Pedal for Haiti Site Updated

We've updated the site to include the first 15 students who'll have an opportunity (or continued opportunity) in New Missions schools. For some of these children it will be there first opportunity to attend a school and receive medical care as well as a guaranteed meal each day. For others it means an opportunity to stay in school when no previous chance existed.

Thanks for joining Monty and I in this mission! Seeing the children's faces and reading about them makes it so much more real. The next big step will be getting out there to see them!

Thanks for sharing in our mission! We appreciate you.



Dave

Almost on the road..........

Ok friends.....we are exactly one week out of the big ride. We're going to leave from Del Mar, California next Monday, September 27 and head east until we hit the Atlantic Ocean! As I've noted on the site we've slightly shifted our focus from building a building to filling a building. Let me explain what I mean by that. Originally, it was the goal of Pedal for Haiti to re-build a New Missions School on the Leogane Plain in Haiti. After discussing this goal with our friends at New Missions we determined that it would be easier to measure and much more tangible to focus on sending children to school. We loved the idea and New Missions had a school in mind that we could serve. Where you ask? Concrab. Concrab is a small oceanside village just a short walk from the New Missions compound. It's poverty and need isn't much different from the other 21 schools New Missions runs there on the Leogane Plain. As a matter of fact we had the privilege of visiting Concrab during our October 2009 trip to Haiti. Check out the pictures of the school/church on http://www.pedalforhaiti.org.

The girls in the photo at the top of this post were kind enough to pose for pics while we visited. They have the New Missions yellow and white gingham uniforms on. It's amazing how that pattern effects me now. If I see it anywhere it takes me to Haiti and reminds me of the children.

So, we are going to focus on filling the church/school at Concrab. We would like to see 100 children sponsored as a result of the ride and this is where you come in. Through your giving we can make this happen. Each $360 increment is one more child in the Concrab school. We're already approaching 10 children thanks to your generosity. Remember, you don't have to give $360 - you can give $5 or $10 or $100 - whatever works for you. When you do - you change the life of a child forever. In Haiti, going to school is a big, big deal. If you can go to school, you might be able to redirect your family tree. Going to school is a privilege and children and adults alike know the value. I've sat with mothers who've told me that their one wish is to get their children in school. That they'd give anything to see their children in school. Why you ask? Well there are many reasons - here are a few. Children in New Missions school have opportunity - opportunity for a better life. In a New Missions school they receive a meal a day, they are given special gifts for the holidays and most importantly they are taught biblical life changing truths. Combine all that with medical care and you can begin to see why it's so critical for these children to be part of a New Missions school.

Poverty of education is a terrible reality in Haiti. Its just one of many forms of poverty that grips this nation. Pastor George DeTellis set out 27 years ago to make a change and we can honor his dream - we can be a part of his legacy. New Missions has an opportunity to change the path of an entire country through the development of strong Christian leaders. Those of you who have spent time with New Missions kids or even better New Missions graduates know that this dream is entirely possible. Each child educated, nurtured and loved through the New Missions schools represents another opportunity to change Haiti forever. Through our ride you and I may be part of sponsoring a future lawyer, doctor or government official each capable of leading change in a nation so desperately in need of a brighter tomorrow. We love these kids! We believe in these kids! Help us help them make a change.

We truly love Haiti and it's people. We beleive in Haiti. One child at a time, Haiti is moving into a brighter future. Help us to help those in need. The least of these.

7 days to go! More to come.......

We Can't Do This Without You - Thank You

I wanted to take a minute and thank some of the great folks who are making this ride possible. It takes a lot of preparation and equipment to make something like this ride possible. Although the list is not comprehensive and I'm bound to miss something, it's a start! We've got more time to send thanks along the way as we prepare.

First, thanks to my family. Without their blessing this wouldn't be happening. They are making a sacrifice so that we can raise money to help others. Think about it...a mere 6-7 weeks in trade for years of children in Haiti receiving an education, medical care and a place to worship and learn of God's love for them. These may seem like commonplace in the US but in Haiti, it's worth everything. I love you Christy. I love you Jacob. I love you Matthew. I love you Aaron. Thanks for letting your husband (dad) do crazy things like pedal across America....

Next, thanks to my church family. Mountain Ridge has a great group of people who love God and love to serve. It's an honor to serve with them. We've only just begun to realize the things we can do as a church to impact Glendale, Arizona and the global community. I am thankful to the family at MRBC for their prayers and support.

Thanks to Pastor Monty for being my friend and my riding buddy. I wouldn't be in this crazy position if it weren't for him. Ha! I am grateful for Monty's encouraging heart. He's a true friend and I appreciate all he's done for me.

Also, my work family. The folks at work have gone above and beyond to support this mission. I am forever grateful and really love what I do. It makes it even more special when they embrace what I'm doing by working with me to make it possible. They didn't have to be flexible, they don't "owe" me anything and they certainly could have pushed back on this whole crazy plan....but they didn't. They worked with me to make it happen. I am thankful for them. Thanks Michelle and work family.

Donors - We've had great folks step and offer their time, their finances, their prayers, their advice and their resources. Just this past week we had an anonymous donation of $1,000! We've had our bicycle tubes donated, our return flights home from Georgia and we've even had people step up and offer us their homes for a place to stay. Isn't that awesome? I believe it is! A shout out to Nathan Brummer - Nathan designed our super cool Pedal for Haiti logo.

That said - We need more. Not for us - for Haiti. We need to raise $50,000 to make this dream a reality. Of that $50,000 - 100% will go to build a School/Clinic/Church on the Leogane Plain in Haiti. That one building will change lives forever! I'm not just assuming, I'm telling you that I am 100% sure that one School/Clinic/Church building will make a tremendous difference. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've seen children and their parents run to a New Missions school to get registered. Just like you and I, Haitian parents want the best for their kids. In Haiti, that's really hard to come by.

Your gift will be part of making that happen. It doesn't need to be much. A little from everyone will get us where we need to be. I want to be clear that your money will go directly to New Missions. We will then see it go to funding a school/clinic/church. This is the real deal - we've been there and we'll be there again soon. You don't have to worry about your giving being caught up in bureaucracy.

So, give it some thought. Thanks for your kind words, encouragement, prayers and giving. It means the world to Monty and I. We're excited to be a vessel by which change will happen. Join us and be part of it too!

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter at PedalforHaiti - We'll be updating often - especially after we get rolling on 9/27.

See you on the road!

Less than 60 Days!

Well, we're less than 60 days away from the big ride! Can you believe it? It's been about a year in the making and we're almost ready to hit road.

Just today, Monty and I began the process of purchasing equipment we'll need for the ride. Things like rain gear, a portable bike pump, butt butter (I still laugh at that one), leggings for colder mornings and the scariest of all - a road rash emergency kit! The packaging said something along the lines of, "treats four large areas". Yikes! I'm thinking if I've got four large areas of road rash - you'd best be calling the ambulance!

Monty's put together a well detailed packing list and we're checking it twice to be sure we've covered all the bases. The trick here is to pack comprehensive but light. Can I get everything I need for 40 days on the road into 20/30 pounds? If anyone has packing tips I'd appreciate hearing them. We're going to have to be creative.

That's all for now. If your interested in donating - visit the site or send one of us an email. 100% of your donation will go to Haiti.

Don't forget the site: http://www.pedalforhaiti.org or check us out on Twitter and Facebook at: pedalforhaiti

T-shirts coming soon!

Thanks for reading!

Dave

Hello Everyone!

As you can see the I've changed the name to "Pedal for Haiti" as this best fits our next big adventure. In September (3 months from this coming Sunday), Monty Patton and I will be heading out from San Diego, CA to pedal across the United States in an effort to raise money to rebuild schools and churches on the Leogane Plain.

We need you to "come along for the ride". This means you can do one or many of the following:

1. Ride with us! Side by side on our route across America. You pick the distance. We'd love to have you!
2. Meet us at one of our 39+ destination cities along the way! We'd love to meet you and we need all the encouragement we can get!
3. Donate to the cause. Be part of making Haiti a better place. We can't make all of it better, but we can make it better one person, one school, one church at a time!
4. Much more!!!

I'll have much more over the coming weeks as we ramp up training and fundraising.Our partner on the ride will be New Missions (www.newmissions.org) and outside of minor ride expenses all funds raised will go to New Missions - serving in Haiti for 27 years!

Talk to you all soon!

Dave

P.S. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at pedalforhaiti!