By Kevyn Wiskirchen, 2016 Rider, 2018 missionary applicant
When a close friend first introduced me to Biking for Babies, I thought, “What a cool way to support such a great mission.” When I was subsequently asked if I would consider being a Biking for Babies missionary, I had serious reservations. At the time, I was in the middle of graduate school. I was conducting field research for my thesis and taking a full graduate course load which had me working sun-up to sun-down…and then some. My wife had just started a new full-time job, and we were trying to figure out how to be parents to our newborn daughter. To sum it up, our lives were “busy.”
It would have been easy to let that be the response to the request of my friend. She hadn’t been pushy when she asked me to become a part of Biking for Babies, so there was no real pressure. Still, during the days that followed I came to realize that her request was more than just that. It was an invitation to become more actively involved in the pro-life movement, something I knew I was being called to do. But, I still had reservations about how I could add a training regimen and fundraising to my already jam-packed life.
Today, one year after completing the national ride with Biking for Babies, I can see how God cleared a path for me to train and fundraise. I can see His hand created space in my life for this mission. I also think to the Biblical examples we’ve been given of other people who had doubt when they first understood God was calling them to undertake a task they felt unprepared for. Throughout scripture God calls many people to tasks that seem to be “more than they could handle”, but in all cases, He provided strength, the courage to take up the mantle, and (in my case especially) the time it took to see their mission through.
I would be lying if I said it was easy—to add becoming a Biking for Babies missionary into my already-busy life. I had to make numerous personal sacrifices and carefully prioritize how my time was spent. The challenges stretched me in ways I didn’t predict. Looking back, I can say with confidence that becoming a missionary was easier than I had originally thought. When I started letting go of reservations and began to really embrace what I’d signed up for, the commitment didn’t seem intimidating any more.
We’ve all been there, staring at the proverbial mountain ahead of us that we must climb. But when we reach the summit, when we accomplish that task, it doesn’t seem so tall in hindsight. I’ve found that is even more the case when the mountain before us is the will of God, because He will always provide us with the means and the tools to succeed.
Today I am once again preparing to be a rider on the Biking for Babies national ride. I still lead a busy life, getting even busier as we welcome our second child later this spring, but I have no reservations this time about my commitment. Maybe you’re in the position I was as I first considered joining Biking for Babies. If you feel that you’re called to become a Biking for Babies missionary, but are having reservations, I encourage you not to be discouraged! In my experience, God will certainly provide the tools you need.
Join us!
– Kevyn
What are you going to do? If you feel called to apply to be a Biking for Babies missionary this year, you can fill out an application online.
———-
Read the other posts in this three-part series:
