Intrigued by History - At Mile Six

At mile six I passed a stone house with a history tied to Bridge of Hope. When John & Susanna Umble built this house in the 1970’s, the blueprints did not include instructions for reaching out to homeless women. But that is what John and Susanna did!

In the mid-80's with the encouragement of Bridge of Hope’s co-founders, Sandy Lewis and Linda Witmer, they invited a homeless mother to live in their home.This experience served as a test case for connecting homeless women with caring Christians. Susanna taught her simple life skills such as how to sew on a button. And together with John and their extended family, they surrounded this woman with unconditional love and nurtured her self-esteem. The changes in this woman’s life encouraged Linda, Sandy and others to develop their dream for ending and preventing homelessness with the help of Christian churches.

Sailing downhill into Atglen, I approach Penningtonville Presbyterian Church. This church has a recent history with Bridge of Hope, first as a mentoring church, now a committed financial partner with a strong core of volunteers. And now Bridge of Hope is part of this church’s history as well.

Along my route I pass more places with connections to Bridge of Hope: homes of faithful donors, a house where a Bridge of Hope mother and her children once lived and Maple Grove Mennonite Church, another mentoring and financial partner. I pass a cemetery where a group has gathered to bid their final farewell to a loved one. The earthly history of the deceased is now completed and I wonder, did the deceased achieve their highest dream or did situations beyond their control get in the way – an accident, illness or other life event? What contribution or characteristics of the departed will loved ones carry with them from this place?

60 for Hope is changing the landscape of my personal history. Perhaps it will become a statement of sorts of my life. It is pushing me to new physical heights. It is providing text for these Blog ramblings – a journal that will live beyond my ride. It is proclaiming my age to the world. It is highlighting where I’ve come from and the ways my Mother has inspired my work with Bridge of Hope.

A memorable part of this journey is all of the friends who are joining me to make my 60 for Hope dream come true! Indeed it will take a community of riders to reach these goals – in much the same way as it takes a community of mentors for mothers in Bridge of Hope to achieve theirs.

Read more reflections on Intrigued by History in the blog below: