PIC: The groups training paid off as they are all smiles while they pause for a well-earned break along the way.

The youth group at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, is used to Jay Austin, their youth pastor, challenging them each Wednesday night to Stand Firm in their faith. Thats the theme of their weekly Bible study. Through praise and worship, accountability groups and teaching, they learn ways to stay strong when faced with tough choices, and they talk about how strength like that points others to Jesus. They also support each other, celebrating the united front formed when they stand together. But during the fall of 99 Jay gave them a surprising challenge to prepare for a unique kind of mission trip.

The idea had come from Rick Wiggins, a church member who loved cycling and youth. The dream was to take a team of students on a 500-mile cycling trip from one end of Tennessee to the other. Theyd ride for eight days and share Christ with the people that theyd meet. But there would be plenty of training first. The team would start in November, cycling three hours a week on stationary bikes at the YMCA, and work up to 20-mile rides around Brentwood by spring.

The whole group was excited! Nineteen of them and some adults committed to begin training. They pedaled hard, learned to love each other, and prayed for the trip. We knew it would be a great ride and that wed get to know each other well, but we also felt like God was going to do something exciting, Jay remembers.

While some parents and adults were skeptical that the youth would stick with it, the teams commitment to training showed how serious they were. By June 24 they were readyand eager to finish what theyd begun nine months earlier.

reality check
On the road, the team averaged 65-mile days and soon realized how hard finishing could be. It was blazing hot, with the heat off the asphalt and the hills, remembers Amber Alwahab, a high school junior. But the group saw that standing together made a difference. Each member rode 35 to 50 miles a day, taking turns resting in a van that traveled with them. When we rode in the support van, Amber recalls, we would turn the air vents on whoever was just off the bike. Everyone would be saying, Heres my water bottle. We all sacrificed for each other.

We prayed in the vans for the people riding, especially in bad weather, adds Karyn Caldwell, also a high school junior. It wasnt a race, Who can get there first? It was Can we all get there together?

Even Bigger Ideas   
Their goal was to share Christ, but they soon saw that God also had things He wanted to do in their lives. Eight days on bikes gave them time to think without distractions. Nothing separated them from the awesome beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. Amber remembers how cool it was to meet God there. You were one-on-one with your Maker, in His creation, being His creation, using all of the muscles He knit together, figuring out just a little more about Him and about yourself.

Tennessee felt so huge, Amber admits. As the team faced a challenge bigger than they had expected, they saw firsthand how powerful prayer is. Their hours of training had prepared them, but they were shocked by how hard the hills they faced could be. They pedaled and prayed, sang songs to stay focused, and saw God provide strength when they needed it. Karyn laughs, We joke that we probably said Philippians 4:13 more times in that one week than we ever had before. Now they know that they can do all things through the strength that God provides. . . and that He does provide, like He promised.

Not only did He provide strength, but He also took care of other needs. Strangers were generous, encouraging the team and offering them drinks. Once, just as rain began to fall, they crested a hill to see a shelter where they could wait during the storm. God faithfully provided safety, but even when an accident sent Jay to the hospital with a broken collarbone, the youth took leadership, continuing their trip and ministry without him.

Because the week was intense, Jay reflects, They had to rely completely on God for everything, probably more than on any other trip weve taken. As they did and God provided, their faith grew. Philip Hood, a sophomore, admits, To be honest, I didnt think Id be able to make it, but I learned I can do just about anything I put my mind to. With God, I can do anything if I keep my eyes on Him.  

A Second Wind
Learning to depend on Gods strength, they saw ministry happen too, like theyd hoped and prayed for. They were exhausted each night, but God gave them excitement to share with others what He was teaching them. They led worship services at churches and camps, giving their testimonies and sharing drama and music. Steven Hood, an eighth-grader, was encouraged by how receptive people were. People were surprised that teenagers would give so much time to do what we were doing, he says. Jay agrees: Their commitment to this trip was really used by God to encourage the people they met and to touch them in a powerful way.

And they saw Gods power change lives. We shared how we depended on God in our lives and on this trip, and how we hoped someday they would too, Karyn recalls. An unforgettable moment of the trip for Karyn came when she got to pray with a little girl who accepted Jesus during a bike clinic the team led in Brentwood.

The Finish Line
On July 2 the team pedaled behind a fire truck escort into Germantown, Tennessee, where they celebrated with friends and family. They had depended on God, and He had been faithful to do exciting things. Because of their stories, dozens of once skeptical adults are interested in joining them next year. Yes, theyre already planning another trip500 miles along the Natchez Trace to Natchez, Mississippi. Theyre up for the challenge.