A spiritual journey that began in Fairbanks, Alaska and will wrap up in the Florida Keys came through the Battlefords this week.
Lowell White, a pastor at the Highlands Christian Fellowship Church in Lancaster, California, is currently on a 6,000 mile bicycle journey traveling from Alaska through Canada and down to the Florida Keys.
It is a journey that has so far taken him through mountainous, rocky terrain to the winds and changing weather conditions of the prairies.
This isn't the first time the Battlefords has been a stop on a cross-country bicycling tour. Others have come to the Battlefords to raise awareness for various causes or to fight disease. White's goal, on the other hand, is to spread the message of the Gospel.
"I always look for the body of Christ when I come to a town or city," said White. He is on his trip for one purpose, he said: "to proclaim that the Holy Spirit is here."
It isn't the first time White, 68, has gone on a bicycling trek.
He has gone across the USA three times on a bike, and on another occasion made a trip from Alaska all the way to California.
White said that the idea of going on his latest journey came to him in dreams he had in 2008 - dreams that included the North American continent from Alaska to Canada and to the lower 48 states.
White says he believes it was the message from God that he should travel across the terrain to proclaim the Holy Spirit's presence.
He began May 24, departing Los Angeles for Fairbanks to begin his bicycle journey. He hit the road from Fairbanks on June 7, and the city of Fairbanks gave him a police escort out to the city limits as he began his bicycle journey. Some members of the Boys and Girls Club joined him on that initial escort.
"From there I began to cycle, ministering from various churches," said White.
During his ride in the Yukon he said he encountered some interesting encounters with wild animals on the road, something not unusual to travelers in the north. It was in the Yukon that he first encountered the First Nations people on the trip, he said.
He stopped in Whitehorse, ministering in that area and going to area hospitals. The local hosts gave him a list of names of people to call "all the way to Regina" who could help assist him on his trip.
He traveled through northern British Columbia and continued to make several stops along the way during his journey, staying with local hosts and stopping at area churches to spread the message of the Holy Spirit. He also ministered at area homes during his stops.
During his trip to the remote community of Toad River, he met more local First Nations people. At a remote house there he prayed for the healing of an elderly man's swollen legs, and the residents at that small house said they had been praying from someone's arrival ever since a bear showed up at the property, which the elderly residents had thrown a piece of wood at to scare away. s
"I've had the opportunity to have some fantastic encounters, just ministering," White said.
Shortly after White showed up there to start praying, a couple more relatives showed up at the house, answering their prayers, he said. Through the relatives White learned about the bear in the woods, and ended up heading out on a quad into the woods looking for the bear.
He didn't find anything, he said, but it was an interesting story. He stayed for two nights with that family before making his way.
White soon arrived in Fort Nelson where he went on hospital visits and prayed for individuals, and then headed to Fort St. John and Dawson Creek as part of his tour across BC.
His trip then took him through Alberta and into Lloydminster before arriving in the Battlefords.
"Since I've been in Canada I've met the most kindest people, " White said. He believed that because of some of the long distances, people looked out for each other. "It's a general attitude of sharing their welcoming to individuals, which made me feel at home while in Canada."
White said he's encountered the most beautiful scenery including lakes and hot springs along the way.
He arrived in the Battlefords on Monday evening from Lloydminster, right in the middle of the Territorial Days parade. His bicycle crossed the street right in front of the Grand Marshal, he said.
White said his stay in the Battlefords has been made possible with the help of Pastor Patrick Carty and the Emmanuel Pentecostal Fellowship who have welcomed him to the area.
He planned to keep on going to Saskatoon, Regina and then Winnipeg, which will be the mid-way point on his journey. He then plans to continue on through the Dakotas and across the USA down to south Florida, where he plans to wrap up his tour.
White credits the support of his wife, Evelyn, a retired deputy sheriff, who he describes as "my number one cheerleader". He plans to meet with her in Winnipeg and then again at the conclusion of the trek in Florida.
Those interested in White's journey can follow him on the web at www.holyspiritrider.com, where he has a blog and plenty of images and videos of the trip so far.
