Utah, finally!

As I type this, I'm sitting in the Border Inn, just east of the Nevada-Utah border. We've finally gotten through Nevada - which is reason for celebration for the group.

Granted, we still have plenty of mountains left to look forward to. But thanks to the hospitality of the people of Grace Four Square Church in Ely, NV, we were able to take a much-needed rest day. We're still tired, but our muscles are feeling better and stronger. I'm confident that we're gaining more and more strength and endurance as we go.

The time in the desert has been interesting for us as a group. We just want to get through the desert and on to Fort Collins, back to churches, back to our mission. We miss the conversations, the learning opportunities, and all that comes with church visits. It's been tempting for me to just write off this part of the trip as unimportant and feel as if we're not accomplishing anything.

But as my parents reminded me, this portion of the trip is all part of the task that God has set before us. What we are doing here is laying the groundwork for the rest of the trip. And the time that we have here in the desert is allowing us to learn how to ride and work as a group before we are visiting churches more frequently. I pray that God is using this time to prepare and shape us for what lies ahead.