I’m writing this from Cincinnati on my way to LA.

So as the big day for Bike for Burundi draws nearer, this is the culmination of hundreds of emails, dozens of hours of planning, thousands of miles of training on the road, on the treadmill, in the pool, etc. And after 5 months of being injured and trying to build up body strength, particularly in my knees, the moment of truth has arrived.

How do I feel? Well, I am desperate to make the whole ride. It has consumed so much of my time, focus, energy, and thoughts for eight months. It’s a huge dream, opportunity, challenge. And my knees are far from in a good state to embrace such a daunting physical experience.

I’m going to give it my best shot. I hope the knees don’t buckle. My superb physical therapist, Jill, thinks I can do it. She said that for God to get the glory, this is perfect – otherwise I could claim it as my own. I hope she’s right! My personal prayer, beyond just pleading with God to heal me fully to complete the task, is that I have wisdom to know if I should stop. I could maybe be bloody-minded and inch forward mile by mile, but damage my knees for life – and that would be stupidity and selfishness, affecting not just me but also Lizzie and the kids. Or I could quit early out of fear of the former, and live with the permanent regret that I didn’t pull out all the stops. The human body is capable of extraordinary feats, and so much of the battle is in the mind. But for me, I just want to get it right. As many people have said, it’s not about the bike, there’s a whole bigger picture and goal here – of raising funds, awareness and prayer for Burundi and the ongoing amazing work out there. Help me, Lord.

And we are a team, so as a team we will make it, that’s for sure. Hmm… trail of thought somewhat interrupted…(!) I am currently sat in the sweaty smelly bowels of the earth, under the airport in a tunnel with a few thousand other people, some very disgruntled at the inconvenience, others like myself intrigued by the situation, and maybe even a little excited. Sometimes it pays to be slow, because when they were herding people down the tunnel, I was one of the real stragglers, not wanting to go, wanting to see what would happen. Actually at that stage they had just billed it as a strong recommendation rather than bellowed it out as an order to be obeyed immediately sir! Apparently at the far end, they’re struggling for air, whereas where I am it’s just mildly rancid…

…OK, we’re clear, the warning has passed, drama over!

So please to pray for us as a team, for safety on the roads, good health, knees and other body parts to function well (Craig’s cracked a rib), unity, funds to come in, good contacts along the way to be made, speaking opportunities to be maximized, and also importantly for our families during this long separation. Thanks. Two days to go until we start!