DownloadJan. 12, 2009 issue
A humble way to travel
Pair to journey by bicycle to MWC gatherings in Paraguay
By Celeste Kennel-Shank Mennonite Weekly ReviewLITITZ, Pa. — Of all the ways to get to Mennonite World Conference Assembly 15 and the Global Youth Summit in Paraguay in July, riding bicycle is among the least likely.
Lars Åkerson, left, and Jonathan Spicher mount their bikes and leave Harrisonburg, Va., in a cold rain Jan. 6. — Photo by Lindsey Roeschley
Yet Lars Åkerson and Jonathan Spicher are doing just that. The pair began Jan. 6 in Harrisonburg, Va., and will bike 8,500 miles. First, they will go through the southern United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
They will then take another form of transportation to Ecuador and continue biking through Peru and Bolivia — including on stretches in the Andes more than 10,000 feet above sea level — to Paraguay.
Åkerson, a 2008 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., and Spicher, a junior, have been calling the trip a pilgrimage.
“It feels like that, traveling around with very little, relying on the hospitality of others,” Spicher said Dec. 23. “I think the whole trip will be spiritually powerful.”
Åkerson and Spicher are raising money for AMIGOS, the MWC youth committee. AMIGOS has been aiming to raise a portion of the $220,000 needed for the Global Youth Summit — a July 10-12 gathering of Anabaptists ages 18-27 — including expenses for young adults from the global South to attend the assembly in Paraguay.
Bert Lobe, MWC global church advocate, estimated MWC has received $60,000 to $70,000 in donations so far from the AMIGOS efforts.
“We need to raise about another $25,000 to meet our goal” for total costs, Lobe said.
Åkerson and Spicher hope to raise up to $30,000 to aid the AMIGOS efforts. Donations can be made online or by mail to the U.S. MWC office in Clovis, Calif., and the Canadian MWC office in Kitchener, Ont.
The riders are also asking for prayer as they travel.
Comments
-
How great is it to be young and full of energy, hopes and dreams. Blessings to these two young men, may the lowest points be only small crossings and the highest points be fully enjoyed and the total trip be rewarding beyond measure. I am confident God's Spirit will be with them every moment. Blessings...
Comment on the article A humble way to travel
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
