It has now been a month since I finished the 253 mile Katy Trail bike ride across Missouri with friends from the Great Rivers Region. I no longer feel the pain of sore knees, hips, and backside, but the soul survival skills learned and the impact of the experience remain. Thank you to the many who supported me with your prayers for safety and refreshment, as well as those who gave in my name to the fund that helps our friends in the Great Rivers Region develop new churches. I want to thank my friend Laura Rollet from Springfield, IL for inviting me to ride, for providing all of my equipment, and for encouraging me to push myself farther than I had ever gone before. I am grateful for the gift. One of the most significant and practical soul lessons I learned on the trip came from Laura. She taught me how to draft. Drafting is a bicycling technique used by riders to conserve energy and share the journey. Very similar to the way wild geese fly, riders take turns in front while others follow closely behind to benefit from the lift created by the front rider's wind block. When I was most tired and having a hard time keeping pace, I would get in line behind Laura and watch her feet. Getting into the rhythm of her pedaling and focusing on staying a bike tire length behind her, I was able to forget about the pain in my knee and the miles still ahead. The time and our bodies flew with an ease that was hard to forget. Since I was not in as good of riding shape as Laura was, I took more turns behind than in front, but not always. During one long hot day when she was not feeling well, I took the lead and helped her make it to the end of the day's trail. Knowing that she was depending on me motivated me to ride harder and keep focused on the goal, thus making sure we both made it. I felt grateful to have been drafted and capable having drafted for another. So how is drafting a significant soul lesson for me? First of all, I am reminded to stay very close to the leader of my life who is Jesus and follow the rhythm of His pace. When I focus on the direction He is going, I gain new strength and energy and am carried along farther than I could hope or imagine on my own. Secondly, I am reminded of how important it is to share the journey with others. We can feed off the strength of each other, taking turns and sharing the load. We encourage each other along the way not to give up, but to make it to the goal set before us. And finally, I am reminded of the gift and grace of service. When I lead it is not to get ahead and leave others in the dust, but to serve and set the pace so that others come along as well. At times I need to follow and at others I need to lead, but in all of it the purpose is to get there. Our life and ministry in Costa Rica consist of many opportunities to put these lessons into practice. At times we are asked to follow the lead of our Costa Rican friends, at others to lead in service, but always following Jesus in whose shadow we all draft. We depend on your drafting prayers to lift us up when we get tired, homesick or discouraged on the long journey ahead of us. We feel energized when we can share the journey with others, both in Costa Rica and in the states. And finally, we all need to stay close enough to Jesus to share his rhythm, sense the direction where he leads, and then work together to get there. Here's to good riding and lessons learned along the Way, Mylinda