What is an Advocate?

Would you like to become an advocate? We need you!

An advocate commits to doing 3 things:

1. Take a "40 day Least of These" Journey- a 40 day study of what the Bible says on poverty and justice created by the American Bible Society
-available thorugh email! * Click on 40Day study above and choose 40 day web/email Least of These to start your journey*

2. Tell the situation in the DRC as well as what the bike tour and the She's My Sister project is doing in DRC to your home church, organization, school, group, etc.

3. Commit to aid 100 women and children by raising $1,000 for the bike tour and She's My Sister project (this can come from a church offering, some other creative event, etc.)

Click "Become an advocate" to join!

DRC Project Overview

CONTEXT: Since the war began in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1994, many people were forced to watch as their relatives, siblings, parents and spouses were tortured, raped, slaughtered or abducted by rebel forces. The guerillas burned homes and entire villages, forcing millions of Congolese to flee into the jungle.

NEED: Today, many Congolese remain displaced in the country or live as refugees abroad. Many women and young girls who became pregnant through rape are left to care for unwanted children some of whom are HIV positive. Other women remain physically handicapped for the rest of their lives, suffering with indignities and disease. Rape survivors, often rejected by spouses and family members, live with unimaginable stigma. Church leaders are desperate to help the traumatized people in their communities, but need training and materials to address the overwhelming number of suffering people.

SOLUTION: American Bible Society (ABS), in partnership with the Bible Society of DRC, local churches, and other faith-based organizations will work with church leaders to help traumatized people in Goma, Eastern DRC. It will use Scripture-based trauma healing counseling programs to help survivors recover physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Beard Fundraiser

I was recently able to convince one of my friends to agree not to shave his three month beard until enough money was donated to the She's My Sister cause. The fundraiser has been an overall success. It is a great encouragement that any amount of money we are able to raise provides relief and Gospel sharing to these women. I am continuing to look for different ways to reach the rest of the Furman population. I am currently working on a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. See you all Soon!

Mark

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Jon Felker

My name is Jon Felker from Colorado State University. I have recently heard more about what is currently happening in the Congo; however, I had known a little bit about the situation there when I was part of the Invisible Children Schools for Schools club in high school. To sum it up, I found out that Joseph Kony and the LRA were kidnapping children and attacking villages throughout Uganda. These attacks left refugees scattered throughout Northern Uganda in tent villages or cities. Then when they had run out of places to hide the LRA went into the Congo and committed similar crimes. Also the close proximity of Sudan brought more conflict into the region over its resources.

I am riding for this cause for the sole reason of spreading the gospel. Unfortunately our world will never be without conflict or poverty, but Jesus Christ has promised us a better life in him that will deliver us from the injustices of our present condition. In the theme of this ride Matthew 25:40 speaks loudly to me.

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Mark Jacobs

My name is Mark Jacobs, and I am currently a junior studying Business Administration at Furman University. I found out about this bike fundraising trip through a friendship with Lewie. We had worked for the past two summers at Kids Across America, a Christian summer sports camp for inner city kids. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to spend this summer raising money and awareness for these people suffering in the Congo. I really believe that the Lord has aligned all things up in order to make this trip possible, and I am eager to see His will in action.

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Shannon Cutlip

My name is Shannon Cutlip. I am a Colorado-based photographer and a passionate follower of Christ. When I learned of the She’s My Sister Bike Tour, my first reaction was, “There’s no way I could take 10 weeks off work to do something like this.” But the more I thought and prayed about it, the more I started seeing it was the perfect summer for it. So I am taking a step of faith, quitting my job, and trusting that God will help take care of the details. I am an avid cyclist. In my opinion there’s no better way to see the country than on a bicycle. But as psyched as I am for the ride, I am thrilled to have the chance to do something I love that will assist others in desperate need. The cause that we’re riding for is incredible. I am grateful to have a part in it.

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Marianne Millen

Hi I’m Marianne Millen and I am a junior at The Pennsylvania State University. I am studying elementary education and I am hoping to someday get a job working for and helping the needy in low income areas. When I heard about the bike ride, I was immediately excited to help out in any way that I could. I really hope that God will use me to raise awareness and support for the DRC in my community here at Penn State as well as to the many people and churches we encounter on this summer bike ride. I am very excited to see how God is going to move and work through his willing vessels.

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Lewie Briggs

My name is Lewie Briggs and I am a senior studying economics at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Last year I studied abroad in Uganda and Rwanda studying the genocide and other wars in those areas. Before I went, I got the chance to go to the DRC as a volunteer for the American Bible Society and see for myself the devastation and actual evil that is there. This past winter I went back to do more research on the trauma in the area and spent a few days in a Congolese refugee camp. There I heard many stories of unfathomable suffering. I know God has not forgotten about these women in the Congo, and I told them that, but its time for us as their brothers and sisters in Christ to show them that we have not forgotten them either.

In 2009, a family friend named Bagudekia Alobeyo, a Congolese native, shared that the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had just launched a vicious attack in Dungu, a village in DRC—the town in which his parents and immediate family lived. My family helped send a missionary plane to rescue Bagudekia’s family and relocate them to a safer area. In 2010, I had the privilege of visiting the DRC and meeting them. I was deeply moved and humbled by their thankfulness for the way in which we allowed God to use us. However, I also witnessed the devastation taking place. Rape, torture, and murder are rampant. The people are living in constant fear, and hope seems all but lost. Coming back to the United States, I felt a calling to advocate for those I met and others suffering from similar injustice, especially for the women and children who are facing these atrocities every day. The bike tour has formed out of my desire to do whatever I can to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, to stand up for those who are harassed and helpless, and to inspire others to do the same

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Jenna Liew

My name is Jenna Liew, and I am from Easton, PA. Currently, I am a junior broadcasting major/ anthropology minor at Messiah College. Last year I had the opportunity of a lifetime during the month of January. I went to Ghana, Africa through a study abroad program. I fell in love with the people, the culture, and the land immediately. I also witnessed with my own eyes the illnesses, poverty, and hardships that plague this country. After returning to the U.S., I felt unsettled returning back to my comfortable, privileged life. I knew that through this experience, God had opened my heart and mind to the struggles of the people of Africa. When I heard about “She’s my Sister” bike tour, I was so excited to join the cause. After learning about the condition of life for many people in the DRC and reading several testimonies of abused women in the country, I knew right away that I wanted to participate in the bike tour. Bringing God’s love and healing power to these women is well worth my time, sweat, and energy. “She’s my Sister” bike tour is more than just an amazing cause; it is a small way that I can follow God’s calling to “learn to do right, seek justice, and defend the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:17). I am super pumped to ride this summer!

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Gordon Brown

I am Gordon Brown from Boone, NC. I am a senior building science major at Appalachian State University and will be graduating in May. I’m super excited to be a part of “She’s my Sister” bike tour. I had the idea in my head of a cross country ride for a few years now when I was working at camp together with Mark Jacobs and Lewie Briggs one summer. It stuck with me and here I am ready to ride... but it’s not quite for the same intentions. I originally thought we would just go for the sheer adventure and manly feeling of cycling a far distance, little did I know that this ride would be one that would help to change the hearts and lives of many people! I cherish the opportunity to ride for the sake of bringing the hope and love of the Gospel to the hurt and neglected. Last summer I traveled to Kenya and worked at a children’s home; I have seen the poverty and felt the pain in my heart for the lost there. For me, this ride is more than sheer adventure. The issue in the DRC is a matter of life or death, something that I have witnessed first hand! I am so glad to be a part of this ride, and I am ready and willing to give my time and effort to get the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the hurting in the DRC. I know God will change lives through this project, and I want to be a part of it!

Get To Know Our Bike Riders- Bryan Dougan

My name is Bryan Dougan, a senior Sociology major at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. This bike ride has been on my radar screen since freshmen year of college, when Lewie wanted to do it. The realities of why we are riding became quite apparent to me through a semester abroad in Uganda in the spring of 2010, seeing those impoverished suffer in mind, body, and spirit; what I discovered last year has only been reinforced and rediscovered, all at the same time, through a more recent trip in January 2011. During this excursion, I got the chance to to further uncover the true realities of the problems in the Congo, as well as neighboring countries. I know in my heart of heart that these women are the apples of God’s eye, and He is waiting to further show them His love. It is our job as Christians and the Church to remind them of that.

Local Yogurt Fundraiser!

As an advocate on Duke’s campus for the She’s My Sister Summer Bike Tour, I was able to start raising funds and awareness just this past Wednesday night! A popular frozen yogurt shop close to campus called Local Yogurt agreed to host a day for She’s My Sister! 20% of the entire day’s proceeds are helping us reach our goal of raising $500,000 to help 50,000 women and children in the DRC. Hopefully this will be the first of quite a few events at Duke, bringing the body of Christ together to lift up our sisters who need our help (there’s a new location of local yogurt opening even closer to campus very soon, event ideas are brewing!). “Do all you can for everyone who deserves your help. Don’t tell your neighbor to come back tomorrow, if you can help today.” Proverbs 3:27-28

In order to help our neighbors in the DRC, I wanted this event to bring in as many people as possible in order to spread the word, and also raise as much funds as possible from the day’s proceeds. After some brainstorming with friends, I decided that an a cappella concert would be perfect! A good friend of mine, Krista Kucheman, is a member of Duke’s premier women’s a cappella group called Deja Blue, and she quickly agreed to help out. At 7:30 we heard these lovely ladies hit some sweet notes while the audience enjoyed the sweet treat of frozen yogurt. All for She’s My Sister!

The next event at Duke is still in the idea generation stage, but rumor has it that it may involve the new location of Local Yogurt on Erwin Drive, and some hard working members of the Duke tri-athlon club on stationary bikes!

So excited about the many ways we can help these women and children in the DRC!

Keep those wheels turning everyone!
Amy