posted 9/23/2025
This story is a part of a series of missionary contributions where you’ll hear more about their “why” for defending and celebrating life with Biking for Babies.
Trey is a first-year rider missionary from Hawaii who was a part of the inaugural Maine Team.
Give me a quick biography: who is Trey Rodriguez?
TR: I am 26 years old and am currently a masters student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa studying sustainable agriculture. I have been married to my wife Victoria for a little over 4 years and have a 3 year old sulcata tortoise named Kiwi (also our team mascot)! If I’m not in school or working at a farm, I’m probably out riding my bike! I also help run a bike co-op on campus which has helped me work on my bike and the bikes of those who come into the shop. Cycling is a huge part of my life and I love it so much because it’s one of the few ways I truly feel like myself. Another way is when I’m helping, feeding, or serving others. Because of all these things I do and almost always say yes to helping others, it really leaves me with very little time to myself. However, I always make time to recharge by spending time in prayer and seeing Jesus in the Eucharist, especially at daily mass! While I have been devoutly Catholic my whole life, I was really able to deepen my faith during my time at St. Brendan’s, the parish at Tarleton State University where I studied in my undergrad. I made friends there that pushed me to help me grow into the man I am today.
Was there a specific moment or event that made you passionate about the pro-life movement? How has your understanding of the dignity of human life developed through your Christian faith journey?
TR: I’ve been passionate about the pro life movement for as long as I can remember! But I did go to a pro- life event in my undergrad where a very influential music artist to me, Aaron Watson, came to perform and give his testimony about his personal involvement in the pro- life movement. Hearing from him and how he follows Christ in this way helped me begin to become more passionate about advocating for the life of others. Seeing people as my brothers and sisters in Christ and truly listening to and loving them has made me realize just how special we are in God’s eyes, and makes it that much easier for me to love others! A friend really helped me see that recently-the foundation of the pro- life movement is love.
What initially drew you to Biking for Babies, and what were reasons you stuck it out anytime things got tough this year?
TR: Since I love cycling, I was at first drawn to Biking for Babies because of that but as I learned more about the mission I knew I had to be a part of it! I kept with it this year because this is what God had called me to do, and I wanted to do the best that I could to honor Him. I also wanted to be the best I could for my team and when I was tired or didn’t want to ride up another hill during training, I would think of my teammates, the mothers and families in unexpected pregnancies, and those working at pregnancy resource centers and offer up my sacrifice for them.
What qualities or personal missions/charisms within yourself are enhanced or grown because of your formation with Biking for Babies?
TR: I would say I have always been a joyful person and that is definitely a gift God has given me, but I was able to grow so much more in that gift during my time with Biking for Babies. By experiencing God’s love through everyone I have met during this journey, it has made me that much more on fire for Him and consequently that much more joyful! And with joy being one of the pillars of the Biking for Babies mission, it makes me so happy that God gave me this gift and I am able to share both that joy and the mission with others!
What was your favorite memory or experience from the formation program this year? What was your favorite thing about being a rider missionary?
TR: My favorite memory (even though there are so many great ones) has to be seeing my team coming to pick me up from the airport and being able to see them and their wonderful smiles in person which was amazing! Every worry I had about the National Ride melted away in that moment and I knew it would be an incredible week. My favorite thing about being a rider missionary was being able to combine my love for cycling with the pro- life mission and offering up the suffering on the bike for those in unplanned pregnancies. Also having the support crew always forcing me to eat (which I love to do) was also top tier!
Even your journey getting to/from the National Ride was both exciting and sacrificial, traveling from Hawaii to Maine and all of the extra time and resources that were put into that. What kind of fruit have you seen from your sacrifices thus far?
TR: My trip from Hawaii to Maine was originally supposed to be about 16 hours total, but due to a delay in my first flight that made me miss the next two flights, it ended up being a 33 hour trip. So I had a lot of time to spend walking around the different airports and met a lot of people! I was wearing my Biking for Babies shirt and had the opportunity to share about the mission and what pregnancy resource centers are and what they can do for mothers and families. Along with that, I was the last of the team to make it to Maine and they decided to reschedule when we went to mass, that way I could be with them. After mass, the parishioners were so welcoming to us and we were all able to talk to them and share about the Biking for Babies mission (along with raising some funds!). I also know God is working in so many ways that cannot be seen and completely trust that he will use our suffering for good!
How did the Lord work through your time with Biking for Babies this year, and what was the impact of this experience on how you live out your faith now?
TR: This year with Biking for Babies has completely rejuvenated my zeal for Christ and how I turn to Him in all aspects of my life. During formation I could feel Him working and using the sacrifices I was making in training to help me grow closer to Him, and leading up to the National Ride where I was able to be wrapped in His love in a way I haven’t felt in such a long time. Coming back from that has allowed me to unapologetically live for Him and see and love others the way He calls us to. I feel so much more comfortable speaking about my faith and not worrying about what anyone will think because I know He will always take care of me.
What advice would you share with someone who is also a young professional about joining Biking for Babies, especially if they are on the fence due to the time commitment and integration of formation into your current state in life?
TR: Just do it! God will take care of the rest. Of course, bring your discernment to Him and ask for His will to be done. I have known about Biking for Babies since 2019 and have been wanting to do it since then but have put it off until this year because I was always “too busy or it just wasn’t the right time” until this year when He couldn’t make it any clearer that I needed to apply to be a missionary! As a grad student that works as a GA and is a part of too many extracurriculars, I felt like I had no time to set aside for this mission. But I asked God for help in managing my time and He provided!
If you were to build your team next year, what kind of people would you want alongside you?
TR: I would want people that are willing to be a part of a team and want to pray for each other. My team this year worked so well together and we were all able to feel so close to each other right away because throughout pre-ride formation we were praying for each other and offering up our training rides or asceticisms for each other. It is agape love that my team has for each other and I would like to have people that love like that on my team.
Rapid fire: 1) what was your favorite National Ride snack? 2) what was your favorite stop for this year?, and 3) what’s the best music to listen while training?
TR: 1) A brown sugar pop tart and few salt packets 2) The Nativity of Our Lord Church to visit the Saint Gianna Beretta Molla shrine, who is our team’s patron saint! 3) 80’s pop, R&B, and rock. You can also check out my Strava for a good insight into my taste in music!
Trey’s desire to sacrifice his time and talent for the pro-life mission and for Christ serves as a great example to us all. We hope that you, reader, are inspired to give of yourself generously!
We are proud that Trey is a Biking for Babies missionary, for life!
You can find similar impact stories throughout our blog.
