The McCormacks - Our Home & Ministry On The Web

One Man’s Journey To GOD
My Life From June 1960 To December 1997

My name is Jack McCormack. I am 65 years old (at the time of this writing) and thanking GOD every day for HIS blessings. HE has given me new life three times with healing.

In 1960 I broke my back at work and the doctors performed surgery on me; fusion and laminectomy of 5 vertebras. After the surgery I was in a state of total pain. They gave me all kinds of drugs to stop the pain. Nothing worked. I cried out for relief. They could find no drug that would help. My girl friend asked if I wanted her sister and brother-in-law to come and pray for me. I had not been raised going to church so had very little faith that it would help but I was in such pain, I said bring them. They came that afternoon and explained that for GOD to help me I must believe in HIM. They talked for a while with me and I then asked GOD to help me, and as they prayed, the pain was removed from me, completely. I told them that the first Sunday I was out of the hospital I wanted to be baptized at their church. I had been told that I would be in the hospital for 4 to 6 months and would never be able to do the things I had done before breaking my back, and would need to wear a brace for the rest of my life. Well I was in the hospital for 3 weeks and the doctor could not believe how fast I got well. I told him that I needed to be baptized at church. He just shook his head and walked away. The first Sunday I was out of the hospital I went to their church and was put under the water and into GOD’s care. But like some other people I let the blessing slip away. The world just looked too good, and I let the things that people did take my miracle from me. But GOD was not done with me yet.

In 1995 I had throat cancer and had surgery in November to have a large tumor removed: then 26 radiation treatments; and was told I would need another surgery in 6 months to have my voice box removed as I still had 3 more tumors. I lost my voice and could only speak in a squeaky tone. I went home and started to pray and ask others to pray for me that I would not need to have this done to me. I went back to the doctor in April, 1996. I asked if he would use the camera again to check my throat. He said it was not necessary to check because he was sure I needed the surgery, but would check. They had to put me out to do the procedure. They told my wife that they would just go ahead with the removing of the voice box after checking the throat. The doctor told her it would be several hours before they would be done. After less than 1 hour he came out of the surgery and told my wife that I did not need to have the voice box removed, there was no sign of cancer in my throat. He had even asked several other doctors to look at the film and they also said no cancer. Praise GOD for miracle number 2.

HE had given me a new chance to do HIS work. But like most people, I still did not listen to HIS voice giving me directions on how to live my life. I did tell who ever would listen about my miracle, but still did not live the life that GOD wanted me to. The radiation had caused me to have damaged lungs and I developed breathing problems. Then they said I had asthma, then bronchial something-or-other. I never did figure out what that was. I then went back to the squeaky voice. GOD then said, boy I am going to get your attention!

I had a motorcycle wreck on February 16th. 1997. I was hit from behind by another motorcycle as I was making a left turn. I was in the air about 150 feet landing on my side, breaking 5 ribs and puncturing my left lung. The ambulance people did not think I would make it to the hospital, even after putting me in a helicopter for the trip. I was in intensive care for three weeks, always on oxygen as my lung would not respond to the treatments. Then the doctors and the insurance company said go home, staying on oxygen. Now I just can not explain how hard it is to be connected to an oxygen tank 24 hours a day. I could not even go to the bathroom without it, 12 liters of oxygen all the time. After two weeks I had a heart attack. The doctors said it was caused by the trauma to my chest in my accident. I was taken to Saint Agnes hospital in Fresno where I spent one week and then sent home with more medicines for two weeks. They then had me do a treadmill test and I collapsed after 1 minute. They took me to surgery and did an angioplasty (putting in the balloon and a stint). The doctors told my wife that I had 3 blocked arteries, one 100 percent, one 90 percent, and one 80 percent blocked. The doctors had put the stint in the 90 percent one but still thought I would need open heart bypass surgery to survive. They put me back in the hospital for three days and told me to wait for 6 months to pass so they could do the bypass. Now on top of alt this my sugar went crazy (I am also diabetic), could not breath, sugar tests of over 450 - 650, using over 400 units of insulin, 25 different pills every day prescribed by 7 different doctors, over 40 mg. of steroids and all of the doctors saying if I did not follow their instructions I would die!!! I became very, very depressed. What had I to live for? What kind of life could I have? I felt I had hit bottom and that was just where GOD wanted me to be.

I went to the Promise Keepers meeting in Fresno, CA. at the Fresno State football field on June 27th. and 28th. 1997. I was in a wheelchair dragging my oxygen tank, as I did not have enough strength to walk across a room. At the meeting we were all challenged to meditate on II Chronicles 7:14, ("If MY people, who are called by MY NAME, will humble themselves and pray and seek MY face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.") and to pray for GOD's will concerning an upcoming major event in Washington, D.C. on October 4th., 1997 called "Stand In The Gap". Everyone there who, by faith, felt led of GOD to go to this event and pray for our country was asked to stand. I found myself standing, crying and believing that GOD wanted me to do this. As sick as I was, I promised GOD that if HE made a way; I would go, riding on my motorcycle (which at the time was still wrecked). Everyone said that I would not be able to make the trip (over 6,000 miles) in the condition I was in. I said that GOD would make a way. I believed in HIS word; that if you ask you will receive, and I wanted to do it to spread the word of HIS glory. In July, 1997 I still was in bad condition, still on oxygen, still on 25 different medicines, still not seeing a way that I could go, no money, no motorcycle, but I was trusting GOD's word and I was asking for help from friends, the newspapers, my church, other churches, and any one who would help with the money I needed for the trip, and GOD's help with healing.

On July 1st. my wife said she wanted to go to Southern California to a birthday party being held for one of her family members. I told her that I just did not think I could go as bad as I was, but she should go. She said if I would not go neither would she, and I wanted her to go as she had been tied down for so long with caring for me (GOD had blessed me with a good woman) so we made plans to go. Now this is not as easy as some would think. I had to be sure I had enough medicine, at least 10 full tanks of oxygen, a ground floor room to stay in, etc. We left on the morning of the 3rd. of July. She drove to the Los Angeles side of the grapevine and then I drove the freeways as she did not like to drive them. We had to stop on the trip to change oxygen tanks so I could keep my breath. The traffic was normal, a mess, but I made it by praying a lot.

When we got to San Clemente , where the party was to be held, we could not find a parking space near the house. I let my wife out at the front door (she has bad knees) and I went looking for a place to park. I finally found one about 1/2 mile away. Now I was faced with how I would make it back to the house! I took a deep breath, said a big prayer, and started to walk, dragging my oxygen tank along. I would walk a short distance then stop and sit for a while. Several people asked if I was o.k. Being a normal stubborn man I said I was fine. When I finally got the house some of the people were standing out side looking for me as I had been gone so long. They helped me into the house and there before me was ” Mount Everest” (one flight of stairs). With their help I made it up the mountain of steps, sat down on a couch, and proceeded to gasp for air. I used several of the puffers I had to carry and took some of the pills to help me breath, along with the oxygen.

I found out later that someone had spoke to a man there named Dr. Ritter and said that they thought a man (me) was going to die. Dr. Ritter came to check me out. He asked my wife what was wrong with me and she proceeded to tell him the details. He told me later that my facial color was gray like clay. He asked me if I had ever heard of Aloe Vera. I said no. He asked if I would try some. I replied I would try anything at that point. He gave me 12 Aloe Vera pills and told me he would give me more later that evening, and he did, after dinner, another 12 pills. The 12 pills are equal to 4 oz of the liquid aloe. I really did not think they would help, but something said trust in him for maybe I had been brought there to get help.

By the next morning I was feeling much better than I had been. Dr. Ritter gave me 12 more of the Aloe Vera pills and said to take 12 pills at lunch and another 12 pills at night. By noon I was feeling so good I did not use all of the puffers I normally would have, and by that night I was not using as much oxygen, and even then not all the time. My wife was concerned as the doctors had told her I would die if I did not take the medicines they had prescribed for me. By the next day I felt so much better I did not take some of the medicines that I had been taking. I could breathe without help for the first time in several months. My sugar tests showed that I would need much less insulin to control my sugar. I used very little oxygen that day, no puffers, stopped the steroid pills and just felt great.

I did not use any oxygen driving home. My outlook on life was changed completely. After I was home I visited my doctors as my appointments came up and they could not believe the change in me. They wanted to know what I had changed. I told them the only thing I had changed was using Aloe Vera. They said it could not help me. One said it was a scam. One said it was spontaneous remission. The lung doctor said I still needed the steroids, but my breathing capacity was normal. I asked why then continue using the steroids? He just said that I needed them. I had gained 35 lbs. with them and would bloat badly but he still wanted me on them. I said that I was in control of my health care now and would use what my body told me it needed.

On August 25th. I went to the heart doctor, the one who said I would need a triple bypass. He had the surgery room booked, and put me on the treadmill again. After 8 minutes they raised it to 12 degrees and I walked for 4 more minutes talking to the doctor all the time. He said he just could not believe that I could do it. They then put some die in my blood and took a cat scan of my heart. The doctor told my wife that I did not need the surgery now. She asked what about the nitro patches I had been wearing, not needed he said. She asked about the blood pressure pills, not needed he said. He never did tell us if the arteries were open or not. I just find it hard to believe that the doctors will not tell us, the patients, about natural medicines. I know that they make money from the drugs they prescribe but they also have taken an oath to help people have they not?

On September 10th. Dr Ritter called me to ask if I would make an audio tape of my healing. I said my voice was not very good for that kind of thing. He said that it would be fine. I drove down to L.A. to make the tape at his home. He had a man named Dr Gorris there to talk to me about my health problems. I had never had the opportunity to do anything like this and it seemed strange. It took several hours to complete the tape. I hope that my voice sounds better to others, as it sounds weird to me. It took over 5 hours to do the tape. Drs. Ritter and Gorris said they would check the tape out and get back to me after I returned from Washington, if I made the trip. So I went home. I am now off all of the drugs except insulin for my sugar control. I feel so much better physically and emotionally that I can not explain it to others. But I do give credit to Almighty GOD for making the Aloe Vera plant and leading me to someone who would tell me to try it.

On September 20th. I got my motorcycle back from the place that had converted it into a three wheeler.

On the 23rd. I left for Washington D.C. to honor the pledge to GOD, that if HE would make a way, I would go. HE did, so I am on my way.

Day 1: September 23rd. 1997 – Coalinga, CA. to Barstow, CA.

This part of the journey started at Coalinga CA. I wanted to start in the morning but as with most plans, it didn’t happen. I finally got started at 5 p.m., very excited and looking forward to the trip, wondering what would I experience.

I had originally planned on riding to Needles, CA. the first day, but the late start changed that. So I stopped at Barstow, CA. after 221 miles, staying at a Motel 6, and missing my wife already.

Day 2: September 24th. – Barstow, CA. to Needles, CA.

I left a wake up call for 7 a.m., but was awake before that, excited I guess. I had a breakfast at the modern mans' restaurant (Denny’s). I met two other riders there. We had a short prayer before we started, so we rode together to Needles. Barstow to Needles is 162 miles. I had to stop to put gas in the bike. Due to the trailer I was pulling I was only getting 20 miles per gallon. This is not good gas mileage at all. I had only picked up my bike on Monday after having it made into a three wheeler ( trike ), and had not been able to check things out. Not too smart to leave on a journey like this without better planning, and my trailer was stuffed with things. But I had promised GOD at The Promise Keepers convention held at Bulldog stadium in Fresno that if HE would make a way for me to go to “Stand In The Gap” I would go, and a promises to GOD really should be honored.

We got to Needles, CA. about 12:30 p.m., found the camp ground (okay), made camp and talked to some people from Switzerland ! They came over to see the bikes. They could not believe we were going to ride across the country. They said that a ride across their whole country was less than 500 miles. They also thought it was great that we were going to pray for our country. I gave them a "Real Freedom" tract. They said they belong to a Calvinist church. I had never heard of that one, but I shared what God had done in my life. That afternoon more bikes came in till we had about 60 camped there.

At 5 p.m. we rode over to the First Southern Baptist church for our nightly service. We found 18 more bikes there, socializing with the regular church members. We had a good service. There were 88 of us and about 100 of their members. They all were excited about our trip and wished they could go. We told them that we would pray for them.

Back to camp after eating some goodies they had fixed, some of us sat by a camp fire for about 1 hour comparing what GOD had done to bring us there. There were 3 young men who had ridden from Pennsylvania so they could ride the whole trip. the father of one of them had bought their bikes so his son would not need to ride alone, of course I told them it was great that they came across the country to start with us, but at the end they would be home and we would need to ride all the way back home. We also had one youngster of 80 who had ridden from Seattle, WA., and another who was 80 that had come from Yuma, AZ. The one from Washington had only been riding for 3 years. His family had tried to put him in a rest home so he changed his bank accounts, bought a Honda Gold Wing, took a class on how to ride and left, without telling them where he was going. My kind of a guy! He said that he was going to complete the ride then go on to Florida to see if he could find a young women (60) that would like to ride with him around the country. I thought that was super. We all went to bed when a light rain started, but it did not last long.

Day 3: September 25th. – Needles, CA. to Flagstaff, AZ.

We all broke camp about 6:30 a.m. so we could be at the church at 7:30 a.m. for the good morning service. Even some of the regular members were there to help us get a good prayer start on our journey. We had 204 miles to go. We left in small groups of 6 to 10 bikes. That was the way they wanted us to travel so we could cover more stations, restaurants, etc. in order to spread the Word of GOD. The group I left with rode for about 1 hour before stopping for food, and I needed to get gas. That was my range, between 80 and 100 miles per tank full. Most of the bikes could go 125 to 150 miles before fill up. We ate at, where else, Denny’s, and had several people ask if we were going to Washington. So we had the opportunity to witness. It sure seemed different for people to come up to us with positive comments. Every time I paid for something I would have the money in a tract. No one got mad, but I am sure that some did not read them. But GOD said plant the seed, and HE would make it grow. I find that it is getting easier to talk to people. I never thought I could do it, but GOD gives me the words to say.

We rode through some beautiful country today and were able to stay in prayer most of the time. It rained for about 1 hour starting at 3 p.m. then it stopped. We got to Flagstaff AZ. about 5 p.m. And finally found the campground after only 40 miles of going around the town lost. Even stopping to ask did not help much. Most of the Fastrip mini marts, etc. seem to be run by people from other countries. Makes you wonder! But I still invited them to come to our evening service.

As I made camp at a K.O.A. I was told that it was going to rain heavy...a big storm 200 miles away. But as I was on a tight budget, I stayed anyway...big mistake! I paid $27.00 for a camping place, and they were right. It started raining about 6 p.m. I could have gotten a motel room for 28.00 but you know us smart bikers. We rode in the rain to the church (First Assembly Of GOD), and found about 150 bikes there. Some of the group camped there in their parking lot under trees. There were about 200 dripping people, in all kinds of clothing, from leathers to garbage bags, making puddles everywhere.

The church decided to have the service in their recreation room. The speaker was good and the group responded well to what he had to say. About 25 people from the town came to the service and I was glad to see one of the folks I had invited showed up. He had never been around that many bikers, and you could tell he was concerned. So l went over and stood with him. I think it made him feel better. After the service he asked lots of questions about what we were doing and why. I answered the ones I could and other bikers helped to explain the purpose of the trip. Again I gave him another tract to read. He was from India and had not heard much about the Christian religion. We all then went back to the wet camp to sleep...sure we did. It started to rain (pour) about 9 p.m. and continued all night long.

Day 4: September 26th. – Flagstaff, AZ. to Albuquerque, NM.

Breaking camp with water running down your back is not one of the fun things in life, honest. And a wet tent just seems not willing to fold the right way, and wet sleeping bags have a funny smell. But the ones who had stayed in motels seemed just as wet when we got to the morning service, again in the recreation room of the church we were at the night before. But it was a very good service.

There was a man from the New York Times newspaper talking to people and taking pictures. He said he was going to travel with us the rest of the way, so do not worry if he came along side us to get a picture. Well we left in the down pour and rode in it for about 1 1/2 hours, never did see him. He must have been smarter than us.

After the rain stopped it was nice to take off the rain gear and enjoy the scenery. The miles just rolled along. As usual, I got lost and ended up going about 27 miles more than the rest. When I found the church I wondered what was going on. With about 15 cops watching from the corner, and lots of people standing around singing and praising GOD, along with about 150 or more bikes there, I knew this must be the place. I found out that this church was called “Philadelphia Ministries” and it was in the worst part of town. There was a group home for recovering drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. I parked and soon was talking to people about my motorcycles' Christian murals. They then asked if they could pray for my safe trip. It sure made me feel like I had not prepared my self to be worthy for this great journey.

By 7 p.m. the church was packed. They put speakers out side so the ones who could not get in could hear the currently speaking. There was an invitation given and 7 people came forward, then the speaker asked all of us to kneel down to pray. There was a girl who had rheumatoid arthritis of the knees , Her friends told her not to get down as she would have problems getting up, she knelt any way. When she was done praying, she jumped up and was dancing around and even jumped up on the chair. She was crying and praising GOD and soon most of us were crying also. I had never seen anything like this before. Then someone spoke in tongues and it was interpreted as blessings for our trip, and that we were doing GOD work. If you have never been exposed to this, you will never know the feelings we all had. After the service, I talked to a man who was of the Baptist faith and he said it was awesome but he still did not understand it, but he could not say it did not happen as he had seen it and talked with the healed girl and her friends. So he had to believe.

I had a biker ask if we wanted to camp at his house in the yard. He said several others were going to. Of course I said yes, as this saved me money, but it still was no fun putting up a wet, wet, tent, and then sleeping in it.

Day 5: September 27th. – Albuquerque, NM. to Amarillo, TX.

When we went to have the morning service, every one was still on a great big high from the prior evening service. The girl who had been healed was there and still bubbling over, also her friends just found it hard to believe what had happened. The speaker tried several times to settle every one down, but was unable to do so. Finally he just said get out of here and go do GODS work. We all knelt down to pray, including some of the people from the church. We then all left, filled with the Spirit of GOD.

I saw several of the riders passing out tracts to people in cars at stop lights and I started to do it also. I got lots of surprised looks from the people. The miles just seemed to fly by. I stopped for gas, passed out tracts, stopped to eat, and passed out tracts. I do not know if any one kept or would read them, but GOD said to do it and he would take care of it.

We had 288 miles to go this day and they went by quickly. After about 150 miles I saw a road kill by the side of the road. I had never seen some thing look like that so I stopped to look at it. It was an armadillo. I had newer seen one before, it was weird. When I had gone about 10 miles more I saw several bikes by the side of the road so I stopped, thinking that they had problems. I then saw that the riders were chasing something around the ditch at the side of the road. I asked one what were they doing. He said that they had seen an armadillo cross the road and one of the riders wanted to catch it. I asked why? He said he was going to kill it and clean it out, then put it on his helmet, but they could not catch it. I told him that there was one back down the road about 10 miles that was all ready dead. He called to the one who wanted it and said there is one back down the road that you can catch! He asked, why? The rider said it’s already dead. They got on their bikes and went back to get it. You sure can not understand some people can you?

The church for this days' ending was the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Amarillo, TX. The people of several churches in that town had come together to make a meal for us, great Texas chili...3 types...all hot, cakes, cookies, and salads, so of course we tried to eat it all. And I must say we did a good job of it. Several of us asked if we could camp on there parking lot. They said they had not been asked and the board would need to say OK. As we were talking, a local man came over and said we could camp at his church about 1/2 mile away. He was the pastor of the Church of Christ . We all said thank you and went to set up camp before the evening service. The service was good but not as good as the night before. It was hard not to compare them but several of the bikers recommitted themselves to GOD and 6 locals gave there lives to GOD. Not bad I would say. We talked for about an hour back at camp about what had been happening to us.

Day 6: September 28th. – Amarillo, TX. to Oklahoma City, OK.

Our morning service was good. Again, a large group of locals came to pray with us and wish us good luck. 259 miles today. Ride, get gas, pass out tracts, eat, pass put tracts, ride some more, give the truckers the one finger signal (not the bad one!).

Today on the c.b . a trucker started to use realty bad language and then some one got on his case telling him to cut it out and that the bikers were going to Washington to pray for him also. It got real quiet, then he said he was sorry. Later a biker said he had stopped to help a woman with car problems A truck also stopped. Together they got her running. As the biker started to leave he gave the trucker a tract. The trucker said that he was the one who had been talking bad and he was sorry and would the biker pray for him. What a shock.

Between Amarillo and Oklahoma there is a town named Groom, and they have something every one should see, it is a very large cross, I mean large. You can start to see it from 10 miles away and it just gets larger and larger. Every one was just in awe looking at it. You feel so small. We were told it is the largest cross in the United States, and I sure do believe it. They have the stations of Jesus around it in brass. There sure were lots of prayers said there but we could not stay there as long as most would have liked.

I want to tell you that the roads in Oklahoma are the worst we have traveled on. l guess its from the freeze grooves they put in them. My left rear tire started to rub the fender. I could not see that there was anything I could do so I started to ask GOD to not let this keep me from continuing the trip. As I was stopped for the second time, several bikers stopped and ask if they could help. We put more air in the shocks and that helped.

The church for today was the Nicoma Park Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. What a huge place. It looked like a large college. They had an area set aside for us to camp in for $5.00 each. By now we had about 450-500 bikes. They had a combined service with us. The president of our association was the speaker. We out numbered the locals about 2 to 1. They had never seen so many bikers. Their preacher spoke first then our evangelist. He told them that we were doing the trip for all people and that they should meet us one to one. He had us stand hand in hand around the inside of the church then he asked the people to get face to face with us and tell us there names and ask ours. It was suggested that on the 4th we all should pray for our new friends. It started slow but the people did as he had asked. I am sure that some of them had never stood so close to a biker before or understood that we are just people like them. We ended up hugging and talking.

That night we again sat and talked of our days' events and I am sure many of the people were like me, and had never been so open with their witnessing for GOD. It sure opens your eyes and hearts. I met and camped with a couple from Texas. He helped me with the bike problem that I was having and then they just sort of adopted me. Guess I just looked like I needed some one to look after me. His name was Larry and hers was Virginia. He has a camper trailer like mine but set up much better. He asked if I would eat with them and I said of course. He cooks real good, HOT but good.

Day 7: September 29th. - Oklahoma City, OK. to Little Rock, AR.

After a morning service that was very uplifting, we parted, saying we would camp together that night. Larry goes much faster than I do, so who ever got to the camp ground first would save a place for the other. Remember the turtle and the hare story?

We were told that a church in Russellville, AR. would love to have us stop and eat with them. Now how can any warm blooded biker pass up a chance to eat, and for free! When I pulled in to Russellville they had signs saying "Welcome to the Promise Keepers going to the Stand In The Gap", and they had a feed that would have fed 5 times as many people. What a blessing they gave us all; singing, music, good company and mostly prayers for our journey. GOD sure has blessed this trip. Some of us just kind of hung around for about 1 hour, watching the others' faces as they came in, then I left for Little Rock, AR., our next stop, where I passed out more tracts on the way. When I arrived, I found that Larry and his wife had not gotten there yet. Remember the turtle.

The camp ground was great. It had lots of trees, bathrooms like home, level ground, and only cost 2.00. The couple that watched over it normally closed the gates at 8 p.m. but our leaders said that we would not be done with church by then, so they said ok, and they would stay open till 10 p.m. They then asked if they could they come to our service? We said, you bet, and several of the bikers offered the couple rides on there bikes to the church. Much to our amazement they said they would like that, but had never ridden before. No problem, the bikers said. The man was 69 the wife was 67. They just loved the short ride to the church. Maybe we created new bikers.

I sat with some members of our evangelists' family who lived there, and one of them had brought a young black man who was deaf. I can just about talk with my fingers (slowly) so I helped explain what we were doing there. He keep laughing at the mistakes I made, but when it was all over he took my hand and thanked me for helping him and said that even if he could not hear he could feel the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT there and in the bikers. He then asked GOD to bless me. I just cried and hugged him, then several others gathered around and we all prayed for him. He then prayed for us and for GOD's protection on our trip.

Throughout the whole trip, not only I, but others said things like that happened to them every day. GOD was with us and in us. At camp that night no one went to sleep till about midnight. By the way, the owners who had asked the bikers to take them to church wanted to go for a ride after church and wanted to keep going, and they did. I do not think they ever closed the gates.

Day 8: September 30th. - Little Rock, AR. to Nashville, TN.

We had our normal morning service, just filled with praying, singing and worship, the "new bikers" (the owners of the camp ground) got up and came to it also. They said that anytime any of us came that way to please stop in and stay at no cost! Can you figure that?

We had 347 miles for that day with lots of chances to pass out tracts and speak to people about JESUS. Every one has gotten bolder as each days go by.

We stayed at the Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville , TN. Larry and his wife arrived as I was signing up for camping, remember the turtle? Our guest speaker this night was Ricky Skaggs, the country singer. He spoke about his son who has a drug problem. It was very touching to hear. Many of the bikers went to him after it was over and encouraged him not to give up, as they had been there and done that, and GOD delivered them, and HE was still on the job. It seemed to make Ricky feel better. Some of the local bikers told him they would be glad to come over and speak to his son any time if it would help. He just broke down and cried.

Larry cooked a meal that night called Chicken a Ia Texas, hot and lots. I could get use to this if I did not miss my wife so much. I wish she could have been here with me.

Day 9: October 1st. – Nashville, TN. to Johnson City, TN.

Normal morning service, just great. How can someone stay so high doing what you love and serve GOD at the same time?

We had 290 miles today to pass out tracts, talk to people, pass out tracts. We had a stop at Knoxville , TN. The local C.M.A.ers (Christian Motorcyclists Association) and the Inspiration Riders had refreshments, etc. fixed for us.

On this day, one of the bikers was talking to a trucker who asked about what we were doing, and he told the trucker about us going to Washington to pray for the country. The trucker then told the biker that he had a 21 year old son named Ron, who was in the hospital in Bristol, TN. He said that his son had cancer and the doctors had said he had no chance to get better, but would the bikers pray for him? Of course, the biker said, we sure will! They started to pray as they rode along, then they stopped at a station to ask where Bristol, TN. was. They found out it was 25 miles from where we would spend the night. They called and found that the town of Bristol had a local chapter of the C.M.A. The bikers called them and asked if they would go to the hospital and pray for the trucker's son, and were told no problem. Then the bikers got on their “ c.b.’s ” and asked all of the other bikers they could reach to go also. They then headed for Bristol themselves. When they got there they found the local chapter was there with about 50 bikes. The hospital would not let them all go in so they had moved the son to a window so he could see the bikes. He just could not believe they had came to pray for him. The Washington group had another 70 bikes with them. A spokesperson was sent to talk to the son and tell him that his dad had requested them to pray for him. He cried, and then they told him they were going to ask for prayer from him and the whole group in when they got to Johnson City that night. They stood around praying for over one hour with the local chapter, then left to go to the stopping place for the night. That night a whole lot of prayers went up for him and his family.

By now it was getting harder not to be in a large group. We had over 1200 bikes at this days' finish. At the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Johnson City, TN., as you would try to pass out tracts, people would say, thank you but I have already been given several. But we still found some who had not heard about the "Stand In The Gap“, so we could witness to them about GOD and what the Promise Keepers were trying to do. How could people not have heard yet?

Day 10: October 2nd. - Johnson City, TN. to Roanoke, WV.

It's getting harder to keep the morning service short. It seems every one wants to tell about the blessing they got yesterday. Some have funny stories, others, heart twisting.

GOD has used us in many strange ways to spread the word. Little things like Larry talking to an older lady and she asking him to go home with her to talk to her son about GOD. He did and lead the son to the LORD. He just was in the right place at the right time and did what GOD asked. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all did this?

256 miles for today. They just seem to go by so fast. We are getting near the end of this journey, and I for one really hate to see it end, but I passed out over 50 tracts today, I pray they help someone.

Larry beat me to this days' campground. I guess the hare needs to win some times ha ha ha . It's a big, nice campground, and Larry had dinner waiting for me. He called it Rio Bravo Chicken. You had to be very brave to use his hot sauce, but I ate it and “wow”. His wife tried to tell me how hot it was, but you know how bikers are! He is not Spanish but his tastes sure are.

Very good service and lots of local people came out to see the bikes, and several found the LORD this night. I guess that is what we wanted, is it not?

Day 11: October 3rd. – Roanoke, WV. to Manassas, VA

This morning again we had local people out for our service. The preacher said we should stay around, as we draw people to the church. Several accepted the LORD. Why do they need to have something to bring them in?

Only 170 miles today, so some of us found some interesting back roads the locals told us about. Met more people who had not heard about “The Gap”. Some could not understand us riding so far for it, but I do not know of anyone who felt it was a waste.

I had my bikes' oil changed at a Honda shop. I ride a Kawasaki, so I took some ribbing but that is OK. I invited the workers to our service and passed out more tracts. They had me leave some on the counter also. I thought that was great.

The Prince Williams County Fairgrounds is awesome, and we have about 2,000 bikes here , that is also awesome. It's in Manassas , VA. We are 40 miles from our nations' capital and every one is talking about tomorrow and the Stand In The Gap. May GOD use all of the people who have come to this place to pray to HIM. I do believe that the country can be changed by this event. While waiting for the evening service we are all sitting around in groups of 20 to 40 people talking and praying. As it comes closer to the time for the service, excitement grows till it just fills the air. You can feel that something is going to happen! Every one starts to drift to the stands to get good seats. Can you imagine over 2500 people filling a fairground stand for a church service? We had several speakers. Then a group of outlaw bikers came to the end of the stands and made there presents known with loud talk, heckling, etc. Our evangelist gave the invitation for any one who wanted to know the LORD to come forward. Some came from the stands, and then two from the outlaw group started forward. Their friends tried to stop them. The evangelist told them to leave them alone as they were GODs ' now. The "outlaws" said that they would get them later as they knew where they lived. One of the outlaws said he was going to cut the patch off of the vest that one was wearing with him in it. The evangelist told the convert to give them the vest, as he belonged to JESUS now. He tossed it to them. More threats, and it was said mockingly, are you Christians going to fight us? The evangelist said, no we will pray for you and the wrath of GOD will take care of it. They left then making loud talk, but they left. The whole group of us just broke into prayer. You can not know the feeling that was in the air. I talked to the ex-patch holder later and he said that the sight of so many bikers, praying and praising the LORD got to him as he could see that some of us had been 1%'ers. And if GOD could forgive us our past, then he could be forgiven also. He said that he knew that his mother had been praying for him for a long time and that she would be so glad he had accepted the LORD. He left to go and call her and give her the good news. Our group sat and talked about how we had "been there and done that", and how GOD was waiting for us all the time with open arms.

Most of us tried to get to sleep early, as we had to be at the starting place at 4.30 in the morning, but it was hard to do. My mind was just full of what GOD had shown me the last 10 days. On to the mall tomorrow morning. It will be a short ride, only 40 miles.

Day 12: October 4th. – Manassas, VA. to Washington D.C.

Hello world! Its 3:30 a.m. and I am awake, I think. Some of the bikers have been warming up their bikes for about 30 minutes. Now I want you to know, I love the sound of a Harley, but not when I am trying to sleep. By the time I got dressed they were pulling out to go to the Wal -mart store where we would meet to ride to the Washington Mall for the Promise Keepers event. It seems like we would never get here and now all of our efforts will come true. We would hold our morning service at the Wal-Mart parking lot. I guess GOD can bless us there as well as in church.

I joined the long string of bikes heading for the beginning of the great day, all kinds of bikes, all kinds of people, one purpose, praising GOD and praying that he would heal our countries' problems. As I ride in this growing pack of bikes I thought back on the last 11 days and how GOD had made a way for me to be here. What an awesome GOD HE is. If we would just listen and do as HE says our lives could be so much better.

As I got closer to Wal -mart all I could see were bikes everywhere. The police were trying to keep traffic flowing but people in cars were slowing down to look at all the bikes. l wondered what they thought if they had not read the papers about the "Stand In The Gap". As l was directed into the parking lot they had me go to a special spot as I was one of the riders who had ridden the whole way from CA. When I parked it was like a family reunion. We had ridden, prayed, camped, and cried together for 11 days. It was sad to think it was over, but I had made some friends that I would never forget.

the Wal -mart store had opened early for us and they sold all of their snacks, etc. They then called for more from their suppliers. A Mini Mart across the street sold all of their snacks and sodas in 30 minutes. And a Denny’s one block away had a line over a block long, and they were going crazy trying to serve the crowd of people.

We had our morning service about 6.30 a.m. with a guy trying to take pictures from a crane truck. He had a panoramic camera on a dolly. Our evangelist climbed the crane truck to lead us in prayer.

It was total confusion every where. The sound of all of those bikes starting, when we were to leave, shook the ground. The Virginia state troopers, who were to lead us, started down the street with the bikes following two abreast. They had people trying to count the bikes as they left the parking lot, but bikes were joining in all along the short trip to the freeway. The best count was taken as we entered the freeway, 8,303 bikes. Some with two people on them, as far as you could see, bikes. I know that the people trying to get to work that day had some weird thoughts about what was happening! One of the state troopers rode up to our evangelist who was leading and told him that we had gone 8 miles and they were still leaving the parking lot, wow!

When we crossed into Maryland the Virginia troopers stopped and waved us on. We were to have Maryland troopers lead us to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Stadium where we were to park the bikes. I was about 50 bikes back from the front. After several miles I saw a Maryland trooper pull up next to our evangelist and put on his lights. We were in the second lane so Herbie moved over to the first lane and we all followed like a snake. Then the trooper told our evangelist to stop. Now picture this - a line of motorcycles as far as you could see pulling over to the side of a freeway and stopping. The ones who had c.b.’s were talking to the back ones telling them what was going on. We got the word that we had missed our turn off and this trooper was going to give ALL of us a ticket for riding in an illegal parade. Can you believe that? One cop was going to write 8,303 tickets? The evangelist suggested he call his office and find out what to do. He finally did and they sent out 4 cars and 5 motorcycle officers, not to write tickets but to get us where we were to go. They had us go under the freeway and start back the way we had come. I looked at my odometer as I got on the freeway and, picture this, a solid line of motorcycles going both ways on a freeway. By the time I saw the end of the other side I had gone 7 1/2 miles. That meant we had a line of bikes 15 miles long!!! Awesome to say the least.

When we reached the stadium the confusion was complete. They had buses coming in on one street crossing where they wanted to have us go, bikes as far as you could see, some getting hot from the slow movement of the traffic, buses as far as you could see, frustrated drivers trying to get there passengers where they needed to be, and of course some cars who just wanted to get out of there. I bet the locals remember this day for a long time. After getting parked we learned that we had to walk about 3 1/2 miles to the National Mall. Some of the smart ones had bought bus tickets for the city line (no cash accepted). They thought they were smart anyway, however, they found that the crowd was making the buses run about I hour late, ha, ha. They then started to walk with us. Because of my physical condition, I had a cane that has a seat on it, so I would walk about 1/2 a block and sit for a while. Lots of people asked if I needed help as they went by, but what could they do? I am too big to carry, but I thought it was nice to ask. One of the bikers I had camped with, Larry, stopped and stayed with me even though I told him to go on. With GODS help I finally made it.

Unless you were there you can not imagine the scene, looking out from the capitol building at mass of people as far as you could see, packed into and around the mall. As we were going down the steps and crossing the street to the mall, we were surrounded by people, of all kinds, different clothing, languages, colors etc. As we reached the mall they were giving out bibles (they gave over I million away, seven semi trucks full). One of the security people noticed that I was having a hard time and led us to a spot just to the left of the stage where the speakers were. I do not know if I could have forced my way into the mall as crowded as it was.

There were several speakers there, and they were talking about reconciliation of families, racial reconciliation, the place in the family for men of GOD, etc. Then one had us take out pictures of our families, children, girl friends, mothers, etc. and bow down as they did in the bible and put our faces in our hands on the ground and pray that GOD and they would forgive us for the heartache we had caused them in the past, and that we would all be better men from now on. I do not know how to explain the fact that big strong men all around me were crying, sobbing openly, myself included. GOD used this to humble us all and show how weak we all were and how our sins would cause hurt to the ones we loved the most, and how our lack of understanding of our roles in the family caused pain to others. That speaker hit most of us very hard, as we were guilty of this.

They had food boxes they were selling but most had brought lunches so they started to give them away. As we were leaving, many of the men took several of the boxes and gave them to the street people that were on the edge of the crowds. Many said GOD bless you, to us, for the food, and most of us said HE has.

The walk back seemed very long. Larry had gone to see the Veteran’s Wall. I did not want to add three miles to my walk so I told him to go on. I would walk about 1/2 block then sit on my cane chair, then do it again. I tried to flag down some cabs but they wanted to pick up groups of men, not just one old man. I had gone about 2 miles when a car stopped and the older lady in it said “honey, you look plumb tuckered out, could you use a ride?” I almost cried, I said I sure could. After I got in the car, we talked some and she said that it was a good thing that we were doing, and what a blessing it was. I told her that she was a blessing to me as I was very tired. She had said that she was going about 1 mile from where I had gotten in the car. We went past where she had said she was going, and I said she could let me off anywhere. She said, " no I will take you to the stadium where you are parked." I did cry then. You can not imagine the traffic we were in, and now she would need to go several miles out of her way to get back to where she wanted to go. I offered her some money, and she said that I should keep it as I had given her a blessing by riding with her. GOD sure does do things in a strange way.

After I got to my motorcycle, a group of us stood there talking about what we had felt on the mall and how it seemed to change the way we felt about life and our families. I know that my life has been changed by this trip, I only pray that GOD will lead me the way he wants me to go and that I will have the strength to do as he says.

The ride back to the campground was sad and glad both, as we knew that we would go our separate ways, but we had shared something very wonderful. When I got to the campground, Larry had fixed a meal for our group. It was some kind of Texas stew. Now when you say hot, you just do not know ”HOT“ till you have eaten some of Larry’s food, but it sure was good.

We sat around and talked for about 2 hours. An evangelist came over and told us that he had gotten a message that the truckers' son, Ron, was better and the doctors had let him go home. They did not know what had happened. They called it spontaneous remission, but we knew that GOD had answered our prayers. We exchanged addresses, then went to bed. Feeling very glad for the son and his family, everyone slept in till 6:30 a.m. and the Harleys started to warm up there bikes.

Day 13: October 5th. - Washington D.C. to Knoxville, TN.

We all took our time breaking camp, just did not want to say goodbye. But finally Larry and Virginia had to go as they were going to go home by the way of Ohio to see his family. He had not been home for several years and GOD told him yesterday to go and mend his ties with his family. I sure was sorry to see him pull out but I know that I will see them again, if not here then in Heaven. Then it was my turn to start out for home. After hugging and praying with others who had shared the trip from California, I started out from the campground. I got stopped several times by other riders wishing me a safe trip and GODS blessings. It was hard to concentrate on riding as I was so full of blessings. I just kept praying that this feeling would last. I was wishing that my wife was there sharing this wonderful experience, but I was on my way home now and of course I had called her every night trying to explain what was happening to us.

Well here I am starting home but really sorry that it is over. If my wife had been with me it would have been so much nicer, but I am on my way home to her now. I wonder if she will see the change in the way I feel and talk? I still am passing out tracts to people I meet, and talking about what GOD has done for me, healing me so I could make this great trip, and giving me the words to say to people. I never could do this before. I did not know how far I would go each day going home, but I wanted to do at least 500 miles each day. Today I went 505 miles, from Washington, D.C to Knoxville , TN. I ate breakfast and dinner at Americas restaurant, ”Denny’s” and lunch at McDonald’s, where I spent 1 1/2 hours explaining to different people about the ”Stand In The Gap” and my journey across the country. They would see my colors and trike and ask me what I was doing, so it gave me a chance to witness to them, and of course give out tracts. GOD has sure changed me.

I stayed in a motel this night. Sure felt funny sleeping on a bed again, and to take a shower without 20 people standing around was nice also.

Day 14: October 6th. – Knoxville, TN. to Little Rock, AR.

I woke up before the time I had asked for a wake up call, just not used to a bed, I guess. It was great not having to break camp and fold up the tent before starting out.

As I ate breakfast at, where else, Denny’s, a small boy saw me give myself my insulin shot, and he just could not understand some one sticking a needle in themselves. I explained it as best I could but he just did not understand. His father and I talked for awhile. He was a biker when he was young but had given it up when he got married. His wife did not care for us talking about bikes I could see, so I asked if she would like to have a ride on the trike . The boy said he sure did want one, and the father also, so I gave the boy and the father a ride around a couple of blocks then asked if she would like to have a ride. Both the boy and his father urged her to try it, so she did, and surprise, surprise, she enjoyed it. When I got back she told her husband, "that was fun, why don’t we get one? Not a two wheeler, but one like this". He was shocked. I also gave them information on the Christian Motorcyclists Association. He thought it was great that they could be riding with Christians.

This day I rode 525 miles from Knoxville to Little Rock, AR. The miles just flew by. When I called my wife this night she asked me why did I not go by Dr Ritter’s plant near Dallas, TX. so I could see how the Aloe Vera was made, as GOD and the aloe had made it possible for me to do this journey. I told her that would add a day to my trip home and she said that was o.k. I told her that I guess she is not wanting me to hurry home! She then said she would slap me if I was there with her now, as she did want me home, but since I was that close, why not go there? It made sense to me as I did want to see and talk to Dr Ritter again so he could see the change in me. I stayed at Motel 6 again, guess I am getting soft in my old age.

Day 15: October 7th. - Little Rock, AR. to Dallas, TX.

I started at 8:30 this morning, no hurry as it is only 325 miles from Little Rock, AR. to Dallas , TX. I called Dr Ritter last night and he said, “come on down”, just like the game show. He said that when I had said that I was going to ride my motorcycle across the country he wondered if I would really do it, and now I had.

The weather station said that a rain storm was going to come in today, hope I get to Dallas before it gets there. I ate in a small restaurant just outside of Little Rock, AR. and was greatly surprise to get a super breakfast, very good gravy, crisp hash browns, and an omelet that could have fed two people, all for less than $4.00. You do not get that in most places.

Lots of trucks on this road, and we talk on the c.b . Some ask about the Stand In The Gap and was I there? They want to know how many people were there and how many bikes. When I tell them, as far as I know, there were over one million men and we had 8,303 bikes, it just blows them a way. I saw a car by the side of the road with a woman and three kids standing by it, so I turned around and went back to see if I could help her. She jumped into the car pulling the kids with her and locked the doors. I guess that bikers do not have a good reputation around here. When I talked to her through the window for a minute and told her that I was a Christian motorcycle rider and just wanted to help, she finally said that her car was broke down and she needed to get in touch with her husband in the next town, about 15 miles away. I told her I had a cell phone and she could call him on it. She started to cry, and told me she did not have any money. I told her that was o.k.! It makes me feel very bad that people just do not help others without being paid. She got him on the phone and he said he would be right there. I waited till he got there and both he and she could not thank me enough. I left them a tract and said GOD bless them and the kids. They said that HE had, by having me stop.

About 1 hour down the road it started to sprinkle so I put on my rain gear and continued on. When I stopped to eat lunch (Denny’s of course), it started to rain hard so I just sat in the restaurant for a while, talking to some people. I gave them one of the tracts as I left, when it had finally stopped raining. I got about 10 miles down the road and it started again. Not much fun riding in the rain but I would rather do it than sit and watch TV. When I got near Dallas it stopped raining. Who would figure out the weather?

Dr Ritter had given me directions to his plant and I only got lost once finding it. I must be getting better. I must have looked like some thing from outer space, dripping wet, motorcycle and trailer all soaked. But I had a smile on my face. His secretary called him on the intercom and he came to the front office. He came up and shook my hand and said, I did not think you could do it. I said, without GOD's and your Aloe Vera I would not have! I took off the rain gear and we talked for a while, then he showed me his plant. I was impressed. It was very, very clean and orderly. His wife came in and said it was starting to rain again and why did I not put the motorcycle inside the warehouse? I said I needed to find a motel, and she said no that I should stay with them. Who says there are no nice people left in the world? I put the bike in his warehouse and we went to eat. These Texans sure do like HOT food, but so do I! They then took me to their house for the night. It was a very nice place to say the least. I slept very good in that soft bed.

Day 16: October 8th. – Dallas, TX. to Pecos, TX.

This morning Dr. Ritter cooked breakfast. He said he likes to cook, and it shows , he did a great job of it. We then went back to his plant and he let me look through a whole pile of testimonies from other people that have gotten help from his Aloe Vera. GOD sure gave us a way to be in better health if we just could find out about it. I can not understand why the doctors do not tell us about things like aloe.

It had started to rain again so I was not in a hurry to start out. We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and as usual, the food was HOT, but good. The rain had stopped after lunch so I got ready to leave. They said why not stay for a couple of days? I said I miss my wife, and had been gone for 16 days already.

It still looked like rain so I put on my rain gear. As I left they gave me some money so I could stay in motels if it rained. I tried not to take it but they insisted. Again I say , it proves that there are good people out there. As I leave their plant it starts to rain again but not hard, so I continued on into Dallas. Now I know that they say it never rains hard in Texas, right? Well let me tell you that is not true!!! Before I had gone 20 miles it was pouring down rain. Then it gets harder! The underpasses have at least 2 feet of water in them, or more. A woman passed me on the right side and she starts to hydroplane, the car goes sidewise then crashes into the underpass. As I move over to miss her a truck goes by throwing water over me like a wave over a surfer. By now I am so wet that it does not matter to me. Even if the rain makes it so I can not see very good , I just slowed down and kept on going. After about 25 more miles it becomes just a drizzle. The truckers asked me on the c.b . if I am wet, but of course I say, not at all! I do not think they believed me. It rains off and on all day.

Another bike had been riding with me for about 100 miles. He also had been to the Stand In The Gap rally. We ate lunch together and compared notes on our experiences. He also belongs to the Christian motorcyclists Association. His chapter was having its meeting at Odessa , TX. that night. He asked if I wanted to attend with him. I said I would stop for awhile but was eager to put on more miles today. They had a good group of people there, lots of questions about the rally. I left after about 1 hour, so I could get further down the road before I stopped.

This day went fast for me. I had started about 1 p.m., not knowing where I would stop that day. Well after 427 miles I was ready to stop. When it got to 9 p.m., I pulled in to a Motel 6 in the town of Pecos, TX. for the night. They thought I was nuts riding in the rain as I had been. Maybe I am but GOD had sure blessed me by keeping me safe. Denny’s for dinner.

Day 17: October 9th. – Pecos, TX. to Tucson, AZ.

I had left a wake up call for 7 a.m., but was awake at 6:30. I guess I am eager to get home to my wife.

Breakfast at Denny’s as usual. I passed out several of the tracts and told about the ride to Washington.

Lots of trucks on the road and I talked to a lot of the truckers on the c.b . It helps to have some one to talk to. The miles go by faster I think.

I ate lunch in El Paso , TX. As I left El Paso I saw a very large Mexican flag to my left, and I mean very large! This had me puzzled until I remembered that the town of El Paso was on the border, and the road went close to the Mexican side.

Near Los Cruces, NM. the wind was blowing very hard and it slowed me down as well as pushing me around. A trucker called me on the c.b . and said to ride next to him out of the wind. He was a bike rider and knew what the wind could do, so I did and it was better. We stopped at Deming, NM. and ate a meal together, talking about motorcycle riding then and now, as he had stopped riding several years ago. I told him about the healing that GOD had done in my life, and is still doing. He said that was an awesome story. He said that he was having problems with his family, being on the road most of the time, and when he was home, not helping out. I told him he should join the Promise Keepers even if he could not attend all the meetings, then we prayed for guidance for him. When I left he was calling his wife. It made me feel good.

The wind was not blowing as bad and the miles rolled by. I had my tape deck playing loud and enjoying the Christian music. Sometimes when cars would pass they would look at me and I wonder what they thought about my choice of music. About 6:30 p.m. I stopped to eat dinner and had the worst food that I had been served on the whole trip (I should have found a Denny's), and it cost $10.00 to boot. I guess one bad meal in 17 days is not too bad. I stopped in Tucson, AZ. for the night at another Motel 6. Only 539 miles today but I feel every one of them. I sure will be glad to get home to my wife and my chair (that is not moving).

Day 18: October 10th. – Tucson, AZ. to Los Angeles, CA.

I woke up at 7 a.m. and went to, where else but Denny’s to eat breakfast. At least their food is the same everywhere. I called my wife and asked her if she would meet me in L.A., as that would be about my 500 miles for this day, and to ride all the way to Coalinga from here would be over 750 miles, and I was getting sore where I sit. She said she would. I sure was glad. I now had something to look forward to.

The people at the check station at the California boarder gave me the once over and made me open the trailer so they could look in it. No fruit, but they sure did look for some. The wind near Blythe was blowing the hardest it had on the whole trip. Even the trucks were having problems with it pushing them around. When it is blowing that hard it sure makes you work harder to keep control of the bike.

I sure was sorry to get back to the traffic of the L.A. area. It had been nice to not have to watch out for the ” California squirrels”. My wife was going to meet me at the Lyons turn off on the I-5 freeway. She had made reservations for us at a hotel. She was bringing our granddaughter with her so she would not be alone driving down from Coalinga. When I got there I had road 496 miles that day, and I was there before her. She only had to drive 250 miles, and had left later. I checked in and took a quick shower and changed clothes so I would not look or smell bad. When she got there, she did not seem to care about that. I guess she did miss me after all. We ate dinner at Denny’s. Boy I sure have no imagination do I? That is not true. We both were tired and Denny’s was close. We went to bed early so we could get up and go home before the traffic got bad.

Day 19: October 11th. - Los Angeles, CA. to Coalinga, CA.

We got up at 7 a.m. and went to Denny’s for breakfast and were on the road by 8 a.m. Only 250 miles left, about 4 1/2 hours and this trip will be over. Almost 7,000 miles, many prayers, new experiences, and a new outlook on how to serve the LORD. We as a people, sure take our blessings lightly, until you get sick, or do something like this trip, and talk to other people. We all have problems but GOD has all the answers if we will just look to HIM. I know that my life has been changed, and I hope I can live as HE would want me to.

Day 20: October 12th., and the rest of my life.

After I had been home for a couple of days, Dr Ritter called and ask me if I would go with him to St. George, Utah and tell others of my healing and trip? I told him I would talk it over with my wife and let him know. I had never given a speech before people so this would be a new experience for me. We talked and prayed then called him and said I would do it, as it would give back some of the blessings I had received. I went to L.A. to his house to finish the audio tape we had made before I went to Washington. My voice was bad in part of the tape so they wanted to retake it, and to make arrangements for the trip to St. George. I then went home until the 23rd. of October.

Come October 23rd I went back to L.A. to ride with him and Dr Gorris to St. George for the conference. The trip was nice but not like riding a bike. We got there Thursday night and checked in to the hotel. Friday morning I was starting to feel scared about the whole thing. We went to where the conference was to be held and had breakfast. They found the room we were to speak in, and when people started coming in I really did get nervous. Dr Ritter spoke first, then Dr Gorris , then it was my turn. As I went to the platform I said a prayer for help. HE must have heard me as I was able to tell about how GOD used Aloe Vera to heal me. The people listened and I could see some of them responding to the emotion in my voice as this was me I was talking about, and it is hard to tell about your hurts, without feeling them again. After the talk, we stood around talking to some of the people. They said that GOD surely sent us to them as they had problems that were similar.

We gave a second talk after lunch to a different group of people and again the response was very good. The second time, just as we were starting, an old man came in. He was pulling an oxygen tank just like the one I had pulled. He was bent over and needed help to walk, as I had. It just tore me up and I almost could not talk, for here was me four months ago, and there would I be if I was not dead, but for Aloe Vera. This man came to us after the talk and asked lots of questions and told of his problems. He was 76 years old and he had breathing, heart, & diabetes just like I had. He asked Dr Ritter if the Aloe Vera would help him? Dr Ritter told him it can not hurt you so give it a try. That is what he had told me also. The mans ' daughter went and bought a bottle and he started drinking it.

That night we saw him and he had his oxygen tank with him but was not using it all the time. He said that he felt better than he had in a long time. He had not been able to do much for over four years because of the problems he had.

The next day we were at a football field in a booth talking to people one on one, and Dr Ritter said, " look at that". The old man from the day before was walking across the field with no one helping him, and he did not have his oxygen tank!!! When he got to where we were, he and his wife and I just hugged and cried for several minutes. Then he told how he had slept the whole night with out oxygen for the first time in years. I knew how he felt as that was how I had been. He had his wife carry the bottle of Aloe Vera and when he felt the need of oxygen he would take a drink of Aloe Vera. She was very excited as she said she had her husband back. We all cried again.

The next day I went back to L.A. feeling I had followed GOD's instructions by going to the conference. I have given my testimony at four churches (they had helped me with the money for my trip), two Promise Keepers meetings (they helped also), and I just got back from Nebraska where I gave it at another conference. I am a "white knuckle flyer” but GOD said tell everyone, and I will, to the best of my ability. I do not know where all this is leading me to, but I ask for your prayers that I can do as GOD wants. Jack McCormack, November, 1997.

I guess if they used Aloe back then, and other countries still do use it for many health problems, I can learn from them. Please people don’t suffer needlessly give it a try. Jack McCormack.

References to aloe are found in the Bible in:

Numbers 24:6 - Like valleys they spread out. Like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.

Psalms 45:8 - All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

Proverbs 7:17 - I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloe and cinnamon.

Song of Solomon 4:14 - nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.

John 19:39 - He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited JESUS at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

I Samuel 25:6 - Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

Proverbs 3:8 - This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Isaiah 38:16 - LORD, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too. YOU restored me to health and let me live.