Team Up, Gear Up: B.A.H.T.
sponsored by The World Race
Good Morning Vietnam!
Yesterday, Stephanie Fisk and I had the opportunity to do a radio interview together. It is about a 45 minute interview, and it was quite fun. I invite you guys to listen to it by clicking on this link. Stephanie and I got to talk about the upcoming bike ride, along with some of our experiences on the World Race... check it out!!!
We leave in a matter of days to embark on the big bike ride adventure! I am very excited about it!!!
Passion for Life
Passion: a word we might hear a lot of this week. The Passion of Christ, it is all because of Christ’s passion that we have life. We cannot live without it. 
Easter is less than a week away. The day after Easter, a few of us will be biking from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. We are doing it because of passion. If you read any of Stephanie Fisk’s blogs, you would know that she is very passionate for this issue of human trafficking. She has been touched in a very personal way by her experiences. God has pricked something in her heart that makes her want to reach out to these people stuck in human trafficking. It really has been amazing to see the way in which she is going hard in this battle for the freedom of people she has never met.
I have been greatly moved by what I saw in Thailand and Cambodia as well. But I have been even more moved by the way I see a large percentage of people in the United States live without hope. Many commit their lives to jobs that do nothing for them. Many wonder about their purpose in life. Many chase after the wind because they have not found what gives them satisfaction.
This is not about missions. This is about living a vibrant life full of passion.
I am just a guy who is grabbing a bike (it’s not even my own bike) to encourage other people to find what it is they are passionate about. I want to see people in the United States really follow after their dreams. If God has put something on your heart, you need to go for it. Do it for God, and for you. God receives a lot of glory when His children live lives that are full of passion, or as John Eldridge puts it, “fully alive.”
What is something that is deep within you that you just cannot shake? Is it compassion for homeless? Is it to fight for those trapped in slavery? Is it for people stuck in addictions? Or even a love of the outdoors? A love of adventure? Sports? Art? What is it that God has ingrained in you like a fingerprint? Our lives reflect the glory of God when we pursue after the things that God has made us passionate for.
I want to encourage people to follow after these things, and to do it in such a way where Christ is at the center of it all. Is there a dream you have had that you put on hold? Did you forget it altogether? Go back to it and dust it off. Look deep into it. God is delighted when His children are delighted in Him.
A Viking Biking for Another's Liking
An article for Burnside Writers Collective
How could you possibly react when a monster as terrifying as human trafficking first confronts you? You cannot simply look the other way. The problem is all around, even in our own backyard. Yet it lies in the shadows, behind closed doors. It stays quiet. It remains more of a whisper of evil that most people will never hear. But must not be allowed to continue to destroy lives in secret. It is estimated that human trafficking is a 30 billion dollar a year industry, second only to drugs and firearms. An estimated 27 million people are lost in the hopelessness, forced into horrible conditions where they lose their identity and their humanity. How do you tackle an issue this large?
Team Up, Gear Up: Biking Against Trafficking is shedding light onto one of the darkest and often overlooked issues of our day. I have had the idea that I wanted to ride my bike from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon for several years now. And after I returned from the World Race, when I traveled to 13 impoverished countries, I felt compelled to act. While traveling to these countries, I saw firsthand the horrors of extreme poverty, natural disasters, war torn lives, and people bought and sold into slavery. I felt sucker punched by these issues. How can people live like this in the 21st century? It is more survival than living.
Several times I was offered "boom boom" while in Cambodia. I learned later that that is slang for having sex with little boys. In Thailand, many of the girls on my team developed relationships with girls who would "work" for up to a dozen men a day. The situation was truly heartbreaking. Many of my teammates are still dealing with the things they saw. But a heart moved to compassion can be a more powerful force than even the most wicked of evils.
I will be joined by several others cycling for change, some of them were companions of mine during the year spent around the world. Stephanie Fisk spent time in Thailand, a place well known for the rampant sex industry. She worked directly with some of these girls. She also spent time in Northern Thailand, where many of these girls come from. Families often sell their children into these working conditions, with the dream of a better life. But the dream is quickly turned into a nightmare when they realize what has happened. These are vulnerable people, their lives often at risk if they try to escape. The fact that millions of people all over the world are being forced into dehumanizing working conditions is horrifying.
Stephanie says, "I will never forget their eyes. They are no longer the nameless and faceless. Their stories are etched on my heart and into my mind."
Now that I have returned home, my most difficult decision is where to go for coffee, or what movie to rent from Netflix. But something inside of me has been disturbed. How can I go back to living an ordinary American life? I feel like I am being held accountable to the things I have seen. I can't go back. I have to do something about these issues. Others must know as well.
Beginning March 24th, I will be joined by a group that will cycle 450 miles from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. We will also hike down and out of the canyon. This expedition will take eight days to complete. And we are hoping that others will be able to join us, even if just for one leg of the journey.
Several organizations are joining this campaign. Not For Sale, ALERT, Make Way Partners, Innocence Atlanta, The Well, and others will each be sharing in a nightly nationwide conference call. A representative will share what they are doing and give testimonies, followed by a time of Q and A, and corporate prayer.
The hope of Team Up, Gear Up is to bring awareness and to arouse a response. I believe that there are many young people who truly desire to serve others, live outside of themselves, and be a part of something big. The next generation of believers has an activist spirit, wanting to incorporate change. My goal is to challenge others, encouraging them to live radical lives of love and compassion. Together we can bring love and light to those trapped in darkness.
Biking Against Trafficking is my way of fighting for people who have been robbed of their voice. It is my way of saying we can all live in a way that gives people hope. If you want to be a part of Team Up, Gear Up: Biking Against Trafficking, call in to 1-218-486-1600 followed by the access code 472085# at 8 pm CST March 23rd through the 31st. Listen to testimonies and pray for those who are trapped in human trafficking. Find out more about Biking Against Trafficking by visiting Stephanie's blog. Want to join the ride, but are nowhere near Phoenix? Saturday, March 29th, I am challenging others to get on their bikes and ride. Tell others, grab your bike, and ride for freedom!
Eric Hanson and Stephanie Fisk both work on staff for Adventures In Missions.
For more information, contact Eric Hanson at erichanson@adventures.org
Or call 602-316-4449
Poodle Bones
What does a life of ministry actually look like? Can you even separate this idea of ministry from life?
I have been in the thick of processing what this last year has meant for me. I have come back home with a tangled mess of the most life altering, beautiful experiences, and some of the most difficult things I have ever had to deal with. I have been trying to untangle all these thoughts into something I can actually put into practice.
It is not really possible to be able to compartmentalize our lives. This possible thought could creep into our minds: "The World Race is over = my ministry is over. Now I have to find a new ministry." The idea that you can separate ministry and life is like trying to separate baseball and beer. No wait, lets try again. Its like separating loving your spouse and marriage. The two have to go together for it to work (baseball and beer do need to go together as well).
Last week I was down in Sedona where it was nice and warm training for the upcoming "Biking Against Trafficking" bike ride. I ran into a group of people sitting on some rocks overlooking the marvelous fire red canyon as the sun was going down. We began talking about what each of us were doing. They were in a band traveling from Miami, Florida all the way to Washington. There band was named "Poodle Bones," and judging by their hippie-like appearance, I was not that surprised. I happened to talk about an experience I had in Cambodia, and one of the guy's ears pricked up. "I might be going to Cambodia soon for a missions trip." he interjects. I had not mentioned that I was doing any sort of mission trip before.
From here I got to share much more in depth about my experiences around the world, they had a few questions, and we just chatted. This guy, Micah, looked like he was very deep in thought now. After talking with him for an hour, I asked if I could pray for him. He said "Yes." without deliberating.
After I prayed, he looked at me with tears in his eyes, saying, "Thank you so much Eric. I definitely believe that this was God's way of telling me I have to go to Cambodia."
I said goodbye to the rest of Poodle Bones who were very appreciative of my tips on what trail to go hike on for to enjoy the rest of the sunset. I waved at Micah as he turned down the dirt path and walked out of sight. 
Ministry is as simple as life. It is loving others in everything we do. And in everything we do we do with a Christ centered mentality. There are no compartments. There is not work, school, relationships, social gatherings, and then Jesus at certain times. There is life, and Jesus is at the center of it all.
Biking for Jesus, The Ultimate Hippie
I am continually being refreshed each day. I think God intends it that way. God has a blessing for us each and every day. Yesterday's blessing was for that day, and today He has given me a new blessing.
I must admit to you, the process of coming back into the United States to be on the path God has set before me has been a difficult one. I have felt alone without the community I was surrounded with. I have felt discouraged that my efforts have been fruitless or that I simply have not done enough with my time. I have questioned whether or not I was in the right place.
But I praise God. I knew that this transition of life back into the United States would not be easy, so why was I so surprised when it actually became difficult? I feel like God has been pointing out to me the things that He wants me to do here. And He has continually encouraged me in what I am doing. I know that I am where I am supposed to be. Since I moved up to Flagstaff, I have felt God pouring refreshment into my soul, washing away the discouragement that I was clearly brought down by. I have been able to go on prayer walks around my neighborhood each day. And God is giving me new vision and direction, and He has been opening doors of opportunity as well.
For several years now, I have had this desire to ride my bike from the Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. Well this desire came back to me a few months back while I was riding my bike around Phoenix. I have been unsure of whether or not this was just something that I wanted to do, or if it was an opportunity to do something that would open doors to share what God has done and is doing around the world. I spent a good deal of time praying for confirmation to step forward in making this endeavor happen. 
Last Friday, I met with a staff member of one of the larger campus ministry groups at Northern Arizona University. We were talking about the direction that ministry was going. It came up that they are uniting the campus ministries, joining up with International Justice Mission (a fantastic ministry that works towards freeing people caught in human trafficking), and are pushing for God in global issues. Right there both our interests were sparked because I felt God nudging me. I shared with him my idea do this bike ride in order to share the stories of what God is doing around the world and letting people know how much need there is for help.
Now this idea for a bike ride is moving forward and becoming a reality. It appears that I will be joined by two others, Stephanie Fisk from the World Race, and Clay Massey, a long time friend of mine. Together we will be riding from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, where we will backpack down to the river and back out, then ride our bikes back to Phoenix. It will be approximately 450 miles of biking and 20 miles of hiking over the course of 8 days. Sounds intense huh? Well through this, we are going to be speaking at churches and working directly with the campus ministries at NAU to tell our own stories of God working in our lives. To tell the world what is happening around the world, and to call people into a life of adventure following after Jesus.
So my friends, with this, I am asking for your help. If you know of any groups, churches, or anybody who would be interested in this story, please contact me. I am praying that this would be an event that would push other people out of their comfort zone, as I certainly will not be comfortable stuck on that bike seat for 8 days. 
Side note: I started training on Saturday, riding my bike 44 miles. I was plenty sore, and I couldn't sit down for the next day. But I am truly excited about some of the opportunities that are coming up to share with my generation.