Last Sunday, 15 January, at 12:37 pm, I started at Cape Reinga, and I am almost here in Auckland. I will be taking a rest day, a zero day, in Auckland before taking off to Bluff.
The weather turned out crazy wild here in Auckland, including 100 kph gusts and heavy rain. Strong winds knocked down several trees and power lines. A 5 km ride took me nearly an hour, with crosswinds blowing me into the ditch. The going is getting tougher for sure, but Kindness and I made it safely before it got worse.
“Could you please wait for five minutes? I will be right back,” the young boy hollered and sprinted downhill.
Just ten minutes before, his grandpa had hollered from across the road, “That’s a big hill to climb on a loaded tandem bike, especially riding by yourself.”
It was a long, hard climb fighting strong headwinds. I crossed the road to say hello to the grandpa and his grandson, who were busy mowing. I introduced myself and explained about Freedom Seat and our effort to rescue women and children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Soon the boy sprinted back uphill, and huffing and puffing, he held out $5, saying that that’s all he had, and that it wasn’t much, but he wanted to contribute.
I was moved by this young child’s compassion.
“You may think it’s not much, Kevin, but it’s a lot.” Saying that, I fired up Google, typed “5 NZD in Nepali rupees” and showed him the result: 393.64 Nepali rupees.
His eyes widened in excitement and he asked me what it meant. I told him that at least eight children can eat a good lunch for that money in Nepal. Hearing that, he got even more excited and said he was going to tell his friends and teachers about trafficking, spread the word and collect more money to help the cause.
The humble gift from this boy, his heart to give and his kind words moved my heart. The greatest donation ever!
Phil, you are one awesome friend and brother. Thank you so much for your continued support, love and encouragement. So glad to see you in good health and happiness, and even happier that we got to ride Kindness together.