Wind Breaks

Here are a few pics from the start of day 4, mid day, and the days km total.

Today has been a bit tougher than the last three. This morning the first half hour of the ride was almost as tough as the full day ride yesterday, according to John. The wind was blowing from the south east, and slowing them down. Anne suggested they ride side by side, and switch regularly, so as to break wind for each other. There was a pause, and then a lot of laughter. I told them that would be better than riding one in front of the other and breaking wind for each other.

As support drivers we are finally figuring out that it's not actually helpful for us to roll up beside the cyclist to hand them water or snacks and make them slow down to 15 km while doing it. It's much more helpful to do it at the same speed they are riding. Who knew.

The Mighty Peace River Hill

Post by Anne: Wow! Quite the marathon undertaking today! Adam & John made it to the top of the mammoth Peace River hill with seemingly little effort. The managed the very steep 5 km incline in only 17 minutes! According to John, I guess this was a valley, not a hill. He says a valley goes down, then up, and a hill goes up, then down! Go figure! And then they just kept going, and going; stopping in Nampa only very briefly. We are now continuing on to Donnelly Corner, and who knows, maybe farther...the guys seem to have an unending supply of energy.

Kim has taken some fabulous photos of the very scenic Peace River valley. We'll have to make sure those pics are available to everyone. I guess we can only load so many on this site, but to do justice to this trek, you will need to see her whole photo album.

An interview with the Peace River Record Gazette

Erin, from the Peace River Record Gazette, interviewed John and Adam and took some pictures of them. We met her on the north end of Peace River in the IGA parking lot. She asked some great questions, made lots of notes, took down info for the website, blogs, and donation information. Very cool. Adam and John did a great job, and look mighty spiffy in the shots! Thanks Peace River!

Jen, your mother did not listen to you

Ninja's at Deadwood

A few more pics from day 2

Close call. Just made it to Manning in time! Anne got a bit confused about distance on day 2. Alas, it's so hard to find good support drivers now a-days.

The cycle of a lifetime for the lifetime of others

We have had so much support from so many people. Joanna Hiebert Bergen, Binational Generations Program Coordinator, has been so helpful in encouraging us, giving us information about MCC partners working with HIV/AIDS, and giving us energy and inspiration to keep going. Today she sent us a note that said, "Wishing you well on this cycle of a lifetime for the lifetime of others." Such a great line. John and Adam are indeed on the cycle of a lifetime for the lifetime of others.

We received a note from Joseph last week that told us that Susan, a client of the Najile POMC AIDS program, died. We met Susan in October and listened as she shared her story. She had lived with AIDS for ten years. She was one of the first clients at the POMC program. Joseph told us that surviving AIDS for ten years was a good, long time. In Canada, AIDS is considered a chronic condition, treated with the latest medications. People can live long and productive lives. In developing countries, the life expectancy of people living with AIDS is ten years, depending on their access to ARV's, nutritious food, clean water, and support. The hope, says Joseph, is to keep people alive long enough so that their children can take care of themselves. Sad reality. And reason to keep going.

Hills go down and up and up and down...who knew

Day two of Cycle South for AIDS...Today's km goal was 136. John and Adam rode 160! We are in Peace River for night rather than Manning because of the crazy pace these two are keeping! Not easy riding, lots of hills...and hills, as John knows, go both down and up. Anne warned them the ride today would be tough with the hills. John said, "Like, down and up hills?" We were not aware that there are any other kind of hills. Interesting. His comment made me and Anne laugh the whole day. John, not so much. Tomorrow is "pick on Adam" day.

All the hotels that we are staying in from LaCrete to Lethbridge are sponsoring Cycle South and have given us rooms at no cost. Very generous. And the van we are renting from Enterprise has been given to us at 50% off for two weeks. Wonderful!

Jazz Hands John

Getting a jump-start on day 2 of Cycle South for AIDS

Donation on the Tompkins Landing Ferry

As we crossed the Peace River yesterday, one of the staff on the ferry handed Anne a business card, pen and $40. A couple named Tina and Herman Wiebe had driven past Adam and John and saw the Cycle South for AIDS van, and when they reached the ferry, they asked the staff to hand this donation to us when we arrived. Pretty amazing! Thanks, Tina and Herman!

LaCrete Commissioning service, and the cutest cyclist around

This morning we attended the LaCrete Christian Fellowship service, where Peter Fehr led a commissioning service for John and Adam, and I sang a few songs and talked about the Generations Program. What a very warm and affirming congregation! We were welcomed so warmly and affirmed in our efforts and blessed by so many people. After the service we were invited for lunch to Jen and Kevin Janzen's...a feast...and then John and Adam were off! They cycled to just south of Paddle Prairie!

Friday afternoon Abe, Darryl and I drove north from Calgary to Edson (about 4.5 hours) for a concert at the Red Brick Arts Centre...a really lovely and intimate theatre. We had a great time with the folks in Edson! Thanks Glen and others for all of your work, and thanks to everyone for buying cds and making donations!

After the concert we drove an hour north to Whitecourt where we spent the night. Bright and early on Saturday morning we hit the road for LaCrete...about a 5 hour drive. We arrived at about 2:00 and went to the LaCrete Heritage Centre where we sang to about 150 people, visited, told stories, and listened to a very compelling presentation on MCC's work in Haiti, post-earthquake. Paul Driedger travelled to Haiti with an MCC medical team and talked about his experiences there. Thank you Jake, Eva, David, Sharon, Paul, and I'm sure many others, for organizing the afternoon event!

heading north this weekend

Concerts in Edson, just west of Edmonton, and then La Crete, way north the next day, then back down to Calgary the following day. There's quite a community of MCC supporters up in La Crete... so, we drive.

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G8 warned of ‘moral betrayal’ over AIDS funding

This article makes it all the more critical that we keep at fundraising for HIV/AIDS work!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/africa/g8-warned-of-moral-betrayal-over-aids-funding/article1583868/ 
Full article included below. 

G8 warned of ‘moral betrayal’ over AIDS funding
Summit’s emphasis on maternal health will mean little, critics say, without funding for treatment of one of the world’s leading killers of women
Geoffrey York
Johannesburg — From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Friday, May. 28, 2010 4:04AM EDT Last updated on Friday, May. 28, 2010 8:04AM EDT
While the G8 is putting maternal health at the top of its agenda for next month’s summit, fears are growing that the club of wealthy nations is neglecting one of the biggest killers of women: AIDS.
Many of the biggest Western donors are freezing or reducing their budgets for AIDS treatment, leaving nine million people at growing risk of death because they cannot get medicine, including six million in Africa alone, activists say.

Hi everyone! Well, 6 concerts, 530 people in total attendance, and just over 400 cds sold! It's been a great couple of weeks singing and promoting MCC's work with HIV/AIDS, hopefully raising awareness, and raising money for the work of MCC's partners. Thanks to everyone who came out and showed their support, hopefully enjoyed the music, bought cds, and donated money. Quite apart from the fun we have had, the issue is so critical and dire. Funding for HIV/AIDS is declining worldwide, from big governments and organizations, to individual donors. People are suffering even more, and no longer receiving the treatment they so desperately need.

I was caught off guard by a comment a few weeks ago by someone who said they didn't like AIDS, and would not give money to support the Generations Program, because "all of those people are just screwing around." Makes me want to weep. AIDS is far more complicated than unhealthy relationship choices. Rape has become a tool of war. Women and young girls are at such great risk. Poverty and hunger drive women to make awful choices to make sure that their children are fed. Cultural practices such as polygamy complicate the issue further. And so many more complexities in the crisis that is AIDS. And people that are suffering from no fault of their own, are stigmatized and left to suffer. It is tragic. But we know that there is also hope and amazing work happening around the world with MCC partners, and we want to continue to support them as much as we can.

We have met so many folks that have encouraged us to continue to raise awareness and money to support the work of Generations. Thank you!

Kim

Calgary Release Concert!

Hi everyone! We had a great time at Foothills! The gym was packed with friends and family! There was great food, lovely decorations, and hopefully some good music too! I find it way more nerve wracking singing in front of people I know, so tonight I think I hit the top in terms of nerves and stress...sorry Darryl and Jonny. But people seemed to enjoy themselves. On a couple of tunes we had Megan Enns, Heather Schellenberg, Rachel Braul and Jesse Thiessen join us. They, plus another 5 or 6 people, are on the cd on two tracks...The House and With My Own Two Hands. It was great fun to have them with us tonight!

Joseph called us today. It was so good to visit with him again. When he called he was having a late supper with Elizabeth and her family. After exchanging greetings, he told us about his week. The budget for the AIDS program in Najile is spent. They have no money to take on more patients, particularly those in the second stage of AIDS, who require more intensive care and treatment. So, on Joseph's regular rounds of walking and visiting clients, he was told about a man who was abandoned by his family because he had AIDS, and was living, suffering, on his own. Joseph decided to check in on him. Tepipe was very ill, and needed immediate treatment. Joseph spent much of the week with him, caring for him, getting home most nights long after midnight. He managed to take him to Nairobi on Friday. After being turned away at one hospital because of the cost of treatment, Joseph found a public hospital that was willing to give Tepipe a blood transfusion. Joseph will go to Nairobi tomorrow to visit him. I told him that the work he is doing is so good, so important, and hard. He said to me that God calls us to serve, but sometimes serving can be very complicated and difficult. The barriers that Joseph and the GAR staff and clients face are huge. Today Joseph challenged, moved, and inspired us again to do what we can to continue to raise awareness and money to support not only his work in Najile, but MCC partners worldwide who are involved in such critical work with AIDS. Humbling.

Calgary and Didsbury next!

Yup, Foothills Mennonite in Calgary this Saturday at 7:00pm.  Join us. Jonny G is coming with to provide vocals, viola and mandolin (if we can find one for him in Calgary).

Then it's out to the country for a show in Didsbury... the start time is 5:00pm, with a meal. Then on to the music.

Good Times

It really was fun to have a few extra folks join us.  JP, Joey, Julia, Clare...