Greetings in the grace of God the Father, the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, the perpetual witness of the Holy Spirit, and the cutting power of the Written Word:

Forgive the recent lack of news; I have not had access to the internet. Earlier today, I was at a public library in Muncie, Indiana, intent upon sending out an email, but when I sat down at the computer, I realized that I simply did not have the strength.

Since last time, the adventure has continued. Friday afternoon, I went down to Xavier University where I met up with an athletic trainer for the men’s basketball team. I met him at a local church on Wednesday night, and he invited me down for some physical therapy on my tired, pedaled-out legs. I got to use the therapeutic whirlpool, received a much-needed rub-down, and had a nice stretching session. It helped my muscles get good and ready for Sunday’s 75-mile ride. Friday night, Jamie and I got to satisfy our curry and pad-thai cravings at a Cincinnati Thai restaurant in a semi-ghetto part of town. Once again, I got to hand out a few Gospel tracts. May the Word of the Lord not return void (Isaiah 55:11).

Praise God for this brother in Christ who got me some good physical therapy in the facilities at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Originally, we planned to leave Monroe, Ohio on Saturday morning. However, this was not to be. We both overslept, and the hour was too late to begin the 75-mile ride to Summit Lake State Park in Indiana. The Wrights did not want to let us go anyway. They were such a dear sweet family that we hated to leave ourselves. Ironically, Saturday unfolded with Paul, his two grown sons—Mark (the Christian brother we met on the side of the road just outside Roanoke, VA; he drove up from Virginia to see us) and Dennis—and me heading for Indianapolis. After the two-hour drive, we spent the entire afternoon on the streets preaching the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not much was happening, but I did get to preach a few short sermons at the Circle in downtown. We also gave out a lot of Gospel tracts and some Bibles. Paul, in particular, had a meek and gentle spirit, but was very bold. His example was encouraging and spiritually edifying. It sure was nice to have a couple of men with me for a change. Some individual encounters also made things interesting. On one occasion, I offered a Gospel tract to this black guy zipping by on rollerblades. He took a quick look at the tract, then skated over to me and gave it back. He pontificated, “I worship and pray to the same God that Jesus worshipped and prayed to.” At this point, I knew he was a Muslim, so I responded back, “Allah is a false god.” Though soft-spoken, this comment set him off. He went on and on about how such a statement bewrayed my ignorance because “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God.” Though this is true, his understanding of God as well as the Islamic understanding is devilish, unbiblical, and FALSE. Perhaps I would have been better off stating, “Mohammed was a false prophet.” Anyway, he got a little rowdy, hollering that one day he and I both would stand before God. Then, he said, Allah would accept him and reject me. I responded, “Yes, we will stand before God, and your knee will drop to the Lord Jesus Christ who is God. Moreover, your tongue will one day confess that He is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11). I guess by this time he had enough, for he quickly zipped off down the sidewalk on his blades.

Preaching at the Circle in downtown Indianapolis

I also met this interesting homeless man by the name of R.J. I bought him some dinner, and we talked for quite awhile. He used to live in Chicago, and one day, his wife was robbed enroute to the grocery store. She was stabbed 52 times and died. Since that time, he has been pretty much living on the streets and battling depression. After some serious spiritual discussion, it was plainly evident that he was born again. He just needed some assurance of his salvation. The Lord gave him this through our conversation. I seriously believe that R.J. is why I was supposed to be in Indianapolis that day. After wolfing down some Japanese food, I walked with him to his van (i.e. his home) parked on the side of the road. It was almost out of gas, so I gave him some money to get it filled up. I also gave him a bundle of Gospel tracts, and he promised to distribute them on the streets of Indianapolis. He said that he planned to stay there on the streets until God plainly showed him where to go and what to do. The four of us got back to Monroe, OH late that night.

An interesting article showed up in the local newspaper on Saturday. Two 14 year-old twin boys had been arrested in Middletown, OH for plotting to kill their younger siblings. On Friday, they went to court, and the judge dropped the charges. Interestingly, one of the twins was in the room at the Butler County Youth Detention Facility the other night when I preached the Gospel to that group of young men. He was also one of the 20 young men who was born again. Toward the end of the night, he asked if I would pray for him because he was going before the judge the next morning and he just wanted to get back home with his family. At the time, I knew nothing of his situation or why he was in jail. I explained that he probably deserved whatever punishment the law required, but I would pray that the judge would show him mercy in the same vein that God had showed his mercy in saving him. On Saturday morning, I saw his picture in the paper and noticed that THE JUDGE DROPPED THE CHARGES. The Lord specifically answered this prayer. Hopefully, Steven and his brother Donald will be reunited with their family soon. The difference is that Steve is now a Christian. Please pray that God puts the right people in his life for spiritual discipleship. Also, pray that he will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with his twin brother who did not attend the preaching the other night.

On Sunday morning, we finally resumed the bike ride. It was so difficult to leave the Wright home. The respite we enjoyed in their care for a few days was invaluable. Thanks Paul and Cora. You have a precious family, and we will never forget your hospitality. I pronounce upon you the blessings offered to Gaius in III John 1:5-7 for his hospitable treatment of traveling preachers. Your kindness makes you fellow-helpers to the Truth that we are carrying from Coast to Coast.

I had barely pedaled two miles down the road when I noticed a man out in his front yard watering the plants before church. He saw the flag flying behind my bike and shouted, “Amen, brother.” Little did I know, another blessing was about to manifest itself. I pulled over to be introduced to a young Christian couple who showed a lot of excitement about what Jamie and I are doing. They were so kind and supportive. The gentleman prayed over me, and they gave us a couple of needed supplies. They also contributed financially to our ministry and informed us about a possible connection in Ely, Minnesota where we can rest for a couple of days. Interestingly, Ely is right along our proposed route. Our meeting was a spiritual blessing that started the Lord’s Day off just right. It’s encounters like this that help spur me to pedal on.

Yesterday’s ride took me into Indiana, my sixth state. Along the way, I met a Christian police officer in Richmond. He gave me a copper bracelet so I would remember him. Jamie also had a couple of interesting conversations with folks. There was a lot of positive acknowledgement of my “Jesus Saves” Christian flag as cars drove by. As the day wore on, US 35 became quite hilly (Indiana is flat when driving a car, but quite hilly when traversing it on a bicycle). I grew very fatigued and hypoxic. Such wearied indifference makes it very difficult to witness to others; in fact, I probably blew several opportunities. Nonetheless, Jamie and I found a sweet campsite at Summit Lake State Park. There, we cooked a steak dinner and settled down for a mosquito-infested 12 hours of sleep. I was so wiped out from the 75 miles of pedaling. Thankfully, the weather was cool all day. It seemed like autumn. Although I am always drawn to the craggy magnificence of the mountains, the Indiana farmlands have an austere beauty all their own. Jamie and I are really getting to see America in a way that just isn’t available on interstate highways.

Today was a different story. Temperatures hovered in the high 90’s all day. Each mile was a grueling chore—cornfields, soybean fields, up, down, up, up, down, wind blowing nasty farm smells into my face, and disgusting road kill. I never could figure out what that black splat was on the side of the road—hideous. Early on, however, we met some fine Christian folks. As we were leaving the campground, we ran into the Lamberts. Interestingly, they had both biked across the country before. We had an interesting conversation. Mr. Lambert gave me some irritating spray that I can use to douse dogs that chase me on the bicycle. It shoots a good 10-15 feet. I kept waiting for one to chase me all day. He also gave me a t-shirt that he wore while pedaling from coast to coast a couple of years ago. He did it to raise money for cancer research and in memory of his sister who had died of cancer. He asked me to wear it at some point along my route in her honor. He also made sure to promulgate that they had prayed for a miraculous healing in his sister’s life. God did not choose to heal her physically, but she was born again shortly before she died. Mr. Lambert explained that this was the miraculous healing that God provided. She is now with Jesus in the glory of heaven.

A couple of miles down the road from the campground, a minivan drove by and gave a thumbs-up to my flag. Several hundred meters down the road, it pulled off. When I pedaled up, I thought they needed help and went over to offer my cell phone. Instead, I was greeted by a young man who recognized me from Solid Rock Church in Monroe, OH. He was there last Wednesday night when I gave that testimony and was on his way back to college in Marion, Indiana with his grandparents. There, on the side of the road, his sweet grandmother prayed over me and my ministry. Anyway, he encouraged me to call him if I biked through Marion later today. He said that he might could land us somewhere to stay. To make a long story short, I pedaled into Marion 50 miles later, EXTREMELY WEARY AND VERY HUNGRY. Now, I am sitting in an empty, air-conditioned dorm room on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University (my grandmother’s alma mater, unbeknownst to me until today). Jamie is enjoying a similar experience across the way in the girl’s dorm. That young man in the van is a student here at IWU and was able to land us a couple of rooms for the night, and we don’t have to worry about mosquitoes. Fortunately, school does not start until next week, so there are a lot of empty rooms available. Tonight, we took him and his roommate to dinner. It has been kind of cool to relive the college experience. I cannot believe that it has been six years since I lived in a college dorm room. Where has time gone? Life is so temporary; I cannot imagine living it without the blessed hope ONLY found in Jesus Christ. The Lord is good; his blessings are a cornucopia of goodness.

Tomorrow . . . I don’t even want to think about tomorrow. My legs are tired; my body feels broken in half. What does tomorrow hold? I guess we will all find out later. Please pray that we both will continue to be bold for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. I want to hand out a lot of Gospel tracts tomorrow. Pray that God will put the people in our path. We have about 110 miles to go before reaching Niles, MI, the location of my sister’s domicile. There, we will enjoy the private use of a fully-furnished trailer for a few days of rest. Hopefully, we will drive over to Chicago on Friday so as to once again proclaim the Truth of the Gospel on the street corners of a major city. This weekend, my parents will be driving up from North Carolina so as to rendezvous with us for a couple of days. We are greatly looking forward to this.

Anyway, I must sign off. The bed beckons, and my body longs to get horizontal. We will keep you posted on adventures yet to come. Thanks everyone for all the email replies that were sent the other day. Your words were encouraging and uplifting; they served to help drown out the loneliness that creeps in from time to time on the road.

God’s blessings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Jesse & Jamie Boyd
Full Proof Gospel Ministries
Jude 3

changed plans, unexpected blessings