Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”  – Title of the last M*A*S*H  episode

It is absurd to think that I could say everything I want to through this blog. Try as I might for hours to come up with the perfect words to say to you, I realized that it would be impossible to tell you what this trip meant to me.

I have seen things that I never thought my eyes would witness. On this trip, I saw people time and time again offer their house to five strangers for the night. I have seen a woman cry because her family was too poor to give us any more money than every bill she had in her purse. I have seen a man crippled by alcohol addiction, sober up and give his life to God. I have seen a group of friends take a dream and turn it into a reality. Lastly, I have seen how God uses those who are available to be used.

At the beginning of this trip, a lot of people who are close to me did not understand my decision to take a risk on this bike trip. The normality of our society lends me to get an internship and prepare myself for the future. The cliche “What are you thinking?” was asked to me many times prior to the trip. The only reason I could come up with was derived from something my mom told me, “In everything you do, be available for God to use you!” This mentality stuck with me throughout the trip, even when times got hard. It was my motivation up the Cascade Mountains, through North Dakota’s plains and along the Hudson River.

With this focus in mind, it was incredible to witness the impact this trip was making. The most ironic part of our journey was that people were under the impression that everything was centered on a group of guys doing something good. However, the essence of our trip changed and the people who read our blog could see it. We began to realize how our trip provided others with an opportunity to do something good for us. This phenomenon was something I tried to track across the country and the number of people who thanked us for blessing them (after we had devoured every bag of spicy Doritos and burgers in their house) was staggering.  Every day I was blown away by the generosity people across this country showed us. This statement is supported by the fact that we almost doubled our financial goal. You people proved something very profound to me this summer. We all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. It gives us a sense of belonging and need which in turn, springs hope in ourselves and in those around us.

It was hard adjusting back to a life style where every day I was blown away by people. It took a couple days of beach time to fully process what had happened this summer. By the end of my vacation, I had realized one simple fact; everyone who had asked me at the beginning of the trip, “What are you thinking”, was asking the wrong question. I realized the question they should have been asking was “What are you seeking?” I discovered that, like the bike trip, we are on a journey find something. I was seeking how much God could use me, but instead, I found how much God can use an idea like Team GCC. Team GCC represents all of us who signed that shirt, who housed us, fed us, donated, and prayed for us. The idea that all of us have made a reality is not only inspiring but life changing. We have changed the lives of many students forever, and if that doesn’t give you a warm fuzzy feeling than I don’t know what would.

Thank you all for being a part of this idea, and making a difference in the world, no matter the size.

As for me, I am now a Senior Electrical Engineer at GCC, playing Rugby and working on the next big thing, my senior design project. I am very excited for the chance to further my close relationships here at Grove City and begin to search for jobs in the real world! Although this year will involve a lot of hard work, I have learnt to focus one pedal stroke at a time. With this and a little faith, anything is possible.

God Bless!

- Love Loosy