I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me. - Matt 25:40

Friday, August 6, 2010

rt. Every $1 raised provides clean water for 1 African for 1 year.
Well, the tour challenge is over. I am sad to say I did not come close to the 500 miles I was hoping for. I did ride 154 though. Thank you for your suppo

Friday, July 2, 2010

Le Tour de France Challenge

The Tour de France starts on July 3d and lasts for 3 weeks. They race around 2800 miles during that time. I plan to challenge myself to ride 500 miles during those 3 weeks.

I would like to ask for your help in this challenge. For me, 500 miles in 3 weeks, will be a hard to do. I'm not just riding for fun or my health, though both are benefits. But, I'm riding to raise awareness & money for the people of Africa.

What can you do? Sponsor my efforts and give to the ride:well tour & blood:water.

.01, .05, .10, .25, .50, $1.00 per mile or even just a flat donation. You can let me know that you will be supporting or not. Either way, just give.

Every $1 given will provide clean water for an African for a whole year.

I will be using a gps tracking device so all can see how many miles I've ridden and so that I can't make the mileage higher then it actually is.

I appreciate your considering supporting this cause. Thank you for your prayers as well.
And a special Thank You to all that have already given. Thank you!!!

You have changed a life with every $1 you have given!!!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Cow Creek Classic

The Cow Creek Classic & Ride:well Ride

Monika, Laurie, Pops, Grammy, & Sherri (not pictured: Christian & Dylan)

This is the 3d year that the oaks has teamed up with the Cow Creek Classic of Waxahachie and raised awareness for the Ride:well tour and Blood:water mission.

The Cow Creek is on Saturday the 26th of June. It starts at 730am. If you are a local rider you can go to the ridewell website and register to ride. The registration is $20 and then come out and join us for a great ride around Ellis county. If you are not local but would like to change the life of an African you can do that on the Ridewell site. Make sure you sponsor one of the cyclists riding: Sherri Bray, Christian Bray, or myself.

We also will be having some other very cool events in Red Oak to raise awareness for the ride:well tour and blood:water mission. The men & women who are currently riding their bikes cross country will be with us for these next two events. You will have the opportunity to hear their stories and meet them first hand.

On July 1st there will be a concert and art show at the oaks fellowship. You will have an opportunity to give money and also to bid on artwork from local artists. All the proceeds will go to ride:well and benefit their work in providing clean water in Africa.

Also, on July 3d at the oaks we will have a water:walk. We will walk 1 mile with empty water containers and then walk back with full containers. This gives us a very small idea of what most Africans have to do on a daily basis to get 'clean' water to drink or to us for cooking. We did this last year and it was an amazing experience. We forget how blessed we are in this country.

We hope to see you at one of these events!

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

My Bike is Tighter than your Jeans

We have been enjoying this wonderful weather here in Texas. We've been doing a lot of riding. Me and the boys have been putting in some great miles together.

Dylan
Christian in front of the graveyard.

Dylan & Christian

Jason Dickenson gettin aggressive!


We have also been doing some saturday rides. Sometimes we ride out from my house to Italy and other times we leave from Red Oak and ride out to Cedar Hill. We have anywhere from three of us to as many as eight. Its great fun, great workout, and great time with friends.

Overlooking Joe Pool Lake, the view was worth the effort of the climb.


A few weeks ago Greg, Justin, and myself went out to the Thursday Night Crit Races in Sunnyvale. It was a blast! It was especially cool cause we were all in our Ride:well jerseys. Greg got 6th, Justin 7th, and I came in 17th. It was a lot of fun and another place where people saw the jerseys and were curious about there meaning.

Justin and I in the peleton.

Greg flying down the straightaway.

We will be racing a few more times before the big ride on June 26th. I will keep you informed on how we are doing. Please don't stop spreading the word about ride:well and blood:water mission. The African people still need your help.

$1 is clean water for 1 whole year!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Donation Update

Thank you! Thank you!
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Thanks to all of you that have given to this great cause!
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My goal is to raise $5000 before the end of September.
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Well, you guys have helped raise $800 already! That is amazing! Thank you so much!
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I hope you understand what you have done! You have changed the lives of 800 African men, women, and children. Having clean water in their village allows the kids to go to school and get an education, the women to work and the men to provide for their families. Now they won't have to spend hours everyday walking miles and miles just to have clean water to drink!
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Thank you so much for all you have already done! For all the prayers and support of Ride:well and Blood:water.
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Please continue to pray for the safety of all of us riding bikes out there. And espically the group that is getting ready to ride from the west coast to the east coast for ride:well. They leave in less then two months and will be coming thru Dallas somewhere around the 4th of July.
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Remember: Every single $1 changes a life! No amount is too small or too big ;)
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Thank you, thank you very much!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Bio Sand Filters & World Water Day

This past Christmas we were looking for something different to do with the kids. In the past we have done the angel tree at our church. We heard about what blood:water was doing wiht their Filters for Families campaign. We knew this would cost more then buying a toy for a local kid. So we challenged our kids to give up something of their own and raise enough money to buy a biosand filter for a family in Africa through Blood:water mission. The kids each picked some of their things to sell and we sold them on eBay. We were very proud of them and their sacrifice and their desire to help others. After selling their items and reaching into their piggy banks we were able to buy two filters. They really do love doing things for others. Trinity loves to draw pictures and write letters to her World Vision 'sister'.

Well, this past week I received an email from Blood:water about their Filters for Families campaign. There were 1,640 safe water filters bought for families in the Ndola and Lusaka regions of Zambia.

Here is a short transformation story: Mr. James Kayata lives with his wife and seven children in Mackenzie Township in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mackenzie is a community of about 9,500 that was plagued by cholera every rainy season until biosand filters were installed in their homes.

Before receiving the filter, Mr. Kayata's family collected water from a well that was contaminated by nearby latrines, and were frequently ill as a result. They participated in a hygiene and sanitation training, learned how the water was causing their sickness, and requested a clean water filter. Since receiving the filter, they have experienced no cholera, and even occurrences of diarrhea are very rare. His children never miss school due to sickness, and are healthier than they have been in years.

Mr Kayata credits the filter as being the solution to many problems, and shares the cool, clean water with three other families in Mackenzie.

Thanks to Christian, Dylan, and Trinity's sacrifice many more families like James' will have safe, clean water for many years to come. And thanks to your support of my racing and your sacrificial giving to Ride:well, which goes directly to blood:water, you are changing lives as well.
Every $1 you give changes the lives of someone in Africa for a whole year! $12 allows a child to go to school rather than collect water. $25 provides clean water to an African for 25 years!

Also, today, March 22d, is World Water Day. Here are a few facts about water:



I'm so proud of my family and the story we are writing together. My prayer is that when they leave our home they will write a better story then myself. Sherri, Christian, Dylan and Trinity are my heroes for what they do for others. Their compassion and caring have been an inspiration to me, to do more then just ride a bike.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Rhapsody Denton Recap




Well, the race has come and gone. It was amazing fun! We got up at 6:30 this morning, the whole family. The race was about 1.5 hours away and we got their a little early so I could get warmed up. Our friend Greg Bargo met us up there. This was also Greg's first race. Greg rode cross country with Ride:well 2 summers ago, so he shares my passion for Africa and clean water & blood. He has also biked across parts of Africa while doing missions work and meeting with government officials there about the prevention of malaria. You can learn more about him and what he does at http://www.onebloodinitiative.org/
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The weather was around 50 degrees, and the wind was blowing hard, b/t 18 and 20 mph. The race started promptly at 9:15. I got off to a terrible start b/c my foot slipped while trying to clip into my pedal, but I was able to stay onto the back of the group and not get too far behind.
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The race was much harder then I expected. The pace was very high, it started high and they never slowed down. I eventually fell off the back with some others, sometimes riding by myself and sometimes riding with 3 or 4 of others. Which was much easier then being alone, especially when there was a headwind or crosswind. I rode a few miles with a guy who races for LSU (one of his teammates finished 2d). Go SEC! I was able to tell him a little bit about Ride:well also. Greg and I were both in our Ride:well jerseys, so that was very cool.
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What I learned: Riding around that many people, going that fast, is pretty scary. So I need to do more grouping riding to get used to that. I also need to practice clipping in faster. And that I really enjoy racing, that it is a fun, crazy challenge and I love it.
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The numbers: 40 minutes, 13.3 miles, 19mph avg, 27mph top speed, 18 laps, 38th place out of 52 racers.
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Now for all you who sponsored me or would still like to donate at this time. 1st, thanks you for your support! 2d, just scroll back up and follow the instructions under the 'How to Donate' section.
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Thanks again to all my supporters and a special thank you to Sherri, Christian, Dylan, Trinity, Devin, and Justin for getting up early to come and watch.
I'm typing this at work and it won't let me upload any pictures. So I will add some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

Monday, March 8, 2010

First Race - Rhapsody Denton

Well, my first race is this Saturday, the 13th. It is a Criterium called the Rhapsody Denton. It is a 40 minute race around a track that is about .75 miles in length. The one with the most laps at the end of the 40 minutes wins. The course goes around a football field and thru a parking lot and has 4 or 5 turns.
I'm very excited to get to race while wearing the Ride:Well & Blood:Water Jersey. Raising awareness and money for such a great cause is an honor. Here is what I need from you guys: I want to start out with atleast 5 of you sponsoring me for this race. Well, you won't actually be sponsoring me, you will be sponsoring and providing clean water to thousands of African families. Every $1 you give will take care of one person for a whole year. My $5000 goal could build a well for a whole village, but I need your help.
Like I was saying earlier, this race is 40 minutes long. I would like you to decide in your head how much you will sponsor me for each lap I complete in that 40 minutes. You can do .10, .50, $1, $10, whatever you like, I don't even have to know what amount you decide or if you are able to sponsor me this time or not. You could even throw in a little bonus if I make a top ten finish (there will be about 3o racers). I think I will be able to do about 30 laps in that 40 minutes.
Then, on Saturday afternoon I will post the results of my race and provide instructions on how to give.
Thanks for reading, for your support and especially for your prayers for a safe race!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Day 13 Update

The Unwritten Life

It's been a crazy week! Lots of late nights and long hours at work. I won't pretend to say that it has been easy. When we work concerts I normally drink a monster or two. Well, not this week. I have to thank Trinity for getting me through the first day. She had given my a Fun Dip Valentines day card and the sugar and lik-a-stick kept me going. The guys have been very supportive as well, encouraging me to keep going and sacrificing for Africa.

Today, Sherri and I watched a great movie: 'The Brother's Bloom'. There are a couple of great lines in the movie. The first is this: 'There is no such thing as an unwritten life, only a bad story.' & then later: 'Let's live like we are writing the best story ever told.'

Those lines reminded me of why we are doing 40 days & why I'm racing for Ride:well & Blood:water. I had just finished reading Donald Miller's new book, 'A Million Miles In a Thousand Years'. If you haven't read it, you should. It has inspired me to try and live a better life. His book is a challenge for us to live a life for more then ourselves. To write a story that will change the lives of your friends, your family, yourself, and all those you come in contact with and even those you will never meet. This is why we do things like 40 Days, why we give up things like coffee, soda, and tea (& monsters). It is much harder to do then you think and I believe it is changing me. Sherri has always been the compassionate one, going on missions trips, adopting kids through World Vision & teaching our kids about giving and caring for others. I am really enjoying sharing this experience with Sherri and the kids. I'm finally putting into action what I've known to do for so long. Living with a purpose is fun!

So, get out there and live like you are writing the best story ever told!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Day 3 of 40 days is almost over. I've had a sore throat so I've had a couple of cups of hot tea, organic throat coat, so really that's medicine. Right? Anyway, the caffeine headaches are getting less severe and later in the day. Excedrin helps with those. The family & I have saved $12 so far. That's 12 Africans with clean water for a year. Hope you all are doing well & that the headaches are few & the energy is high.

Monday, February 15, 2010

40 Days of Water Challenge

Who is ready for a challenge? A very tough challenge.

The Challenge: Only drink water for 40 days. But wait! Don't stop there! Take the money that you have saved, that you would have used to buy that Skinny Latte or Big Gulp, and give it to help someone in Africa who doesn't have clean water. They don't have the option to choose a morning coffee, or soda or tea during lunch. Many of them don't even have the option of drinking clean water. I can't even imagine that. I whine and complain when I have to drink the water in Red Oak just b/c it tastes a little weird. They probably say the same when they have to drink Waxahachie water. I know this won't be easy. You may have to suffer from caffeine withdrawal headaches for a few days and not getting that buzz from your favorite energy drink. Sounds to me like a great excuse to take a cat nap every afternoon instead.
You may say; 'Why drink only water?' Can't I just give some money and still drink whatever I want?' Well, yes you can. But if you do, I think you will be missing out on a chance to grow, a chance to feel compassion for people you don't even know. Sacrifice brings change.

Join me! Let's make a difference. Every dollar you give will change someones life for a full year, and every drink you skip may just change your life as well. That is so amazing to me, that a single $1 can make such a difference.

The 40 days starts this Wednesday, the 17th of February and will end on the 3rd of April. Learn more at www.bloodwatermission.com/40days

I will keep you informed on how I'm doing and hope you will do the same for me. Oh yea, and on Sundays you can feel free to drink whatever you want.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Why?

Why water? Why a bicycle? Well, those are very good questions. It all started about 3 years ago when I heard about a group of people riding across the country. It was the ride:well tour and they were doing it for blood:water mission. Raising money and awareness for the tremendous needs that the people of Africa have. The need for clean water and clean blood.

Sherri, myself and the kids all got our bikes ready to go and started raising money. It was a great summer day in July, a very hot day, when the ride:well team came through Waxahachie. It was a very challenging day and an amazing experience for us all. The next summer we did the ride again and also got involved with the Water Walk at The Oaks Fellowship. We walked three miles to a dirty pond and filled our water jugs and then carried them back to the church. Just a very small example of what many African women & children have to do on a daily basis.

I caught the cycling bug after that first year and have continued to ride ever since. Christian and I have logged many miles together out on the road. This year I have decided to challenge myself even more and start racing my bicycle. Then I thought, why just race? Why not give back to what got me into riding in the first place? So, here I am. Getting myself ready to race, to challenge myself physically, and to challenge you as well. To challenge you to partner with me and make a difference in the lives of 1000s of African people and maybe even a whole village. I would like to raise $5000. At current costs that should build one well or provide fresh water for 5000 Africans for a whole year.

I am very excited about this race season and wearing the ride:well and blood:water mission cycling kit. I will use this blog to keep you informed of my training, my races, and more importantly, how you can get involved. Thank you in advance for all your prayers and support.