Imagine No Malaria Update: Day Nine: June 25 It was looking like today was going to be a nondescript, ho-hum day after a great breakfast and send-off this morning from our friends at First UMC, Lowell, Indiana. imgur/2eg3Lr6.jpg On the way to the church our host family received a call from their physician son, who is working in Africa for three weeks. They mentioned that on a previous trip he contracted malaria because he had not been taking his meds. It was one more confirmation that the Imagine No Malaria Campaign will not only affect Africans living in Sub-Saharan Africa but will help people around the world who travel to Africa. We began our eighty-two mile day by carefully weaving our way north to Michigan. After riding through Michigan City, Indiana, we decided it would be safest to load our bikes onto the vans, drive into Michigan and unload in New Buffalo, along Lake Michigan. It had been overcast all day, but along the lake it became even chillier, prompting three of us to put on jackets. “But it’s late June!” I lamented. “Yes,” I was reminded, “but we are also now back in Michigan where the weather can change at a moment’s notice.” For the past ten days, riders Rob, Wayne, Chad and I have been grading the roads in each state we have ridden through. We all agree that Iowa has the best roads by far. Rob, Wayne and I (all from Michigan) also warned Chad (from Iowa) that our Michigan roads are absolutely terrible, which, unfortunately, was confirmed almost immediately. i.imgur/DfIlAkG.jpg Elm Valley Road, which took us from the lakeshore most of the way to Niles, was a disgrace. In one two mile stretch we picked our way around potholes so delicately that I could have walked faster. “Welcome to Michigan, Chad,” we said. He replied, “I can’t believe that the Motor City is in Michigan, and your roads are in such poor condition.” “Send us the bill for your bike to be tuned,” I said. Moments later I had a flat tire. Rob had one earlier. Finally, we reached better roads, the farmlands were beautiful in the early evening light, and we breezed into Niles. We turned the corner into the parking lot of Wesley UMC and, all of a sudden, seventy people were standing there cheering, screaming and waving posters. No one ever greeted us like that before! i.imgur/Ln7Ke5X.jpg The senior high camp at Crystal Springs, under the leadership of Rev. Greg Lawton and Rev. Lisa Batten, brought all of their campers to Niles to welcome us and offer their support for Imagine No Malaria. i.imgur/ULi08nZ.jpg I was caught completely off guard and tears came to my eyes as the youth offered hugs and words of appreciation to all the riders and support persons. Pastor Cathi Huvaere and members of Wesley UMC offered wonderful hospitality, and our spirits were lifted after a ho-hum, pothole day turned out to be one of the sweetest of our trip. Laurie Haller
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 03:37:53 +0000
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