Guestbook Home

• On Jan 8, 2009 Ann Brenneman wrote:

God is Good!

• On Jan 9, 2009 Barry & Shari wrote:

Lars and Jon,

Thanks for keeping us informed. The photos are a nice touch, we feel like we are right there with you. We will continue to keep you in our prayers.

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Matthew 6:24-26

Blessings.

• On Jan 13, 2009 Galen Sauder wrote:

May you have calm winds and few cars. I am excited for your journey. There is so much to experience on this type of journey. The memories of my trip from the Florida keys to Lancaster have remained with my for the past 22 years!

• On Jan 24, 2009 Paul Hershberger wrote:

I read the great article in MWR and am checking out the route, but you are a little far south — we would always love to find a way to get guests from the ‘Burg here in Texas. Hope things have worked out with the pain. Keep me in mind if you have any huge trouble before you slip south of the border.

• On Jan 26, 2009 Hélène wrote:

To Lars and Jon
Thanks for posting nice pictures, I am interested to follow your journey, God bless you and protect you
Hélène from France

• On Jan 30, 2009 Pastor John and Jean Smilie wrote:

It was a blessing to meet you both tonight 1/30/09. We pray that you will have a safe and fulfilling journey to your destination. You both were a blessing to us and we hope that we were able to help both of you.
Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; and give you peace.”

In His Service,

John and Jean Smilie

• On Feb 1, 2009 Sheryl Shenk wrote:

I see you are in Mississippi and Louisiana this week. A group of us from Harrisonburg just were in Cameron, LA this past week with Mennonite Disaster Service to work on building three homes. I mentioned to the project directors, Carl and Laura Dube, that if you are coming through, you might look them up.
The area was hit again pretty hard this past year with Hurricane Ike. See website if interested– http://mds.mennonite.net/projects/cameron_la/

Our prayers are with you for a safe journey.
Thanks for keeping the blog.

Sheryl Shenk

• On Feb 3, 2009 Pastor Phillip baugh wrote:

I was so blessed to meet y’all today, you two were a breath of fresh air. I’m sorry I did not get to spend more time with y’all.
We will be praying for y’all and your pilgrimage.

If you get a chance to read these books let know what you think.
The Pilgrim’s Progress, Same kind of different as me.

God gave us Scripture when we came to this town.
Isaiah 58:10-12 (Amplified Bible)
10 And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.

11 And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.

12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Blessing..

• On Feb 5, 2009 Pastor Phillip Baugh wrote:

I hope y’all had a good trip yesterday and today also.
I could not find Jon on face book, ask him to invite me, please. God Bless

Psalm 33:4-5
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

• On Feb 8, 2009 Jan Showalter wrote:

Thanks, guys, for the great stories of God’s presence and care. I’ll keep in touch and keep praying for safety, joy and generous love from God’s people.

• On Feb 16, 2009 Kathleen from IL wrote:

To Lars and Jonathan~My prayers for you, as well as some of my favorite words of Bob Dylan:
May your hands always be busy,May your feet always be swift,May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift.May your heart always be joyful,May your song always be sung,May you stay forever young,Forever young, forever young,May you stay forever young.

• On Feb 18, 2009 Herb Myers wrote:

I am following you in my thoughts and prayers and anticipate each visit to your web site. Take care and enjoy!

• On Mar 14, 2009 Carmen wrote:

Hallo Lars and Jonathan!
I am a mennonite girl living in Paraguay. I am going to a teacherscollege and am 20 years old. My dad is American, thats how come I can speak englisch and have been also in the States for many times. I love riding my bike and would really like to accompany you for the last end of the road. I live in FIladelfia, Chaco, 470km before Asunción. I hope that the last end of the road you will be riding down the Transchaco, the only paved road going through Chaco, Paraguay. You also may gladly stay at our place for a couple of days and it would be for me a pleasure to make you known to the 3 mennonites colonies that live in the Chaco. I have riden already once these 470km, just that I started out from Asunción and went up to Filadelfia. Am anxious to hear an answer from you. All the best and much strength for continuing on!

• On Mar 17, 2009 Jeff Spicher wrote:

Jon and Lars,
It has been great to catch up with your trip. You are both an ispiration to me. I just have to smile and think about how much you will take away from this experience. It seems like you are meeting wonderful people along the way. Godspeed to you both.
Your uncle Jeff

• On Mar 20, 2009 SMH wrote:

Happy birthday, Jon! May this day bring encouragement, unexpected “pizzas-in-the-desert”, and continued assurance of God’s presence on pilgrimage with you. Blessings as you enter Guat and Central America!

Steve

• On Apr 7, 2009 Terry Williams wrote:

As an old timer who does not have the internet at home I though it funny that I was on the internet.
“That following morning we were treated to breakfast at IHOP where we met a friend of Vernon’s that worked for the state mapping all the dirt roads in Georgia by hand on linen sheets.”
But my son said what’s unusual.

Terry

• On Apr 12, 2009 Venus and Annie Kornelsen wrote:

We live in Heredia Costa Rica and would like to give you a bed for the night and a couple of worm meals. We could pick you up at the McDonald in Heredia. It’s not a whole lot out of your way. If you like it please write us or call us at 506-2268-3351. Venus.

• On Apr 26, 2009 Hans-J. Wienss wrote:

Hello to Lars and Jonathan en route Central America - hope you’re ok and fine, surrounded and guarded by God’s good and mighty servants, his an-gels. HE’s the good shepherd as David told us in
Psalm 23. - Together with a friend I was on three
longer bike tours in Europe. Biking is wonderful.
I live in the southwestern part of Germany. -
Well shot photos of roads, people and God’s land
around. - Bike on - Hans-Joachim Wienss, 62.

• On May 2, 2009 Donna Shank wrote:

I just caught up again with your postings……Some day you’ll look back and say….I can’t believe we actually did that trip!!!!! I was struck by your comments regarding thinking of our neighbors in a more international way. It’s so true……just making connections with people in personal ways causes the world to shrink. Our family recently spent 10 days in London and found a tiny cafe down the street from our hotel, where we went for breakfast. The owners were Turkish and as we showed up each day, they began to anticipate our arrival, asked if we wanted “the usual”, etc. We began to converse, sharing information, talking politics, comparing family information. We truly began to feel love for these folks, and shed tears on the last day of our stay. We took photos and they handed us a bag of the granola Rowland loved so much. When we think of London, we think of these “neighbors” that we came to love and who would welcome us with open arms if we returned.

• On May 7, 2009 Jan Showalter wrote:

Your May 1 Journals and photos as usual have been so inspirational! It is a special delight to share with you in this way, and now to assure you of many thoughts and prayers for JOY in your journey–along with safety, strength and all the other needs.

• On May 26, 2009 Yeranis, de Piura, Perú wrote:

Dios los bendiga. Ojalá hubiera encontrado su página antes, se hubieran quedado en la iglesia menonita de Miraflores, en Piura!!!
Sigan adelante, lleven el mensaje, no se rindan, que Dios está con ustedes.

• On Jun 1, 2009 Rob Nofziger wrote:

Nazca to Abancay,

“Water and sky almost touching, shades of blue, tackling [hills], scale, altitude, the sky looks different up here, 14,000′, feeling good, resting HR 60, fire on the Western ridge,”. Excellent photography and captions! You’re doing a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the emotion that is elicited by traveling through this ecosystem that God has created seemingly to delight the senses of man. It’s so sweet of you to share this with us. I understand that Lima has serious water issues, but don’t you find it remarkable to encounter settlements of people that date back to pre-columbian times that still exist with water provided them by systems engineered by pre-Columbian engineers? I marveled as I traveled through these ecosystems that man is able to amass knowledge and adapt to live and thrive even in these inhospitable environments. The seemingly arid, abandoned agricultural terraces on the approach to Cusco and the agricultural systems adapted to the differing elevations and rainfall, the timing of agricultural operations, and the freeze drying of agricultural products to preserve them caused me to experience wonder. And then the combination of locally grown ingredients and techniques utilized to prepare them that result in a delicious and nutritious crusine unique to the Andes makes this area special to experience. Your ability to ride this terrain and enjoy these experiences are an answer to prayers that I have been praying for you.
All the best as you continue towards Paraguay.
Rob

• On Jun 10, 2009 Mark Keller wrote:

Hi Guys,
So good to see that red line moving over the high peaks.

Mark

• On Jun 12, 2009 Jim and Carol Spicher wrote:

Congratulations on biking over 6,000 miles!! Do you have an estimate of how many more miles are beween you and the Mennonite World Conference site? we’re cheering you on, and continue to thank God and your hosts…we are so grateful for your safety, good health, and energy to carry on! Love Mom and Dad

• On Jun 20, 2009 Rob Nofziger wrote:

Dear Jon and Lars,

You continue to share beautiful photos with us. I especially enjoyed the photo of Mount Illimani as you approached La Paz. Were you guys wiped out tired when you passed through Copacabana? I thought we might get some commentary as you passed through that quaint locale! I’d sure like to know what you guy’s laboratory value for hemoglobin is since your jaunt through the high Andes. I bet that would be an impressive number! Did you find that you had acclimated sufficiently by the time that you finished this stretch that you didn’t feel short of breath when you climbed? Inquiring minds want to know.

Enjoy the increasing warmth, humidity and O2 as you leave the highland traveling towards Santa Cruz. You guys are going to feel like powerful super heroes when you hit the flats leaving Santa Cruz! I hope that you will be able to make contact with members of the Mennonite Church in Santa Cruz. Exciting things are happening there. Leonidas Saucedo is the dynamic pastor of the Principe de Paz congregation. The MCC office on Calle Ayacucho esquina Puerto Pacheco just off the 1st ring out from the center of the city on the east side next to the Cementerio General could help you make contact. Please give warm greetings from Roberto and Jenny Nofziger to any Mennonite contacts that you make!

Our prayers our that you continue to have great experiences as you draw closer to your destination. Thanks for sharing them with us!

Love,

Rob and Jenny Nofziger

*And congratulations for having surmounted the topographical obstacle of the cordillera Andes!
I’m waay impressed and in awe of your physical prowess.

• On Jun 22, 2009 Justin Steiner wrote:

Hey guys,

My sister lives in Santa Cruz. Her name is Juliane Kozel. She works at Stansberry Childrens home. You should tell Lynn to take you guys there, its pretty cool. Have a safe trip.

Justin Steiner

• On Jun 26, 2009 James wrote:

What a great thing to see the dots converge on Paraguay. I hope the rest in Santa Cruz, Bo, is good. And I hope you’ll meet people to ride into Ascuncion together with fanfare. Now that would be neat to see. Blessings and grace to you both.

• On Jul 6, 2009 James wrote:

Hey Carmen, it was great to hear and see that you linked up to ride with Lars & Jon. I say bravo.

• On Jul 17, 2009 Hélène (from France) wrote:

Congratulations, I wish you a wonderful time in Asuncion, your journey was incredible, Praise to God for keeping you well and safe all these months of travelling down to Paraguay, I assume that you will fly back to the US.

• On Jul 29, 2009 LB wrote:

It was awesome to follow your journey and see your amazing pictures and hear your stories.

• On Oct 19, 2009 keijo wrote:

Many different are our interest again today and my best interest will be the Lord and salvation to lost and healing to sick in Christ and miracle inGod and find in the bibel more hidden of treasures and favor of life in Jesus,thanks and do not forget ,that Jesus is coming wash you from sin,thanks and bless and pray,keijo sweden