I am cycling over 500 miles for Restoring Hope Ministries beginning a work in Dungu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Most of you know about my love of biking. Last September's GAP and C & O Canal ride with some of my family was an awesome experience and just fueled my desire to keep on riding while my body can still do it.

Now comes this chance to participate in a fund raising bike ride to help the Free Church in Easton, PA with Restoring Hope Ministries in Dungu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Several years ago I followed on line a She's My Sister bike ride sponsored by the American Bible Society for the women in Eastern Congo battered with rape and other terrible things due to continued unrest in that part of Congo. At our Eastern District Conference in Pennsylvania last October I noticed a table with some of the above things mentioned and saw pictures taken along the bike trail we'd ridden on in September. As I stopped at the table to find out more, it soon became a long conversation with one of the pastors and myself never getting to the scheduled meeting. When he learned of my experience and connections in Congo he invited me to participate in the monthly meetings the church is having as they refine what their involvement in Dungu is going to look like. I love the way the Lord keeps putting things in my path that I can be involved in during retirement!

After helping a family connected to their church during one of the crises in Dungu in 2008, the Easton church wanted to do more to establish an ongoing ministry to take them past the initial trauma. After much discussion, prayer and planning in cooperation with the local CECA-20 church in Dungu and a partnership with the American Bible Society and other organizations they are getting close to beginning a building project in Dungu that will allow them to focus on long term help.

This Restoring Hope Ministries is taking a 3 pronged approach:

Restore- through biblical trauma healing—programs already exist with Wycliffe and the Bible Society

Train- through post-secondary education: counseling, pastoral, and business/vocational

Sustain-through the development of micro-enterprise and sustaining solutions

We have 24 bike ride participants and drivers of 3 support vans trying to raise $75,000 for a Hydraform brickmaking machine made in South Africa. Local workers will be trained to operate the machine and make the bricks needed for the project. Our ride starts July 28 driving to Bangor, ME and then we ride back to Easton, PA by August 7. Along the way we'll be ministering in churches as we share about the project to encourage participation and prayer.

Just a small donation will go a long way to helping me meet my goal for Restoring Hope Ministries. THANK YOU for joining me on the ride! Thelma