Why use 145 days to bike around the United States? For the sense of adventure? To see the scenery?

Those may have been nice incentives, but the group's main reason for traveling is to raise awareness–not to mention funds–for the plight of the thirsty.

"When people find out we've ridden our bikes most of the way around the country, some people are pretty shocked. And that opens the door for us to say, ‘Well you might be pretty shocked to find out that some people have to walk three miles for water that makes them sick,'" says rider Eric Breckinridge.

884 million people lack access to safe drinking water. So the team rode one mile for every 100,000 people in need. On the last day of the ride, the team has raised over $22,000 to help these people through Living Water International (LWI).

LWI will use the funds to build wells in drought-stricken Ethiopia. The wells were needed before, but they are even more vital now as Ethiopians die daily from a two-year drought.

The wells built–like all wells LWI installs–will serve as more than just a place for life-giving, clean water. The wells are also a uniting factor for the church and communities across the country. It's a significant way to open doors for the Gospel, especially as believers drill the well and get the chance to share the love of Christ.

Throughout the last 145 days, the h2o Ride team has raised awareness for this plight and has encircled the nation in prayer. You can welcome them home today by visiting their Web site, h20ride.org, and helping in their cause.

Five riders are on a mission to bike all the way around the border of the U.S. on an 8,840-mile journey to raise awareness and funds for those in other countries who have no clean drinking water — one mile for every 100,000 people who do not have clean water.

Members of The h2o Ride support the work and mission of Living Water International, hoping to raise over $175,000 — or $20 for every mile they bike.

"Hydration to others" is what's behind the acronym, h2o. While the riders are biking to raise awareness and funding for clean water, they are also stopping to share the Good News of the living Christ to anyone who will listen. In this way, they hope to bring spiritual water to the thirsty, as well as provide drinking water for those less fortunate.

The team left for their mission on June 20 from Austin, Texas. As of Wednesday, July 20, they reported from their current destination of Oakland in central California. They will continue on their border route until they return 8,840 miles later in Austin, Texas.

For team leader Abe Clark, this is not his first large endeavor in raising awareness for a cause. Earlier, he ran 2,960 miles across America by himself to raise money and awareness for people in other countries who need clean drinking water.

The h2o team recognizes that it is impossible to truly satisfy the whole person with just physical water, even clean water. In defining the mission on their Web site, h2o riders affirm, "Knowing God is the only thing that quenches our thirst and gives us eternal life. God's love is clean, life-giving water for our souls."

The combined passion of water for those dying of thirst and the message of the Gospel for those dying inside makes The h2o Ride one of purpose. By pushing their bodies to the test and gaining the attention of a watching world, the riders hope to put the focus on Christ and the calling we have to be a healing hand to the poor.

If you would like to donate to The h2o Ride and provide clean drinking water to those in need, you can go to their Web site by clicking here. Please pray for safety for the team as they continue on their route. Pray that many funds would be raised and that the name of Christ would be glorified as clean water is provided for the thirsty.

On a picture-perfect Saturday declared "San Diego CityFest with Luis Palau Day" by Mayor Jerry Sanders, throngs of festival-goers from throughout Southern California and northern Mexico converged on the event. "There was a great joy in the festival," said Palau, world evangelist and author. "So many churches worked so hard to make this happen."

Top musical artists, world-class action sports, and a family fun zone entertained the crowd throughout the day. CityFest represented a day of celebration for the Season of Service, a comprehensive outreach that launched in March and drew more than 50,000 volunteers from the faith community in acts of service to the needs of the region.

With a particular focus on homelessness, hunger, mentoring, schools, military families and existing programs, Season of Service volunteers provided an estimated 201,000 hours of labor at more than 340 projects. An additional 1,500 served in the preparation and presentation of the festival.

The festival itself was a non-stop celebration of music, action sports and family fun. Some of the top names in contemporary Christian music performed, including Newsboys, Kirk Franklin, Phil Wickham, and Latin musicians Marisol and Tercer Cielo. The Livin It action sports demos featured the Action Sports Outreach BMX riders, the King of Kings skateboard team, and the Riders 4 Christ freestyle motocross team. Ventriloquist Mark Thompson and VeggieTales superstars Bob and Larry led rousing presentations from the children's stage.

Palau preached the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ in Spanish and English. In two separate messages he shared themes including the uncertainty and fragility of human life. The relevance of 9/11 was addressed throughout the day in special prayers and a compelling presentation of the colors by servicemen and women based in the San Diego area.

Hundreds of hands were raised across the massive crowd as Palau extended his straightforward invitation to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and begin a life of obedient faith. Several hundred "friends of the festival" had been trained to counsel new believers as they begin their Christian walk. More than 450 participating local churches will welcome them into their congregations.

"The unity among the Christians and the cheer from those who participated were such blessings," said Palau. "It was an honor to share this festival with the people of San Diego."

Palau's son, Andrew, also shared a message of hope and redemption. Himself a global evangelist,
the younger Palau and his family recently survived a plane crash in Jamaica that brought new urgency to his ministry. In the next few months he will present similar CityFest events in Kampala, Uganda (Africa) and Viña del Mar, Chile (South America). The next Season of Service/CityFest program in the United States is set for March of 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Oregon-based Luis Palau Association has brought a message of hope through faith to more than 1 billion people through radio, television, the Internet, books and articles, including 25 million people face-to-face in 72 countries. Luis Palau's daily radio broadcasts are heard by tens of millions of listeners on 3000+ radio stations in 48 countries. He is the author of nearly 50 books, and his counsel on issues of faith has been shared with political and business leaders around the world.