By MARY Gilbert
IT was the best of times ; it was the worst of times . It sounds like the beginning of an old novel . Well , this won ’ t be as long as that one , but it is an exciting adventure ! In the Fall of 2021 , a couple of our Ohio ladies , Wendy Cromer and Ruth Cooper , decided to put together a fellowship ride for any ladies who wanted to do something different in 2022 . They approached me with the idea , and I said , “ Run with it ! Great idea ! Not a state event ; you are on your own !” I signed up to go along as one of the riders because I figured , ‘ why not ? I am one of the girls too !’ My Area Rep ladies signed up as well , and off we went !
These two ladies did a great job of putting together a great ride ! We had 21 ladies signed up for the ‘ great adventure ’ to Petersburg , West Virginia . Most were CMA ladies , with a couple of guests . Anyone was welcome to sign up . We all pitched in our own money for a house that accommodated all of us , and yes , there were even enough bathrooms for everyone to do hair and makeup .
The beginning of the trip was awesome . We left on a beautiful Friday morning in July , the sun shining with temperatures in the low 70s , only to climb into the low 80s . As we left Ohio singing ‘ Country roads take me home …’ all smiles , we were doing great , and then we stopped for lunch . Before we stopped , I heard the Lord say , “ At this lunch stop , put on your rain gear .” I acknowledged Him , and after lunch , I said , “ I am going to put on my rain gear .” Everyone looked at me like I would jinx them or something like that , so I didn ’ t . Guess what ? Not five minutes after we pulled out , it started raining ! OF COURSE , IT DID ! ( Yes , I learned a lesson there ). So , we stopped and put our rain gear on , and for the next 69 miles , it rained , no , it POURED ! We stopped a few times during the 69 miles , and at one point , we got separated .
There were 12 riders , nine motorcycles , three trikes , a truck , and a car . The three trikes , truck , and car separated from the nine motorcycles and didn ’ t see us exit . God is so good . He directed their path a different route , and we arrived at the house at the exact same time that evening . Not only that , but all of us saw this beautiful rainbow as we finished out the last few miles of the trip , which gave us all this grand sense of relief and hope that He had always been with us and would continue with us the rest of the way . “ I will never leave you nor forsake you ” ( Hebrews 13:5 , NKJV ).
On Saturday , we saw the sunshine , beautiful waterfalls , and incredible scenery and ended the day with a wonderful host family in the holler on a century-plus old farm home . All enjoyed a great time of fellowship , devotion , and fun .
20⎪NOVEMBER 2022⎪shop . cmausa . org
( continue on page 21 )