Rob said to me this morning, “I am beyond myself.  This is beyond what I can do.  I cannot believe how great I feel.”  Rob woke up his crew after 2 ½ hours of sleep and said, “It’s time to ride.”  And off he went—community following.

He loves that God is answering his prayers.  He is constantly calling out to His God for help.  “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”  Isaiah 26:3

And he said his community is keeping him going.  Last night when the hour was late and the going was tough, his niece Madison (age 9) read all the messages to him.  She called him repeatedly with her laughter, encouragement, and words from all of you.  He said it brought him those last few miles into the hotel in Flagstaff.

Madisyn Heistand watches her uncle Rob pass by during a pit stop.

I now know one more reason why Christina was such an inspiration to Rob—Listen to her words,   “All of you…. all of you are an integral part of this journey, and I feel like I need to reiterate that. You are making this a unique, incredible, and faith-building experience for me but you are also on your own adventure. And for whatever reason I got really excited about your adventures today… I have no idea where you are at in life and what you are going through but I do know that God is passionately pursuing you… whether you feel it or not, whether you believe it or not, whether you feel surrounded by him or a million miles away. God wants your heart.”

 And today, I received this message from Sean Flanagan, Rob’s crew chief.

“I went into this over preparing, thinking I was under-prepared.  I thought data, analytics, documents and spreadsheets would be the source of getting us there, numbers that I geek out over!  But that is a past life, a corporate one, and an old perspective on how I approached and wanted to be prepared for work and/or life obstacles.  Probably a control thing, which most anxiety people deal with, and I am most definitely one of those people.  Yesterday, when our entire Team, the Media, Day and Night Crew all merged into and were focused on Rob when he needed us the most after his crash, that exemplified what community is.  No data or spreadsheet could predict or help Rob with that.  While the crash was out of our control, we were all very much in control of the situation and everyone just knew what to do.”

Madisyn Heistand and Sean Flanagan help Rob get to a chair to rest after racing through the desert.

This traveling community is keeping Rob on the road.  The media crew is keeping it publicized in order to raise money for brain cancer research—that is Rob’s goal in this difficult journey. Giving is a major way to encourage Rob.  We tell him of your financial support and read him your encouraging words.  Give here     You, his global community, are keeping him on the road with your encouraging words, prayer, giving, and “following at a distance support.”  In fact, we run alongside on uphill stretches and read your words to him.  He smiles, thumbs up, and continues the journey.

Kristin DeCou runs alongside her husband Rob as he chugs some iced coffee.

Ride on Rob.  Through the mountains, deserts, and lonely roads.  We love you more than you know.

The Messenger,

Jo Dee Ahmann