My Motorcycle Pilgrimage

Since I was a little boy I remember hearing bits of a story about my Dad driving an old 1950's BMW motorcycle on a 5,000 mile round trip from Grand Bay, Alabama to the coast in California. I remember hearing how he and a friend went after they graduated High School, that his bike was in rough shape and since he didn't have money for a replacement battery, had strapped a used deep cycle boat battery across the back. Dad talked about how this friend's bike ran out of gas before his, but because his bud was stubborn, they more times than not ended up syphoning gas out of dad's bike to make it to the next gas station. I know they stayed with family along the way and other than that I always noticed how my dad's eyes lit up a little when he cautiously shared a story of sheer adventure with his adventurous, yet horribly clumsy, son.

Since Grace and I started fundraising and then moving to Africa I really feel like i've been in "business" mode. We've been strapped for cash and we've felt like we've had to justify every expense and decision we've made to those overseeing us. I say "us" because I quickly learned that being overseen as a Missionary means people also begin to oversee your personal life as well as your work. That feeling of being told I need to lose weight yet take care and rest, work more yet vacation more, spend more time with my wife yet spend more time reporting to supporters, etc. began to drive me crazy. I've felt scrutinized so I began to scrutinize others and worse yet I lost joy in what I do. I've spent the last month looking over where i've been, what got me there, and how to come back to a place where I live to live, where I rejoice in the moments God has given me, and where I work for Him and subject myself to His scrutiny alone.

Part of this process was realizing that I'd lost joy in my life, I'd begun to see things negatively and to be honest wasn't enjoying "my dream job" here in Africa. So, I sat down a wrote a list of what gave me joy in my life. I won't share all those but high on the list was driving my motorcycle, challenges, and adventure. Some of the very things had been pushed to the bottom of my "daily life list" for the last two years. Grace and I began talking, reflecting, and praying and decided that this trip to Timbuktu was my chance to live again, marking the change from one season to another in my life. I'm going to call this trip my Pilgrimage with God. So it happens that my Pilgrimage takes me through mostly Islamic Holy Sites, but no matter I suspect God will be there nonetheless. So I not only ask for your prayers of safety but also for change. That like the many pilgrims who've gone off in search of sacredness before me, that I would return changed by the God I encounter in the adventure and journey before me.