Testimonies
By JOHNA Lay
20⎪JUNE 2020⎪shop.cmausa.org
LADIES MINISTRY AT MYRTLE
BEACH BIKE WEEK
are two bike weeks
THERE held each year in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, May
and October, and both offer many
opportunities to minister to bikers
and others who are in town.
With so many people in town it’s
very easy to share God’s love all
around. South Carolina CMA really
enjoys meeting people and building
relationships at the state park
where many of us are camped for
the week; we’re always running
into people and making acquaintances
while shopping in the area.
We love getting personal with our
servers while having meals in the
local restaurants, and offering up
prayers for their needs as well.
There are also many opportunities
at the various vendor booths and
rally sites throughout the city; and
of course we enjoy comparing our
bikes while filling our tanks, so
there can be ministry opportunities
at gas stations too.
We set up our CMA booths during
the spring and fall events each
year at both the South and North
Harley Dealerships. CMA’ers from
the local chapter, around the state
and outside the state, support and
serve at these ministry sites.
A very big part of our ministry
during Myrtle Beach Bike Week
(MBBW) is our ministry to the
women. We’ve come to realize that
this is important to the ladies.
Often women begin looking for our
booth as soon as they enter the
parking lot, and typically get off
their bikes and head straight
toward us. They love to receive a
cool cup of water on a warm day
and are usually more interested in
the booth than the men are. The
women especially love their free
lady’s bag that we offer them, but
just as much they seem to enjoy
seeing the welcoming faces
offered by our CMA members.
The responses from women are
so adorable, such as:
“You mean it’s free;” “Oh, I just
love getting my little bag, I get one
every year;” “These are the cutest
bags, I use mine every year as a
gift bag at Christmas, so someone
else may enjoy it too;” “I still have
the little sewing kit that I got a
couple of years ago, it comes in
handy.”
I use to think these bags weren’t
such a big deal, “it’s just a bag of
trial-sized items, right?” until I
began handing them out. I’ve seen
firsthand how a simple gift can
bring such joy. These ladies look
over each bag, checking the sizes
and colors, to determine the perfect
one. Sometimes they look
inside the bag to see if it has
something they really need before
making a decision. During these
few minutes of “shopping,” we
have an opportunity to explain
that the bag is a free gift, a symbol
of the love that Jesus has for us, in
that He gave His life for us, freely.
We allow some time to get personal
with them and ask if they have
any prayer needs; and very often
we have the privilege of praying
with them. It means so much to
them, and to us as well.
During the fall rally one year, I
met Lisa, and had the opportunity
to get to know her a bit. During our
conversation she began to cry; her
daughter was suffering from
breast cancer. She showed me pictures
of her daughter, Sara, a very
lovely young lady. I offered to pray
with Lisa and she gladly accepted,
so we spent a few more minutes
together, praying and chatting.
She came by the booth several
more times during the week, and I
tried to encourage her with each
visit.
The following year at the fall
rally, I saw Lisa on the back of her
husband’s bike pulling in. She
quickly noticed me at the booth,
jumped off the bike, and excitedly
ran to greet me. With a quick hug,
she said “Johna, I am so glad to see
you.” “You and I prayed together
last year, regarding my daughter’s
cancer battle, and now Sara is
doing fine.” “I told my husband, I
have to find Johna and tell her
about Sara.” We looked at all the
pictures from the year of how well
Sara is doing, and just cried and