Gatesville!!!

Today has been such an emotional day. The adrenaline was pumping, the tears were pouring, and before we knew it we were on our bikes, destination Alaska. We're so blessed to have made it this far. Right now I'm in a hotel writing this, I really want to thank the kind people at Coryell Community Church for sharing their community with us. We had a wonderful night with them we had a Q&A session, and they poured their hearts to us. We just feel so humbled.

On our first stop we reached Gatesville. Nathan had a fun time (sarcasm), he hated the hills but he made through them ok. Right now the guys are tiding up the van. When we left we were given all sorts of items, that unfortunately didn't get organized, so we had this huge chaotic mess!!!

It was so surreal leaving Baylor University almost like it wasn't really happening. We couldn't believe it. After all our planning we were finally doing it. I began to tear up. Seeing all our friends sharing their time with us. Its amazing what community with people can do.

Tomorrow we leave for Brownwood. Finally I can sleep!!!

-Justin Brown


PS: Watch our take off here:

KWTX

KCENTV

The Night Before the Ride...

Its raining outside, I love the rain. In movies its usually symbolizes renewal, rebirth, and cleanliness. When I think of storm imagery I always refer back to The Lion King. In a particular scene Simba is living a life without purpose, a life that is a lie, he has forgotten...




This is the best part of the movie, because we can see ourselves in Simba's eyes. When things don't go the way you want them you hide or you want to change, but have we forgotten who we really are? We were meant for so much more then this. We have a king/queen living in all of us.

But that's not then end of the story. After all of this Simba decides to face his past. A past that is not easy to forget. He fights his uncle, his past, and the darkness within himself. He is victorious and the rain of rebirth, and kingship washes over.



It raining outside, maybe this is a symbol of our new birth, a new chapter, a new adventure....let us remember who we are.

Are we ready?

Are we ready? I've been hearing this question a lot. We are about 5 days away from our trip and the question "are we ready" races in my mind.

Are we ready to bike 4500 miles? Are we ready to eat tasteless food for 2 and half months? Are we ready to smell like dirt? Are we ready to ride in the rain? Are we ready to face exhaustion? Are we ready to beg if we need to? Are we ready for the pain? Are we ready to sleep outside? Are we ready to face wild animals? Are we ready to face the harshest weather? Are we ready to get angry at each other? Are we ready for mechanical failures? Are we ready for car problems? Are we ready for flat tires? Are we ready to cry uncontrollably? Are we ready to see pain? Are we ready to feel alone?

Then I ask myself:

Are we ready to meet new people? Are we ready to see beautiful sites? Are we ready to make great friends? Are we ready to challenge people on their journey through life? Are we ready to save lives? Are we ready to make a difference? Are we ready to change the world? Are we ready for a timeless adventure? Are we ready to laugh? Are we ready to eat so much till we fill full? Are we ready to feel the wind in our faces? Are we ready to bask in the sun? Are we ready to feel the cool sweat on our brow? Are we ready to feel accomplished? Are we ready to feel blessed with the gift of life?

To these I can ask you the same question, its all about how you view it.

Are you ready?

-Justin Brown

Balloons

We leave in 10 days (May 15th) and want all of you to be involved. We will leave from the Student Life Center, at Baylor University at 10am.

We will say a few words and then we will send off balloon memorials. Each balloon will have a name attached to it, each name represents a person that has committed suicide, right before we leave we will release the balloons to the sky.

If you want to be apart of this, comment below with a name. We will be sure to attach that name to a balloon.

Like a balloon, let us never forget how precious life is.

MTVU

So we are going to be hosting MTVU's Dean's List for the second time, only this time we'll be on the road.

Trying to find videos that show how we feel about what we're doing is very difficult. We found several great videos unfortunately MTV didn't have the rights to use the videos, so thanks to a cool thing called youtube we have the ability to show videos that weren't on the show. This video was our favorite, and we hoped it could have been our number one. It's by Between the Trees a great set of guys that are partnered with To Write Love On Her Arms. Hope you enjoy.

Ripple Effect

We are only 2 weeks into our mission. I think i can speak for the team when i say that we are feeling so many emotions all at once. One feeling in-particular is a little fear. We've never done this kind of thing before. The fear of failure runs in our minds all the time, also the fear of the unknown is very dense. There is just so much riding on this (no pun intended).

Then there is the feeling of humility. We are only a small drop in a big ocean. I was thinking about it today and what we are doing is just so much bigger then ourselves. We are this small drop of hope against thousands that commit suicide and battle with depression. When looked at, a small drop of water doesn't have a lot of power. It so small that when looked at compared to the rest of the bodies of water has little significance. But i was thinking about it today, and realized something profound.

Look at the small drop falling from the sky and if given the force to strike the lost sea it does something bigger. A drop of water is not part of the ocean, it something different, it is by itself. Something out of the box. It decides to do something different and rather then stay stagnant like the silent ocean it falls and challenges the norm. When its hits the sea it creates a ripple effect. Although small in size it challenges the flat by moving the rest of the waters. A small drop of water has a lot of power.

- Justin Brown

New Member!!!

I would like to introduce a new member to the Alive Campaign Biker Team! Her name is Alyson (we finally have a female touch in the group), a film major at Baylor University helping us with the Documentary and Biking. To talk about why she decided to join such a rag tag group of guys here's what she has to say:

I am so blessed and excited to be joining the Alive Campaign team!!! I have known this group of guys for years, and have been helping them on the side, up until now. I remember them telling me about the Alive Campaign last fall, when I responded with, "I'll go if you need me." 5 months later, they asked me to come along for one of the craziest, most amazing and meaningful adventures I've yet to experience... and I can't wait.

As I've expressed on the website, I'm the creative one... I play guitar, sing, and write songs. I'm also a film major, so I'll be helping with the documentary.

What's it like being the only girl on the trip??? It's cool! I'm normally the only girl in the group of people I hang out with, so it's no different than anything I'm used to.

I can't wait to bring a new dynamic to the group and help us in our journey to Alaska!!!