Morehead pastor pedals for Kenya youth
Oct. 2—Jeremy Halstead, pastor of the First Church of God in Morehead, rides with the Ends of the Earth Cycling Team out of Fort Myers, Florida. Halstead has previously been on four Ends Cycling Tours, riding in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
Ends of the Earth Cycling hosted their first virtual ride, Break Every Chain 2020, last year. Sixty-three riders from across America rode in their hometowns, set their own miles and, collectively, raised more than $20,000 for "Wipe Every Tear," a ministry in the Philippines that works with kids and teenagers who are trapped in the sex industry.
Ends Cycling is on another virtual ride now. On this tour, team members are riding for the youth in Kenya, Africa, in a partnership with New International Child Sponsorship.
There are thousands of families and children in rural Narok, Kenya, who are living in extreme poverty. Many of the children take on family responsibilities at a young age; helping find and prepare meals and water, caring for livestock and gardens, and watching after younger children.
New International Child Sponsorship works to combat poverty one child and family at a time, but for this tour, they are focusing their efforts on Orphan and Vulnerable Children camps. OVC camps are hosted by AfricaHope, a New International ministry, for the children in Narok during school holidays. For a week, a hundred children come to stay at AfricaHope's campus. These camps offer an opportunity for the children to focus on being a child, having fun and learning about Jesus. At the camps, they can leave behind the worries and concerns of poverty they are faced with daily.
The children stay in AfricaHope's dormitories, where many have access to running water for the first time and delicious meals are prepared for them. The camp is centered around teachings from the Bible and incorporates dance, skits, music and crafts into those lessons and small groups for discussion and prayer. Health and hygiene lessons are another pillar of the OVC camps, demonstrating and explaining the importance of handwashing and clean water.
OVC camps are offered at no cost to the children's families and rely on fundraising efforts to be able to host multiple camps each year.
That's exactly why Halstead is riding 250 miles in five days (Sept. 30-Oct. 4) here in the hills and hollers of eastern Kentucky.
Follow Halstead on his Facebook page "PJs Bike Ride." And you can learn more about Ends of the Earth Cycling by visiting their website at endscycling.com.