Ride for Hope 2022
August.16.2022
Ten days of Hope wrapped up in a whole lotta Love. We had a plan but God’s direction for the Ride/Journey for Hope turned it into a “he makes all things beautiful” experience. Ten days ago the two of us launched out but the ‘accident’ caused what we are embracing as part of a bigger plan. Marlene Affleck and I trained, and prepared to complete 700km on our bikes but we ended up completing a total of 308.7km biked/walked AND then a whole company of others joined us on the journey and collectively we walked/biked 1309.3km!!!!!! Huge thank you as well to everyone who cheered, prayed and encouraged the following walkers/runners who joined us from Colombia, the US and Canada: Vic & Rita, Jesse M., Melissa, Jim & Diana, Russel & Ingrid, Lex, Jenny, Mark & Karen, Gerry, Quentin, Lila & Ellie, Jesse P., Lori & Wes, Jo-Anne, Nathan, Jean Claude, Travis, Chelsea, Aileen, Howard & Janet, Carl & Gwen, Jocelyn, Curtis, Karen & Shaun, Kaityln, Wyatt, Beckett and Aumie and the kids from Calgary’s Umoja soccer camps (who walked 16km collectively and raised $66 in toonies!!!) and to the extraordinary donors who together have gifted, as of this morning, $79,473.63, we are over the moon and humbled by the outpouring of love and generosity, for Inner Hope Youth Ministries and Investing Hope Foundation. Special thanks to Wendy G. DuBois and Dave for opening their hearts, home and yes for gifting these two strangers, widows from BC, their brand new Hyundai Venue for the week.
We came as strangers we are leaving as family!! Thanks be to God for his kindness. We were able to log 1020km in that little love bug and we were gifted the opportunity to share the story with new friends across the entire province of beautiful PEI. Stay tuned for a final update on funds raised, some great travel recommendations for PEI and deeper reflections from our Canadian Camino later this month.
Thanks be to God. Great things he has done.
August.15.2022
It is our final official day of the Journey for Hope. A huge shout out will be coming tomorrow when we acknowledge and affirm everyone who has helped us complete the 700km by walking and riding with us. This morning as we pack up and leave Murray River, we would like to acknowledge that we have been traveling around and have been welcomed into the traditional land of the Mi’kmaq, the Indigenous People of Prince Edward Island. Mi’kmaw know the island as ‘Epekwitk’, which means “lying in the water”. Isn’t that beautiful. We are grateful for the kindness, warm welcome, gracious hospitality and warm embrace we have received every step of the way. There is a respect on this island for others, that needs to be emulated across our beautiful country.
August.14.2022
Kimberley Ware Parker let us know this morning that her amazing guy and our superhero Jesse is riding 25km for the Ride / Journey for Hope today in his first ever Provincial time trials race in Port Burwell, ON! Marlene Affleck and I have swollen hearts (and sometimes at the end of the day swollen feet). The two of us have now completed 284.7km and our fundraising continues as well with $78,782 for Investing Hope Foundation and Inner Hope Youth Ministries Thank you Jesse and all our friends from Colombia to San Fransisco to St.Stephen to Spokane to Denver to Olds to Maple Ridge to Calgary to Victoria to Abbotsford to Point Roberts to Vancouver to Langley to Maui to Spirit River AND BEYOND…we are in this together. Tomorrow we WILl cross the 700km finish line!!! Together we can. Thanks be to Ray and John for running the good race and finishing strong and well. We will too, the good Lord willing. (ps. Send us your Kms end of day Monday or early Tuesday)
August.13.2022
Greenwich National Park – I am seriously thinking that this jewel called PEI may be the most under promoted part of Canada that there is. Our walk today included the dunes accessible only be a kilometer long floating boardwalk. Where are we???? Feels other worldly.
August.12.2022
“Come from away” we have and “come back different” we will. For sure!! Foraging food and loving Lovage butter two new things and were we ever surprised that Chef Michael Smith himself served Marlene Affleck her first raw oyster and then rang the bell to let all the dinner guests know including one of The Island Walk originals, Theresa Redmond at The Inn at Bay Fortune. We kept pinching ourselves wondering how did we get to be at this dinner as we continued to make our our way across this gentle island? It appears that we are averaging 20km a day-but that’s okay, because I keep hearing a whisper “call into me and I will show you great and mighty things” It is all about the people and the journey. Like the 2 Chloe’s that we met at the Market Day event in Cavendish – listen to one interview – we were able share the Investing Hope Foundation story with her. And of course there was a return visit to the Post office to spend time with Our new friends Lorine and Holden – we have been busily sending all the Journey supporters a little bit of love yes Lucy Maud Montgomery it is truly delightful when your imaginations come true. (Our little calling card is being asked for everywhere. This journey just keeps getting more and more interesting.)
August.11.2022
“However big however small, let me, no, let us be part of it all. Close your eyes and let a million dreams of what might be, BE” for Investing Hope Foundation and Inner Hope Youth Ministries. It’s been a dreamy kind of day imagining what might be actually happening as we have been sharing the story of what we came to do and what is really happening. Ray and John would never have imagined or dreamed that their legacy would be magnified and multipled through their families and friends in this way. People are walking, riding and talking about things that matter. And as a dear friend reminded me this morning in a text, we are all broken people in one way or another, just wanting to be alive and whole. Remember your one life, could change everything. Forever -a little girl named Lucy reminded us of that today. (PS: 20km done on our end)
August.10.2022
Lean not on your own understanding….okay so let’s start there. Today was full of unexpected meetings, surprises and blessings. New friends and old friend reunions and connections including a tea time with Eleanor Shepherd a dear friend and former Opportunity colleague from Montreal who just ‘happened’ to be staying 20 minutes away from us today. The visit to the incredible team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Prince Edward Island involved a new cast (thank the Lord) in my favorite color. While we were supposed to have only biked 57.8km on our original schedule instead we walked 13.2km and OTHERS rode for us including Gerry Peters – 55.4km, Quentin Fincaryk 50km and Lila Joy Quezada 5km for a total of 109.4km biked and our walk at Cavendish tonight brought what we know the total to be 122.6km – and this does not take into account all those that are walking. With just the numbers that we know we have over doubled todays expectation. And then we learn that the Soccer Without Boundaries/Umoja Community Mosaic soccer camp kids in Calgary walked with us, and for the youth, being served through Investing Hope Foundation and Inner Hope Youth Ministries AND each of those young soccer players, well, they are working toward raising $2 each (and they have a donor who will match that!!!) so we are closing today off trusting the Lord with all our hearts acknowledging that God is doing some above and beyond anything we could have hoped or imagined.
August.9.2022
Morning update – We are off – walking (with others in Latin America, US and across Canada) and driving (in our donated little super Venue all decked out with signage) Day 5 of our Journey of Hope , $78,506 raised for Inner Hope and Investing Hope. We are making our plans, daily, but God is directing our steps.
Evening update – We had quite the day-stayed the course and made it to Summerside, but not before visiting Lily’s Bed and Breakfast in O’Leary. We were supposed to have stayed with her a few nights back. Just needed to go say hi!! She wouldn’t let us leave without one of her cinammon buns. We are hugely grateful that we were able to walk 25k on the Journey. As of today there are even more people walking with us including the kids at Soccer Without Boundaries/Umoja Community Mosaic in Calgary. Our hearts are full. And yes for those that have asked I do have a black eye, but thanks be to God and a great helmet no concussion or brain bleed. Onward for Investing Hope Foundation and Inner Hope Youth Ministries!!thanks to everyone who is supporting Joyful Living Joyful Giving Foundation as we raise the volume on Hope.
August.8.2022
Morning - What if you joined us on our Journey of Hope and together we collectively get as close to 700km as we can between now and Aug 15? Marlene and I have already logged 169.7 walking and riding since we started on Aug 5. That will be our starting point. PM us if you want to walk, ride, hike, swim with us. Do your own personal camino right where you are, and as you are going we would love if you would be mindful and prayerful for Investing Hope Foundation and Inner Hope Youth Ministries and your own personal ministry/org/mandate. We will be praying for you too – Love to you today
Afternoon - Oh my goodness. We have people walking with us on The Journey of Hope in Colombia, California, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado, British Columbia, Alberta, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
August.7.2022
Life is a journey and we are all on it!
Incredible ride from Charlottetown to Borden-Carleton (64.6 km). It was kicked off by a Good Samaritan helping us with directions and then giving us a $500 donation. Arrived at Carleton Motel (a version of Schitt’s Creek Motel). Had an amazing shower, charged our bikes and headed out to find food. We were now riding on the Trans Canada Highway, Marlene in front leading the way, glad we had chosen to ride as it was a long way and we were clipping right along until. My tire hit the gravel off the shoulder and I flew off the bike into traffic, which thankfully came to a screeching halt. As I was crawling off the highway people were screaming and getting cars to stop and a number came to my rescue. A trucker honked at Marlene and told her that her friend was down. as she came back as I was being walked off the highway to a picnic table. Fast forward after a ton of good care by the entire community, 911 called, one driver with a first aid kit, and another that knew how to use it. Someone was checking my vitals and waited with us on the phone with the paramedics until the ambulance arrived (about 45 minutes). While we were waiting one fellow noticed the Ride for Hope QR code on our bikes and asked if this was a fundraiser. He then gave a donation. What??? Who are these people. Amazing. We were concerned about our bikes so Ceretti’s Grocery & Hardware offered to store them locked up at their garage and Marlene was able to come with me in the ambulance to the Prince County Hospital in Summerside. The paramedics arrived and got me stabilized and hooked up to IV. The hospital was notified and ready to received me on arrival. I was accessed pretty quickly. Lots of x-rays – from head to toe. After the X-rays, Good humoured Dr. Hayden and his team affirmed that the quest could continue BUT in a different way. No biking.
Within five hours we were on our way in Old Town Taxi back to the Carleton (with our long awaited @subway 6 inch lobster lunch). We made a quick stop at Ceretti’s where our bikes were stored to retrieve items from our trunk bags. And waiting for us at the gas station was a gift goodie bag of ANNE of Green Gables Chocolates Raspberry Cordial and Cow Chips. WOW!!! Before we went to bed, our new friends Dave & Wendy G., had a arranged to borrow a truck to pick us and our bikes up in the morning, and they donated a car for us to use for the week, AND opened their home and their hearts for us to recalibrate. We relaunch Monday morning, determined to finish what we started – walking and driving version. Our hope has not diminished quite the opposite, it has increased. We will complete the mission to honour our husbands’ legacy of generosity, determined to raise the last $23,081 for Investing Hope Foundation in Colombia and Inner Hope Youth Ministries in Vancouver. We are in this together.
August.6.2022
64.68 km – Beautiful ride on the Confederation Trail!
Here we go. #ccrideforhope2022 Saddling up and first bystander asked our Why. We pointed them to https://www.joyfullivingjoyfulgiving.ca and when technology fails you, because it will, there is the human “kinder, gentler” navigator who show up on the trail from Oakville, Ontario and not only gives you direction, but makes a very generous donation. Just because generosity is his calling. His words.