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Team Wisconsin Finishes!

One day after the conclusion of Biking for Babies 2010 we find ourselves nursing some beaten down bodies and tired spirits. Our fatigue is only made sweeter though by our renewed strength from the Lord and His faithful stewards who have supported us and the pro-life cause in self-sacrificing ways. Thank you so much to all those who have and continue to pray for B4B, for our benefactors, for our charitable hosts, for our friends, for our families, and all of those who live as advocates to the worth of life.  We cannot thank you enough and are so appreciative to all you do!

We finished up the week of riding with the wind at our back after four days of a nonstop brutal reminder of all the opposition to the pro-life cause coming into our faces.  And let me tell you, it was glorious with the wind behind us!  We flew…averaging 27 mphs on the way from Effingham to Champaign, after averaging 12-15 mphs into the wind.  Spirits were flying high as we arrived in Champaign in the early afternoon, just in time for a beautiful beautiful Good Friday service, again uniting our week of biking to something greater than ourselves.

After the service we were able to visit the Champaign Pregnancy Resource Center and take a tour seeing where half of the total money raised in Biking for Babies goes.  This was where it all became worth it.  Even just 5 minutes of the tour would have been worth biking 1100 miles just to see the passion and love for life exude from Greta, the director’s, eyes and smile.  She must have mentioned the word precious at least 100 times in our tour when referring to the young women they serve and their babies, but I cannot think of a more fitting word…precious… that is what they are…precious gifts from God above, nothing is more innocent and pure and lovable…nothing is more….precious!!!

A final thanks again to all those who support B4B, in word, deed, and action.  You were there with us, grinding out the last couple miles of each day, climbing each hill, burying your heads and gritting your teeth with us as we pushed into the wind for just a little bit longer.  It could not be done without you, it cannot be done without you.  Life cannot be preserved and sanctified without you.  This two week ride was a pouring out of all our undying passion and love that cannot give up…that refuses to give up!  However, this two week ride was just that, two weeks.  God’s love needs defending always, not just for two weeks, not just for 1100 miles.  It must not end there!  Protect God’s most beautiful creation anywhere, everywhere, in any way possible!  There is so much you can do, Biking for Babies is just the beginning! Go! Act! Love! “And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.” -1 Corinthians 13:13  Hope for a better day, take faith in a perfect God, and love God and all those you can as best you can!

God Bless and so long until next year (B4B 2011 baby)!

Jared

Waking up was somewhat difficult this morning, mostly because the beds we slept in were so darn comfortable. Thanks once again to the Brown family, who stuffed us with a delicious breakfast and saw us on our way.
Mother Nature is the most boring person. We found ourselves once again riding into 25mph headwinds for most of the day. I don’t know why wind always comes from the south; maybe it doesn’t. But it sure seems like it, and it’s not very fun. However, we know the struggles help to win grace for those who can’t defend themselves.
I won’t whine anymore. Today was a great day, and we are sitting safely in the Brummer residence near Effingham after 102 miles for the day.
Highlights of the day include:
Jordan’s rear wheel falling off while in motion.
Stephanie’s endless complaining about spending a week with “gross boys”.
Special thanks to Grover Everett for showing us the bike path from Taylorville to Pana.
Going north for a half mile; it felt amazing to have the wind at our back.

I feel like more happened today than I can remember at the moment, but I am tired and want to keep this post coherent. I will post more after I sit in a hot tub, or something.

Thanks so much for the continued prayers and support!
Sweet dreams beautiful world.

While complications continue for Team UW on days two and three of the week, all of the riders are continuing to keep their heads up and have recognized an increased need to deepen their prayers.  The name of the game was wind (strange name for a game – we know) with points tallied in calories spent and lots of sweat.  We were super blessed to have a great night’s sleep at the Graf residence on Tuesday before heading out for Peoria. The day started off innocently enough, but by the afternoon it became pretty obvious that things would not go exactly as planned. Jimmy had persistent stomach cramps that would not go away – and when he had to get off his bike to ride in the car, everyone knew something had to be up. It wasn’t just the continuous hills or 20+ mile an hour winds, but he had to go to the hospital later that night for dehydration. A few IVs later he was released, but for his own health and safety he is now a prayer warrior for the team – and offering his suffering for the unborn, their mothers and fathers.  Thanks again to the Newman Center at Bradly for housing and feeding us – especially when we rolled in around 8:00 p.m.  Winds continued all throughout the day from the south – which was just our luck since we were headed that direction! However, 100 miles were logged onto the bikes and all the guys have sunburns to prove it. Many many thanks to Vicki Evans for the great conversation and clean bathroom. She displayed true Midwestern hospitality when she opened her door to two strange men in biking shorts who were in severe need of a bathroom. Also, the night ended on a high note at the Brown’s house with plates piled with meat (check the whole crew out in the photo above). We also found out that doctors are very normal people (wink) – although maybe not that normal if they’ll let three smelly bikers stay overnight.

Check out a couple videos from the end of our night with the Brown family:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWppjkh0hw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdrYmgUHMRU

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” A popular phrase based off Murphy’s Law and what would seem to be an appropriate title for Day 1 Team Wisconsin Edition of B4B, day 6 overall. Since this blog would be way too long to even try and attempt to explain everything that went awry we’ll just list a few:

1. Untimely forgetfulness to pick up Jordan’s bike from Effingham the day before our trek
2. Bike rack doesn’t fit on Jimmy’s car, take Fr. Eric’s van supposed to be used for 20 hour car ride service trip to Mississippi, and leave them with Jimmy’s car
3. 3 am calls concerning Jimmy’s car breaking down on the way to MS
4. No biking shoes and clips for Jordan’s bike (props to Nick and Jordan for rigging the best ever shoe cage made out of water bottle holders, zip ties, and LOT of duct tape.
5. Planning the route for today at Olive garden the night before
6. Up till 2 am with bike repairs before a 6 am start
7. Minor concussion within the first two miles of biking
8. Three flat tires
9. Directions leading us to a gravel road completely submersed by water.
10. Rounding off a tough day of biking and arriving in Moline at 8pm!

…And a couple shout outs to those who helped us along the way

1. Randy, a fellow triathlete, whom we met at the Paw Paw gas station and greeted us warmly

2. Belinda and John for the personal escort to the Graf’s House in Moline, IL

3. Grafs for their unbelievable hospitality in letting us stay at their lovely home

…And this is all in just one day! We have not become discouraged though, for we only have to look to the holy word of God spoken at Mass this morning for strength, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights, I have put my Spirit upon him… he will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth… Thus says God, I have taken you by the hand and kept you… to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” -Isaiah 42

Despite our minor setbacks we are able to rejoice in hope together, and persevere in love. Continue to rejoice in hardship and persevere in love for Christ with us… please!… we need you now more than ever!

Well… so long and good night from Moline, until tomorrow… for the babies!

Team Wisconsin

okay so this isn't exactly our picture, but it is exactly what happened to us

Giving life hurts. For real, ask your mother how pleasant her experience was.

Fighting for life by riding a bike also has the potential to hurt a little.

I was aware of the pain I might experience before I started this ride, but I must admit I did not mentally prepare for today. IT WAS HORRIBLE! a totally awesome manifestation of the horrific reality of abortion. A mini manifestation but enough to make me cry. Yes, I cried today, only for a second. Actually I don’t even know because my whole face was dripping wet from the rain. I was cold. Really cold.

The day started off great. We had a great breakfast, went to mass, received a blessing and was sent off with the cheering of a crowd of grammer school children and their teachers.

BUT THEN!! it started to get really windy, 30mph winds. Then it started to rain

Then Mike ran into John Paul’s car because the rain slowed his breaking speed. (it was funny)

Then I ran into John Paul’s car cause I couldn’t break because my hands were frozen. (funny, but kinda scary)

After about 5 hours of pain, I remembered something I learned in school (that doesn’t happen very often) about hypothermia. I know that we had only ridden 75 miles in the freezing cold with at this time 50mph headwind even though we were suppose to ride 115. But I figured it would be very selfish for me to waste the biking for babies money on an ambulance. When John Paul finally forced me in the car (maybe forced is a strong word) I couldn’t stop shaking, and my teeth were violently chattering. IT WAS SO COOL!!! I did feel bad about wimping out, but I tried, my body just wasn’t going to take any more. BUT….

Mike kept going! YAY Mike! But then after a couple miles he started to go backwards because of the wind.  So, he also begrudgingly surrendered to the harsh health hindering conditions and crawled in the car.

We’ll add the mileage to another day.

I’m going to bed,

LOVE YOU!

Stacy

Also check out Mike’s post about the first day here.

Have you ever heard the country song by George Strait “I Saw God Today”?  If not, please go listen to it and wait as it transforms your life.  But if you have, then you will know exactly what I am talking about here.  Yesterday was Friday, and yesterday Nick and I went on a pretty frigid, very windy, not altogether fun ride with freezing hands.  Yesterday I was cold.

Today I went home to Sheboygan, WI (the Malibu of the Midwest) to make some Mass announcements at a couple home parishes… and today… I saw God.  If yesterday my heart was cold, it was nothing short of filled with fire today after seeing the passionate, welcoming, loving, and excited faces from a childhood growing up support you and more importantly the cause that you hope to stand for.  I cannot express how much the love I received today warmed my heart and reaffirmed everything Biking For Babies stands for.  Thank you so much to the faith communities of Immaculate Conception and St. Peter Claver parishes.  I love you all and now realize how blessed I truly am.

Driving home I saw one of those sunsets one can only see on a Hallmark card, the kind where the suns rays finally penetrate the dark clouds after what has seemed to be a day long fight, the kind where the light finally overcomes the dark…and it immediately reminded me of the song “I Saw God Today.”  The faces of love, handshakes of warm support, and smiles of encouragement I had seen come alive within all those people couldn’t make me think anything other than, “man I swear…I saw God today”.  The next song that came on the radio forced me to pull the car over and bask in the light that had finally overcome the dark, from a face, from a handshake…from a smile…”I Saw God Today.”

I’m totally the only girl doing this.

I’m definitely more prone to injury than everyone else.

What am I DOING?!!!

This ride is going to be painful. It is going to hurt.

But you know what Stacy? (this is how I talk to myself) its not going to hurt any more than the hearts of all those unborn children screaming for a chance at life, or the mothers who failed to recognize the other alternatives before it was to late. The pain you may feel is like a single tear drop compared to a huge ocean of tears created by the culture of death. This is the least you can do.

Oh yeah, thats why I’m doing this. :D

I have to admit I sometimes get a little scared. My legs haven’t been very happy with me the last couple years, so I’m a bit worried on how they are going to handle this (I REALLY appreciate everyones prayers). “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” ya know? But no matter what, getting the chance to promote the culture of life by being a part of biking for babies has been amazing.

It’s only 600 miles in 5 days, its not like I’m fasting in the desert for 40 days. Jeeze.

Well good night,
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Stacy “no longer freaking out” Hague

I am happy to say that today’s weather was shorts worthy over here in Madison. It was a nice treat to break a sweet trudging up Bascom Hill this afternoon. Anyways, on with my first post.

I am honored to have the opportunity to participate in Biking for Babies, which is now only two weeks away! I recently purchased my bike, and the training is going well thus far. I do need to say thank you to Machinery Row in Madison for helping me out with a nice ride and for supporting our cause. It’s hard to find good customer service these days, but I assure you the guys at Machinery Row do not disappoint.

That being said I also want to say “hi” to my parents: Jim and Marcy. Thank you for bringing me into the world. I could not imagine being anyone else’s son, and I would never, even for a moment, want to be. I love you both dearly, and without your guidance and love I would likely think a mission such as this would be a huge waste of time. But I can tell you why it isn’t.

I’m not sure what happened to the old fashioned American values…those good days when your neighbor’s well-being was just important as your own, when Sunday’s were exclusively for God and family, and when the difficult right thing was preferred to the easy wrong thing. I don’t know why we are all about what makes us happy, why truth is relative, or why convenience is more important than, at times, human life itself.

I love this country far too much for it to continue down its current path. I remember reading about our country in grade school history books and how we have always been a beacon of truth to the world. Though not perfect by any means, we’ve still abolished slavery, helped put an end to numerous genocides, and crushed the spread of communism. It’s hard for me to believe that an evil just as grave is still taking place within this country.

But, regardless of how it happened; it did. And if it doesn’t upset you, it should. Human life should never be considered a burden. It is a blessing, and the greatest at that. That is our message, though it isn’t our own to pass off. It is the message of our Creator who tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” For an innocent and defenseless life to be the casualty of “resolving” an unexpected difficulty is the saddest thing in the world to me.

This is why Biking for Babies is worth it: because human life is worth it. Always.

Thousands of men died to make our country great. Let’s honor them in helping America once again shine with truth. But more importantly, your God died so that ALL might live. So alive in Christ, let us fight physically and spiritually for those who can’t speak on their own behalf. Though present time can be considered dark, there is hope in Christ, and “hope does not disappoint.” There are brighter days ahead.

Semper Fi,
njd

Watch this new inspirational video and share it with all your friends to help support our bikers!