|
"It was such a windy day that at one point we had to pedal downhill otherwise we would have come to a complete stop," said Stuart Smith, a member of the "CBC Bikers". This team of 19 from Community Bible Church in Lucan, Ontario participated in the RIDE for Refugees in 2007 for the first time.
Buffeted by the wind, team member Carol Gurr had to dig deep for inspiration.
"I looked down at what I was wearing: my biking outfit, my helmet, my biking shoes. I thought about the food in my pack and the great meal waiting for me at the end of the day. Then I thought about refugees who have nothing. They have no one filling up their water bottles. They have no one cheering them along the way," said Gurr. "It was a very humbling experience."
The CBC Bikers raised $10,000 and participated in both the Matching Funds Program and the RIDE Partner Grant. This team gave the $5,000 they got back to Doug and Ruth Loveday who taught pastors at the Kiziba Refugee Camp in Rwanda for two weeks.
"It was a meaningful and purposeful thing to do," said Mary Smith. "And a great thing to do as a family."
On the drive home, ten year-old Martin Smith was already talking about participating in the RIDE next year.
"Our team wore our RIDE t-shirts to church the next Sunday," said Carol. "We greeted people at the door wearing RIDE t-shirts. We really felt like a team. No regrets."
| |
