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Agony: 2008
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Post-Agony
Thoughts
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Students' Thoughts
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Agony Riders and
Scoreboard
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Special Agony
Needs
Director’s View
“Why Agony?”
by Mike Petrillo
Want to join in the Agony? Why would you?!
Jesus sweat blood and cried out to God for
relief—such was His Agony. Who would want
to do anything called “The Agony?”
Jesus also said He has given us an example
we should follow. How so? What kind of
Agony should I participate in? (Not
should I participate in Agony? That is a
given. If we follow Christ, Agony will be
part of the path.) So, I ask again, want to
join in the Agony?
The Agony Bicycle Ride started as a
challenge to body and spirit more than 25
years ago. Others joined in the challenge
and raised funds as part of the experience,
doing something for someone else in the
midst of their own personal challenges. If
you choose to join CEM’s Agony we will
happily rejoice with you along the way. You
can ride with our riders. You can sag with
us (provide support and gear at the rest
stations). You can encourage cyclists by
sponsoring their mileage in the 24-hour
event. You can pray that our students will
see the depth of love God has for them
through these human examples of sacrifice.
Jesus’ Agony was the ultimate in love,
commitment, sacrifice, obedience, and
endurance. When we use the word “Agony,” we
reflect back to what our Lord did for us,
for the whole world, at the cross. We
choose to honor Him with our small efforts
of sacrifice and endurance. If you follow
Christ, there is Agony in your life
already. If you want more of Him, more
Agony, join us in this unique fellowship.
Join us in a joyous testimony of loving
others through maximum effort for 24 hours.
Ride, sag, give, pray in happy Agony.
Sponsor one or the team!
Team CEM is looking for financial supporters
Three intrepid athletes are privileged to
represent the CEM staff in Agony Ride 2008.
They are currently preparing their minds and
bodies for the challenge that lies ahead.
Here they are:
Caryn Galeckas
(goal: 300 miles) “I’ve been at CEM a long
time (26 years), ridden the Agony lots of
times (18) and sagged several more (7).
I’ve seen many students come and go. The
names and faces change, but the needs remain
the same. They are hurting and lost, and
need to know the love of Christ. They need
to see His love expressed in tangible ways
through the words and actions of His
people.”
Suzanne Hartley
(goal: 300 miles) “I love to ride my bike!
So the Agony Ride may not seem like much of
a sacrifice at first glance, but I think I
can speak for most of us when I say that I
don’t ‘love’ the Agony. Riding 100 miles is
a good, hard day’s work. Two days in a row
of that would be punishing. Make that 300
miles in 24 hours, and it stops sounding
like fun…I do it, we all do it, because
these kids are worth it. At the Ride, our
students see the love of God
firsthand.”
Grady Todd
(goal 250-275 miles) “Our students come
here to get an extended time of retreat and
restoration from the circumstances of their
lives. We keep out many distractions—like
TV and music—and focus on their needs for
relationships and spiritual guidance. We
put our energy toward cultivating spiritual
fruit and personal growth and maturity so
they can stand on a firm foundation when
they leave.”
One more good reason to ride
Sure,
you love kids. Of course you want
young people to have a fresh start—free from
the hurts of the past. Certainly you
know God blesses you when you do something
selfless for others. You are aware
that the Agony is a fruitful expression of
God’s love for the CEM young people—it
produces huge blessings and much joy!
You’ve heard of the saggers’ fabulous
attention to the details of riders’ every
needs: the cheering, the muscle rubs, the
plentiful cooked-to-order food, the
ever-present massage therapists, the expert
bike mechanics, the roving motorcyclists who
watch out for you.
Well, if you need one more reason to ride
this year, how about this: you can eat all
the chocolate you’ll ever want! That’s
right, CHOCOLATE! Now, go on-line or fill
in the little form in this newsletter! But
sign on the dotted line now; ride!
Post-Agony thoughts:
“I just prayed, ‘Carry me how far you want
me to go…’ Put aside what you think you
might be capable of and give it to God—it’s
amazing what God can do!” Kelly (student)
“I’ve sagged for three years. I was as
tired as a sagger as I am as a rider—only I
didn’t hurt as much…” Amber Tippett
“…At six miles I thought, ‘What am I doing
this for?’ I reached in my pocket and pulled
out the yellow encouragement card from the
new student with the Mohawk. It said, ‘We
need to press on…’ “ Thom Smith
“I got to ride with my wife!...I saw Kelly
riding with braces on her legs; Blake riding
150 miles; Jackie with her big smiles…” Doug
Parrott
“This is my fifth Agony. I’m an avid
cyclist and a Tour de France fan. The
yellow jersey inspires riders…If the Tour
people want to be inspired, they should come
see the Agony!” Gary Clelan
“The greatest joy is not being about
yourself but being about others…[25 years
ago] If we could have thought something like
this would come to pass, we’d have been
blown away!” Bob Walsh
“I’ve received a lot of accolades for
participating in the Agonys. It always
brings thought of people like Thom Smith,
Kelly, Papa John…some who shouldn’t even be
on a bike. Our society wants to look for
the flashy…We need to be men and women of
whom the world is not worthy.” Mike Boon
“Seeing everyone come together in this body
was awesome! Before this, I said I was
going to ride 300 miles next year. It
sounded so easy. I’m up at 4 am; I haven’t
even ridden, and I’m tired!” Vince
(student)
“It encourages me to keep going…I want to
thank everyone of you for contributing to my
life, and for loving me…” Jon-ai (student)
“Jesus washed people’s feet; I can massage
people’s legs.” Ilya (student)
“It was really cool to see my 4th
grade teacher, Bob Walsh, riding…I’ve lived
in a lot of homes, this is the best home
I’ve ever lived in…” Sherry (student)
“I’ve seen miracles in students’ lives—half
of us should be dead…we were just walking
dead. You loved us not just with words. I
don’t even know half your names, and you’re
riding for me and for every student to
come. Thank you for helping to save my
life…Bless you all.” Alyssa (student)
Students’ post-Agony observations: “Agony
means love…”
“…This year, I decided that
instead of just doing Agony because I live
at the Ranch and they make me, I would be as
much of a servant as possible—which worked
until I was tired of serving. It just
didn’t end! On and on for a whole weekend.
I felt like I accomplished little without
grumbling. So I guess I found that at the
end of my comfort zone lies my gritty,
whining, sandpaper-attitude, old self—the
Flesh. I learned that my Flesh holds a
wider territory than I want to admit—and my
servanthood a shorter, smaller turf.”
“…Agony meant love and
family. It meant I had a place where I
belong. I had a job and responsibility to
care for people. People wanted me and
needed me…I felt like I wasn’t forgotten…”
“…It really touched my heart
to see people that don’t even know me riding
for me—their bodies tired and their minds
not clear. I’ve never had someone show
me they care. These riders used more than
words; they proved their sentences and
words. I saw people cry and hurt, but they
never gave up on the ride—they never gave up
on the students.”
“…It really gave me courage
because Fritz was not giving up. It showed
me that I could not give up either, even if
it’s hard and painful and seems like it will
never end. If the riders could push
through, so can I!”
“…The
most outstanding memory of this Agony was
the opportunity to serve Kevin. I look up
to Kevin a lot as a model of what the Ranch
can do for a student if he (or she) uses the
opportunities here. Seeing him give back to
the place that gave him back his life is
very encouraging.”
“…I was so touched when I saw the pain and
how tired the riders were and the love and
dedication they had for me as a student…I
just wish I could express my gratitude to
all the riders and how I am truly blessed.
May God bless them all…”
“The Agony was a wonderful experience…to
see all these people riding their bikes for
so long…It meant so much to me to experience
that—that’s unconditional love. It was
awesome!”
“…Agony! What can I say…That is love!”
“My
most memorable Agony moment was at about
5:00 a.m. I was tired and cold and really
upset. Jon-ai woke me up to watch the
ugliest sunrise I’d ever seen. I couldn’t
get away from the cold, so I grabbed my
sleeping bag, went to the road with my lucky
pom-poms in hand and sat with Blake, Jon-ai,
and Jacob. We saw a few riders coming, so I
unwillingly got up and started cheering. At
first I thought about how stupid this was,
but when the rider came near, Jon-ai and I
started our pump-it-up cheer. The biker
started jumping on her bike and her smile
grew 60 times in length. She told us how
much she appreciated our cheers and how much
she looked forward to returning. She left
and I suddenly realized, it’s not about me
or how cold I am.. It was about these 77
bikers who love us even though they don’t
know us!”
Special Agony Needs
Two small, quiet generators
Sports/energy bars
Duct tape
Flashlight batteries: AAA, AA, C, and D
Large pop-up shade tarps
Solar landscaping lights (for markers)
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