Final Trip Thoughts

Right now I am sitting at a coffee shop, downtown Grand Haven after a wonderful conversation with an old friend. During most of which I gushed about Bike & Build. This has been fairly typical of the past week and a half that I have been home. My time has been spent catching up with friends and family and attempting to explain what was the MOST AMAZING SUMMER OF MY LIFE: Bike & Build CUS 2010. This has proven to be difficult! How do you put an experience like this into words?

The best way I have come up with is just describing my emotions this summer. I have never felt more loved, happy, joyful, thankful, encouraged, encouraging, inspired, inspiring, brave, proud, confident, strong, blessed, adventurous, helpful, empowered and SO MUCH MORE in my life than on Bike & Build CUS '10. This summer I have certainly lived life to the fullest-in every sense of the phrase. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally-I have grown and helped others grow...and there is no better feeling in the world.

Looking back over the map, the entire country that we crossed, has been unreal. I did that, we did that. Biked across the entire country, ocean to ocean, helping and educating people along the way. As often as I say it, it still seems like a dream. Frequently (daily!) along the trip there would be moments when we would say to each other “Is this real, what we are seeing right now? What we are doing? Is this really happening” Making it to the top of a mountain, biking through canyons, raising roofs, building walls, witnessing insanely beautiful sunsets and stary skies. MOUNTAINS! This country is so so beautiful-and we were able to experience it in a way that many don't. We saw every foot of the road, smelt the wildflowers, felt the breeze, appreciated every little hill, dry desert and high mountain, we were one with the bike, our team, and nature. It was beautiful. And it did happen, we did do that. There are pictures, videos and memories to last a lifetime.

When asked, what made it so amazing? What was your favorite part about the trip? My first answer all summer, and now even afterward is always people. People. I love people! Specifically 5 groups.

The first is my team. A group filled with passionate, caring, intelligent, funny, creative, talented, and just generally amazing people. From all over the country. They are not just friends, they are family now-we've laughed, cried, biked over mountains and through deserts, eaten, slept, shared our lives, built houses, and so much more together. We biked across the country together, as a team not as individuals. I love them all very dearly and miss them terribly.

The second group would have to be our hosts across the country. The churches and schools who not only gave us a place to sleep and food to eat, but also a certain amount of soul nourishing that is hard to explain if you haven't experienced it. Congregation members would come to encourage us, bring us snacks, root beer floats, bring in massage therapists and chiropractors, but more importantly shower us with love. We truly experienced the generosity of Americans all across the country. Which brings me to the third group…

People along the way, on the road, people we meet in passing. SO generous and encouraging! Affordable housing is a cause that everyone (with the exception of a few crazies in Eastern Colorado…) will get behind and want to help. Because of their interest in the cause and what we were doing, they would do WHATEVER they could do to help. This ranged from monetary donations, to water and sports drinks, to candy bars, to cake, to fruit, to their bus tickets they received from the unemployment office to prayers and words of encouragement. It was phenomenal. Honestly, before this trip I had been somewhat disappointed in Americans, in our selfishness and greed. But now that I have experienced this immense amount of love and support from strangers along every mile of our trip, I have a renewed faith in the goodness and generosity of the American people. I am proud to be an American.

The fourth group consists of the Habitat for Humanity and ReBuilding Together affiliates that we worked with. Volunteer coordinators, construction site leaders, and other volunteers were GREAT. I feel we all learned a lot from them, about construction but also about the cause. Their passion for providing adequate, affordable housing always gave us a renewed energy to continue on our journey. Very inspiring.

And finally, the fifth group of people is…YOU! Support from back home. Earlier in this post I mentioned that I’ve never felt more loved or encouraged than on this trip. Prior to leaving it was my family, friends, 1st Allendale CRC church family, His House Church family, Isabella County Habitat Family, Tri-Cities Area Habitat family and strangers who heard about the trip who supported me and this cause. SO ENCOURAGING! Wow, I really cannot thank you enough. And then, while on the trip, each and every maildrop was overflowing with letters and care packages-I could feel your love from hundreds and thousands of miles away. I knew I had people back home who were praying for me and following along with my journey. You are all amazing. I like to take the time to mention a couple people in particular: 1. my parents-they trust and support my every decision and have given me the base layer of LOVE that allowed me to take this on. They believe in me, 2. my roommates and friends: Kelly, Summer, Maeghan, Virginia and Monique. These girls helped me train and fundraise pre-trip, drove me to the beginning in Virginia Beach, sent me mail and other goodies all along the way (there was not a single mail drop that where I didn’t have a piece of mail from my friends), called me with encouraging words, AND drove all the way to Cannon Beach, OR to surprise me at the end, so that I could have someone from home there with me during the greatest moment of my life thus far. I am truly blessed with absolutely incredible friends. 3. my aunt Dianne, who has been a HUGE source of support and encouragement from the very beginning, who followed me all the way through, sending just the right words and treats along the way. Indeed, this trip would not have been possible without YOU, and you have influenced me in a massive way.

Hmmm, well I have talked A LOT about people, but this is ok, because people are very important to me. My second favorite part about the trip were the MOUNTAINS! I’m sure by now you have realized my complete adoration of mountains. The challenge of biking up them, the view as you make it to the top, the feeling of accomplishment and empowerment, the view, seeing how far you have come, the team cheering you on, you cheering the team on, the view, the descent down the mountain, the rush of adrenaline and endorphins, looking back to see how high you came from and most importantly, the self confidence that you can do anything you set your mind to. Anything. Biking up mountains is a very mental task, and having conquered that I am confident that I am able to accomplish great things for good. “Define your limitations and sure enough, they’re yours” (thanks for the quote Sharif). Mountains remind me of this and I am saddened by the flatness of Michigan and lack of mountains. But this is ok, it only means that I must look harder to find my mountain.

The ten weeks of Bike & Build were the best ten weeks of my life. I have never lived life more, grown more or was more inspired. I know I have done something big, and meaningful, that I have inspired a lot of people and that others were able to see love and service through my every word and action. This is something I will never forget. I biked across America this summer, from sea to shining sea. To help people. To love people. And I was helped and loved.

peace & love
bike & build
kristen


I finished this blog post on the first day back in the “real world” class and work at CMU are beginning for one more semester. I am looking forward to continually spew Bike & Build to anyone who will listen, and recruit participants for next year! Thank you all for reading, and for allowing me to share this experience with you. Let me know if you want more details and we can grab coffee or something!