As David wrapped things up, I would like to make one last post touching on some of the high points for me on the trip.
Before the trip started, I started making plans for how I wanted things to work, but didn't really know what to expect. Fortunately God had huge plans for the mission of Tour de Cross and also for the changes he was about to make in both of our lives. I said a pretty simple prayer, something along the lines of "God, I have no idea what I am doing, help me to put all my trust in following you." This was around the time when finals were picking up, household was coming to an end, we were planning our route, trying to set up all our stops, setting up speaking engagements, and sending out letters...it was a little bit overwhelming!
Once I gave up control, doors started opening up everywhere and I felt much more at peace with the success of the trip. When we were on the road, about 1/3 of the nights were not set up ahead of time. I looked forward to these nights the most, because things would always fall into place last second and a lot of times we were taken care of the best in these situations! My faith grew exponentially and the biggest lesson I learned is to always trust in Him. If I surrender to his plan, I will be in for one crazy ride!
As many of you may know, we left our ipods at home, so that we couldn't escape the silence or be distracted from our surroundings. Leaving that ipod was one of the best decisions I made. We would spend an average of 6 hours on the bike a day and most of it was in silence. Two great things happened because of this: 1) My beatboxing and freestyling skills increased and 2) My prayer life and awareness of my blessings increased. I tried to make it a point to thank God for the smallest blessings I could find, such as sensing the mosquito biting my leg or the sweat dripping down my back to cool me off...not the typical blessings you thank God for! :)
My mind was also expanded as we continued to meet so many incredible people all across the nation. I was able to break out of the bubble that I have been raised in and experience people from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. To say the least, it gave me a lot of hope for our world! The last thing I want to touch on is what a blessing it was to stay with so many priests and to get an inside look into their lives. We were extremely fortunate to talk to many of them on a personal level as they shared with us the beauties of the priesthood and the variety of ways that they laid down their lives to follow God's calling. We even got the opportunity to talk to two different bishops: one from Trenton, NJ and one from San Carlos, in the Philippines.
David already said some thank you's, but I would like to thank all of you one more time for all of the support and prayers that you sent our way. It was very inspiring to us to see a whole community of people come together to help accomplish God's work! Please continue to keep Saint Paul's Outreach in your prayers as the work is never finished. Praise the Lord!
-Daniel Tansill
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Kissing the Ground
Well, friends, here we are. St. Paul, Minnesota. The tour is over, and we were welcomed into our destination last night by many of our friends from SPO, who threw a party for us at one of their houses. 3,026 miles biked, 57 days on the road, roughly 15 huge mountain passes, and over the continental divide seven times. It is a bit surreal, actually being here. Neither of us can believe that we actually did it. There is so much to say, but I'm gonna say it all as concisely as possible.
First of all, thank you's. All praise and glory and thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, without whom none of this would have ever been possible. He is the one who sustained us when we were tired, got us through the low spots and brought us up to the high spots. We are eternally grateful for His love and His grace. We are also grateful to all those servants of the Lord, who extended a helping hand throughout the course of the trip. Whether it was a place to stay, a meal, a bit of money to get a good dinner, a letter or care package sent along the way, or simply a few encouraging words said to push us on, we are thankful to YOU for your help. Finally, thanks goes out to all of our donors, who know who they are. Your donations will greatly aid the ministry of Saint Paul's Outreach at ASU, and will help in bringing many students closer to Christ.
We also would like to make one final call for donations. I know that at least some of you have been holding out on us, waiting to see if we could actually do it. Doubters. ;) Well, as you can see, we did what we said we would do, and rode our bikes to St. Paul. So if you have been holding out on us, now is the time to make your donation, so that we can tally up our total raisings, and get the dough to SPO! Thanks so much!
Where to from here? Daniel will be participating in the School of the New Evangelization with SPO over the next two weeks, then flying home to start his junior year at ASU, and live in the men's household right by campus. I will be participating in NET Ministries, and going through five weeks of training, followed by eight months of ministering to the youth of America in Catholic parishes all around the country. I am doing this with 100 other young adults from around the US. Read more at www.netusa.org.
Please continue to keep both Daniel and I in your prayers, as well as the missions of Saint Paul's Outreach and NET Ministries. Thank you again for all of your support the past two months, and we pray that God may continue to shower His blessings and peace upon all of you.
We also would like to make one last prayer request: please pray for friends of ours, the Smith family, in Cave Creek, AZ, as they grieve the loss of their son, Anthony Vincent Smith. Pray for peace and healing in their family, as well as for the repose of the soul of Tony.
-David Edwards
First of all, thank you's. All praise and glory and thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, without whom none of this would have ever been possible. He is the one who sustained us when we were tired, got us through the low spots and brought us up to the high spots. We are eternally grateful for His love and His grace. We are also grateful to all those servants of the Lord, who extended a helping hand throughout the course of the trip. Whether it was a place to stay, a meal, a bit of money to get a good dinner, a letter or care package sent along the way, or simply a few encouraging words said to push us on, we are thankful to YOU for your help. Finally, thanks goes out to all of our donors, who know who they are. Your donations will greatly aid the ministry of Saint Paul's Outreach at ASU, and will help in bringing many students closer to Christ.
We also would like to make one final call for donations. I know that at least some of you have been holding out on us, waiting to see if we could actually do it. Doubters. ;) Well, as you can see, we did what we said we would do, and rode our bikes to St. Paul. So if you have been holding out on us, now is the time to make your donation, so that we can tally up our total raisings, and get the dough to SPO! Thanks so much!
Where to from here? Daniel will be participating in the School of the New Evangelization with SPO over the next two weeks, then flying home to start his junior year at ASU, and live in the men's household right by campus. I will be participating in NET Ministries, and going through five weeks of training, followed by eight months of ministering to the youth of America in Catholic parishes all around the country. I am doing this with 100 other young adults from around the US. Read more at www.netusa.org.
Please continue to keep both Daniel and I in your prayers, as well as the missions of Saint Paul's Outreach and NET Ministries. Thank you again for all of your support the past two months, and we pray that God may continue to shower His blessings and peace upon all of you.
We also would like to make one last prayer request: please pray for friends of ours, the Smith family, in Cave Creek, AZ, as they grieve the loss of their son, Anthony Vincent Smith. Pray for peace and healing in their family, as well as for the repose of the soul of Tony.
-David Edwards
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Last Leg !!!
Sunday, Aug 2. The guys left Buffalo Lake, MN, this morning at 7:45am CST, after a day off and nice stay at Vanessa's house. The guys will be riding about 85-90 miles today and are expecting to be in St. Paul, MN, by 3:00pm with hopes of attending 5:00pm Mass with many of their SPO friends. When I spoke to Daniel this morning, he said the weather was beautiful, they felt strong, and they were looking forward to celebrating the completion of this epic ride with their friends.
Stay tuned for a post trip blog entry by the guys. Thank you to all who have made this trip possible and a success through your love, kindness, prayers and financial support.
In Christ, Joe (Daniel's father)
Stay tuned for a post trip blog entry by the guys. Thank you to all who have made this trip possible and a success through your love, kindness, prayers and financial support.
In Christ, Joe (Daniel's father)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
135 Mile Day
After a restful night at Randy and Sarah's house in Aberdeen, the guys took advantage of an overcast day, cool temperatures and a nice breeze from behind to help them pound out 135 miles today and into Minnesota. Daniel said it was an amazing sight and feeling to crossover the MN state line.
In all, they rode for about 8 hours and ended up in Appleton, MN. They checked into the Catholic church there but they were rejected and told to check with the police department. When they arrived at the police department, a man overheard their conversation and suggested they talk to his pastor. Well, this pastor referred them to another pastor who ended up buying them a night in a local hotel. See how God takes care of these guys. BTW - the police offerred the guys a free night stay at their local campground which was a nice gesture.
Tommorrow, they plan to ride to Buffalo Lake where they will join up with Vanessa, a friend from SPO. Getting closer...
In all, they rode for about 8 hours and ended up in Appleton, MN. They checked into the Catholic church there but they were rejected and told to check with the police department. When they arrived at the police department, a man overheard their conversation and suggested they talk to his pastor. Well, this pastor referred them to another pastor who ended up buying them a night in a local hotel. See how God takes care of these guys. BTW - the police offerred the guys a free night stay at their local campground which was a nice gesture.
Tommorrow, they plan to ride to Buffalo Lake where they will join up with Vanessa, a friend from SPO. Getting closer...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sweet Aberdeen
The guys were truly blessed today! The weather was cold and wet; one of the coldest days yet with a high of 63. They left Eagle Butte and headed East to Gettysburg - a 65 mile day but God had other plans in mind. The guys managed to ride about 50 miles before reaching the Missouri River when a motorist stopped and offered them a ride in his pickup. Cold, wet, and tired, plus David was riding with one broken pedal, it was an easy decision. They loaded their bikes into the truck and hopped in. The man introduced himself as Grady from the Cheyenne Indian Tribe and he was headed towards Gettysburg on his way to Aberdeen.
Aberdeen just so happen be their next destination after Gettysburg. The guys stopped in Gettysburg to meet the priest at Sacred Heart where they were planning to stay for the night. The priest said he understood the guys would be moving on to Aberdeen and gave them some food for their truck ride. The guys called ahead to Randy and Sarah who graciously offered to take them in a day earlier than expected. They also prepared a nice welcoming meal for the guys. Daniel said it was a real blessing to meet Grady because it would have been a very difficult ride to Aberdeen, about 100 miles from Gettysburg, with a broken pedal. He also said they had a great conversation with Grady and believes God had truly arranged their paths to cross for both their benefits.
The guys got David's bike fixed and are set for their descent into St. Paul, MN. Daniel said they are planning on 4 more days of riding but you never know what God might have in store for them on this last leg of the trip. Stay tuned...
Aberdeen just so happen be their next destination after Gettysburg. The guys stopped in Gettysburg to meet the priest at Sacred Heart where they were planning to stay for the night. The priest said he understood the guys would be moving on to Aberdeen and gave them some food for their truck ride. The guys called ahead to Randy and Sarah who graciously offered to take them in a day earlier than expected. They also prepared a nice welcoming meal for the guys. Daniel said it was a real blessing to meet Grady because it would have been a very difficult ride to Aberdeen, about 100 miles from Gettysburg, with a broken pedal. He also said they had a great conversation with Grady and believes God had truly arranged their paths to cross for both their benefits.
The guys got David's bike fixed and are set for their descent into St. Paul, MN. Daniel said they are planning on 4 more days of riding but you never know what God might have in store for them on this last leg of the trip. Stay tuned...
Blessings & Challenges
The guys spoke after the Masses Saturday night and Sunday morning and received just over $600 in donations for SPO. Fortified and encouraged by the love, generosity, and support they had recieved at Corpus Christi in Newcastle, the guys set off for South Dakota. Their travels through the Black Hills took them by Jewel Cave, Crazy Horse Monument and Mt. Rushmore. I think most know what Mt. Rushmore is all about, but if not, here's a picture. I'm always amazed when I see a picture of this monument and it's surreal when you see it in person.
The guys passed through the Southern end of the Black Hills and spent a short night in Rapid City, SD. Awakening early, the guys set out on their biggest day so far - 130 miles to Faith, SD. This day would end up challenging their strength and faith. After a short ride on Interstate 90 with the big rigs, the guys started down some obscure roadways as they cut across to Route 34. It turns out that about 40 miles was paved and the last 8 miles was grated dirt and gravel but they made it through and pounded on. They made it to the junction of 34 & 73, where they turned North to Faith, and Daniel began to wonder how they would make their destination 30 miles away and it was 7pm and the sun was beginning to set. They had already travelled 101 miles and were pretty worn out so they decided to pray & hitch hike. It wasn't too long after a few "Jesus, I Trust in You" prayers that a man in a pickup truck stopped at the gas station. The guys asked him if they could pack into the back of his truck, and after gaining permission from his fiancee, he told them to load their bikes in back and climb in. He took them all the way to Faith where they had arrangements to stay at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.
The guys had previously contacted Fr. Marcin about spending the night in Faith. He had graciously agreed even though he would be out of the country visiting his home town in Poland. He had given the guys specific instructions on where he left a key for them as well as pizzas and soda - just what they needed after one of their biggest days.
Yesterday, Tues., 7/28, the guys woke after a good night rest and decided to scale back their riding plans. Daniel called me early in the morning to see if I could find a Catholic church in Eagle Butte, SD, which is in the middle of the Cheyenne Indian Reservation; he had no access to the internet and kids today don't know how to use phone directories or Directory Assistance. A quick Google search found All Saints Catholic Church and Daniel made a call and was welcomed to spend the night. So, after a lazy morning, the guys pushed out from Faith on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation and made it to All Saints in about 3 hours of riding - probably their shortest day riding so far.
However, David's pedal has broken which made it a bit more difficult. He will have to ride maybe the next 170 miles with a broken pedal before they get to a town with a bike shop. It will be interesting to learn how they "jerry-rig" the pedal. Today, they head to Gettysburg, about 60 miles away.
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