Amid intense planning and many small steps of faith, we launched out in a trip of a lifetime. We left Orlando FL on a sunny day January 24th. We arrived in Encarnacion Paraguay in the heat of a summer day March 12th. All Together, 50 days packed with emotions worth a book. Maybe one day . . .
The HoneyMoon - Orlando Fl - San Antonio TX (USA) 1,800 miles
During stage one, we were riding, I believe, in the honeymoon stage. Nothing could stop us. We had all this build up stamina-anticipation after months of preparation behind us. It was surreal. I had to pinch myself several times over these first days. My inner voice was talking and asking my real self? Are you really going to do this epic trip? Will you make it down to Paraguay in one piece? My conservative, worrisome voice would question my adventurous spirit: Did you plan everything out? Do you have enough money? Do you even know how to change a motorcycle tire? What if, on and on….you get it. We all have been at crosspoints when these inner voices can be very loud.
The following were three of the main reasons for this journey:
●
On a personal level, time with
God, on the road and lonely stretches on the Pan-American.
●
On a family level, spending
quality and working on our relationship at this juncture
●
On a ministry level, sharing the
love of God, to other bikers, friends and leaders along the way.
Now that the trip is over, I felt the trip would accomplish several great
purposes.
Day 1 started out with a fresh fruit and cereal breakfast with our friends Joe and Jill Keenum in Orlando. Joe is part of missionary ventures, where I am part of. Joe has been a great friend over the years. For the past two decades and to this day, he calls about once a month to pray and encourage me. After breakfast, we would meet Rev Bill Snell, general director of Missionary Ventures at a garage in Orlando to load up our bikes and ride to the offices of Missionary Ventures. Missionary Ventures is an inter-denominational group. Their vision states: Equipping and Empowering the church World Wide to make disciples.
Many prayers have been lifted already, but the sendoff prayer was very special on that day. After prayers, we said our goodbyes. It was a perfect FL day. Temperatures in the 70s, sunny and breezy. I think the Lord knew we needed sunny/mild weather to prepare us emotionally for the next 50 days of who knows what.
Day 2. We had to make up for some time. We ate an early breakfast and took off. We were going to stop just for gas and the bathroom. At about 10 am, it began to rain and then pour. We slowed down but kept riding. We did get wet, our stuff got wet. We were literally drenched. I call day 2, my road baptism. We were on our own. Although the roads were great, we were now on the interstate, trying to cover miles.
Day 3. Down time in Mena AR. Touring of the CMA facilities on Iron Mountain. CMA was started by Herb Schrieb in 1975. A year later God provided the resources for the original 3 acres on which CMA was established. Herb, a pastor himself, realized how the motorcycling world needed hope. He got to work and used the motorcycle to reach the bikers. The ministry is run very efficiently today and the impact of CMA is worldwide. Iron Mountain in Mena, is headquarters for the organization worldwide. Every year an event called, Run for the Son raises money for three missions. Jesus film project, Missionary Ventures, Global Christian Relief. Pastors and leaders across denominations in Paraguay have been blessed with motorcycles.
Our hosts in Mena. Daniel and Sheeri Sheree Stowell.
Day 4. On our way to Oklahoma City we stopped at Fort Smith, to meet some friends.
Day 5. Worship and rest with our brothers and sisters at the Church of God in Oklahoma City. By the way it was from Oklahoma where my grandfather David Meier came from before attending Anderson College back in 1922.
Day 6. We rode our motorcycles on a beautiful, sunny day into Dallas TX.
Day 7-10, we waited in San Antonio for some motorcycle papers and documents to arrive. We shopped for a GoPro camera and an intercom system. We found that comuniting between bikes is very important. Remember we were still getting things fine tuned. We were adjusting bags, unwrapping packages and making sure we had extra spark plugs and some other small accessories just in case.
The last days in the US were good for our mental and physical health. I believe the first week in the US on the motorcycle gave us confidence for the journey ahead. It helped us work out final details and make adjustments. We did some research and connected with people we were going to encounter in the next stage of our trip namely, Mexico and Guatemala.
Time with relatives in San Antonio, before leaving for Central America.
Next week, Stage 2, I will share about how our crossing through Mexico and Guatemala went.
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