” fund-raising bike ride that is part of the “Ride the River” trip. But this year, all my planning did not include temperatures above 100 degrees and winds of up to 25 miles per hour, from the direction I was going to ride. The Rez Ride this year was to have been 100 miles over two days, across the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations. The day we started, it was over 90 degrees by 9:30 AM. We decided it was safest to call it off at a bit less than 9 miles, rather than risk heat illness. I hope to re-do the fund-raiser late in August on Minnesota’s Paul Bunyan State trail, which ends on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Indian Reservation. Hopefully, it will be cooler by then.

On Saturday, July 15th, we assisted Native American Ministries with their 4th annual “Day in the Park” outreach. The Day in the Park program provides games, entertainment, music and fun in an open, safe environment in a reservation community. Free horseback rides are provided for Native children by Pastor John Kees and our friends from Faith Cowboy Church of Desloge, MO, and NAM volunteers distribute hundreds of pairs of shoes and sandals and other clothing. But the primary emphasis of the Day is handing out student backpacks filled with school supplies for reservation children. Pastor Ellen, who assisted with the distribution, said over 500 packs were passed out this year. St. Brendan’s also provides and staffs the first aid tent, and does free blood pressure screenings.

The Community of St. Brendan’s in the Pines is a Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ (LCMC) house church and missions support organization based in rural Isanti. The house church meets each Sunday afternoon, and also at the “Two-Wheeled Explorer’s Rendezvous at Rendezvous” devotions every Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM, and anyone is welcome to stop by and take part. (Schedule changes are posted on the Two-Wheeled Explorer page on Facebook.) For further information, please visit the Two-Wheeled Explorer and Traveler’s Missions website, www.twowheeledexplorer.org, where you will also find links to the Facebook page and St. Brendan’s in the Pines website

Reaching Out to the Nations Within.

2011-05-28T10:36:00.002-05:00

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matt. 28:18-20 NJKV”

All evangelical Christians know, or at least should know those final verses in the Gospel of Matthew, what we call “The Great Commission.” Yet how many of us take the call seriously? How many of us just see a bunch of words at the end of a book in the Bible? I have heard it said, by my friend, Pastor Bill Moberly and others, that “The Great Commission is not an option.” Yet in too many cases, that is what it has become. How is your church fulfilling the Great Commission? More importantly, how are you fulfilling the Great Commission in your life?

Too often, the answer is, “my church supports a missionary”, or “we send money to (our denomination) for world missions.” Or, more sadly, “We gave canned goods to the food shelf.” It is not that these things are not important, and I am not minimalizing them, but are they truly fulfilling our Lord’s call to “Go”? I honestly believe that every Christian should, at some point in their life, experience at least a short-term missions trip. And before you protest, I know; everybody has obligations and responsibilities. I know, the economy is tight right now. I know the kids have activities that parents need to be at. I know that you have been planning that vacation for a year now. I know, you have to get a passport, and airfare is so expensive right now. I know…I know…I know…

I also know there are needs to be met. I know that you, whoever you are, you can help meet those needs. And I know that there are nations that you can reach out to, without a passport, without a visa. Nations within our own United States, where the need is as acute as in any “third world” country on the planet. Nations where poverty, neglect, alcoholism and teen suicide and years, centuries, of hurt and pain have created an environment of fear, distrust and despair. Communities where Christianity is considered the oppressive religion of the invading culture that forced the people from their land and their own culture from their children; so much so that only 3%, you read that right, three per cent of those people call Jesus the Lord and Savior.

These are the nations that the Traveler’s reach out to. The First Nations, the “host people” of our land; the Native Americans of the Great Sioux Nations of South Dakota. The Mandan-Hidatsa of North Dakota, the Shoshone and the Nez Pierce of Montana and Idaho. Only a month and a half are left before we are to return for the third year to the Sioux of South Dakota, and we, the Traveler’s Missions of St. Brendan’s in the Pines need your help. We need people who can swing a hammer, or pass out cold drinks and student backpacks. People who can install plumbing or air conditioners or make hot dogs and sno-cones. And people who can take a bicycle across 100 miles of reservation roads, praying for the people that live there, and with the people they meet as they travel. We need backpacks and school supplies. Hand tools and building materials. Riders, workers, pray-ers. We need you. The Sioux people need you. The Great Commission needs you. Do you hear the call? Will you answer?

We are proceeding on…

St. Brendan’s Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Friday Rider

2011-04-22T06:47:00.003-05:00

Good Friday. A black bike, ridden by a silent, dark rider, approaches the hill and starts the climb. Part way up, his pace falters, although the hill is neither particularly steep, nor long. He slows, then stops and gets off the bike. He looks up the hill he cannot climb, sees the cross at the top, falls to his knees, and cries.

The Prayer of St. Brendan

2011-03-21T08:54:00.001-05:00

Help me to journey beyond the familiar into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways
and break fresh ground with You.

Christ of the mysteries, I trust You
to be stronger than each storm within me.
I will trust in the darkness and know
that my times, even now, are in Your hand.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,
and somehow, make my obedience count
for You.

--Prayer of St. Brendan

Building a Bike for the Adventure of Missionary Exploration.

2010-12-30T16:03:00.009-06:00

For the past two years, I have ridden my 2006 Bianchi Volpe, known as "Discovery", on our annual "Ride Across the Rez". This year I almost took my other bike, the somewhat more heavy-duty Novara Safari, due to the flooding in Marty, and road damage it caused. Fortunately, the road repairs were finished in time for our trip, but we did experience some soft areas that had been washed out by the floodwaters and recently repaired, and new, variably hard/soft paving on the steep hill down to old Greenwood and the Missouri River. I decided to increase the capability of the Volpe; which was actually a process that began before I even picked it up new, (like the bike at left) from Trailhead Cycle. I chose the largest rack they had in the store for the back of the bike, with touring in mind, added two bottle holders, and Larry, the shop owner, made some adjustments to the seat and stem to better fit me.

When I got it home, the first major change I made was to install a Wilderness Trail Bikes SST saddle to replace the ridiculous, faux-leopard trimmed Velo VT that came with the bike. (The very same SST that is now on the Safari.) The SST is not a bad saddle for long distance touring, which is why it is now on the Safari, but I read so many rave reviews of the Brooks B-17 leather touring saddle, I decided to try one on the Volpe and I am glad I did. A Greenfield rear-mount kickstand allows easier access to the panniers or rack pack without having to hold up or lay down the bike. Eventually, after several false starts, I found a suitable front rack, a Delta low-rider, and ended up with the bike at the stage you see at left, taken in Yankton, SD.

Truth be told, I am not real fond of low-rider racks. Some people like them. but I feel they do strange things to my steering and stability, which is one of the reasons I've preferred the Safari (right), with it's Old Man Mountain Cold Spring front rack for fully loaded touring. With the Novara's 26x2 inch wheels, the OMM rack makes a good combination. Jandd Mountaineering makes the expedition-grade panniers and rack packs I use on my bikes, and they also make front and rear racks to go with them for the Volpe. The Jandd front rack has two possible positions for the front panniers, high and lower, as well as a platform between the bags, where I like to carry my summer sleeping bag. That seemed to be the best choice for a new front rack. The rear rack is almost a third larger than the one that I bought with the bike, so I installed new Jandd racks, front and rear. (The old rack will go on Pastor Jeff's Giant before the 2011 trip.)

The newly "resurfaced" roads on the Reservation wreaked havoc with the 4-year old rear tire on the bike, and shortly after returning from Wagner, I endured a series of flat tires, so I decided to go with a puncture resistant, touring-specific tire, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Schwalbe is a sponsor of both the International Christian Cycling Club and the Adventure Cycling Association, so all the better to support the suppliers who support the organizations we are part of. The Marathon-Plus is a very highly rated, widely accepted tire, and is both slightly taller and 3mm wider than the WTB tires that come on the bike from the dealer. They also roll more smoothly and are somewhat quieter than the old tires.

Finally, I asked Larry to add a taller stem to the bike, bringing the top of the handlebars to the same level as the seat. For touring, this was, according to all of the literature I have read, a more comfortable position than the forward-leaning position found on most sport and racing bicycles, where the bars are lower than the saddle. I found it to provide a more upright seated position, with less neck stiffness.

The end result can be seen at left. (Temporary photo until spring, when I can actually get the bike out on the road.) The bike now has a taller stem, a proven leather touring saddle, larger, longer racks, front and rear, puncture resistant, touring-specific tires, frame-mounted tire pump and a rear kickstand. I am hoping this combination will make for a stong, effective 700cm expedition touring bike that will go the extra miles that may be needed as our "Ride Across the Rez" in 2011 expands to two reservations and the 50 miles in between the two.

We are proceeding on...
The Two-wheeled Explorer

"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone."

2010-12-24T13:10:00.002-06:00

"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone." - Seth Barnes via Twitter, Dec. 22, 2010. Seth is the Director of Adventures in Missions, one of the sending organizations we correspond with. I also like Tim Scott's quote, seen in it's entirety as my profile, where Tim says, "It is a journey that leads you to the end of the earth, into the face of the unknown...It is a moment when you step out of the normal life and live for something more."

Is 2011 the year YOU step out of your comfort zone? I can recommend several wonderful missions agencies, including Seth's Adventures in Missions, Overland Missions, Mission Aviation Fellowship, Lutheran Assoc. of Missionaries and Pilots, and East European Missions Network. (All linked on the sidebar.) Or you can ride with us, the Traveler's Mission Team, on the adventure of a lifetime. The decision is yours. Can you hear the call?

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Two-Wheeled Explorer

Proceeding on...The 2010 Traveler's Missions Trip

2010-11-11T10:41:00.010-06:00

The Traveler’s Mission Team from St. Brendan’s in the Pines of rural Isanti, MN and New Life Lutheran Church of Oak Grove/St. Francis, MN, took part in their second successful outreach to the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation in Wagner and Marty, South Dakota during July. St. Brendan’s in the Pines is a missions support ministry and house church affiliated with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) and Life-Together Churches Network, located in Isanti. New Life is an Lutheran missions plant which has served the Oak Grove/St. Francis area for ten years.

The five person team consisted of Pastor Ellen and Hans Erdman from St. Brendan's, New Life’s Pastor Jeff Bergman and Patrick Collier of St. Francis and Daniel Grafton from Coon Rapids, MN. They worked with Pastor Tim and Elaine Harris, who are Wagner-based Assemblies of God missionaries to the Native American tribes in South Dakota, Native American Ministries (NAM) of Republic, Missouri, and with members of the Yankton Dakota Tribe during the week-long stay on the reservation.

The first day that the team was in Wagner, they took part in the “Day in the Park” outreach that Harris’, NAM and All-Tribes Fellowship Assembly of God has facilitated in Wagner for the past three years to benefit reservation children. In temperatures topping 100 degrees, members of the Minnesota team, and over 120 other volunteers from Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin, distributed clothing, footwear, reading glasses, and daypacks filled with school supplies to area tribe members, took blood pressure readings and when needed, provided first aid to participants affected by the heat. There were also games, inflatable bouncers, face painting and horse rides for the children. St. Brendan’s and New Life! Lutheran members provided and filled over 70 student daypacks that the team brought with them as part of the outreach, part of over 1000 packs gathered by Native American Ministries.

After church services on Sunday, the team helped with clean-up of the armory where many volunteers had stayed and toured local historical sites. The Yankton Sioux Reservation sits on the north side of the Missouri River, and the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail crosses tribal lands. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday team members helped Pastor Harris with various projects on the reservation, including installing air conditioners and screens in reservation housing, and installing a wide-screen television and Wii video game system at All-Tribes church. Tuesday also marked the second year for the “Two-Wheeled Explorer’s Prayer Ride Across the Rez.” Starting on the west side, at Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River near Pickstown, Hans Erdman and Jeff Bergman rode their bicycles to the eastern reservation border, at Choteau Creek, on the Lewis and Clark Trail. During their ride, they climbed a 4-mile long hill, visited the historic St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in the tribal capital of Marty, talked with other cyclists they encountered and prayed for the Yankton Sioux reservation and people. To mark the halfway point of the their almost 40-mile journey, they also stopped and recreated the image of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark found on the trail signs from St. Louis, MO, to the Pacific Ocean.

Plans are already being made for the 2011 Traveler’s Mission Trip, tentatively planned to begin on July 22nd. In 2011, the Day in the Park outreach and the prayer ride will be held at Lower Brule, on the Lower Brule Lakota Reservation, while the helps ministry will again take place on the Yankton reservation. St, Brendan’s in the Pines will also take part in a Christmas celebration and outreach on the Yankton Reservation in December.

The Traveler’s Missions Trips are open to any Christian who feels called to the Native American/First Nations mission field, and is particularly well suited for house churches, mission congregations and Christian cyclists.

We are proceeding on...

The Two-Wheeled Explorer

The 602nd Mile

2010-09-13T23:21:00.002-05:00

Today I reached the 602nd mile! Every mile I ride for the rest of the year is more than I rode all of last year. The year before I did 643 miles. Hope to hit that goal by next week some time. My goal is still 1000 miles before the snow flies. I know it doesn't seem like a lot for some of my friends, but to get back up to that 1000-mile mark, to drop another 20 pounds, to reach for that goal of 1500 miles in 2011. These are important to me.

To celebrate, I wore my St. Brendan's "Trinity" jersey (from Christian Cycling Online) for the first time.

I am proceeding on...

The Two-Wheeled Explorer

Riding to Ride

2010-09-07T08:57:00.004-05:00

Lately, since I got home from Wagner, I find myself riding my bike just for the sake of riding, except when I am doing bike patrol at work and events, of course. Several months ago, I set a goal for myself, and I am almost 2/3rds of the way there. It has been 11 years since I rode 1000 miles in a biking season. (Helped that year by a nearly snowless early winter, where I rode through town looking at Christmas lights on my bike.) After the Ride Across the Rez, I made that number my goal for 2010. 1000 miles before the snow falls.
Moving to rural Minnesota has helped with that goal. There are miles and miles and more miles of backroads and dirt roads out here. In addition, last weekend, we went up to Duluth and started to ride from Carlton/Jay Cooke State Park to the Twin Ports, but found the Willard Munger State Trail was washed out from all the rain we've had. Yesterday, (Labor Day) I enjoyed a wonderful 14 mile jaunt down the Gitchi-Gami State Trail on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Last year I finished the season with 603 miles. This year I am already at 576.
It has helped in other ways, too. My health is better; My weight is down about 20 pounds, my blood sugar and blood pressure are both lower. My endurance is up. More importantly, I have come to realize a spiritual connection in "riding to ride." I think of Scottish missionary and Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, who said, "When I run, I feel His pleasure." That's how cycling has become for me. Each push of the pedal, each mile, draws me closer to God, deeper into the relationship. More understanding of where I am now, and where I am going in Him.
Things change, goals are modified, but right now, if I get to that 1000 mile mark this year, I plan to work to 1500 next year, and then take a team from Yankton, SD, to the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base in Kamiah, ID in 2012; 1250 miles on the Lewis and Clark Trail, visiting every reservation and tribe along the Missouri River. Well, that's my plan. We'll see if that is what God has in store for this Two-Wheeled Explorer.

We are proceeding on...
Hans

Wednesday Morning Ride and Devotions

2010-08-12T10:18:00.002-05:00

St. Brendan's will he holding a "ride to devotions" every Wednesday morning from August 11th, until the snow flies. While the weather is temperate, we will meet in the main pavillion at Wayside Prairie County Park on Co. Rd. 10 (5 miles SW of Isanti, MN, and 10 miles N of St. Francis, MN) at 8:00 AM for a time of devotion and prayer. How you get there, and how far you ride are up to you, but the devotions will start at 8:00 AM. If the weather is lousy (pouring rain, thunder and lightning, heat index over 90 or blizzard and wind-chill below 30F, etc.) we will meet at the Rendezvous Coffee Shop in Isanti. We will be using Graham Cooke's "Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior" as our devotional study

A Sincere Invitation

2010-06-11T10:01:00.002-05:00

We are looking for a few additional people to help with our missions trip to the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation in Wagner, South Dakota, next month. The mission consists of helping out with an outreach gathering, the third annual "Day in the Park" on July 17th, delivering children's backpacks and school supplies collected by the members of New Life! Lutheran Church in St. Francis/Oak Grove (and we can always use more packs and supplies!), two to four more people to do light "helps" ministry (painting, yard work, some light construction and repair) and two or three riders to do "prayer rides" (on bicycles) which we have been asked to do, across the Yankton and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations in South Dakota during the week after the outreach. Both reservations are located on the Missouri River, along the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail, which will be following on our rides. Could God be calling someone in your community to be part of this trip?

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;"

Native American Christian Musician Terry Wildman told us only 5% of all Native Americans are Believers, following the Jesus Way.

Pastor Tim Harris, whom we work with on the reservation, told us Indians can be almost as hard to evangelize as Muslims. Their traditional beliefs are so engrained in their lives.

The cost for the trip is $250.00, all transportation, food and lodging (hostel-style) is provided. Tools, supplies and equipment for those doing help projects will also be provided. The prayer riders will have SAG van support. The dates for the trip are, leaving Minnesota on July 16th and returning on July 22nd, 2010.

Meriwether Lewis wrote to William Clark, "My friend, If therefore there is anything under those circumstances, in this enterprise, which would induce you to participate with me in it's fatiegues, it's dangers and it's honors, believe me there is no man on earth with whom I should feel equal pleasure in sharing them with yourself."

I extend that same invitation to you. Please pray about it. You can e-mail any questions or comments to me.

Blessings,
The Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2010: The Preparation Begins

2010-02-26T10:51:00.002-06:00

The time has come for us to start preparing for the 2010 trip to the Yankton and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations. This year we are praying for a bigger team; at least four bicyclists, and for six team members who will help with light construction and maintenance on homes around the Yankton Reservation. In addition, we are praying for 100 school backpacks for the children, and all of the items that go into them. We already have already received six packs, so there are only 94 to go!

This year the bicyclists have been tasked with two "prayer rides", one each across the Yankton and Lower Brule reservations. In addition, the bike team will carry tools to do light help projects along the way, and will be doing a special restoration project on the campus of the Indian School where we will be staying. (The Lower Brule ride may involve an overnight.)

We will also be helping out with the "Day in the Park" gathering on Saturday, July 17th, so we will leave Minnesota on Friday, July 16th. We'll be returning on Thursday the 22nd. Please pray about joining us as we once again Journey to another nation, within the borders of America.

We are proceeding on...
Hans, the Two Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2009: Merry Christmas!

2009-12-20T22:45:00.003-06:00

Since July, we have made a continuing commitment to All Tribes Fellowship and Pastor Tim and Elaine Harris in Wagner, SD. For Christmas, that came in the form of collecting and sending 32 Christmas gift shoeboxes for teenagers on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Today, for the Christmas celebration, there were about 160 people at All Tribes Fellowship, with shoeboxes and other gifts from Missouri, Wisconsin and our church, New Life! Lutheran. Here is what it looked like in the sanctuary before the service: (Our boxes are in the big pile on the left, which continued around the corner, out of the photo.) It was a wonderfully successful celebration. On behalf of the Harris', All Tribes Fellowship and ourselves, "pidamayaye ye!" (Thank you in Dakota.)

Just to help you plan ahead, we are looking at going out to the reservation the third week of July with a team that will do helps work on homes and community buildings on the reservation and a smaller team that will do "prayer rides" across the Yankton and Lower Brule reservations. The riders will also take part in the work teams when they are not on the bikes. In addition, we will be collecting and filling as many children's school book backpacks as we can, to be given away at the 3rd Annual "Day in the Park" outreach. Please pray about joining us in whatever way you can. We start preparing for The Journey 2010 on January 4th!

"Pidamayaye ye" and have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

We are proceeding on...

Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2009: I Ride the River.

2009-08-26T17:56:00.005-05:00

I have to admit that I did not have a clue what I was going to do when I got there. First aid, yeah, no biggie. I do that all the time at sporting events and on trail patrol. But why was I on my way to the Yankton Sioux Reservation with no team, no support? Just some vague notion, as Sgt. John Ordway said of the Corps of Discovery, that “the Missouri calls.” Indeed, so strong was that calling on my heart that I broke into sobs when I first saw the big river in Yankton. Quoting Lewis himself, “The road took us to...the waters of the mighty Missouri...I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years."

Originally, the plan had been to ride our bikes from Yankton, on the Missouri River, to Wagner, about 50 miles northwest, as much as possible along the Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail, then veering north at Springfield, to Wagner. There were a couple of problems with that; One, I was alone. Two, I did not realize that Yankton, despite it’s name, is not in the borders of the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Still I decided to try riding back and forth on the trail, collecting my car each time and moving it forward, then riding forward and back to the car. That lasted two times. I load my gear on my Bianchi Volpe, “Clark”, (named after William Clark) and rode from Yankton to Gavin’s Point Dam, and Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area on the beautiful Auld-Brokaw Trail, then from the dam to the end of the recreation area and back. It was all on a very nice trail, but the back-and-forth bit was kind of draining. We had planned to have a SAG van and driver with the team, but now the van was mine, the driver was me and I was the team. Then, as I was sitting in a shelter at the west end of the state park, eating my lunch and resting, the Lord put a thought into my head; Two words, “Prayer Ride”. In other words, don’t ride to the reservation, ride across it, praying in the Spirit as I go. What a concept!

I pedaled back to my van at the main rec area parking lot, energized not to push through, but to scout the trail, plan the course, then go to Wagner and take part in the ministry there. Once again, I was proceeding on…

As I started my “scouting trip” from the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, I came across two cyclists who were traveling the same route that I had planned, struggling up the six mile hill from Lewis and Clark Lake. Other than that, the route seemed pretty tame. Then, as I crossed Choteau Creek and entered the actual reservation, I started seeing groups of riders dressed in matching blue jerseys, more and more of them as I drove into Wagner. They were the college-aged riders from Bike and Build, an organization that “raises funds for affordable housing projects- Over six seasons, Bike & Build has contributed $1,643,145 to housing groups to fund projects planned and executed by young adults”. Still dressed in my L&C Trail jersey and bike shorts, I stopped and chatted with them about their trip…and another piece of the puzzle fell into place, but I wouldn’t know that for several hours. Parting from the B&B riders, two short blocks took me to All Tribes Fellowship Assembly of God, my base for the weekend. I met Elaine Harris and a number of others whom I would be working with at the “Day in the Park” the next day. But Pastor Tim was till “out in the field” working with other volunteers who had arrived up to a week previous, and were doing “helps projects” out on the reservation. Another piece fell into place. The Harris’ invited me to stay in their home, and even let me bring Clark into the house for safe keeping

The Day in the Park was a huge success! Over 800 people came and enjoyed a beautiful day, music, ministry and fun! We had a Prayer Ministry booth next to the health/medical booth. I did first aid (Nothing major.) and took blood pressures. We had free food, bounce houses for the many, many kids, and gave away over 350 book/backpacks, thousand of diapers, sweaters, hats, reading glasses and much more. Local Native American Christian musicians gave a free concert. The biggest blessing was that the tribal elders have asked Harris' to do this again next year. We, the Travelers have been invited by the youth pastor (with a very moving testimony) to come back next year and do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation, as well as the Yankton Rez. We have also been asked to bring team members to do helps ministry the days before next year's event, and not unlike the Build and Bike riders, we Travelers will be able to help in those projects, too. I also got to know KC Kopaska, who’s “Native American Ministries” was one of the sponsors of Day in the Park, and with whom we hope to be working with more in the future.

The next day, it would be time to begin the journey home. But first, I rode my bike from Harris’ house to All-Tribes Assembly for church. I was blessed by the testimonies that were offered about the events the day before, and then enjoyed a hearty meal of Indian frybread and salad, and got to know more of the people in that community of Believers. Finally the time came, and we loaded Clark into the back of Pastor Tim’s truck, and headed off to the west side of the reservation. We took my van and parked it in the abandoned town of Greenwood, on the Missouri River, then Tim and Elaine took me up to the point where the main road, SD Hwy. 46 crossed the road into Marty, the tribal capital, then down into old Greenwood. We said our good-byes, and I promised to be back next year if not sooner. As the wind, which had been blowing cool air from the NW all week, now howled hot wind from the south…the direction I was headed. I got started riding and started praying and singing. On a 15-mile ride that should have taken an hour or so, three hours later, hot and tired I pulled up to the van in Greenwood. On the way, I had enjoyed the kindness of strangers, including Sister Pat, a nun at the convent at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, the first Christian church in the Dakotas, and Wes Faust and his family, both of whom filled my bottle with ice water on that hot and windy day. (Wes also took the pictures of me riding my bike. Thanks, Wes!) I prayed and I rode, and realized that I have met some wonderful, amazing people, both Native American and white, and heard some awesome testimonies. I met a neat retired gentleman, Tim Yaw, who travels from event to event doing prayer ministry. I've seen other people who have traveled hundreds of miles to get outside of their comfort zone and help those in need. I have seen the need, first hand, as I did that "Prayer Ride" across the Yankton Reservation. And I know that I will be back. The Sioux Nation is my new Karelia. (Of course, if God opened the door for me to go back to Petrozavodsk and rural Karelia, I would go. I love Northwestern Russia and her people.) Right now this is the direction where I am called and I will go back, hopefully with a team that will do "Prayer Rides and Practical Ministry". (This is our new theme.) For as many as three days before the Day in the Park, people from as far away as Florida set about the task of painting, rebuilding, plumbing, lawn care, even traveling hundreds of miles to find as many children's school backpacks as possible, as far away as Sioux Falls. And I've seen the joy in the faces of over 350 Native children when they received their very own backpack, filled with school supplies.

We have been invited to return. We have been invited to do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Reservation, in addition to the Yankton Rez again. We have been invited to hammer nails, paint walls and pray for those who are in need...and there are many. The third week of July 2010; Put it on your calendar now, and pray about it. I'm going back there, and I hope you will be with me.

This Traveler is proceeding on...

The Journey 2009: Preparation

2009-07-29T19:38:00.005-05:00

Tim Scott, the adventuring missionary of TBN’s “Travel the Road” put it in one of the best descriptions I have ever heard; “You get one pass at life, to live and become all that you can. To adventure beyond your reach and discover who you are. The time we are given is a quest; A quest to deliver the message of hope. It is a journey that leads you to the end of the earth, into the face of the unknown. It is a life lived for ideals, for the road is uncertain and the dangers are real. It is a moment when you step out of the normal life and live for something more. It is an expedition measured not in distance...but in the everlasting. This is the story of our journey that has brought us around he world, to witness the moments of eternity.” This Journey began in 1997, when another one ended, but it had its roots in the history of this nation, and the first time I heard the story of Lewis and Clark and their great journey up the Missouri River. It was a journey that forever changed me, and how I looked at missions; One where I discovered you can go to another culture, indeed another nation, and never leave our shores. You don’t need airfare; you don’t even need a passport. All you really need is to confirm the call…and go.

After BIKERussia ended, I kept looking for a chance to go back to Karelia, which I had come to dearly love. The door never seemed to open for me, until late in 2008, when EEMN director Bill Moberly invited me to go to Petrozavodsk in the dead of winter; January, 200 miles from the Arctic Circle. I’m a winter person. I thrive in the cold. I had sources of clothing and gear that I knew could benefit the team. My pastors and friends agreed that it sounded like a missions trip made just for me. I signed up to return to Russia. One by one, the rest of the team dropped out. The trip was not meant to be, and it never happened. I was bummed.

Facebook ™ is an interesting phenomenon. All sorts of people can contact you and read all about, some of whom you may know, and others that you haven’t a clue about. Early this year Overland Missions, an organization which I support, announced on Facebook that they would hold a missions conference at an undisclosed location on a Native American reservation in the American west. Using the GPS coordinates that are the only clue they give to the conference location, I found out that it would be held at a location near the Lewis and Clark Trail, long a route that I wanted to travel. In response to Overland’s post, there was a post on Facebook by Elaine Harris, who with her husband, Pastor Tim, are Assemblies of God missionaries, asking for help with “A Day in the Park”, an outreach planned for the middle on July on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The Yankton Sioux were the first of the Sioux that Lewis and Clark encountered on their “Voyage of Discovery”. All of these “coincidences” stirred something in my heart, because about five years ago, I had the idea of taking a team on bikes over Lewis and Clark’s infamous snowy September passage trail through the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base at Kamiah, Idaho. I looked at a map, and the Yankton Reservation also lies on the L&C Trail. Slowly the idea, the vision started to unfold; Build a team, take them to the Yankton Rez for a “shakedown” training trip, then take a smaller team out to the Overland location (Which I am still not divulging because it has not taken place yet.) and take part in that outreach. Well, that was my vision, or so I thought. But I can’t see with God’s eyes. I responded to Elaine, that maybe we could help; after all we are only one state away from there. She replied that they would welcome our team, and we could help in the areas of First Aid and Prayer Ministry. I set about doing what I thought was “God stuff.” (Shows what I know.)

To make a long story very short, the Overland Missions conference was moved back a week, because it was supposed to coincide with a large Native American/First Nations Pow-Wow at the same location, and we already had our annual summer vacation bought and paid for on that new weekend. In addition, the “team” started shrinking from 12 members to 6, to 3 to just me. Summer work schedules, doubts about cycling ability, and funding problems all took their toll, and by the middle of June, it looked like I was heading to Yankton alone. I e-mailed Tim and Elaine and asked if they still wanted me to come as an “army (or “corps”, as in Corps of Discovery) of one. They replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes.” As long as they were in agreement, I was at peace with that. Ultimately, it took me more than a little while to realize that, just as Jefferson had sent Lewis and Clark to explore and open up the west for the many that would follow, God was sending me under the leadership of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to explore doors that would be opening in the future for ministry among the Sioux.

The day I was to leave, I was running typically late, and even doubting whether I really should go. My friend and brother in Christ, Larry at Trailhead Cycle in Champlin, MN, had adjusted, tuned and “tweaked” my Bianchi Volpe road bike, affectionately named, “Clark” after William Clark, so that it was in it’s best running condition ever. I had picked it up at his shop the night before. My emergency medical gear, guidebooks, maps, GPS, and anything else I thought I might need were finally loaded in the van and ready to go. I called Ellen, ranting about the delays, and letting her know I was finally on my way. Less than five minutes later, I called her back, and fighting the big lump in my throat, told her I was okay and everything was going to be fine. She asked why, and I told her... As I headed down the road from our house, asking God and myself if I was really supposed to be doing this, He gave me the confirmation I needed; A Bald Eagle flying low over the road before me. The Traveler was proceeding on The Journey.

The Journey 2009: Homeward Bound

2009-07-20T08:34:00.004-05:00

Greetings to all of the friends and prayer partners of the Two-Wheeled Explorer,

There is so much to write and so much to process. I have seen and experienced much that has changed the way I think about missions, and how I believe we will do this kind of a trip in the future. I have seen God at work in the hearts of the Yankton and Lower Brule Sioux.

I have met some wonderful, amazing people, both Native American and white, and heard some awesome testimonies. I met a neat retired gentleman who travels from event to event doing prayer ministry. I've seen other people who have traveled hundreds of miles to get outside of their comfort zone and help those in need. I have seen the need, first hand, as I did a "Prayer Ride" across the Yankton Reservation. And I know that I will be back.The Sioux Nation is my new Karelia. (Of course, if God opened the door for me to go back to Petrozavodsk and rural Karelia, I would go. I love Northwestern Russia and her people.) Right now this is the direction where I am called and I will go back, hopefully with a team that will do "Prayer Rides and Practical Ministry". (Our new theme.) For as many as three days before the Day in the Park, people from as far away as Florida set about the task of painting, rebuilding, plumbing, lawn care, even traveling hundreds of miles to find as many children's school backpacks as possible, as far away as Sioux Falls. And I've seen the joy in the faces of over 350 Native children when they received their very own backpack, filled with school supplies.

We have been invited to return. We have been invited by a Native American youth pastor with a very stirring testimony, to do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Reservation, in addition to the Yankton Rez again. We have been invited to hammer nails, paint walls and pray for those who are in need...and there are many.The third week of July 2010. Put it on your calendar now, and pray about it. I'm coming back here, and I hope you will be with me.

I'm at home now, after a short stop at the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center across the Missouri River from Yankton. (That would be Nebraska.) As I said, there is much to process, much to write about, and I will post it to this blog as I do so.Thank you all for your prayers and your support.

I am proceeding on...

Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2009: A Day in the Park with the Yankton Sioux.

2009-07-18T19:48:00.005-05:00

The Day in the Park was a huge success! Over 800 people came and enjoyed a beautiful day, music, ministry and fun! We had a Prayer Ministry booth next to the health/medical booth. I did first aid (Nothing major.) and took blood pressures. We had free food, bounce houses for the many, many kids, and gave away over 350 book/backpacks. The biggest blessing was that the tribal elders have asked Harris' to do this again next year. We, the Travelers have been invited to come next year and do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation. We have also been asked to bring a team to do helps ministry the day before next year's event. More tomorrow, when I can get on the net with my computer again.

Proceeding on,

Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2009: Yankton, SD

2009-07-12T22:53:00.001-05:00

The day has almost come. On Wednesday I will be on my way. An army of one, or shall we say, a "corps" (As in "Corps of Discovery" ) of one. In the words of Meriwether Lewis, I am, ..."proceeding on" to the Yankton Sioux Reservation and Wagner, SD. Part of the this trip will be ministering and providing first aid at an event in Wagner, "A Day in the Park", on Saturday, hosted by All Tribes Fellowship, an Assemblies of God mission church there.The other part will be the two-wheeled equivalent of a prayer walk. I plan to bike across the Yankton Sioux Reservation on Friday, "if nothing prevents". I hope that I might be accompanied by a pastor friend from down there, whom I got into biking while he was in seminary a few years back. But if it is God's plan for me to ride on alone, I am at peace with that.

Please keep me in your prayers. I will update both my "Two-Wheeled Explorer" Facebook page and blog. The easiest way to get to them is to go to www.twowheeledexplorer.org and scroll down to the Facebook and Blogger links.

Thank you in advance for standing with me on this journey, and I look forward to telling you about the trip when I return.

Blessings. Proceeding on...
Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey, 2009: The Retreat

2009-06-05T11:58:00.007-05:00

I know it looks like the same picture, because I am wearing the same shirt and helmet I was wearing last year, but it is almost a year later, and on my other touring bike, the Bianchi Volpe I call, "Clark", after one of my heroes, William Clark. (The Novara Safari in last year's picture, is called, "Lewis", by the way.)

I needed to get away. I needed to think and pray. I needed to "take my brain out, hang it on a limb and let it air out" as an old EMT instructor of mine used to say. May was a very stressful month for me, between work, volunteer stuff (like coordinating EMS coverage for a marathon race) and my business, plus putting together a team that seems to not want to be put together. Some, like my wife or her Bible school instructor Dave, like to go to a retreat center Like Pacem in Terris or The Wilderness Fellowship, (both of which are marvelous places which I strongly recommend) but I find solace and introspection in the ride, as well as the time. The ride to, in this case Willow River State Forest campground, prepares me for the time of respite. The ride back prepares me for the road ahead, which, when you consider I battled winds of 16 to 22 MPH, is an interesting metaphor.

Once again, I went back to my favorite devotional book, "Ride the River" by Dr. Larry Christensen. I was led to read the chapter, "The Candidates". Like Lewis and Clark, we had no shortage of people who said they wanted to go on this trip. Like the church, we had a real problem with getting them to commit to the enterprise. I was reminded to put this in God's hands, not mine, and also to look beyond the doors of New Life! Lutheran Church. So there it is. I am posting this in hope that God will lead someone to read it and lead their heart to be part of the team. I will go it alone, if that's what He tells me to do, but I hope that He has the right people committing, coming and ready to roll. To step up to the plate, or the handlebars as it were, and travel the road for the Lord.

We proceeded on...

The Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Traveler's Mission Trip to Wagner, SD, (Yankton Sioux Reservation) July 16-20, 2009

2009-05-28T08:56:00.008-05:00

The logistics to run a bicycle missions expedition are often daunting: arranging ministry contacts, prepping the bikes, training the riders, planning the route, purchasing food/supplies, traveling days to get to your destination... But, once you start to minister the Word of God, the Holy Spirit comes over you and through you, Christ reaches the heart of others . Christ said to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." We have been given the Great Commission to reach the world for Christ. There is a time to decide whether or not you are called to be part of this mission, and now is that time. There is a lot of work that needs to be done; Fund-raising, trip planning and team training (As Lance Armstrong said, "It's not about the bike.") and we have a very limited time to do it in. If you decide to be part of this outreach, you are committing to be an active part of the entire process; raising funds for yourself and the team, planning the trip and training spiritually, emotionally, practically as well as physically. Come and live the adventure. Be part of the Great Commission and reach the world for Jesus Christ. If God is calling you to be one of the Travelers, e-mail traveler@twowheeledexplorer.org for an application and more information. Applications must be turned in by June 7th to be part of the team.

We are proceeding on...
Two Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2009: A fresh start.

2009-05-21T10:14:00.002-05:00

We are getting ready to travel the road ourselves. "We" are the Traveler's Bicycle Missions Team, a joint ministry of New Life Lutheran Church and St. Brendan's in the Pines. Right now the team stands at four; Pastor Jeff, Amy and Samantha C. and myself. We hope to have a team of six make the journey from Yankton, SD to Wagner by bicycle. Follow the Journey here, and see how we prepare for The Journey.

The Journey 2008: Travel the Road

2008-09-02T09:45:00.006-05:00

"You get one pass at life, to live and become all that you can. To adventure beyond your reach and discover who you are. The time we are given is a quest; A quest to deliver the message of hope. It is a journey that leads you to the end of the earth, into the face of the unknown. It is a life lived for ideals, for the road is uncertain and the dangers are real. It is a moment when you step out of the normal life and live for someting more. It is an expedition measured not in distance...but in the everlasting. This is the story of our journey that has brought us around he world, to witness the moments of eternity."

Tim Scott, Travel the Road - Season 3; "Eternity: To the ends of the earth."

"Travel the Road" is a TV show (on TBN) and the ministry of two young men, Tim Scott and Will Dekker, who take the Word of God where it has never been preached before, from Tibet to Somalia; Africa to the Amazon. We support their ministry, and we urge you to prayerfully consider doing so as well, through the links located above or at right.

Tim and Will are living The Journey.

They and we proceeded on...

Two Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2008 - The Sermon

2008-07-31T08:27:00.015-05:00

(Delivered at New Life! Lutheran Church, Oak Grove, MN, July 30, 2008)

Most of you know that I am an avid bicyclist, who has ridden as much as 1200 miles in a year…but that was ten years ago. Some of you may also know that I am a big admirer of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and have been a student of explorations of the Corps of Discovery for many years. One of these days, hopefully, I am going to combine those two interests, and ride the trail advertised on the back of this (Adventure Cycling, Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail) t-shirt, perhaps even with some of you along on the trip. I already have the maps, the trail guides, and, of course, the bikes. It will be a journey; a journey of discovery. And it will be a journey I take only if it is God’s plan for me to do so.

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about the journey that God has set us on, the journey that has, among other things, brought us here to New Life! Each one of us is on a journey like that. God has a plan for us, and part of our journey as Christians is to discover and follow that plan, so that we can, as scripture states, have life more abundantly.

This month, the theme of my daily devotions has been that of “pilgrimage”. To an extent, we are all pilgrims on a journey, but where is that journey taking us? Do we know where we are going? Do we know if we are even on the right path? We can know. We can know what God’s plan is for us. God has given us a map, a guidebook and he has even sent us guides to lead the way!

Probably my absolute favorite devotional book is Dr. Larry Christenson’s “Ride the River” of which I recently gave Pastor Jeff a copy, and I hope to use for a bible study here, this fall. Using the journey of Lewis and Clark as a modern-day parable, Dr. Christenson, one of the early leaders in the Lutheran Renewal community, shows how we can know and follow God’s will for our lives; how we can “ride the river” to the destination God has planned for each of us.

Using the relationship between Lewis and Clark and President Thomas Jefferson, and also their command of the Corps of Discovery as a model, we can know that God has a special, specific plan for each believer’s life’s journey. When Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase, he gave them very specific instructions: “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by its course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean as may offer the most direct & practicable water route across this continent, for the purposes of commerce,” God’s instructions to us are no less specific. We are to explore, map and follow the unexplored territory that God has set before each of us. Just as Thomas Jefferson paid 15-million dollars for the unexplored Louisiana territory, God has paid for our “unexplored territory” our lives, with the precious blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

One of the remarkable things about Lewis and Clark’s command, was the fact that they functioned, possibly for the only time in military history, completely equally, as co-commanders. Essentially, the expedition could not have succeeded without the two of them. Where Lewis had weaknesses, Clark was strong, and vice-versa. (Although both of them were HORRIBLE spellers! Clark, for example, spelled “mosquito” 23 different ways in his journals, none of them correct.)

Similarly, God the Father, our “commander-in-chief,” has given us two Captains, co-commanders to lead our journey, in the persons of His only Son, Jesus Christ, and after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit. In our case, our Captains, like Lewis and Clark, are to lead us to a known destination by a known, but uncharted way.

Dr. Christenson states, the Christian life is, from beginning to end, a journey of discovery:

The destination is known. The Bible calls it the Kingdom of Heaven, or eternal life.

The route is certain: It is the river of God’s will, the life plan that God has for you.

The way is not yet charted: Every day you push forward into the unexplored territory of God’s plan for your life.

If someone asks you, “What is the purpose of your life?” many of us would answer, “To do the will of God.” It is a good, all-encompassing answer, but it begs to ask the additional question, “How?”

When you “ride the river”, or in other words, become a disciple of Christ, your understanding of God’s will has to move beyond generalities. It has to become specific to your life; to your journey. God shows us in Scripture, a general plan for believer’s lives, but it is through prayer, discipleship and application of God’s Word that we move into discovering and knowing His plan for our journey.

Your life belongs to God. He purchased it. When you live life according to God’s will, you become part of God’s kingdom on earth. As you grow in God’s will, you establish a relationship with God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As that relationship grows, God’s plan for you becomes more apparent. As you follow that specific plan, for you, focusing on the name, the kingdom, the Word and the will of the Father, everything falls into place, and you can perceive what the next step is. The psalmist does say, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Ps. 119; 105

As disciples, we are not to quest for the things of this world. We are not looking for wealth, comfort, fame or fortune. If that is part of God’s plan for you, that’s fine, but we should be seeking first, the kingdom of God. We don’t wander aimlessly. We can not give up when things get tough. We follow our heavenly co-Captains, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because we have been purchased by God.

When you are on your journey with God, you must learn to follow the Captains, and not waiver. There are temptations, other paths we could follow, some of which may look easier than the one we are on. Although we are called to make disciples, we must take care not to try and drag others on our journey, but rather teach them the way to find the will of God in their life. This is the adventure of a lifetime, and it is natural to want others to journey with us. But just as Jesus admonished Peter, when Peter asked about God’s plan for John, in John 21; 18-22, the journey that each of is on is different. Each of us is to follow where He leads us, specifically.

The journey may not be an easy one. As in any adventure, there are hardships and there are defeats. There are battles and there are victories. To put it back in cycling terms, there is rain, there is the wind in your face and there are hills to climb. But there are beautiful vistas from the summit of those hills, and they are always followed by a downhill on the other side. We can only get part way up that hill by our own strength. In order for the journey to succeed, we have to yield our will, and let the Captains. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, take the lead.

With their leading...

We proceeded on.

Two-Wheeled Explorer

The Journey 2008 - The Road Less Traveled

2008-07-30T12:02:00.005-05:00

“ Two roads diverged in a wood

And I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference ”

Road Less Traveled, Robert Frost

I went for another ride today, to the same park I have been riding to for my devotions this week. But this time I took a different route; a back road that made me think of Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans", "Rolls along past houses, farms and fields. Passin' trains that have no names,...And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles," all of which I saw on my ride Then I sat in the park, with a nice breeze blowing through and re-read the second chapter of "Ride the River". Pastor Jeff is out of town today, so I am leading the service and doing the sermon. I knew I was going to preach on "The Journey". Now I know exactly what I will preach! I will post it here tomorrow.

We proceeded on...

Two Wheeled Explorer (formerly known as "Trailpatrol")

The Journey 2008 - Live the Adventure!

2008-07-28T15:54:00.003-05:00

"I have always believed in the concept of missions as an adventure. How else could I find myself in a country that we considered an enemy only a few years before? Adventure? Try traveling with a 24 year old, a 73 year old and five people who barely speak any English...on bicycles. Dirt roads, sand roads, mud roads...no roads. Just trying to balance on a log while you push your bike through the mud. Nobody thought it would work. Nobody thought is was a good idea except me, Steve, and God. Funny thing about that, because it was God's idea all along. I was just the guy up to my knees in mud in northwestern Russia, with a mountain bike and forty pounds of gear. It was the greatest adventure of my life." from "The Two Wheeled Explorer"

A pilgrimage, an adventure, a Journey. Follow us here, or join us. Details to come on the St. Brendans Travelers website. (Link at right.)

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

The Journey 2008 - Thoughts while proceeding on...

2008-07-20T19:14:00.009-05:00

I brought two books with me on this trip...one too many, but hey... As always, "The Journals Of Lewis and Clark" (DeVoto edition) and Esther DeWaal's "The Celtic Way of Prayer". I never opened Lewis and Clark, but re-read the first chapter of "Celtic Way of Prayer", entitled "The Journey".

All of this month my daily devotions from "Celtic Daily Prayer" have focused on the topic of "pilgrimage", and perhaps this little trip was, in it's own way a pilgrimage or retreat. I know that I can look out my window each morning as I eat breakfast, watch the birds come to the feeder; That I might have slept better, sounder, longer, in my own bed at home. But the point of being here is, "being here." Of doing "this", experiencing this new day in His creation. Of remembering that in all that we do, we are never alone. We do not face the challenges by ourselves.

A year ago, I posted a blog about the "ultimate devotional book for the adventurous Christian", Dr. Larry Christenson's "Ride the River". In his book, Dr. Larry uses the example of the journey of Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery as a parable for our own relationship with the Triune God. We are the Corps. The Captains are Jesus and the Holy Spirit and God the Father is the president, under whose orders we journey.

As Esther DeWaal also points out, Jesus is more than just a "Captain" like Lewis or Clark. As we journey with Him, he is also our protector, our guide and our confidant. St. Patrick knew this; He had absolute faith in that fact, when he prayed, "Christ to shield me today...Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me." (from "St. Patrick's Breastplate")

I am not sure where the road or trail will lead me, but I do know that whenever I am faced with a challenge, God is bigger than any challenge the world or the enemy can throw at me.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

The Journey 2008 - First Long Ride

2008-07-19T20:51:00.005-05:00

Had a rare weekend off, so I packed my bags and took a ride. Stayed the night at Banning State Park, went farther north to Finlayson, then back down the Willard Munger State Trail to my car waiting back in Hinckley, MN. Not a hard ride, other than that it rained the last eight or nine miles, but demanding, none the less. Thirty-five miles in two days is the most I have ridden sequentially since Karelia in 1997. Even in the search for Keith Kennedy, I had a day of respite between the two 16-plus mile days on the mountain bike. It was good though, other than the rain. Had too much gear, but I'll do better next time. It was a nice change.

We proceeded on...

Trailpatrol

Topographical vs.Lateral Missions

2008-01-22T23:41:00.000-06:00

Driving home from work, last night I was listening to a podcast of Philip Smethurst, director of Overland Missions. Overland Missions (OM) http://www.overlandmissions.com/ is a missions organization committed to empowering the third world indigenous church and bringing the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Through expedition-style missions they lead teams into locations that would otherwise remain neglected or unreached, much like our BIKERussia trip did in 1997. Philip was speaking about going on "topographical missions" as opposed to "lateral missions."

Lateral missions means going where you can see to go, essentially standing at "street level". If you stand at the edge of town, you see the forest, and not what might lie within it or beyond. If you can see a trail, you follow where it leads, do what you set out to do (preach the Word) and return the way you came.

Topographical missions are different. in 1997, we took a map of Karelia, looked at it, pointed to a spot and said "Let's go here." When we got there, we encountered three guys on a motorcycle with a sidecar. Actual conversation with locals, pointing to our map; "Where is this village?" "It is not there." "Where is it?" "Why do you want to know?" "These are American missionaries, and they would like to visit the village." "It was moved many years ago. We were the last people out of the village, then they took out the railroad tracks." (Both the village and the railroad tracks were still shown on the then 1-year-old map.)

Google Earth did not exist then, and post-Soviet-era Russian maps are notorious for being filled with "dis-information" But with guides from the local bicycle club, we managed to reach, and evangelize in seven villages in rural Karelia, as well as the cities of Kontopoga and Petrozavodsk.

But Google Earth has changed all of that. Philip was speaking about using it as a tool for missions planting. For seeing the path that lies beyond the village, that leads to a smaller village. At path that might require using a 4WD, or a mountain bike to access, or you may have to go in by foot, with a backpack. OM is using this tool to plan the future of missions outreaches in Africa and the Amazon.

Similarly, we can use it as a tool in Russia. I have already found all of the villages we visited in 1997, right down to the fields and beaches where we set up camp. And there are more little villages out there. Lots of them. Pastor Don says "I do know, ... that there are thousands of villages in Russia where from my experience there is little or no Christian witness. ."

This is just a part of the new Missionary Leadership Training, and it is just a part of what we plan on teaching, starting in April of 2008.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant.

2008-01-07T23:22:00.000-06:00

On December 30, 2007, our dear friend and sister in the Lord, Elena (Lena) Piskunova, succumbed to cancer at her family's home in Minsk, Belarus, and went home to be with our Lord. Many of our family and friends had been praying for her. The following is an updated version of the e-mail that I sent to them. It is very similar to the e-mail I sent to her family after her pastor e-mailed us to let us know that Lena was gone.

To our Pastors and all who have been praying for Lena,

Ellen and I have lost our dearest friend in the world.

While we rejoice knowing that Lena has been freed from all of the pain, struggle and suffering, there is a huge hole in our hearts and in our lives today.

I have often felt that Lena could not believe that she was worthy of being loved by the many people who loved and cared about her, and as her pastor said in his e-mail to us, she poured herself out for others. No task was too small or too menial for her huge, servant heart, and she threw herself into these things, all things, as "work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thes. 1:3)

But she was loved, in this house and in many places and hearts, by the many, many people she touched in her life and her trips to the United States in particular. To look at the face of Lena Piskunova was to see the face and the love of her Lord, Jesus Christ. She poured this love out to her family and friends, and we were blessed to be in that number. Her love, compassion and care for her father and step-mother and for her nephew, Stas, were things she spoke of often to us. Her friendships with Asya, Dorothy Rogers, Don and Vi Fladland and with us were deep and precious to her. She was part of our extended family, and a day never went by that we did not pray for each other.

She could be quite funny, often without meaning to. We will never forget the phone call we got from her the summer that she was working at a Lutheran youth camp in North Dakota, proudly declaring that she had been promoted; "I am half of a head cook!" (Which she pronounced "kook") She loved sunflowers, and seeing a field of them in full bloom while we were in northern Minnesota for a family wedding, she insisted on stopping and having pictures taken of her and Ellen among the tall yellow flowers, in their best dresses for the wedding. (Always without her glasses. She never liked to have her picture taken with her glasses on.)

Looking back, I can see now in Lena's last e-mail to us, that she was preparing for this time, and she was starting to say "good-bye." Even as early as May and definitely in September, she knew something was happening, but she did not want us to worry about her. That was typical of Lena. Everyone else was more important to her than herself.

Many years ago, my grandfather passed away on my 10th birthday, and I have always remembered that each year when the day comes around. It will be like that for us with Lena too. You see, the day that our beloved sister went home to be with the Lord was our 30th wedding anniversary.

For almost fifteen years, Lena was part of our lives, our ministry and our family. We are so thankful for that time, for that love, for that beautiful spirit in our lives. We will never, ever forget her.

Godspeed, Elena. "Well done, good and faithful servant." We will see you again.

May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bless and comfort all who mourn Lena's passing. And may you have peace in knowing that today, she is with Him in heaven for eternity. May the same be said of us all, in our time.

Thank you, all for your prayers over the past month.

God Bless You All,
Hans and Ellen

A celebration of Lena's life was held at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, MN on Sunday, January 6, 2007. Pastor Don Richman, Director Emeritus of the East European Missions Network and Pastor Dave Jore, former President of the Lay Ministry Training Center-International, (LMTC) where Lena went to Bible school in the United States, led the service. My wife, Ellen, and I both gave eulogies, and Randy and Renee Klawitter of Wilderness Fellowship did the special music. Ellen, Randy and Pat Johnson, who was also able to attend, were members of the LMTC missions team that first met Lena in Belarus, which resulted in her coming to the U.S. to attend Bible school.

So we enter the new year saddened at the loss of our sister and friend, but buoyed up by the knowledge that she is with the Lord in Heaven, and, inspired by her faith, courage and perseverance. We have stepped too far from the call to take the Gospel to all nations, and so whether it is here at St. Brendan's, serving the servants, or going back to Russia or Belarus, or wherever He would call us to go, "we will not be silent any more"

In Lena's memory and honor,
We are proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

It has been a while...

2007-09-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

I have not written anything here for over two months. It has been a long, often frustrating summer, and I just have not felt the urge or need to express myself here. In other words, I didn't feel like writing. Much of the time, I just didn't feel anything but bad. Midway through June I started developing symptoms very similar to Lyme's Disease, and it was the second time this year they had occurred. Once again the test was negative for Lyme's, and several other conditions. One doctor put me on prednisone and sent me to a specialist, who said I had gout, but the other doctors I work with at events disagreed, because gout would not produce the fever, chills and muscular pain I experienced. Ultimately the symptoms subsided, but I still am not up to 100%.

Then there was the house. We bought a house of our own, finally. But it took 11 weeks and 10 postponed closings to get here. We love it and the potential for ministry to missionaries here is wonderful. Right now we are just getting settled in.

So, I am back. This weekend is the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, our biggest event of the year other than the Twin Cities Marathon, which will be in three weeks. Already the air is cooling down. Due to the dry summer, followed by copious rainfall, some of the leave are already changing. I am ready for fall, but this year I am not ready for winter, yet. I didn't get to enjoy summer. (I was either working or waiting for closings that never happened.) I took my Volpe ("Clark") out on a ride for the first time in over six weeks, only to find during the move, the front gear cable was damaged, and I could not shift chainrings. I need to get in a summer's worth of bicycle travel.

It will be ready to ride tomorrow. Until then...

Proceeding on,
Trailpatrol

True Friendship

2007-06-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

Both Larry Christenson and Stephen Ambrose describe the strong friendship and respect between Lewis and Clark as being one greatest factors in the in the success of their expedition. Meriwether Lewis probably stated it best himself, when he wrote William Clark and asked him, "If therefore there is anything under those circumstances, in this enterprise, which would induce you to participate with me in it’s fatigues, it’s dangers, and it’s honors, believe me there is no man on earth with whom I would feel equal pleasure in sharing them as with yourself." Clark's reply affirmed their deep friendship, “My friend, I assure you no man lives with whom I would prefer to undertake such a trip as yourself.” (Spelling corrected.)

One of my favorite TV shows was "Due South" starring popular Canadian actors Paul Gross as Benton Fraser, a Mountie living in Chicago, and Gordon Pinsett as the ghost of his father, also a Mountie, murdered by another member of the RCMP, which is what brought Benton to Chicago in the first place. In one of the early episodes, the elder Fraser tells his son about the time his partner rescued him from the Canadian wilderness, " There's a very easy way to define friendship. A friend is someone who won't stop until he finds you and brings you home." One of the major emphasises of "Due South" was the bond of friendship Gross' character formed with both of his American cop partners during the run of the show. Jesus Christ had an ever more pointed definition of friendship, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." and then He continued, "I have called you my friends."

The point of all this is my ever-increasing belief that, in this day of e-mails, blogs, busy schedules and such, we have forgotten the true meaning of "friendship." It disappoints me when someone claims to be your friend, but is too busy to really mean it. I have always been someone who takes friendship very seriously and deeply. I still maintain my friendship and contact (although it is sometimes sporadic) with two people I grew up with, and two others who became close friends in high school. I can honestly say though, that I have maybe have maybe a half-dozen friends (other than my wife, of course) like Lewis, Clark and Benton Fraser. That bothers me, because the number is so small. My wife says I want to be everybody's best friend, but I counter that I want to be a "true friend." I want people who I consider to be friends to know that I am someone "who won't stop until I find you and bring you home." Lewis and Clark were that kind of friends. I try to be that kind of friend. The kind of friend that Irish songwriter Phil Coulter was referring to when he said:

"I can hear the songs, the stories and the laughter.
Though the years they have us scattered,
The friends we made back then
Are the ones we could rely on ever after."
"Gold and Silver Days" by Phil Coulter

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

Lewis and Clark: "The Heart of God"

2007-06-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

"Heart of God" - The Trail Band (Click title to play song)

The Very Best Devotional Book for the Adventurous Christian

2007-06-01T23:08:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I felt a strong call to follow the Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail from Pierre, SD, through the 12 Native American Nations along the Missouri River, ending up at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Nez Pierce Outreach Base in Kamiah, Idaho. As I studied maps and trail guides in preparation, I knew that I was on the right trail, so to speak, but the preparation was all for the "ride" rather than the mission. Then, while looking over the book table at a conference at church, this book caught my eye. I have met Dr. Christenson and spoken to him at various Lutheran events over our 19 years in Minnesota. He often taught at the Lay Ministry Training Center where my wife was both a student and then the office manager. Like me, he had read Stephen Ambrose's excellent account of the Corps of Discovery, "Undaunted Courage" and the DeVoto edition of the journals of Captain Lewis, Captain Clark and the corps. While I felt the Missouri call me to an expedition of my own, Pastor Larry saw parallels between the journey of Lewis and Clark and the adventure of our life's journey as Christians, and turned it into a wonderful devotional book that is very easy to read and understand and apply to life. I would go so far as to suggest that every missionary can and should read this book. They will find many things that will help them in their own journey. Eventually, I hope to post potions of "Ride the River" here or on the new St. Brendan's Spoke website, http://www.stbrendans-spoke.org/ but until then I have included a link so you can buy your own copy. (Click on the post title above.) When I do finally get to Ride the River, this book will be with me, next to the bike trails guide, the Captain's journals and the Bible.

Proceeding on...

Trailpatrol

Because the Story Needs to be Told Again: BIKERussia '97

2007-05-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

In 1997, I did something that changed my life forever. Actually, GOD did something that changed my life forever, as I traveled by mountain bike through northwestern Russia as a missionary with our "adopted daughter", Jeannette and a wonderful "old" lady named Dorothy. (Dorothy passed away in 2002 from cancer.) It was, even today, an incredible journey. Here is the story:

B.I.K.E.Russia! For Hans Erdman, Jeannette B. and Dorothy R. it was a trip that would take them to the very limits of their physical and mental endurance. They came to Karelia in northwestern Russia from the Minnesota, not as tourists or adventurers, but as missionaries, challenging the untamed backcountry of northwestern Russia for the glory of God. On mountain bikes and on foot they would travel over 350 kilometers of roads, trails, mud and swamps to bring the word of God's love to a people cut off from the Lord by 70 years of communist rule. The name of the mission was B.I.K.E.Russia!; "Bicycling Into Karelia for Evangelism." A team of five Americans and seven Russians, who pushed beyond physical pain and discomfort, to fulfill a vision that the Lord had given to Hans almost two years earlier. Riding mountain bikes, they went "from village to village preaching the Gospel and healing the sick" (Luke 9:6) All five of the Americans involved had connections to Minnesota: Hans Erdman, an avid mountain biker, and, from 1995 to 2000, was the lead ranger of the Anoka County Park Rangers bicycle patrol. Dorothy R. also an zealous bicyclist, who was then age 73, and had already biked across the U.S. twice, across China, through the Austrian Alps since retiring in 1987! Dorothy was a graduate of the Lay Ministry Training Center-International (LMTC) located in St. Paul. Jeannette B., was a marathon runner, recreational cyclist and registered nurse, also a graduate of LMTC, and Steve May, a resident American missionary in city of Petrozavodsk and his 16 year-old son Caleb, who served in Russia under the call from Northwoods Mission to Petrozavodsk, based in Northome, Minnesota. Steve had also attended LMTC before coming to Russia.
Two native Russian interpreters who were also strong Christians joined the American missionaries. Allek B. of St. Petersburg was the lead interpreter, and also led worship sessions and ministered to children and teenagers. Andrei C. was on an internship from the St. Petersburg Christian University, who fulfilled part of his school requirements by being a member of BIKERussia. The remaining Russians consisted of guides from the Petrozavodsk Bicycle Travel Club and the bike unit of the Petrozavodsk Militia. (police) Supporting the team in Petrozavodsk were the remaining members of Steve’s family, Anne and their children Rueben, Rachel and RuthAnne; Tanya P., a teacher, interpreter, missionary working for the Minnesota-based East European Missions Network (EEMN), and also a graduate of LMTC. Their hosts were Lt. Col. Nikoly R. of the Petrozavodsk Militia (police, now retired) and his wife Lena, and the members of the Bicycle Club. Petrozavodsk was chosen as the base for the trip for several reasons, including the presence of the Steve and Tanya. It was also home of the only police bicycle unit in Russia, which was trained and equipped through the efforts of the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) of which Hans was also a member. Through the support of Pioneer Cycling and Fitness in Blaine, MN, and Trek Bicycles in Waterloo, Wisconsin, the team was able to purchase six good Trek 850 mountain bikes at a substantial discount, as well as other equipment that was needed. Four of the bikes would be donated to the militia after the trip, and two would remain with the Christian Training Center where the Steve and Anne worked. The local police union donated a supply of bicycle parts that would be turned over to the militia after the trip was completed.
On July 16, the team assembled at Hans’ church, having spent the previous two evenings packing bikes, camping gear and personal belongings to meet international travel requirements. Seven bags, and the six boxes carrying the bicycles were loaded up for the first leg of the trip, flying to Amsterdam and then on to St. Petersburg. Ten minutes after the plane lifted off, then entire airport was plunged into a two-hour long blackout, due to an electrical malfunction. The BIKERussia team's plane was one of the last to make it out before the power went off. In St. Petersburg, all of the bags and boxes made it into the baggage claim area without any problems, and with their visas showing that they had been invited by the Interior Ministry (State Police) in Karelia, they went through customs without any problems. (You have to be invited by a person or organization within Russia to get an entry visa.)

The mission was divided into two bike trips, with a break in between. One goal of the first trip was to visit the abandoned monastery at Lake Yashezyero, 95 km away, and the tiny village across from it, where two elderly people were the only remaining inhabitants. The first night was spent at a beautiful beach campsite on the shore of Lake Onega, near the village Derivanio. Karelia is far enough north that it never gets really dark in July. Fortunately, however, the cyclists were so tired each night that they slept soundly despite the continual light. Tuesday would prove to be one of the two most demanding days of the trip, traveling 59 km through very difficult terrain. After riding on pavement for 25 km, the road turned south, and all but disappeared. Heavy logging in the area had reduced the road to a horrendous collection of ruts, bumps, holes and soft sand that made for arduous travel. The biggest challenge came in the last mile before reaching Yashezyero, where the road (such as it was) vanished into a quagmire of mud. Team members had to dismount and push their loaded bicycles through mud up to their shins. The monastery was another 300 meters down the trail, and that trail was covered with water. Leaving their bikes behind, Hans, Steve, Jeannette and Caleb (Dorothy stayed at camp) waded in to become the first Americans to ever visit the Yashezyero monastery, which had been abandoned in the 1930s.

After dinner, the team decided to leave their bikes, and hike the mile and a half to the tiny village of Yashezyero. When they entered the clearing where the village had been, they found one old log house standing among the ruins of a half-dozen others, smoke lazily rising from it's chimney. The only other thing the team saw was an old army tank, sitting amidst the ruins. They approached the occupied house, and an elderly man came out, and started talking with Allek and Steve. (Steve and Caleb spoke very good Russian.) As they shared who they were, and why they were there, he started to open up. He was a wounded combat veteran of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and had fought the Germans at Leningrad. (St. Petersburg). His name was Anatoly, and he told them "I know that you really believe (in God) because you came here from America." Then, when he found out that he, his wife and Dorothy were all the same age, he went and got his wife, excited that this "Babushka" (Grandmother) from the US would ride a bicycle to come visit them! The wife asked the team to pray for them, for the village, and for their deteriorating health, and Andrei gave them each a New Testament.Day three was the most strenuous of the trip. The roads were better, but each of the Americans (except Steve) were suffering from the effects of the hard ride and hot, dry weather. Due to the swampy conditions the previous night, they had not been able to filter enough water to fill their bottles, and it was probably the hottest day of the trip. The long, east/west road offered little in the way of shade and protection from the sun. Hans, Jeannette, Dorothy and Caleb felt the effects of the heat, and “hit the wall” or “bonked” at almost the same time. Fortunately, Steve and the guides were able to find a “radik” (spring) and the team was able to rest and recover. The group almost didn't stop in the village of Puhtka. When they reached the other end of town, Volodi P., (“Big Dog” the lead guide) asked what the missionaries wanted to do, and Hans replied that they needed to go back into the town. Tired and sore, but anxious to do some sort of ministry, and also needing vegetables for the night's dinner, they headed back into the store in town, not knowing that the Holy Spirit would be with them in power. In the village, Allek bought candy and soda in the town store, and asked where they could buy fresh potatoes and onions. Outside, she started talking to some children, who listened to her and ran to get some their friends. Soon she had a large crowd of young children gathered around her, and was telling them stories about Jesus Christ. When she finished, she led about 15 children in a prayer to ask Christ into their hearts. Some of the adults, curious about what was going on, also started to listen, and Dorothy, assisted by Andrei began to talk to and witness to them. When Allek was done, Steve, Jeannette and Caleb joined Allek and Andrei in taking the kids for rides on the back of their bikes. What Hans thought would only take an hour or so, ended up lasting more than four hours. Volodi even sent one of the guides and the militia officers to see what was going on. In addition to bike rides, each child and interested adult was given a copy of the New Testament in Russian, to keep as their own. The team found out that there was no church in the town, and there had been no worship services there in years. The adults asked for someone to come back, and minister to their community, or help start a church. As the team reloaded their bikes for the long, thankfully downhill ride back to Derivanio, two little girls approached Allek and shyly handed her a large bouquet of wildflowers, which she placed on top of the bags on her bike, tears glistening in her eyes.After a couple of days off, the team headed out of Petrozavodsk on the second bike trip, which Hans, Steve and the guides had decided would be only 75 km in length. Led by guide Boris Z., the team headed north and east of the city on roads that changed from paved to gravel, then from gravel to packed sand, then went up a very long hill. More than 5 km later, the team finally reached the top, and enjoyed a short but exhilarating ride down to the tiny village of Berezyoi Mosme (Birch Bridges). The "radik" in Berezyoi Mosme is well known to the members of the bike club for it's pure, cold water. So while the guides prepared lunch, the team walked into the village to talk to people and fill water bottles depleted by the long climb in the warm sun. They gave away a couple of New Testaments and filled their bottles, but more importantly, they were asked to hold a worship service in the village on their way back to Petrozavodsk on Saturday.
The next village, about 10 km away, was Yalguba. Here the team found a place to camp in a farmer’s field on the shore of an inlet of Lake Onega. The family that farmed the land was glad to let the group camp there, and after some of the team had helped them with bringing in hay, they asked the them to conduct a worship service on Friday night in the town's "cultural hall." They willingly agreed. The ride to the next village, Suisar, was only 10 kilometers long. Once again the team set up camp and ate the usual lunch of soup and tea. After the meal everyone rode back into the village to see if they could find people to talk to. As before Allek started conversing with young children, and most of the village's kids flocked to hear her. The others stood by, speaking with adults, answering questions, and helping Allek with music. After a long talk with Allek, two teenaged girls invited the team to come speak at a youth meeting they have every night. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to reach the young people of the village, so Hans agreed. It was decided that the youth would be best ministered to by the team members closest to their own age, so Allek, Andrei and Caleb went into the "youth meeting." Later they said that there were about a dozen teens at the meeting, which they have each night to alleviate the boredom of small town living. The team members sang songs and witnessed to the group late into the evening.

The ride back to Yalguba was brief, and mostly downhill. Camping in the same field as before, the team quickly set up camp, rested, and then started to prepare for the worship service. Forty-nine people and three dogs attended the service in Yalguba, listened to the music, watched the skits and heard the testimonies and the message, but when it was over, all but a handful just left. One woman, who is a believer, shared her heart with Dorothy and Allek. She told them that her greatest fear was that God could never bless Yalguba, because there was so much sin in the village. The missionaries shared and prayed with the woman, and promised to continue to pray for the village. Saturday, they rode the short distance to Berezyoi Mosme in an hour, and went into town to meet with people. A woman came up and started asking about what they had planned. Her grandfather was the village's founder. One of the first things he had done in establishing the village was to build an Orthodox church, which had served the village from it's founding until 1948, when the communist government had burned it to the ground. Her family had erected a cross at the site of the old structure, and she invited them to hold the worship service there. The team enthusiastically agreed. They walked up to the high point of the village, and into the woods, where a ten foot tall cross had been placed next to the foundation of the community's one-time spiritual center, In a woodland cathedral they led the first worship service held in Berezyoi Mosme in almost 50 years. All six of the village's permanent residents took part. They sang along with Allek and Caleb. They watched the skits and listened intently to the testimonies, and then to the message. After the message, the villagers prayed with the Americans. Under the canopy of trees, by the foundation of a church long ago destroyed by the very hand of Satan, the Holy Spirit brought together the people of Berezyoi Mosme, and the team of American and Russian missionaries God had sent there, and He blessed them all.
They rode the rest of the way back to Petrozavodsk without major incident. Andrei tacoed a wheel in some soft sand, but Boris, who is an excellent bike mechanic, quickly repaired it. Before they knew it, they were back at Steve’s apartment. The expedition that was BIKERussia was over. The team only needed to clean up the bikes and pack the gear that would be going home with them. Sunday evening, Hans presented four bikes to Nikoly for the Petrozavodsk Militia, and then gave the other two to Steve M. and the Christian Training Center. There were 16 people at the Petrozavodsk train station to see the team off . New and old friends, including militia officers and the guides, and even a reporter from Radio Karelia, who interviewed Hans and Boris about the trip, showed up at the station. After a few days touring St. Petersburg they flew back to Minnesota.

B.I.K.E.Russia! The first week had been an adventure of the body; pushing to their limits and beyond. Going where no American had ever gone before in Yahezsara. The agony of hard falls and dehydration, of late nights and early mornings. Dealing with horrible roads, shin-deep mud, and water up to their hips. Experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit working in Puhtka. The second week had been an adventure of the spirit. Reaching out to the children and teens of Suisar, ministering to and sharing with the people of Yalguba, and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit while worshiping in Berezyoi Mosme. For three missionaries from Minnesota, BIKERussia was an adventure, unlike anything any of them had ever done before. Americans and Russians, pushing beyond physical pain and discomfort, to fulfill a vision. On mountain bikes and on foot they traveled 354 kilometers to bring a message of hope and love to the people of this northwestern corner of Russia; the Word of God for Karelia.

In 2007, ten years after our expedition, a group of Christian Russian cyclists departed from Varel, Germany in the west, and rode on bicycles, 9,120 miles and 3 1/2 months to Vladivostok, on the eastern Russian coast. Their stated goal: "Four teams of young Russian evangelists have embarked on a transcontinental bicycle journey … across Western Europe … and then vast Russia … over 9,000 miles … preaching the Gospel all along the way!" We salute them. We support them and we prayed for them. Their mission was, by all accounts, a success. (The SGA Gospel Expedition link can be found in the list on the left side of the page.)

The Gospel is, indeed...

Proceeding on...

Trailpatrol

Special Event Season is Back!

2007-05-05T00:22:00.000-05:00

It starts with the Ironman Ride, and ends with the Twin Cities Marathon. In between are the half-dozen or so events I work as a bike medic, split about 50-50 between cycling events and running/triathlon races. I don't work nearly as many as I used to. There was a time, in the years between Anoka County Parks and the Minnesota DNR, when I worked a different event almost every weekend. Even so, I seem to be continually asked to work more. I would love to help them all out, and indeed I try to...If I cannot be there myself, I try to have other patrol members there. When there are not enough patrollers, our Wilderness First Responder graduates have started pitching in. We manage to get the job done most of the time.

Next to teaching first aid almost every week, I think working these events, particularly the Marathon and it's related smaller events, have really broadened my knowledge of emergency and sports medicine. I can number among my friends, doctors with international reputations in sports and athletic medicine. Good friends to have when you get hurt as often as I do.

Now I am starting to pay it back, and forward, by extending the basic and wilderness first aid I instruct to the missions field. We have sent a excellent water filter to our friends at "Travel the Road" and we have a mountain bike looking for a Christian missionary who could use it to reach the unreached. That, and washing the feet and patching the blisters of the athletes we meet at these events.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

I Rode the Ironman...again.

2007-05-01T23:35:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, my son-in-law John, and his new Diamondback hybrid bike and I on "Lewis", my new Novara Safari, rode the shortest of the three available rides on the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride, 30 miles. It was the 8th time I have been a Ride Medic on the Ironman, which marks the unofficial start of the biking season in Minnesota. Unlike last year, it was hot and dry, and breezy, but not as windy as the first time John and I rode it together. It was a tiring ride, but I did it, and felt surprisingly good the next morning.

It took me up until 11:00 PM the night before to decide whether to take the Volpe or the Safari. Lewis won out because Clark has a new Brooks leather saddle on it, and it is not broken in yet. I am glad I took the Safari...I did a personal fastest speed ever on a bike, 35.4 MPH, then immediately dropped to 2 on the next uphill.

I didn't have to do much first aid and only a couple of mechanicals. All in all, it was a fun ride. We'll have to do it again next year.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

The Greatest Adventure ...

2007-04-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of new links on the left side of this blog that I want to draw your attention to. As I told you in my first post on this blog, BIKERussia was the greatest adventure of my life, and I am watching for the door to open for me to go forth again. In the past few weeks, I have become familiar with two missions groups that are training for and living the walk of adventure, in some cases to the extreme. "Travel the Road" is the ministry and story of a two-man missions team, Will D. and Tim S., who will go anywhere with the Good News of Jesus Christ, including Pakistan, Afganistan, Ethiopia, and mainland China. Their ministry and the TV program that tells of their exploits, are partners with a missions/training organization called Overland Missions. OM trains "a new breed of missionaries-fearless young men and women who take personal responsibility for the nations and will use any means technology has provided to go anywhere on the planet." The training is daring, innovative and thorough. Eventually, it is our hope that St. Brendan's Spoke will take on this same kind of missions training program, only using bicycles (which make up the largest segment of transport vehicles in the world) here in the American west, Canada and Alaska.

The other organization I want you to be aware of is MAF, the Mission Aviation Fellowship, which has been flying missions, medical and humanitarian support since 1945. As their website states, "MAF pilots fly approximately 40,000 flights a year, transporting missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conducting thousands of emergency medical evacuations. MAF also provides telecommunications services, including satellites, high-frequency radios, e-mail and other wireless systems, in isolated areas." Recently, two of their aircraft were damaged by mortar in the Congo region of Africa.

BIKERussia showed us that missions can be an adventure. These ministries are living that adventure and I urge you to check them out, and get involved.

Proceeding on...

Trailpatrol

BIKERussia is now St. Brendan's Spoke

2007-03-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

BIKERussia (Bicycling Into Karelia for Evangelism) the two-wheeled ministry that was started eleven years ago to take the Word into rural northwestern Russia on mountain bikes, has changed it's emphasis, and with it, the name of the ministry has also changed. A "spoke" is, of course, part of a bicycle wheel that attaches the hub to the rim. It is also the name that the International Christian Cycling Club gives to it's local chapters, and although we are not yet a part of ICCC, the concept seemed to fit.

St. Brendan the Navigator was a 4th Century Celtic monk who traveled far and wide as what we would call today an evangelist and church planter. It is known that he sailed at least a far to the west as Iceland, and he's believed to have even made it to the shores of Canada, over four hundred years before the Vikings and a millenia before Christopher Columbus set foot on the shore of the New World.

That spirit of exploration and evangelism is alive today in St. Brendan's Spoke. We just explore on two wheels! Future plans (and this point they are just plans) include trips, retreats and missions training sessions on bicycles, as well as family and church group rides. Eventually, we hope to end up on the Lewis and Clark Trail to the west, or in Ireland or even back in Russia. We will see where God wants these wheels to go.

Proceeding on...

Trailpatrol

The first glorious ride of the year...

2007-03-23T15:50:00.000-05:00

It was time....past time, really...I should have done it yesterday. I have been putting the miles on my Volpe on the track stand in our basement for over a month now. Yesterday was nice. Today was nicer. I had to get out and ride.

I went over to Rum River Central Park, the closest and my favorite place for exercise rides. You could hear the newly returned red-winged blackbirds and Sand Hill Cranes. The sun was bright, the temperatures moving above 60. Sure, there was still snow, ice and water on the trails, so for the most part I rode on the park roads. Used my trustee digi to snap a picture, too. (See the snow still in the background?) It was a beautiful ride. A beautiful day. Really great to be riding through the scenery, rather than watching it go by on a DVD screen.

What are you waiting for? Get out and RIDE!

Proceeding on...

Trailpatrol

Proceeding on...

2007-03-20T16:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes things happen that let you know that you are not the one in control, and that, in and of itself, is okay. So it is with our planned trip to Karelia this summer. Let me explain...

Our federal system of government is a marvelous creation. It is a unique form of rule and law that was largely designed by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. (Yes, the same Thomas Jefferson who sent our friends Lewis and Clark on their Journey of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean. More on them later.) It has a system of checks and balances that are supposed to assure the well-being of all the people of this great country, and most of the time it works pretty well. Like everything else in life and history, sometimes it needs some "fine tuning." A lot of that tuning-up has had to take place since our nation was "sucker-punched" on September 11th, 2001, by a group of people who hate everything our country stands for, particularly our freedoms.

One of the consequences of that attack has been the implementation of new rules regarding travel, particularly to nations, such as Canada and Mexico, where U.S. citizens did not previously need a passport. Now they do. This was not a surprise move, nor was it unexpected nor unreasonable. The government has been telling us we would now need passports to go to Toronto, Nassau and Cancun for about a year, but all of a sudden, nobody seemed to remember about it, and everyone wants one in time for their spring break. The Passport agency is, of course, swamped. Four months behind in some cases. Of course, my old passport happened to expire right in the middle of all this hubbub. Add to that the amount of time it would take to get an invitation letter and entry visa to Russia and there is simply no way we would be in Petrozavodsk for White Nights. Well, maybe it will happen next year, or maybe not. Right now it doesn't seem as important as it used to.

Actually, I guess this realization does not distress me as much as it could. I feel it is maybe a door closing right now, so another one can open. I plan on doing a number of short trips on my (almost) new Volpe this year, and each pedal stroke will still take me closer to the goal of going back to Karelia, if that is where I am suposed to be. But this year, loaded with tack and tallow, I'm going to set out on an adventure. I'm going to find the footsteps of William Clark and, hopefully, someday, be able to say for myself, "Ocean in view, Oh the joy!". It won't happen in one trip. In fact, I am sure it will take more than one summer, but the trail beckons. There are people to meet, stories to hear and another, greatest story that has to be told. When it happens, you'll read about it here.

I am, indeed, proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

Nice day for a ride.

2006-09-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

I went for a bike ride today; one of those beautiful, late summer days where you know fall is right around the corner, but it's warm enough to ride in shorts and a t-shirt. Looking at the weather in Petrozavodsk, it's already cool...highs in the 40s and low 50s. Where it might get up to 80 here one or two more times, it might hit 60 once or twice over there. The picture is from the Petrozavodsk Bicycle Travel Club's website. It will look like that soon enough around here, but I still wish I was over there.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

We proceeded on...

2006-08-09T17:47:00.000-05:00

One of the most frequently repeated phrases in "The Journals of Lewis and Clark" is "We proceeded on". In the course of American history, the expedition of Lewis and Clark has always been one of my favorite topics, and William Clark is one of my original heroes. The Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail is more than a "must ride" destination for me. It is a calling, and one of the main reasons I invested in my Bianchi Volpe.

But there is another reason for "proceeding on" right now, and it has somethng to do with the Lewis, Clark and the American West, and something to do with Karelia. I used to figure that every pedal stroke I take is one step closer to going back to Petrozavodsk. Every ride I took would get me in better shape to go back to Russia. Now I realize, the journey may be as important as the final destination. As I am updating this in March, 2007, I have already put almost 50 miles on the bike. It may not sound like a lot, but I am basically starting over from scratch (plus I had a stomach bug for a few days.) and I am building my miles up.

Every time I turn those pedals, I am that much closer to wherever it is that God wants me to go.

Proceeding on...
Trailpatrol

It IS about the bike.

2006-07-31T00:46:00.000-05:00

Cycling champion Lance Armstrong wrote a book called "It's Not About the Bike", about his journey back from cancer. However, as we found out back in 1997, when you are going to be on your bike, carrying a load, day after day for a month (or longer) it really is about the bike. It is all about the bike. Without a good, reliable bicycle that is easy to travel on, we cannot accomplish that which we are called to do.

When we went to Russia in 1997, we took six Trek 950 mountain bikes with us. The bike had 26-inch wheels, knobby tires, flat handlebars and a very upright seating position. We were not the fastest cyclists in the world to start with, and the choice of bikes made us even slower. Our guides from the Petrozavodsk Bicycle Travel Club were all on "touring" bikes, with thinner (but not too thin) tires, dropped (road-style) handlebars and 700mm (about 29 inches) wheels, which made for much more efficient travel, particularly on paved roads. Last year, after 12 years and four mountain bikes, I invested in my first "road" bike, a Marin Venezia. It was a great bike for hopping on and running for coffee or to the store, and for exercise. But it's 25mm tires and short, racing wheelbase prevented it from being a good touring bike, even though I had a rack put on it. Last month I traded it in on a Bianchi Volpe, a bike specifically designed for loaded touring. The Bianchi has tires about half the width of a mountain bike, but substantially wider than a "racing" type bike.

In Mark Jenkins' book, "Off the Map: Bicycling across Siberia" Jenkins describes the modifications they made to the Trek 970s they rode across Russia in 1990, including narrower tires, replacing the flat handlebars with more aerodynamic, road-style drop bars and adding heavy duty racks to the front and rear. Basically, the Volpe fits that bill. It has a chromoly steel (a strong, lightweight steel alloy) frame that can be repaired by anyone with a regular welder. (Aluminum requires heliarc welding) It may be the perfect bike for Russia.

Unfortunately, since I picked it up, I have only been able to ride it about twelve miles, do to the extremely hot weather we have had for the past three weeks. I am praying for a break in that trend...and soon.

We proceeded on...
Trailpatrol