home > canadian safari > arvid and ruth loewen | |
 | Arvid Loewen"SPOKE" is symbolic of the following: Picture a bicycle wheel. The wheel consists of an outer rim and tire. The center hub is connected to the outer rim by the spokes. The hub represents God, His love, His strength and stability. The outer rim and the tire represent the people God has placed in my area of influence. The spokes represent me. I view it as my responsibility to impact or make a difference in the lives of those God has placed within my reach. My goal is to help meet physical (humanitarian), spiritual, and emotional needs through encouragement, motivation and example. Thus, in doing any kind of fundraising project I have decided to use the word/title “SPOKE” representing the goals I just described. MCF meets these three criteria. |
On a business trip to Indonesia in 1998, I came up with the concept of using a bike “taxi” for a fundraising project. Transporting an individual symbolizes an act of Christian service. I prayed that God would lead me to the right organization. One Sunday morning I was sitting in church beside Hans Boge, Sr. who informed me of Paul’s upcoming mission trip to Kenya, Africa. It was at that time that God simply said, “Here is the project for you to get involved in.” A personal testimony and a conceptual project description were delivered to Mr. Mulli by Paul Boge; thus the beginning of SPOKE 2005 What impresses me about Mr. Mulli is his entrepreneurial spirit, his love for the children and his obedience to God. This project allows me to use my passion for a physical, emotional and mental challenge. What makes it rewarding is that my entire family is able to participate and be an integral part of the success of this undertaking. |
|
 | Ruth LoewenDREAM BIG! That would be one word to describe this undertaking. The lyrics to that song were given to us by our good friend and neighbor Marianne upon our arrival home in Winnipeg after Spoke '99. I dare say that those lyrics have sort of remained as an underlying theme as Arvid has continued on this journey of ultra-marathon cycling. As Arvid’s wife, I have been involved in the support crew on a number of races/events. It has been especially meaningful when our kids have also been able to be involved, making it somewhat of a family event. These ultra-marathon events are long. Very long. And although I know that our discomfort and sleep deprivation doesn’t even come close to that of the cyclist’s, crew members still battle fatigue. Being a person who highly values routine and predictability (of which there are none on bike races!), these are hugely stretching experiences for me. |
It is always amazing to see who God brings together to be on the crew. It is vitally important that the crew gets along, works together and does whatever they can do to keep the cyclist on the bike. That can be no small task. One aspect of this event that does make it more manageable is that there is an end to every day (or at least we hope so!?!) as opposed to races where we go non-stop for 48 hours or longer. And since this is not a race in the real sense of the word, nothing has to happen in seconds. I am excited about the cause of Mully Children’s Family. God has done amazing things through Charles and Esther Mulli and my prayer is that this bike ‘safari’ can draw attention to the worthy cause of MCF and raise funds for the many children who still need to be reached. And so, we DREAM BIG. |
|
| back canadian safari next | |