Will you join me in praying for my son's 1,000 mile solo journey?

[raebates]

In case you don't know this about me, I have a son who will be 22 on May 8. He's at school in Dallas, TX. The Furry Guy and I live in Indiana.

Here's my prayer request. On or about May 15, my baby boy will leave Dallas on a bicycle. He is planning to bicycle home to Indiana. It is about 1,000 miles and will take him about 2 weeks. He will be traveling alone. He's hoping to make this a bit of a spiritual retreat.

Before you ask, yes, he's crazy. However, it comes naturally. The summer after he graduated from high school The Furry Guy bicycled from Indiana to California and back. He was on the road for five months. Shawn, our baby boy (okay, he's our only child, but he will always be my baby boy), says it's a matter of pride. If Papa can do it, he can.

Specifically, my prayers are for his safety and his spiritual walk. Shawn is a devout Christian. He feels called to be an evangelistic speaker and has been speaking since he was about 17. We're hoping this time alone with God will give him a chance to figure out the next step God has for him after he graduates in December.

TIA to all!

 

[janetupnorth]

Wow! That is quite a trip! Maybe you can find some Cheffers on here that will give him a night of rest and a meal and check in with you so you will feel better about him on the trip.I pray that he stays safe and has plenty of safe opportunities on the way.

 

[rennea]

Rae your baby sounds like a brave soul. What an adventure he will have. Sending prayers his way.

 

[raebates]

Thanks, Janet. He'll have his cell phone and has promised to touch base with us every day. He's good about that kind of thing.Also, he knows people who know people all along the route. I even have an aunt and uncle in Arkansas. Depending on the route he chooses, he'll either be within five miles or two miles of their home. He knows he can get help (or a hot meal and a bed) when he needs it. He's planning to spend as much time alone with God as possible.

 

[raebates]

Thanks, Rennea!

 

[quiverfull7]

Well poo... I wish North Carolina was on his way home because I LOVE to host him for a night! Well, I'll be praying for him... can you keep us posted as to where he is on his journey once he departs?

 

[raebates]

I'll be glad to keep everyone informed. It's funny. People keep asking if I'm worried about him. Truly, I'm not. Yes, I'll be praying for his safety. But, honestly, at school he lives near the worst crack neighborhood in Dallas, so I pray daily for his safety.Also, my baby boy is an amazing people-person. My theory is that if he encounters a group of Hell's Angels on the trip, by the time he leaves them they'll have bought him dinner and half of them will have made decisions for Christ and started a motorcycle ministry.

 

[quiverfull7]

Oh... now I REALLY want to meet him someday! Well, if not here, then in Heaven!

 

[pampermejolene]

Wow! He sounds like an amazing individual.
I will be praying that he finds whatever it is he is seeking on this journey (aside from his way home).

 

[raebates]

I realize I'm a bit prejudiced, but he really is an amazing young man. He is light years ahead of where I was at his age. He's paying his own way through school. (Well, in the interest of full disclosure, he's on our cell phone plan. I consider that my peace-of-mind expense, though.) He has a good, solid walk with Christ. His prayer life and understanding of Scripture are inspiring.

Nope, I'm not proud or anything. :blushing:

 

[KellyTheChef]

Rae~

Listening to you speak about him brings tears to my eyes. I am thankful (as you are too!) that he is so close to the Lord at such an early age! He will be able to speak to other younger people who may think that a personal relationship with Christ is "boring...something to do when you are older" and he will show them it can be "cool!" Especially when strong men are BOLD Christians, I am inspired!

I will keep him in prayer!

Love ya!

Kelly

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Like Diane, I wish Grand Rapids was on his route! I'd love to give him a hot meal, and a bed for the night! (or a tent in the backyard if he really wants to be alone!)

I'll be praying for him - what an incredible journey he will have! You have every reason to be a proud mama!

 

[PamperedTammy]

Rae--I will definitely keep your son in my prayers. He sounds like a neat young man. I wish him the best in his walk with God in the upcoming days. Keep us posted on how things are going.

 

[twinchefs]

Wow rea sounds like you have a prettt great son. I will be praying for a safe trip for him.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Rae, I will cover Shaun with prayers and pray God will grant him traveling mercies, and I will pray a hedge of protection around him as well. Can't wait to hear the updates, and what a wonderful trek this will be for him!

 

[raebates]

I'll be sure to let him know that so many of my Cheffer Buddies are lifting him in prayer. He'll be honored.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

Rae! He will be in my prayers for a safe journey home!! Keep us posted.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Too bad the south side of Atlanta isn't on his route. I'd feed him and give him a place to sleep. I hope he has a great trip. I admire people who take on such challenges (at first I think they are nuts, but they truly are admirable). I hope he find what he is looking for on his journey and I hope he takes a camera and a journal so he can document his travels.

 

[raebates]

Well, I thought I'd let everyone know the latest. I got a call from my DS today, and he's shipped his long board (skateboard) and clothes home. He said that makes it certain he'll do the trip because he won't have clothes to wear otherwise. LOL!

He's now thinking of leaving in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 13. He has to move to his summer dorm assignment on Monday. Tuesday morning he'll need to get everything organized and packed on the bike. That makes Tuesday afternoon his first, best chance to leave.

One great thing--Shawn's trip has already led to several interesting spiritual discussions. My favorite is the person who told me that, "I don't want to offend you, but I think anyone who 'trusts God' with stuff is naive and probably stupid." I told her that I can understand her thinking that if she's never lived that way.

Eventually she asked, "So, you think God won't let anything bad happen to your son?"

I told her that God never promised that. We're very aware of all the bad things that could happen. What I know is that I can trust God's promises. First, if the worst happens, I know I'll see Shawn again. I don't know when, but I certainly know where. Second, God will be with me and help me through whatever happens.

Frankly, I'm proud of the son we've raised. He isn't making his choices and decisions based on fear. Besides, 22 and single is the best time to do these kinds of things. What an adventure.

 

[PampMomof3]

Aweseme Rae! I'm just now catching this thread! How inspiring! I would have been scared to do it when I was his age and NOW!!

Great Job on raising your son! I can't wait to hear of his journey with the lord.

 

[raebates]

Thanks, Kristi. I'll share his updates as he travels home. BTW, Linda, he has his digital camera and a new notebook. He'll be using the notebook as a journal to keep track of his miles traveled, places visited, sights seen, and people met.

 

[MissChef]

In case you don't know this about me, I have a son who will be 22 on May 8. He's at school in Dallas, TX. The Furry Guy and I live in Indiana.

Here's my prayer request. On or about May 15, my baby boy will leave Dallas on a bicycle. He is planning to bicycle home to Indiana. It is about 1,000 miles and will take him about 2 weeks. He will be traveling alone. He's hoping to make this a bit of a spiritual retreat.

Before you ask, yes, he's crazy. However, it comes naturally. The summer after he graduated from high school The Furry Guy bicycled from Indiana to California and back. He was on the road for five months. Shawn, our baby boy (okay, he's our only child, but he will always be my baby boy), says it's a matter of pride. If Papa can do it, he can.

Specifically, my prayers are for his safety and his spiritual walk. Shawn is a devout Christian. He feels called to be an evangelistic speaker and has been speaking since he was about 17. We're hoping this time alone with God will give him a chance to figure out the next step God has for him after he graduates in December.
TIA to all!

Wow! What a trip!!! How cool! The part that I bolded is because it gave me a lump in my throat!! How proud you must be! What a blessing to have a son who puts God first and the thing I'd like to say, is this speaks volumes about the type of parents you and "the furry guy" must be! How awesome to have raised such a spiritual giant! If I had only one goal in life it would be to raise my kids up to be spritual giants and I'm working towards that every day! My kids pray when they have a problem, not whine and complain and it makes my heart swell!
Wow! Congratulations Mom! And I will keep him in my prayers and he will be just fine! And he will be even better than he was when he started and all the glory be to God!:angel:

 

[raebates]

Thanks so much, Cathy. I once asked him what he thought the best thing was we had done for him as parents. He said it was allowing him to go to his own church. He was 14 and had become involved in a local teen outreach ministry. He asked if he could attend services where the ministry director attended. We checked it out, and, while the style didn't suit us, it was a Bible-preaching church. Also, the director was becoming a mentor of sorts for Shawn.We gave our permission. It was a turning-point for him.You see, where we were attending at that time, I was the church secretary, a member of both the choir and the praise team, and the chair of a couple of committees. He was "Rae's son," and would always be seen in that role. At his own church, he was allowed to change, grow, and blossom into a confident young man with his own identity. To be honest, I took a lot of flack for our son leaving that congregation. We ignored the criticism, though. One of our goals for him was that he would be confident in his faith when he left our home. We didn't want him to go off to college and be confronted with, "You only believe that because your parents taught you that," without an answer. He needed to know what he believed and why he believed it. I'd like to think we did a lot of things right, but slackening the reins at the right time is probably one of the biggies.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Rae,
Sending prayers and good thoughts for your son as he begins his ride home.
Does he plan on returning to the Dallas area? I would like to see if our youth group could host him for a speaking engagement I bet he's ready for mom's cooking. (but, he'll miss his tex mex food)
Praying for your peace of mind too.
Teresa

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Thanks so much, Cathy. I once asked him what he thought the best thing was we had done for him as parents. He said it was allowing him to go to his own church. He was 14 and had become involved in a local teen outreach ministry. He asked if he could attend services where the ministry director attended. We checked it out, and, while the style didn't suit us, it was a Bible-preaching church. Also, the director was becoming a mentor of sorts for Shawn.

We gave our permission. It was a turning-point for him.

You see, where were were attending at that time, I was the church secretary, a member of both the choir and the praise team, and the chair of a couple of committees. He was "Rae's son," and would always be seen in that role. At his own church, he was allowed to change, grow, and blossom into a confident young man with his own identity.

To be honest, I took a lot of flack for our son leaving that congregation. We ignored the criticism, though. One of our goals for him was that he would be confident in his faith when he left our home. We didn't want him to go off to college and be confronted with, "You only believe that because your parents taught you that," without an answer. He needed to know what he believed and why he believed it.

I'd like to think we did a lot of things right, but slackening the reins at the right time is probably one of the biggies.

Rae - thank you for that! So often, just in talking about your son, and without knowing it, you are giving me little bits of wisdom as I raise my son!

 

[raebates]

Rae,
Sending prayers and good thoughts for your son as he begins his ride home.
Does he plan on returning to the Dallas area? I would like to see if our youth group could host him for a speaking engagement

I bet he's ready for mom's cooking. (but, he'll miss his tex mex food)
Praying for your peace of mind too.
Teresa

Teresa, he'll be back in Dallas by the end of June. I'll PM you with his contact information.

 

[raebates]

Rae - thank you for that! So often, just in talking about your son, and without knowing it, you are giving me little bits of wisdom as I raise my son!

Becky, it's my pleasure to share what little wisdom I have about raising a son. :love:

 

[raebates]

Well, here's the update:Shawn left Dallas at about 11 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, May 14. It was rainy, but he was psyched. He rode just over 80 miles, stopping for the night to camp by the side of the road. He weathered a huge storm in his leaky little tent.This morning he woke to a flat tire and more storms. At about 10:30 a.m. CDT, he called his dad and then me to say that he was seriously considering canceling the adventure. The weather just continues to get worse right along his route. As a matter of fact, by the time he'd called a friend to pick him up and take him back to Dallas, they were predicting hail and probable (not just possible, but probable) tornadoes along his route for the next two days. So, he'll be riding bus to Indiana next week.Frankly, I'm glad he had the sense to realize that the safest thing would be to chuck the trip for this year. He may give it another shot next year.Thank you to all who prayed for him. I believe your prayers helped him to make the best choice at this time.

 

[merego]

Wow, he sounds amazing, what a amazing job as parents you have done.

 

[brendaivette]

AMEN!!!! More power to him..............He will have a wonderfully joyuous and fulfilling Journey..................

OOH !! I am getting goose bumps!!!!!!!

 

[raebates]

Thanks. We're pretty pleased with the way he's turned out. WE can't take all the credit, but we will definitely take a bit of it.

 

[chefann]

That's part of the adventure - knowing when to make an intelligent decision to pack it in and try at a later date. I give him huge credit for even wanting to do it.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Rae,
i had been thinking of him with all this nasty weather we've been having. (I'm not complaining about the rain I know Florida needs it but the damaging winds and hail are bothersome)

 

[PampMomof3]

Thanks for the update Rae!! It sounds like he made a very wise decision! Kudos to him for even trying!! More than I would do!!

 

[quiverfull7]

I'm thinking that someone on that bus needs what your son has been equipped to share and I can't wait to hear about how God uses him!

 

[raebates]

Thanks, all. Even with the shortened trip, he has some interesting stories. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he has an interesting encounter on the bus. Those kinds of things happen to him all the time.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

and 80 miles is still such an huge accomplishment!

 

[chefmeg]

That's part of the adventure - knowing when to make an intelligent decision to pack it in and try at a later date. I give him huge credit for even wanting to do it.

I so couldn't have said it better, Ann!

 

[legacypc46]

Your son sounds like an amazing young man...but then he clearly has a great mom.:angel:

(I hope you don't mind Rae, but I once described you as our 'Cheffer Mom'. Whenever I'm feeling down about my business...or life in general...I remember to 'pull up my big girl panties' and drive on. )

 

[lacychef]

Not sure how I missed this until now; but wow! That is amazing Rae; you have every reason to be very proud 80 miles in one day is amazing, & maybe it'll work out next year for the whole trip.

 

[chefbritt]

He sounds like an amazing person! As a college student, I wish there were more like him. Believing in God is not a very accepted thing at my school...

 

[raebates]

(I hope you don't mind Rae, but I once described you as our 'Cheffer Mom'. Whenever I'm feeling down about my business...or life in general...I remember to 'pull up my big girl panties' and drive on. )

I don't mind at all. I'm known in the tri-county area as Momma Bates (Shawn's spelling). As a matter of fact, I'm flattered.Let me take a minute to thank everyone again for their kind comments. I'm definitely proud of my baby boy.