More than a bike tour

A reflection by John Hay, Jr. of Indianapolis, Indiana

So, it’s decided: I am planning to join a group of up to 10 cyclists from North America to bicycle 600 miles through Vietnam in January 2011.  Our purpose is to raise funds and awareness to (1) get an initial 40 Vietnamese children sponsored through ICCM and (2) underwrite a number of development projects for faithful people there.  At a secondary level, we hope to enjoy a rigorous bicycle tour in Vietnam, meet friends and encourage emerging leaders of communities there. 

While this cycling tour is shorter than the 2,000 miles Bob Yardy, Joe James and I pedaled through India in 2007, it is much hillier and so will have significant challenges.  Our group plans to ride from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in the south to Da Nang further north.  Originally, we thought about making the trek all the way to Hanoi, but chose to conclude at Da Nang for time’s sake.  Our cross-generational team will share some training rides this autumn, coming together in preparation and anticipation for this unique journey. 

So, imagine bicycling through places full of strife and devastation 35 years ago.  Imagine passing rice fields and pedaling over hills once named for the loss of life for both Vietnam and the United States.  I recall from my childhood the protests opposing the Vietnam War.  I think of stories of Vietnam vets I’ve listened to.  I consider homeless veterans whose youthful minds were ravaged by the realities of that war and who finally stabilized and were housed through supportive services at Horizon House where I served as Executive Director.  I think of the books and movies that have dramatized aspects of the bloody conflict that occurred in Vietnam.  And that’s where we’ll be peacefully riding bicycles.

I hope you will join us for this journey.  Certainly, I will blog it, just as I did our cycling trek through India.  You will be able to follow our daily travels and share in our encounters via Internet.  But we hope you will join us both now in prayer as we prepare and raise support, and then as we travel through Vietnam in January.  We will write more about this venture over the next several months, but, for now, we invite you to include it in your prayer.

I hope this will be more than just a bike ride that raises needed funds. I hope, omehow, it will change some lives and bring about awakenings and reconciliation before, during, and long after we return home.