CMA HeartBeat February 2024

	TESTIMONIES
	By ROY Covey
12⎪FEBRUARY 2024⎪www . cmausa . org	EARN THE RIGHT TO SPEAK trip to Street THIS Vibrations was an excellent example of “ Earn the Right to Speak ” and a recently learned quote ; “ you can pretend you care , but you can ’ t pretend you were there , just show up .” To truly appreciate this ride , one must have a bit of context first . I work at a local chiropractic office in Silverdale , Washington , and about six years ago , I started going to the coffee shop next door . There is and was a group of men , most of whom I would discover later were prior riders . One of them rides a Harley CVO Trike and has ridden over 500,000 miles during his riding career . He has ridden in every state in the U . S . and so many countries that I cannot recall them all . In short , a relationship began and was cordial , at best , in the beginning . One day in 2020 , I went to the coffee shop and proudly proclaimed I had started to learn to ride a motorcycle , to which I was asked what I was riding , and my reply was a Honda Spirit 750 ! I did not receive the energetic response I expected . Three months later , I once again proudly exclaimed I was now riding a Yamaha V Star 950 ; you guessed it , the die-hard	Harley riders barely gave me the time of day . Another three months passed , and this time , I knew they would receive me well , and I exclaimed that I was now riding a 2020 Indian Roadmaster . The reply was a bit better , “ at least it is a V-Twin and American-made .” To my chagrin , there was just no pleasing these “ Old Harley Riders .” Next came the breakthrough that I had not expected . In March 2021 , Sandi and I joined CMA and our local chapter , Ambassadors for Christ . Once again , I went to the coffee shop , proudly wearing the CMA back patch . When I announced that Sandi and I had joined CMA , the one person I did not expect a response from called me over to him and said , “ Those are some good people in CMA .” I had instant credibility , not because of who I am or anything I had done for CMA , but because of all those who paved the way in CMA before me . Fast forward to Fall 2022 , and our trike rider tells me in the coffee shop that he wants to make one “ last long ” trip to Reno , Nevada , and Street Vibrations . This would make his 26th trip to Street Vibrations over the years . I quickly volunteered for both Sandi and me to ride with him . We	decided to open the ride up as an opportunity for others to join us . Within a very short period , we had commitments from a total of seven CMA Ambassadors for Christ members , one of whom was a prior State Lay Evangelist and original founder of Ambassadors for Christ . He was also the CMA member that rode with our trike friend to the Four Corners of the United States . Five local Silverdale HOG chapter members , including their director and his bride , joined us . In total , we had nine bikes and 12 people on the ride . Our trip began on a beautiful Saturday morning as we rode south along Hwy 101 , took on the twists of Hwy 1 , and went through Yosemite Park and on to Reno . We started every day with prayer before departure , and the one day I forgot , our riding partners quickly reminded us . We wore our CMA back patch every place we went in the hotel , which was the catalyst for meeting people and praying with them right in the middle of the hotel . Running out of gas in La Pine , Oregon , turned into an opportunity to conduct two bike blessings and one of those riders asked for contact information for a CMA chapter in Southern ( continue on page 13 )

CMA HeartBeat February 2024 | Page 12

TESTIMONIES

THIS Vibrations was an excellent example of “ Earn the Right to Speak ” and a recently learned quote ; “ you can pretend you care , but you can ’ t pretend you were there , just show up .” To truly appreciate this ride , one must have a bit of context first .