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Andrea Buchanan

Valley Springs, South Dakota
Graduate; English Literature

Activities/Interests: Biking, reading, cooking, spending time with friends.

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: I thought the trip was brilliant! To me there was no more inventive way to spark an inter-generational, cross-cultral conversation about justice.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: I am looking forward to hearing stories, those of injustice and hope and compassion. I'm looking forward to knocking on a strangers door and asking them if we can sleep on their lawn. I hope that we as a team can be a vehicle for narrative.

Justice issues I am passionate about: I am interested in environmental justice, reconcilliation between oppressors and victims, and restorative justice, to restore people to community.

My motto/favorite quote: "But the little sticky leaves, and the precious tombs, and the blue sky, and the woman you love! How will you live, how will you love them? With such a hell in your heart and your head, how can you?" -Fydor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

Dylan Maysick

Grand Rapids, Michigan
Junior; Global Studies, Spanish

Activities/Interests: Music, Books, Biking

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: I always wanted to bike across the country, and then one day I had an interview, and after a scary couple of weeks found out that I could go.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: As far as the actual riding I’m excited to bike through the desert under the stars, and Colorado should be great as well. I’m also really excited to meet with all the churches and learn more about how to put faith into action.

Justice issues I am passionate about: I’m especially interested in hunger issues.

My motto/favorite quote: James 4:17

Marcus Simmons

Longview, TX
Senior; Communications, Africana Studies, Conflict Transformation Studies

Activities/Interests: Running, reading, writing, talking

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: I believe in the cause and I like the craziness of doing something like this on bikes.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: Seeing the country, meeting new people

Justice issues I am passionate about: Education, service workers, poverty, racial reconciliation

My motto/favorite quote: “Justice is what love looks like in public.” – Eddie Glaude. “Justice is the search for peace.” – Jerwayne Ford

Matt Enquist

Grayslake, Illinois
Senior; Biblical Studies, Creative Writing

Activities/Interests: Writing, sailing, camping, sleeping in, having good conversations, and, hopefully, biking.

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: I immediately thought of this trip as an opportunity to respond to the suffering I saw in Zambia last summer. Initially I was excited to ride for Spark, the organization I went to Zambia with, as a chance to get a lot of children sponsored. But it was different than just riding for a faceless cause, these are children I know and love and it’s exciting to get the opportunity to see what I can do to help them. Additionally, the chance to meet a lot of people and have a lot of challenging conversations about justice was exciting to me as a chance to share what I’ve learned here at North Park and to learn from people across the country.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: I’m looking forward to the chance to see the beauty of nature on our route and to meet a lot of new people who want to be a part of what God is doing in the world to feed the hungry and set the captives free.

Justice issues I am passionate about: Hunger, wealth inequality, peacemaking, racial reconciliation, homelessness.

My motto/favorite quote: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

"Our village life would stagnate if it were not for the unexplored forests and meadows which surround it. We need the tonic of wilderness" Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Emily Johnson

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Senior; Sociology

Activities/Interests: I try to be present with friends in every possible spare moment.

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: Matt’s ceaseless pestering.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: Building new relationships with people all across the country, and going deeper in relationship with my travelling companions.

Justice issues I am passionate about: I’m passionate about living in the tradition of Jesus, “who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness” (Isaiah 16:5).  I am therefore also passionate about righteousness relationships: with God, with humanity, and with all of creation.

My motto/favorite quote: I really like to hear my family tell me they love me.

Eric Landin

Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania
Senior; Philosophy and Theology

Activities/Interests: Music – I love to listen and play – piano, djembe, voice… I’m also involved with audio production. I enjoy being involved in youth ministry and worship arts, and hope to be involved in those areas of the church long-term. I also love pizza and bowling!

Why I decided to go on the bike trip: I believe strongly in the need for the church to engage the hard issues of faith and be involved in transforming the society in which it exists. Too often the church passes off its social responsibility to the government, believing social reform to be an issue of state and not church. But if you read the gospels and study the Old Testament prophecies, it is clear that much of our role as the people of God and the Body of Christ involves loving and providing for our neighbors, taking care of the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, and bringing the freedom of Christ to the oppressed. Matthew 25 is clear that these actions are not extracurricular to our faith – they are an essential part of it. I hope that through this trip, support can be raised for the Zambian ministries, but perhaps more importantly, that the church would understand the essentiality of social action and begin to act. The impact would be unlike anything we can imagine.

What I am most looking forward to about the trip: The singularity of purpose. Every morning as I get up, I know that all that I have to do this day is bike – for the kids and the people in Zambia, and for the church. Our lives are usually far to busy to be able to focus in so particularly for such a long amount of time, so I’m thankful for this opportunity. Also, I’m really looking forward to the times of solitude on my bike. I hope that God will find me in that place of quietude.

Justice issues I am passionate about: Human trafficking, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia; domestic issues of abuse and violence as well as discrimination and racial oppression; and resource inequality globally and locally.

My motto/favorite quote: Dream big.