Friday, July 11, 2008

Day 26, Chamberlain, SD to Mitchell, SD, 70 miles

Yesterday's devotions from James was good timing because today the 25 mph cross-wind was against us for the whole 70 miles. And the temperatures were in the 90's. We passed through Pawtucket(known for their annual lawn mower races) and then on to Mitchell (known for the Corn Palace which is decorated with huge murals of corn and grass) with everyone praying for the winds to change soon! To forget about the wind I thought about some of my favorite things. Things like riding unicycles with the kids at Sankey, or when Dr. Gil Morgan, Dana Quigley, and D.A. Weibring are in the same threesome, or going to church and then out to lunch with Karen, etc.

After I checked into my hotel today I got down on the floor to do some stretching and woke up 2 hours later still on the floor!

At about the 50 mile mark today my little bag that holds my spare tube, repair tools, wallet (with my licence and credit card), and phone inexplicably fell off the back of my bike without me knowing it. But one of the riders coming along behind me somewhere saw it and decided to stop and bring it in. A catastrophe was alerted because of grace and Ted's alertness!

It would be easy to give into the temptation to curse the wind, get foul of mood, complain about less than ideal roads, weather, rude car and truck drivers, and any number of annoying things. Today I found my encouragement in I Corinthians 10:12 and 13. "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure." It got me through a rough day without giving into a number of temptations.

One last story: Someone made a comment about bugs in my teeth yesterday. Yes, there have been a few but I have found they go right down with a big swig of water!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Tom,
We are just catching up with you as you are completing your journey. We are among those crazy RVers who drive along in their cushy seats thinking guys like you are either amazing or nuts. We are inspired and impressed by your success and will pray for an uneventful ride to the end. God is good. You are always a blessing to us.
Nancy and Phil Rooker