By Hannah Muñoz
Intern, The Alabama Baptist
I prayed with people on the Golden Gate Bridge,” Charles “Ronny” Burleson said of his recent United States and Canada motorcycle ministry trip. “What a journey it was.”
Covering 12,369 miles, the June 26 to Aug. 4 trip included landmarks like the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, San Diego, the Avenue of the Giants, the Mexico-United States border, the coast of California, the Yukon, Prince George’s County in Maryland, Salmon Glacier, Niagara Falls and a majority of the continental U.S. as well as Alaska. His favorite sight was watching the sun rise over the Grand Canyon.
“I took thousands of pictures,” he said. “I held a camera with one hand and my handlebars with the other.”
But while Burleson, director of FAITH Riders motorcycle ministry at Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Leeds, loves to ride, this wasn’t just a scenic route for him. “I went to share the gospel,” he said. “I prayed with people all over the country and experienced so much.”
Along the way God placed people in Burleson’s path where he could share his story, faith and encouragement. Some people shared needs that Burleson prayed for on the spot. Others provided help, such as shelter and food.
Burleson said he was well received by almost everybody he encountered. “I only ran into one irate person,” he said. “But then I prayed with waitresses who would pay for my meal.”
He met people from Alabama across the country as well as other bikers and families that he continues to keep in touch with.
Lifelong dream
The journey itself was a dream he’d had his entire life, he said. When he received his first motorcycle at age 13 and saw a show on a man who travelled the country on his motorcycle, a desire was created to “do the same one day.”
“At that time I had no idea that this motorcycle would be used as a tool for the glory of our Lord and Savior,” Burleson said.
The door finally opened in 2015 when he noticed a need in the church to repair the sanctuary. Cracks in the ceiling and several other things needed to be repaired structurally. While promoting his upcoming trip, he asked people to pledge a donation to the church for each mile he travelled.
Members of Cedar Grove Baptist pledged more than $13,000 toward the church repairs, which will begin when the church has raised the complete amount required to fix the sanctuary, according to Joanne Brady, administrative assistant at the church.
During the ride Burleson had a tracking device placed on his bike. “For safety reasons obviously,” he said, “but also to allow people who had pledged to feel like they were a part of the journey with me.”
Burleson was the only one on the trip, but he knew he was not alone. “I have God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit with me all the time.”
Even with “bad weather and terrible roads,” Burleson was grateful to have gone on his “trip of a lifetime.”
Experience God’s beauty
“I experienced so much of God’s beauty,” Burleson said. “To see what I have seen brings goose bumps all over my arms. God blessed me with a safe and joyous trip.
“It was a wonderful journey,” he said. “How great it was to see so many things our Lord has created. But the truly wonderful part about the trip was the people He put in my path along the way. God had everything laid out perfectly. It was simply amazing.”
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