Our Journey Begins: 7 Signs and Wonders

The journey to cycle east around the world was not a rash decision nor was it done impulsively. When I received my first invitation from God to start traveling east around the world (read Our Journey Begins: The First Call) I was immediately put on edge. The last time I’d attempted to embark on a bike trip without God’s invitation or blessing it had nearly killed me (read A Failed Bike Tour). I had absolutely no intention of making the same mistake twice. So for me to even consider acting on such a grand task, I needed to make sure that it was God sending me and not my own selfish ambition or vain conceit. So I asked God to make it abundantly clear to me that He was sending us. God chose to answer my request by sending me an additional six signs and wonders so that I could know with confidence that this dream was His heart for me. 

“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;” (2 Peter 1:10)

The 2nd Sign: Three days after the first sign.

On Tuesday, August 16th, 2016 I was quickly rushing out the door so that I could walk to work that morning. The earth had just received a heavy dose of rain last night and with every hurried step my sneakers kicked up warm water from the pavement and splashed onto the back of my legs. I wasn’t noticing much of my surroundings. My mind was distracted as I stressed over last night’s conversation with Matt. We’d been looking over our finances while trying to figure out how we could obey God and embark on this world bicycle trip. It was going to take all of our savings just to pay for Matt’s college tuition and my current salary was barely enough to pay for our food and rent. Based on our current savings, there was no way that we could afford to do any kind of traveling in the near future. Matt had also done a quick inventory on the state of our bicycles and he deemed that both bikes were unfit for riding any long distance. We would need to purchase new bicycles for this grand adventure. I was feeling very discouraged by the reality of my circumstances. 

God, how could we possibly go on a world bike trip? I prayed while staring at the pavement. We have no money saved up and our bicycles are in poor condition. It’s going to take a miracle to do this trip!

Just then, something catches my eye and it interrupts my worrying thoughts. Two identical bicycles are leaning side by side against a garbage bin on someone’s front lawn. They’re navy blue mountain bikes and look to be in decent condition, but for some reason they’ve been thrown out with the trash.

Could it be? I think to myself with rash excitement. Could these be our bicycles that God is providing for us? 

I quickly look around to see if anyone is watching me before making a quick dash towards the bicycles. As I draw near my shoulders drop with disappointment. These were not our bicycles. They were youth size and clearly too small for me and Matt. Despite the fact that these bicycles are too small, they’re still in good condition and it seems like such a waste to throw them away. If I brought them to the bike ministry at Church of the Rock, they could repair these bicycles and hand them out to the inner city kids in our community. 

I can see that the garbage truck is slowly making its way down the street so I quickly make my decision. I pull the bicycles out from the trash pile and rip off the straggly vines that have wrapped their way around the tires and handlebars. Then I quickly walk them back to my home. When the bicycles are safe in my basement suite, I resume my commute to work but this time change my pace into a brisk jog in hopes of making up for lost time. Joy seems to bubble up from inside my heart. 

“Thank you Lord for these two bicycles! Thank you for using me to bless someone else in need. I pray that these bicycles show Your love to the people who receive them.” 

Just then, I hear His voice in my heart.

They’re on their way, He says. Your bicycles are coming and they’ll be matching just like these. 

The 3rd Sign: One week later.

It’s August 23rd and I’ve started cycling to work instead of walking. After God’s promise to provide us with bicycles, I’m motivated to start cycling again and get into shape. Unfortunately, my poor bicycle seems to complain in protest every time I put pressure on the pedals. According to my personal mechanic (Matt), my bottom bracket needs to be replaced. There’s so much clicking, cracking, and squeaking coming from my bicycle that Matt can’t seem to pinpoint the source of all the sounds. Apparently my bicycle makes such a racket that I no longer require a bell to warn pedestrians when I’m approaching. Other cyclists, pedestrians, and dogs turn their heads to look at me as I ride past.

Suddenly, something catches my eye as I turn onto the bicycle path following Dunkirk Drive. I’m so surprised that I hit the brakes so that I can stare at this rare sight. Another cyclist is on the opposite side of the street wearing our special cycling jersey. It’s a purple jersey with yellow flames encircling the bottom of the shirt and the word “Olympia” written on the chest in bold white letters. This jersey is significant to me and Matt because Avird Loewen, a man who holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time cycling across Canada (he did it in 13 days, 6 hours, and 13 minutes), gave Matt and I two of these jerseys back in 2015. We wore those jerseys almost daily as we cycled 2,000 km from Winnipeg to Kelowna, BC for our honeymoon. I’d never seen anyone else wearing this jersey until now. As I stare in wonder at the sight of this unknown cyclist wearing my jersey, I clearly hear the Holy Spirit speak these words to my heart. 

I’m sending you out again. Get ready.

The 4th Sign: One week later.

It’s August 30th and I’m cycling to work again on my poor squeaky bicycle. My ears have become accustomed to the noise, but unfortunately my bicycle is now having trouble shifting gears. The chain clicks as I peddle and it struggles to make the leap onto the next larger bracket. Matt is too busy with his school assignments to fix my bicycle right now. Plus, we don’t have any money to buy new parts. As I cross the intersection to turn onto Dunkirk Drive, something catches my eye. It’s that same cyclist wearing our purple jersey with the yellow flames! He’s on the opposite side of the road from me just as I’d witnessed last week. However, this time my shoulders drop with disappointment as my mind fills with doubt. 

Nope, not good enough. I tell the Lord. This is NOT a sign. It doesn’t count. I’ve already seen this guy commuting to work in that shirt. This is just a coincidence. 

I continue my commute to work traveling north down the bicycle path and the gentleman with the jersey cycles south down the road and out of my sight. I try my best to forget about the jersey, but my mind is flooded with discouraging thoughts. Seeing that same cyclist today made last week’s encounter feel like it was of no significance. Maybe I didn’t hear God speak after all? Was it all my imagination and hopeful thinking? However, as I cycle further down the street something catches my eye again. I gasp with shock. It’s that cyclist again! This time he’s much closer. I’m cycling on the bike path going north- but for some reason he has changed direction and is now cycling north on the street parallel to me! I can’t believe that I’m seeing him again. 

Where’s this guy going? I think to myself. I thought his work was in the other direction..?

The man is a much stronger cyclist than me. As we approach the next set of lights he continues to go north down Dunkirk Drive, but my bicycle path turns and takes me east down Fermor Avenue. I stop riding for a moment and watch as the distance between myself and the jersey gets further and further apart. Finally, the cyclist is out of sight.

Okay, I’ll admit that was weird, I say to God. But it’s still the same guy wearing the same jersey. It’s NOT a sign. It’s just a coincidence!

Still trying to push the image of the cyclist out of my mind, I continue my commute to work. Finally, I arrive at a busy street called St. Mary’s Road. It’s not the best road for cycling, however my work is located on this street. I signal left at the lights and start cycling with the traffic. My eyes are wide and alert on the road as traffic bustles all around me. I can feel some adrenaline pumping through me as I fight the fear of possibly being hit by a car. Suddenly, another cyclist with great speed and confidence pulls out from one of the side streets on my left. He blows through the stop sign, cuts through three lanes of St. Mary’s traffic, and pulls a sharp left turn into my lane. 

You’ve gotta be kidding me! I think to myself.

It’s that same cyclist! His purple and yellow jersey seems to scream for my attention. The man cycles close behind me. As he gains speed, he creeps up on my left and for a moment we are cycling side by side. He is so close to me that I could have reached out with my hand to touch his jersey. The lights at the next intersection turn red and we slow to a stop. My heart is beating fast with excitement. A part of me wants to ask him if he’s an angel. Or if he has a divine message for me. But I’m too scared to ask. When the light turns green he speeds off down the road and I reluctantly turn left into the parking lot at my work. The cyclist may not have said anything to me, but God’s message was clear. 

I am sending you out again. Get ready. 

The 5th Sign: One day later. 

Perhaps work was busy, but for some reason I completely forgot to tell Matt about the triple encounter I had with the cyclist yesterday. However, Matt has some interesting news to share with me when I get home from work. 

“Amy, you’ll never believe what I saw today.”

“What?” I ask. 

“I saw our bicycle jersey! You know that purple and yellow shirt that we wore on our first bike trip?” 

I nearly fall out of my chair. 

“What?! You’re kidding me! Where?” I ask so quickly the words seem to topple over one another. 

“I saw it being displayed on the wall at the Olympia bicycle shop downtown,” he says. “I also met a great guy there named Andy and he shared some interesting facts about this jersey. It was actually designed in 1989 for an elite cycling group. Apparently this jersey is pretty rare. There were only twenty jerseys made before the design was discontinued because the right sleeve contains the logo of the Olympic Rings and this violates copyright laws.”

I’m so excited by this news that I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet. It just makes my encounters with this jersey that much more amazing.

“Matt you’ll never believe this, but I also saw our bicycle jersey yesterday!” 

I quickly tell him the story about the three encounters I had with the jersey in my fifteen minute commute to work. 

“Matt, do you realise that we’ve seen this jersey five times in one week? What are the chances of that happening?”

Matt and I can no longer dismiss these sightings as a mere coincidence. They are clearly a sign from God. Matt and I look at each other with wonder in our eyes. Was God seriously sending us out on another bike trip? 

The 6th Sign: Another week and a day.

It’s September 8th and I have developed a good habit of going for a walk during my lunch breaks. It’s a beautiful sunny day and I walk with my head raised towards the sky, letting the sunshine hit my face. As I take my regular route through the side streets of the surrounding neighborhood I come across a set of bicycles. They are leaning side by side against a tree right beside the sidewalk. They appear to be abandoned or at least waiting for the garbage truck. The bicycles are adult hybrids. One is a woman’s Raleigh, sporting purple and white design. The other, a grey Nakamura with mountain tires. The break wires need replacing but otherwise they seem to be in good condition. I look around for the owner. Suddenly, a middle aged man steps out of his house onto his front steps. He sees me standing by the bicycles so I quickly break the silence. 

“Excuse me. Are these your bicycles?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’ve had them in the garage for the last few years.”

“They look really nice and they’re in good condition. Are you getting rid of them?”

The man scratches his beard as if he’s still unsure about his decision. 

“I was planning on throwing them away,” he admits. “I don’t ride them anymore and I don’t know what else to do with them.” He pauses and then adds, “You can have them if you’d like.”

“Really?!” I say, trying to contain my excitement. “Actually, I was looking at them because my church recycles bicycles. We repair them ourselves and then hand them out to people who can’t afford to buy their own.” 

We discuss a little more about the bike ministry and at the end of our conversation the man seems at peace knowing that the bicycles will go to a good cause. 

As I take the bicycles back to my work I have this odd sensation in my gut. Here I am worrying about how God could ever provide Matt and I with sufficient bicycles for our bike trip. And yet, how is it that I have two bicycles in my hands right now? Not only once, but twice in the same month! I take out my phone and make a quick phone call. 

“Matt, can you pick me up from work at the end of the day?” I ask. 

“Why? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, someone just gave me two bicycles and I need to get them home somehow.” Even as I speak the words I start to laugh. My heart is simply overflowing with joy. I can feel God’s promise in my heart again. 

Your bicycles are coming and they’ll be matching just like these.

The 7th Sign: 3 days later.

It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon on September 11th as Matt and I walk the streets of downtown Winnipeg with our best friend Stephen. Broadway street is packed with people today. It’s ManyFest Weekend, Winnipeg’s largest downtown street festival. At least 70,000 visitors attend this three day festival to enjoy the many festivities such as live music, wine and beer gardens, street vendors, food truck wars, and the farmer’s market. Matt, Stephen, and I weave through the dense crowd on foot as we take in the exciting atmosphere. I love the energy and the creative expression that emerges at this festival. I visit every market table I can and simply marvel at the beautiful handmade clothing, bags, jewelry, and art paintings on display. My favorite table is the handcrafted jewelry made from leather, wooden beads, and twisted wire. Stephen and Matt snack on a sweet deep fried pastry called “Beaver Tails” as they patiently wait for me to finish ogling over some turquoise rings.

“The strangest things have been happening to us lately,” I overhear Matt saying to Stephen as I take my chosen ring to the cashier. “We keep seeing that bicycle jersey everywhere we go. It’s like God’s sending us confirmations that we’re supposed to go on this world bike trip.” 

As we near the end of the street and get ready to part ways, Matt suddenly points into the distance with great excitement. 

“Look there!”

Although I shouldn’t be surprised by this point; I’m still completely in shock by the sight. Across the street in the distance is a female cyclist and she’s wearing a purple Olympia jersey with yellow flames encircling the bottom. 

“Wow, you weren’t kidding! You really are seeing that jersey everywhere.” Stephen says with amusement. 

I can’t believe my eyes. It’s just too much. Matt and I throw our hands up and surrender to God. 

“Okay, we give in,” Matt and I pray with laughter. “You’re sending us out again. We got the message!”

My heart fills with joy, excitement, and wonder. This is a crazy, unimaginably strange task to even consider acting upon. And yet, I couldn’t deny the fact that God was speaking and inviting us to go. We had God’s blessing; now all we needed was the faith to act on it. What amazes me the most is that after Matt and I threw up our hands and told God that we’d gotten His message, we never saw another confirmation. Even years later as I write this story, I have never seen another sighting of that purple jersey with the yellow flames and I’ve never come across another set of free bicycles. I have this strange feeling that I will never see another confirmation for this trip. It’s now my responsibility to remember. 

The end.