Daily Prayer for Tour de CROSS

May the Lord Jesus Christ be with You.
That He may Defend You.
Within you, that He may Sustain You.
Before You that He may Lead You.
Behind You that He may Protect You.
Above You that He may Bless You.
In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
(St. Augustine)

This is where we are going!


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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Over the Top

The guys have gone back over the Continental Divide - twice. Just outside Estes Park, the guys entered Rocky Mountain National Park and headed up Trail Ridge Road - the highest continuous roadway in the US reaching a top elevation of 12,183 ft and has more than 8 miles of road above 11,000 ft. This road is above treeline and Daniel said it was the most beautiful countryside he had ever seen. He said there snow covered peaks all around and bull elk with full racks were just walking alongside the road. He also said that lots of people asked him and David what they were doing and they handed out lots of Tour de CROSS cards.

Today was a shorter day in terms of mileage - only about 50, but about 30 miles was climbing uphill and then down the back side to Grand Lake - their destination. Unfortunately, the road was under construction and the guys had to ride 10+ miles downhill on a dirt road. Daniel said this was very difficult and he had a headache when they reached their destination.

Thankfully, there was Kevin and Rosalind, their host family, waiting for them on their porch. The guys had called ahead to the Catholic Church and Fr. Michael arranged for the guys to stay w/ Kevin and Rosalind since he didn't live in town full-time. Daniel said they were warmly greeted and then treated to a feast with gourmet burgers, chicken and pasta. It is amazing to see how God is blessing the guys along the way with people like Kevin and Rosalind.

1 comment:

  1. Phil, Amanda and I drove this very road right around this time a couple of years ago! It is sooooo high! I can't imagine cycling up there! i got altitude sickness as we reached the top... it was aweful! But felt better in about an hour after a lot of water. God bless you two! Our prayers are with you!

    ReplyDelete

The Load Down:

Welcome! We are David Edwards and Daniel Tansill. In Tour de CROSS (Christians Riding Over Several States), we will be riding from Tempe, AZ to St. Paul, MN, covering nearly 3,000 miles over a span of 60 days. Our mission for the trip is threefold: to be an example of God’s love, to promote Saint Paul’s Outreach (SPO), and to raise money for the continued growth of SPO at Arizona State University. We hope to gain your support for the mission that SPO has on college campuses across the country and especially here at ASU.

Saint Paul’s Outreach is an organization founded in St. Paul, MN in 1985, with the mission of “engaging young adults in a life of Christian discipleship.” SPO has grown in size and has spread to many other parts of the country, the newest location being here in Tempe, where it is supported by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. SPO focuses on bringing people to Christ through Christian community and discipleship formation.

Within our first year we have established a men’s and women’s household near campus as well as instituted weekly outreach nights, praise and worship, formation groups, “Fan Into Flame” retreats, and other events to promote community. We can see the power of the Holy Spirit working through SPO and changing the lives of many students. As we ride across the country, we will be staying at approximately 40 different Catholic churches, where we will promote SPO and be an example of God’s love to all we encounter. Working together as a community, we can make an impact in the lives of countless college students.

There is a faith crisis in college as students’ morals are challenged and bombarded with negative influences, and the evidence is clear as thousands of students are losing their faith in God. We believe that the college years are the most important time of formation in a young adult’s life and that now is a crucial time to reach them. Our fundraising goal is to cover the expenses of the trip and raise $30,000 to establish more households, outreach events, retreats, and to support the continued growth of SPO.

To make a financial donation to support our trip and further the growth of SPO please click the DONATE button at the top right-hand corner of this blog. All donations are tax deductible and you can receive a tax receipt within 2 weeks, upon request. If you would prefer to write a check, you can see the details for that in the corner beneath the donate button. Along with the financial support, we also need your prayers as we strive to follow God's calling in our lives.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to learn more about the trip or Saint Paul’s Outreach, offer us any advice, or just let us know that you'll be praying for us. If you have a Twitter, jump on and follow us at http://twitter.com/tourdecross. Thank you so much for your love and support. God bless you!