God seems to love working on dusty, pot-holed dirt roads. The kind you hesitantly start on hoping that it is the one to take you to your destination. You don’t expect anything special to happen until you get there. I am grateful that He uses such roads as they have transformed my life.
In the late 1800s, a Scotsman named Philip Reekie traveled to Australia looking for a better life. Soon after his arrival, he was introduced to Adventist literature, which resulted in his baptism and a desire to share his newfound faith with others. He gave up his profession as an engraver and jumped on his bicycle to share Adventist books.
Phillip Reekie cycled thousands of miles throughout regional Australia, sharing his newfound love of Jesus. He knew that he was sowing seeds that would one day bear fruit and that his rejoicing then would not compare to the joy he would feel when he met in the kingdom of God, those for whom he labored.
On a dusty, pot-holed dirt road near the small town of Eugowra, Philip Reekie met a farmer working in his field. Thomas Kent was strong in stature but broken in spirit. He had just buried his darling wife, Mary. She had succumbed to pneumonia and left Tom with eleven children, the youngest a toddler. Mary had made Tom promise to do all he could to ensure their complete family would be reunited in heaven. It was a promise Tom had no idea how he would keep.
Philip left Tom a copy of The Great Controversy, which he read earnestly. He was confronted with new truths that he didn’t readily accept. The seventh-day Sabbath was the most challenging truth to Tom, and it took something miraculous for him to change his mind. One night he saw the fourth commandment illuminated on the ceiling of his farmhouse. It was then followed by John 13:17: “If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (KJV). From that night on, Tom decided to keep the biblical Sabbath.
Tom was put in contact with Seventh-day Adventists in Sydney and was soon baptized. Upon returning to the farm, his copy of The Great Controversy was shared with his children and five neighboring farmers, who all accepted the Seventh-day Adventist message. A mud-brick church was built on one of the farms and not long after a school for the children of the families.
Tom Kent is my great-greatgrandfather. Because of Philip Reekie travelling down a dusty, potholed dirt road, the destiny of my family was changed. The future of the families of the five neighboring farmers was also changed. It has been conservatively estimated that over twenty thousand lives have been divinely transformed by that one book that Philip shared with Tom. I believe Philip may have underestimated the joy he will experience in the kingdom of God.
In April 2021, I received a phone call from my cousin, pastor Anthony Kent. Inspired by the story of Philip and Tom, Anthony invited me down a dusty, pot-holed dirt road. He was planning a bicycle ride from Washington, DC, to St Louis, Missouri, coinciding with the General Conference Session in June 2022. The focus of the ride was to share Adventist literature with those we met.
Being an avid cyclist and having completed many endurance events, I was excited about the idea of riding 1,200 miles (1,930 kms) across the United States. But being an introverted local church elder who was more than content remaining in my comfort zone, I was daunted at the thought of sharing my faith with strangers.
After much prayer and consideration, I reluctantly declined the invitation. I had recently started new employment and having dragged my patient wife, Jane, to numerous endurance events I couldn’t justify the cost and time. I thought nothing more of the invitation until I received another phone call in March 2022. The caller had heard about the ride, and that the motivation was the Tom Kent story. They felt strongly that I should be on the ride. They offered to pay for all my costs to ensure I could participate. Because all the participants were paying for their own expenses and the ride was not financially supported by the church, this offer was very appreciated. I haven’t before received such a generous offer. I discussed it with Jane and we both felt that God wanted me on the ride—whether it was for my benefit or to benefit others, I wasn’t sure.
The I Will Go Ride has been and gone and we travelled down a few dusty, pot-holed dirt roads. It was an amazing experience that has had a profound effect on my attitude to sharing my faith. I formed lifelong friendships with the seven other riders. I met some wonderful people along the way, who showed me that our stories need to be shared as often and with as many people as possible.
The route of the ride was prayerfully chosen to ensure we met as many people as possible who would be open to the working of the Holy Spirit. It was also chosen to ensure the riding conditions were safe. As a result, many quiet country roads were ridden: some beautifully paved, others in need of repair, and the odd mile of dusty, potholed dirt roads—or so we thought. As it turned out, there were many miles of dusty, pot-holed dirt roads. But all were filled with incredibly divinely appointed meetings.
On Smokey Hollow Drive I met Tammy and her grandson AJ. They were sitting on their front porch enjoying a warm West Virginian summer day. I waved to them as we neared their home and they waved back, which I took as an indication that they were open for a chat. Two of us rode into their driveway and they immediately came down to meet us. We shared the Philip and Tom story and they loved it. I offered them a copy of The Great Controversy and Your Bible and You and they gladly accepted both books. Tammy then looked me in the eyes and said, “This was meant to be.” I thought, Wow! God, you are amazing.
I then said something I don’t think I have ever said before to a stranger. I asked Tammy if she would like me to pray with her and AJ. Her response was a resounding “Yes please.” Together the four of us bowed our heads in her driveway and we asked Jesus to be part of Tammy and AJ’s lives. As we rode away from their home, I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit—a feeling I hadn’t felt for so long but was to experience many times over the fifteen days of our riding.
Our longest day was 144 miles (231 kms). It wasn’t supposed to be that long but our “prayerfully” chosen route kept taking us on dusty, pot-holed dirt roads that were slowing us down and causing punctured tires on our “bitumen only” road bikes. To keep to bitumen, our route was gradually increasing.
We had stopped for lunch in a small town called Patoka—the kind of town that was forgotten long ago by interstate highways. We followed our route out of Patoka, crossing the interstate and heading down another country road. About a mile down the road, we hit another dusty, pot-holed dirt road. This one looked nasty—the type that would throw you off your bike and cause an injury. Being in the company of good Adventist administrators, we stopped our ride and formed a committee to decide our best course of action. After a few minutes of discussion and consulting maps, we decided our best option was to head back towards the interstate highway, travel on it for a few miles, and take another road that would get us back on our route.
As we neared the interstate, a motorcyclist had pulled over and was removing his helmet. As he saw us, he yelled out asking what we were doing. Three of us rolled over and there we met Danny. He told us that he was an ex-Airborne Ranger. We told him the story of Philip and Tom and offered him our books as a gift. He was excited to take them and commented, “You guys don’t realize what I have been through lately.” And I did it again. I said, “Danny, can we pray for you?” Like those before whom we had asked the same question, his reply was instant: “Yes please.” So, by the side of an interstate highway, three of us gathered around Danny and his motorbike and prayed. We asked God to be with Danny and those things that he had been through lately. As I finished my prayer with “Amen,” I heard a shout of exclamation of “Yes Sir!” It was Danny. Never have I had such a response to a prayer.
Again, we rode off with an amazing feeling that the Holy Spirit was at work, making “straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isa 40:3, ESV).
As I pedaled away it struck me. We weren’t supposed to meet Danny! We were meant to keep riding down that dusty, pot-holed dirt road away from Danny. But God knew that we would change our plans. God ensured Danny would pull over at the exact time we were changing our plans. God had overseen every minute detail of our ride to ensure His divine appointments were kept.
During those fifteen days, we met, shared, and prayed with hundreds of people—appointments all set up by God. Each one of those interactions taught me the same lesson. Sharing my faith isn’t daunting. Sharing my faith should be a natural part of my life. People I meet on and off the bike need to know my story. They must know that there is a loving God who wants to meet them where they are and wants a relationship with them. And if I don’t share that, then who will?
We all need to look for activities in everyday life that can create opportunities for sharing our stories. Do it with friends in activities you enjoy. It might be as easy as leaving a small book with your tip in a restaurant. Telling your friends about a God experience when they ask about your weekend. Inviting your neighbors to a recreational activity or a cooking program that your local church is running. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom 10:13–15, NKJV).
It turns out I was supposed to be on the ride for my benefit. God took me on a dusty, pot-holed dirt road to show me how easy and rewarding it is to share my testimony, and none of us would be part of the family of God if someone else hadn’t traveled down a dusty, potholed dirt road.
Editor’s note: If you would like to discover more about Rob’s amazing experience on the I Will Go Bike Ride, visit the Adventist Review TV website (https://adventistreview.tv) to view an inspiring documentary video. Alternatively, it can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=OYHCkD2Gtyg.
Rob Hansford, CA, is the chief financial officer of a retail furniture company and is also an elder of the Eight Mile Plains Seventh-day Adventist Church, Queensland, Australia.
