Archive for the ‘Jimmy’ Category

Please forgive me for my absence posting on the site.  I am alive!  Praise God.  In all honesty, my brain has been fried from the start of the trip and I’m failing to function on all cylinders.  Nonetheless, I still wake up every morning thanking God for all the beautiful blessings, most especially hills, heat and humidity (the triple ‘H’ threat).

I’d like to start my post by stating:  THANK YOU!  Thank you times a million for all of your prayers and encouragement.  Also, I just noticed we’re just shy of $11,000…  That is A-w-esome!  God is good – all the time.  Let’s keep spreading the word and making it happen! 

Pondered thoughts while riding:

1. I was thinking about the Church as the body of Christ and how cool it is that God allows us to work together…  This thought was instigated by the question:  “What keeps me going?”  That’s my answer in a nutshell.  God grace, obviously, is what sustains my team and me.  In addition, we are encouraged by all of you, our brothers and sisters in Christ (or fellow organs and appendages, if you’re still following the analogy.)  Thank you for utilizing your time and talents for His plan.  As we near the $15k, we need to get our pec’s and bi’s jacked!  (riders = lower body J) Please help us in this initiative.

2. We spotted a turtle on the second day.  He was chilling out in the middle of the road.  As we were riding by, I decided to stop.  After-all, this is a pro-life initiative, so… “save the turtles!”  Anyways, as I went to pick up our new mascot, he quickly jumped into his shell.  As I rode up to show Stephen, he asked if the turtle was still alive.  You see, from the outside it was hard to tell b/c it was closed up and hidden, but on the inside it was kicking and screaming, alive and well.  So, too, our brothers and sisters patiently await their opportunity (a gift from God) to break out of the shell.  And let me tell you, that turtle was probably scared as heck when I tried to disturb him…It’s time to take a stand and fight for the defenseless!

News from today:

Today’s happenings…  Let me start by stating that it was an “eventful” day.  We began our ride at 6 am.  Our hope (since we started the trip) was to get on the road by 5:30; however, we (Mike) somehow managed to set the alarm off at the church where our bikes were stored…

The trip started off well with little hills and a nice cool breeze (where it came from no one is sure). We took a lunch break at Blatesville, MS.  As we made our way into the early afternoon, the temperatures and humidity began to rise…  We had a strong tail wind which made for fast travel, but our destination was a little bit farther then expected. What was supposed to be a 120 mile day turned out to be a 140 miles. 

We ended the day w/ Mass at St. Michael’s and a lovely dinner w/ the Reinking’s! 

Totals for today:

1 bike accident = Stacy and Eric…minor cuts and bruises, 1 fallen comrade = Kevin got heat exhaustion and had to call it quits at 130 mi. mark!  He was a bit delirious and was not making a lot of sense; however, he’s back in action and pumped for tomorrow’s ride.  All-in-all, we’re doing well and appreciate all the prayers.  Please let us continue to pray for one another

Sister Mary Joseph – Pray for us!

Dear friends and family,

Now is the time!  It is time to gather the troops.  It is time to rise above our differences and disagreements and unite in this battle for souls.  Our brothers and sisters are in desperate need of our help.  It is time to answer the call.  It is time put our self-interests aside.  It is time to make this more than yearly contribution or a passing thought.  There is no excuse and no reason to be sitting on the sidelines.  Get up and get out there.  We each play a vital role in this effort.  What is our mission?  What is our goal?  To transform our culture.  To end abortion.  To end moral relativism.  To eliminate any and all lies from hell. Each and everyone of us plays a specific role in this effort.  It’s not about 4 riders making a trek across the country.  It’s about sharing truth, that is Jesus Christ.

“Christianity is not a religion of quiet tea parties and platonic goodwill towards all.  It is a religion of martyrs and confessors, of men and women who believe that their faith in Jesus Christ is worth living and dying for.”  Do not forget that.

God is on our side!  We will not fail, we will not lose and we will not stop until it ends.  “A small boy and a bully meet.  When the small boy is knocked down, he gets up and attacks again, over and over, until at last he will win.  For nothing in the world is as fearsome as a bloody, battered opponent who will never surrender.”  NEVER!

As our late beloved Holy Father shared with us at WYD in Denver, CO:  “Have no fear. The outcome of the battle for life is already decided … You too must feel the full urgency of the task … Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life. …This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops.” – Blessed John Paul the Great

Let us pray that God will use us as His instruments and that we may be submissive to His divine will.  Lord, use our intellect, our health, our communication skills, our sense of humor, our strength and talents, and even our faults and weaknesses.  What we have is not our own.  We pray, Lord, that we may rise above our shortcomings and offer it to you on the Holy Altar.  We pray for our brothers and sisters who have fallen away from the faith, as well as our brothers and sisters who have been killed in this battle.

We will not fear!  No matter the distance, no matter the obstacles presented, God is with us.  St. Paul reminds us, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God.”

Please support our efforts.  Your prayers, sacrifices and contributions make all the difference in the world.  Praise God for the gift of life, never go a day without thanking Him and never lose sight of your dignity, worth and purpose.  God loves you and so do I!

Brother in Christ,

Jimmy

Greetings faithful supporters and friends,

I apologize for the delayed update from team Wisconsin.  I must say, the story of our experience keeps getting better and better.  Satan certainly does not like what we’re doing.  That in mind, we must persevere!  Keep praying:  Lord, We are weak.  Make us strong!

DAY 2:  All day we fought 16-27 mph winds and lost one of our riders towards the end of the day (that rider happened to be me).  Long story short, yesterday ended with a pleasant visit to Proctor hospital and two IV’s.     

DAY 3:  So, after getting discharged and returning back to Bradley, I settled in for the evening at 1 Am.  Woke up a few hours later to celebrate mass with the team and cheered ‘em on as they began their trek southbound to Springfield.  I spoke with Jordan earlier this evening and it sounds like they had another battle against the winds, but finished up in Springfield with a total of 100 miles for the day. 

Prayers. Fasting.  Almsgiving.  Offer it up for His greater glory and know:  “It’s not the size of the army that victory depends on, but strength comes from Heaven” – 1 Macc 3:19

Brother in Christ,

Jimmy

Sister Mary Joseph — Pray for us!

P.S.  I’d like to send my appreciation and honor my Uncle John for taking care of me and his family for welcoming us in to Peoria!  I’d also like to thank  Fr. Brownsey and the FOCUS missionaries for their hospitality.

Below you can listen to the Rock for Life podcast that features, among other things, Biking for Babies. Jimmy Becker is interviewed in the second half of the show. Check it out!

Biking for Babies

Rock For Life Netcast

Team Illinois had some technical difficulties with YouTube while on the road. However, your wait is over because we finally got the videos from Days 2 and 3 up online.  Days 4 and 5 are on their way as are the videos of Team Wisconsin starting with Day 6!

Enjoy!

Day 2 Video:

Day 3 Video: