As we cycle across the country to complete our Ride for Mobility campaign, we have learned that one of our toughest enemies is invisibility.  Our goal and our mission are unknown to most of our fellow Americans, and we struggle to make them visible through the screen of daily life and the infinite media messages that compete for our attention.  As we pass through the serene countryside of the central and southwest United States, images of desperation created by physical disability seem so distant and abstract.  Yet our team knows these images-- all too well.  They are what keep us going.  As our muscles scream for mercy, we feel the pain of the disabled, and the thought of their suffering drives us on to finish those last few miles of each day.

But there are victories.  They come when we reach someone with our message, when our cause takes center stage and speaks to the masses.  The mayor of Garden City won just such a victory for us when he spoke of our efforts before a crowd, saying:

When I read their story I thought to myself: what am I doing to help someone less fortunate than me?  I challenge this city to raise the funds for a container.  Let’s help Mike and Don succeed here, and help these, the poorest of the poor.

Another victory came when Dennis, also of Garden City, said:

Thank you for all you have done for our community and for the world, as you make a difference – one wheelchair at a time.  You have certainly lifted up a lot of us that have been sitting back in the shadows.

As we ride, we will continue to pray that he can bring the physically disabled poor out of the shadows and make them visible to all who have the capacity and will to help.