After a great night at Ena & Dick Mostert we headed back to Redeemer College to get our gear. Louis B, John VS & myself headed out together biking. Last night at peloton we volunteered, along with Aaron Carpenter, Cory Nyhuis & Johnnie Pierce, for a service project at Start up Niagara.

It was good weather with a bit of a side wind as we went along orchards of grapes. These orchards are for icewines—they let the grapes hang until it freezes to 10-13 C before they harvest the grapes & press them. We had pretty scenery as we went along the Niagara Escarpment on ridge road—I can’t explain the escarpment except to say, “The Escarpment soars 510 metres (1675 ft.) at its highest point and stretches 725 km (450 miles) from Niagara to Tobermory.” http://www.escarpment.org/about/overview/index.php Yeah—come check it out!

We dropped down the escarpment on a road with 12% grade into
Grimsby and stopped at The Dutch Shop, it reminds me of Casey’s Bakery with all the Dutch gifts and goodies to go along with baked items. Eritia Smit works here when she’s not biking so Jaco, owner, treated all the riders to coffee and mocha cake.

We kept our stops brief because of our time line but journeyed on to Shalom a rest/nursing home to greet the residents. Around the corner was Mountain View CRC where they were serving peaches and ice cream—I stuck to the peaches which were excellent—but it’s the support of the people that warms us.

We went on to Providence CRC in Beamsville which was the lunch stop—no time to eat a bit—just time to greet a bit—and we were off. Bless Cory—he grabbed us a few buns from Beamsville we could eat when we got in. This is where Aaron joined our line & we rushed in the last 20 miles.

We averaged 17 mph with city traffic & many stop lights—I no longer trust the guys when they yell, S-l-o-w-i-n-g—because they don’t! Stop lights meant ‘slowing’ and slowing meant ‘only if we see cars.’ I figure that’s how they bike on weekends in Canada.

Once we got in a quick clothes change had us heading out to Start up
Niagara, it is a soup kitchen & we served vegetable soup, bread, a tuna bun and desserts. You know those WWJD bracelets? Well, I really think that this is a place where Jesus would hang out. People come for the food, to socialize, or both. We served maybe 80 people, people I wouldn’t see on the streets of my community—doesn’t mean they’re not around—I’m just seeing with different eyes the different needs of different people. I was blessed.

When we arrived back at Beacon Christian School, our base for the weekend, I was treated to a massage. This weekend I’m a guest in the home of Henrietta Hunse along with Lavonne Koedam. Tonight we’re going to Niagara Falls and tomorrow will be busy with our last Celebration Service on the route—I’m not counting the finale here. It is so hard to believe that we have completed week 8.

Also, a shout out to Andrea (Knevel) Mulder, a Dordt alum I met yesterday at the Woodstock stop. It was great to meet her and I appreciate her energy and smile.

Please pray for Jeff Schoon-the one who told me about the snow plow to my igloo-who went down 2 days ago. He biked yesterday with a separated shoulder—these people are tough & want to finish every mile they can.