Continued Thoughts on Freedom

Today, 235 years ago, Jefferson's famous and world changing document was read publicly for the first time on the streets of Philadelphia. Jefferson, along with his coauthors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, and his cosigners George Washington and John Hancock, knew that the Declaration of Independence from King George III had the potential to change the world forever. Not just the lives on individuals, but the course of nations and world history. I'm not convinced they would believe that their radical experiment in freedom and liberty was still here.

Today, as I sat in the car at 7AM driving to Boston with the hopes of seeing the Boston Pops and the fireworks on the Esplanade in person rather than the CBS special, I was reminded of how this experiment in liberty and freedom has changed over the years, how we have received and denied this freedom and liberty. I was reminded of 1963 and King's Dream. And I quote:

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

...

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

It is only with faith in Christ thatwe will be free and our Congolese Sisters will be free. With faith, we can break the chains of our Sisters who have called on us to help. With faith, we can show them that they are loved, that they are beautiful, that they are God's daughters, that they are our Sisters. As I sat today at the Pops concert, country star Martina McBride sang her song "Independence Day," a song that focuses on the abuse of women, singing "roll the stone away / It's Independence Day." I declare to you that today, tomorrow, and in the years to come will be Independence Day for our Congolese Sisters and the stone will be rolled away in their lives through Christ and the Word.

It is American to think our own freedom, but we are called to look outside of ourselves, outside of our nation, to see those who have called upon us to help bring freedom. As I talked about a few weeks ago, our worldly freedom is a blessing, but our heavenly freedom is the only freedom that brings us into a deeper relationship with Christ and ultimately, eternal life with the triune. Many of these women, men, and children don't know this freedom-an obvious observation from my time in the Ugandan refugee camp for Congolese nationals. The Congolese whom we have met along the way in Charlottesville and Portland now know our worldly and heavenly freedom; their sisters, sadly, do not.

Today while at the Red Sox game (which was a great time had by myself, Mark, Marianne, and Gordon), we sang "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch. As I stood there, singing a song that, to be frank, I don't care much for, I began to wonder if our Congo sisters ask for God to bless their nation. I imagine they do, but I know others cannot even begin to fathom that God could do that.

So as I head off to bed this morning after an amazing Fourth of July experience in Boston, which could only have been made better through a delicious cup of New England Clam Chowder (aka "chowda"), I, on behalf of the team, once again declare what some of our sisters cannot:

God Bless the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In Christ's love,
BMD

This is NOT it

Six months ago, Bryan and I (Lewie) revisited Uganda where we spent time in Kyangwali (Changwali) refugee camp. There, we spoke to many women. As we were talking to a group, one lady, clearly fed up, spoke out in frustration. "People like you come here and ask us these questions, but when will we ever receive help? When do we get something out of it?" Immediately convicted, I hesitated. While not wanting to give unwarranted assurance and provide false hope, I did choose to make them a promise. I told them, "Listen. The American Bible Society is working on and currently implementing programs to provide women who are suffering in the DRC with trauma healing. As we speak, there is a program developing in Goma. Now I don't know exactly what help might come to you specifically in this refugee camp, but what I do promise you is that I, along with Bryan and a team of people, will go back to America and ride bicycles from Florida to Maine. As we go, we will tell as many people as possible your stories that you are sharing with me now. Know that even right now people in America are praying for you, and they will continue to pray for you. I know you have been through so much, but the one thing that I want to encourage you with is the knowledge that God loves you, and I love you, and there are people in America who love you."

You might call this a "no turning back" point, and that it was. As we have been riding up the coast we have been sharing that story with people and telling them that we are in the process of following through on that promise. Well now we stand before you, 2,000 miles later, having followed through. We didn't give up; we didn't turn back; we made it--on behalf of our sisters.

Forget the riding. The most powerful aspect of this tour manifested itself not through our legs, but instead through our mouths. For we told their stories at a time when our sisters could not. Ignored for over twenty years, it's time the church (us!!!) stands up and does what it is called to do. Not to say that we have done anything special, because we haven't. But what I can say about each member of this tour is that they gave Jesus their five loaves and two fish and let Him do the rest.

As Jon's blog last night was titled, our last day has finally arrived. But when we say last day, what do we mean? What a privilege it has been to have carried our sisters stories for this period of time, but, while the bike tour may be over, their suffering is not. The Congo is still the "rape capital of the world." It is still the most dangerous place in the world to be a female. Hundreds of thousands of girls are still suffering and traumatized, and every hour, 48 women will again be subject to the trauma caused by rape. As for me, this is a big question. Was this bike tour about them or about me? Yes, I am tired. Physically and mentally, I am tired. But so are they. I have to press on, for in my hands and in my heart I hold a treasure more precious than any gem found on this earth: my sister's stories.

Now what about you?

Last Day (How Original is this Title?)

Delayed Post from 7/2/11 PM

This morning we left from Gordon College early because our last day weighed in at 106 miles. In the morning we went by a yard sale just before the New Hampshire border, and we turned back to go to it after they cheered for us. It turned out to be a benefit sale for Relay for Life by the group Dottie's Darlings and their leaders Jean and Ruth. They gave us some lemonade as we gave them cards and shared the story of our sisters. Further on down the road in Hampton, NH the guys ran into some trouble. While passing some parked cars a driver opened his door right as Jon went into it. He crashed and then Lewie crashed into him. Neither of them were injured but Jon's front wheel was warped beyond repair. So, after some advice they called the authorities to fill out an incident report. To make a long story short, Jon rode in a police car a couple miles down the road to a bike shop where he got a new wheel and continued on his way. After this scare we rode into Maine and then stopped at a car wash for the York girls hockey team. We talked to them for a little while, then they sprayed us with the hose as we went through their line. A little while later we were feeling hungry and we went to a place in Ogunquit that was giving free cake tasting (very good cake). Outside of the shop we met Mary, who was very excited to hear how we were spreading the Word of God to the women and girls in the DRC.

Then we had lunch. The rest of the ride was fairly smooth sailing with no significant stops, until we got about 20 miles out. Then Lewie handed his bike over to Emily so that she could ride the last leg of the trip. Lewie and Mark thereupon decided to run the last 20 miles. At this point it was about 5:00. So, the rest of the group arrived at Windham Assembly of God Church in time to shower and go to dinner. We went to a seafood restaurant called Bob's with Tom Trageser, and it was there that we had Mark and Lewie arrive around 9:45 to eat. After eating we went back to the church and fell asleep almost immediately.

It's still so unreal that the tour is over. The day when we arrived in Florida seems to be forever ago, but the tour has gone by so fast. Now we get to relax a little more and present to some churches in the morning.

Continue praying for our sisters.

Massachusetts: The Land of Arnold Palmers

Delayed Post from 7/1/11 PM

Our assembly of cyclists and navigators arose for an early meal at First Congregational Church of Hopkinton.  After the delightful feast with the men's group, we were allowed the privilege to share our mission and join them in their morning activities. Shortly following the ending prayer and fellowship our team packed up and had Bible study. We went over the topic of "Home" and in Luke 2 how it must have felt for the pregnant Mary to have no place to give birth to baby Jesus.  Homes provide protection, a sense of belonging, and a place for meeting along with many other things. After our discussion we set off for Wenham, MA where we would be staying at Gordon College.

The ride started at 10:30 and we went at a relaxed pace. We quickly made our way to Harvard University - the oldest university in the U.S. (est. 1636). While there we met up with Divya, a friend of Andy, who currently attends the institution. From there the group departed for lunch, and Jon got lost on his own for a little while. Turns out that Massachusetts has a Cambridge St. in every town. The ensuing ride to Gordon College had cool breezes and a beautiful countryside. Upon arrival we were invited by Tom and Lynn for swimming and the evening meal. We were able to relax and fellowship with them for a little while before heading back to campus to sleep. Tomorrow is our LAST DAY and we all cannot believe that the tour is coming to a close. However, there is certainly more to come.

The Meredith Andrews concert is in Easton, PA on July 8th at Calvary Baptist Church. You can purchase tickets at http://sister.americanbible.org/.

Goodnight World!