They Made It…

Tez, 13, of Price Hill is feeling “pretty proud.” He and his fellow Resiliency Riders just finished 335 plus miles traveling by bike from Pittsburg to Washington D.C.

“It’s been so fun,” Tez said on Saturday night after pedaling through D.C. catching some great historic sites like the Washington Monument and the White House.

For Madden, 14, it was “a dream come true.” One of the main reasons he decided to the Resiliency Ride this summer was to be able to see the White House in person.

“It was smaller than what I thought,” he said. “No bullet holes like in the movies and there were no helicopters on the roof or tanks in the field. But I still liked it.”

Poptart, 17, said it was “pretty fun,” biking through D.C. on a Saturday afternoon and that he enjoyed most seeing the Washington Monument.

All the riders were a bit tired on Saturday, after completing their journey and relishing in their reward of scenic and historical views. The 335 plus miles were a challenge. However, they all pushed through, and God showed up.

“I’ve learned a lot on this trip,” Poptart said. “The biggest thing I learned is that you can do anything if you try hard enough. If you put everything you have into something you like or want to do, you can get it done.”

According to Poptart, God showed up for him every time he was about to give up.

“Right when I’d had enough, it ended up being our break time,” he said. “It was always perfect timing. We’d stop for snacks and drinks and it just fueled my energy and I was able to get back on my bike and push on.”

Madden said that at the end of the ride he started slowing down, but when he learned they were just five miles from the White House, he started speeding up again.

“God gave me my motivation,” Madden said. “He helped me get through all of it. That’s how He showed up for me. I learned that whenever you think you can’t do something, you just try hard, trust God, and you’ll make it through.”

That was a major takeaway for Tez too. Tez’s favorite things about the Resiliency Ride was having the opportunity to get to know more about God and grow closer to Him. The ride was a true challenge, as is life, but Tez learned with God, He can make it through anything.

“God always showed up,” Tez said. “He got me through this trip. That’s pretty amazing.”