Category Archives: Blog

April Showers

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Written By: Diane Bies

Today was another beautiful day on the Trace.  No, we didn’t really have sunshine; in fact it drizzled a little off and on today.  But the real rain held off until all the riders were in and settled at the church for the most part.  The temperature was a warm 70 degrees or so which is about perfect on the rolling terrain we are riding.  No rain gear was necessary although I did carry mine in my back pocket all day thus protecting all the other riders and myself.

The day started with a wonderful breakfast provided by the generous people of Shady Grove United Methodist Church.  They came in early to make us biscuits and sausage and scrambled eggs.  It is so heartwarming to be with these fine people who “enter the mission field” each time they leave their church building.  They inspire each of us to truly live God’s way.

shady grove

As we pedaled down the Trace today we were greeted by the sound of birds in the trees, squirrels running across the road and playing on the side, some wild turkeys strutting along the roadway, and cows that “mooed” as we rode past.  As to wildlife, the highlight of the day, if you will, was seeing an armadillo lying in the road.  Not that a roadkill armadillo is good to see, but seeing an armadillo in Tennessee is an interesting phenomenon.   I am used to opossums but not armadillos.  Continue reading→

A Wonderful Beginning

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Written By: Michael Rae, Martha Uhler, and Jim Sperks
Today the Fuller Center Spring ride begins in earnest. The goal is almost 400 miles of biking from Nashville, TN to Jackson, MS along the Natchez Trace. Our home for the last two nights has been the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Nashville, TN. The church treated us to a wonderful lasagna (meat or vegetarian) dinner on Saturday nigh ensuring we’d have plenty of energy as we begin this biking adventure. Some of the best moments on this ride will be meeting the kind and good people of the host churches, learning about their home mission projects while they hear of the good work being done by the Fuller Center.
Supper at Trinity
Our Sunday morning wake up call came about 7am and we packed up gear, pumped tires and sat down to a continental style breakfast.  We then joined the church’s congregation for their morning worship service where the theme was “The ripple effects of the resurrection”.The sermon was a perfect send off for the Fuller Center riders, each of whom is hoping to create a ripple by having raised a minimum of $750 to participate in this ride with the money going to help build and repair homes both in the US and internationally.

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The Real Reason

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Written by: Lydia Huelskamp

Two months or 59 days or 1,416 hours until our first ride of 2015. To say that I’m excited would be a huge understatement. I moved down to Americus, GA in September with the sole responsibility of making sure the spring and summer rides are planned and go as smoothly as possible. As the riders continue to sign up and the funds from generous donors begin to come in it is easy to get bogged down with the planning and the logistics of the ride. For this reason I wanted to take a step back and remind myself and all of those involved the real reason we do this.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” -1 John 3:17-18

 

2014 Was One in a Million

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Submitted On December 19, 2014

As the year comes to an end many of us find ourselves looking back and reflecting on where we’ve been, where we’ve come, and everything that has happened since our last yearly reflection. Well, the Fuller Center Bike Adventure is no different. We also like to take a moment to stop and look back on the year and everything that has occurred. And what a year 2014 has been! Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of this year of adventure:

-We had our third annual Spring ride. 33 cyclists came out to ride 380 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway, and built stairs for 11 houses as part of a project to get families into unused Hurricane Katrina cottages!

-Our 7th annual Summer ride took us on a Northern route from Atlantic City, New Jersey to Astoria, Oregon. A total of 105 riders joined us for some portion of this journey with 18 riders going the whole way.

-Along the summer route we reached our ONE MILLION DOLLAR goal! The news was a cause for a celebration for everyone who has ever ridden with FCBA, reminding us that every little donation and every mile pushed through got us here.Continue reading→

The Silver Comet

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Submitted On October 24, 2014

By: Lydia Huelskamp

When you try something new you never know what to expect. Things could go completely wrong, you could find out you’re allergic to shellfish, or your clay pot looks more like a clay blob, or your haircut makes you look like your little brother cut your hair with his play scissors. Trying new things can be very scary.

However, without trying new things you also never grow, you would never find your new favorite food, discover you have a knack for painting, or start a new fashion trend. Trying new things can be very good. “Where is she going with this?” you may be asking. Well, this past weekend FCBA took a step into the unknown and discovered just how good trying new things can be. Here are a few examples of how our new Silver Comet ride really was a great, new experience:
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The Bike Adventure Stickers

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Submitted On August 20, 2014

If you’ve watched our Facebook photos very closely, you may have noticed some interesting stickers on some of the riders’ bikes. Here’s what those are all about… and how you can get your very own!After years of giving riders trophies or medals for finishing a ride, we’ve decided to do something a little different. The idea is that unlike medals or trophies that collect dust on a shelf, these are something that we can put on our bike or helmet, and will be with us every time we ride. They’ll be more visible to others, giving us opportunities to share about the Fuller Center and our adventures and they’re a way to memorialize our years with the Bike Adventure — kind of like feathers in a cap or college football stickers on a football helmet. Also, they’re quality outdoor stickers like bumper stickers, so they should survive for years through rain, hail, and even massive headwinds (as some 2014 riders may be able to confirm!).Continue reading→

It Is The Journey That Matters

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Submitted On August 10, 2014

by Lydia Huelskamp

Along this ride I was handed a quote. This quote said, “It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

Today as we came over the last hill and saw the Pacific Ocean I realized how true this quote is. Feeling the sand and seeing the mass of blue stretching for miles would have meant nothing if it hadn’t been for the miles ridden to get there, the strangers turned family around me, and the experiences had, and the memories made along the way. We have pushed ourselves through headwinds and pulled each other in pace lines. We have ridden through rain, construction, and days that couldn’t have been better. We have done archery, water skied, and floated down rivers. We have painted, built, and done yard work for others. We have teased each other, laughed with each other, and encouraged each other. We have turned these nine weeks from simply getting to an end into a journey worth remembering.Continue reading→