Bicyles an investment in the future of hope

SE Asia (CAM/MNN) — A bicycle can mean many things to different
people.

In some places, it's a plaything. In others, it's a lifeline to
hope. Throughout the rural areas between
India and Bangladesh, most villagers can't afford a car. Isolation and unpaved roads make it unlikely that
public transportation would be available, which means most people get around by
walking.

However, the distances between these rural villages can be somewhere
between 20 to 60 km, which means a traveling pastor or evangelist spends most
of his time getting to his next preaching point. Add to that the typical load a pastor carries: Bibles, Christian
literature, food and water, and by the time he arrives, he's exhausted.

A bicycle changes that. Not only would missionaries reach a
destination more quickly, but bicycles are the most maneuverable vehicle that
doesn't require its own supply of food. With a bicycle, these missionaries can reach
many more people who have not yet heard the Gospel.  

Christian Aid Mission has come alongside some of these workers with
bicycles. One missionary from India
wrote to express his thanks.  "With it, I
was able to preach 158 times in the last six months…. Going house-to-house
through 11 villages, I witnessed Christ to 3400 people; of these, 131 accepted
Him as Savior."

In
other areas, traveling on foot means unnecessary exposure to dangerous
circumstances. Christian field workers
could use their bicycles to travel back and forth between church activities
during times of communal violence in east-central India.

Another Gospel worker shared, "I
used to waste a lot of time waiting for the bus to take me to my ministry
areas, which takes on an average 2 hours one-way travel (unpaved road with
frequent stops). It would sometimes take me a whole day just to go and give one
fellowship to the Christians in a nearby village. However, with the bicycle I
can cover all these distances with ease. I am able to save time to be able to
minister in more areas. I am greatly blessed, and so are the people I disciple."

Consider
it an investment in a solid future. $100 for a bicycle means hope will reach
these outposts of people throughout Southeast Asia. As the Gospel comes, churches will be planted
and community transformation begins.