Les Hardin, a professor at Johnson University Florida, and his 14-year old daughter, Leah, participated in an Ends of the Earth Cycling ride this past spring to benefit the youth of Myanmar. Recently he shared her reflections on how that ride has been transformative.

So I’m ridin’ down the road (trying to loosen my load) on the way back from Leah’s ORC team practice last Thursday, and we were talking about the KWBR17 coming up. And without prompting, without any coaching from me, she says the following:

You know, Ends Tours are sort of a mini-version of what Paul envisioned the Kingdom of God to be. I mean, you make friends, but it’s not like at camp where you don’t ever speak to them afterward. Ends Tours are really different. You begin to forge real relationships with people, and you stay in contact with those people long after it’s over. In what other context would Jimmy go out of his way on a visit to Orlando just to come spend several hours with you? Or John B give up an evening of his life to ride with us while we’re in Cincinnati and have dinner with us? That’s the way it’s supposed to work. And you don’t find that anywhere else.

Unplanned. Unscripted. And with all the maturity that you guys noticed in just 5 days with her. That’s the legacy and contribution you guys provide. Yes, raising money for youth work overseas. But there’s something deeper there, something Kingdom-y. And it has less to do with what you provide and more to do with the way you provide it.