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
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)
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!
View Tour de CROSS in a larger map
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
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!
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!
David & Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you both finishing what you started, I know leaving with little and trusting in God for the distance was a challenge.
Gods love & blessings,
Katherine
Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteAwesome accomplishment and wonderful evangelization! Very proud of you both - and huge thanks for sharing your ride via the web - great job on the photos and postings!
Enjoy the fruits of your labors,
many, many hugs,
(Daniel's) Aunt liz
xo