Friday, August 28, 2009
Roanoke man's trek helps youth abroad
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JoAnne Poindexter
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Thirty years after his last bike ride, Roanoke businessman David Argabright took a 575-mile trek and raised more than $115,000 for South Asia child development centers.
Launching Compassion 575 -- named for the total miles he rode on the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway -- is just the latest in a number of charitable projects that Argabright and his brother, Glen, have undertaken on behalf of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, a fundraising arm of the national Church of the Nazarene.
In December 2007, Glen Argabright ran a marathon on an elliptical treadmill, raising more than $65,000 to pay maintenance costs for the modest child development centers in Bangladesh. The centers offer education, health care programs and meals.
David Argabright said he felt he should be doing more for children and the centers after spending time with his daughter Brittany in Bangladesh in 2008.
According to one UNICEF statistic, Argabright said, 3 million children under the age of 5 die each year in South Asia because of malnutrition, disease and illness.
"My challenge was it had to be something I couldn't do by myself; I had to depend on the Lord and people praying for me," said Argabright, who hadn't mounted a bike since completing a 50-mile ride when he was 22.
From June 1 through June 10, he pedaled up and coasted down the 105-mile Skyline Drive and the 470-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. During the ride, he said, he witnessed many miracles
But even with the miracles, Argabright, who has coordinated numerous mission partnerships in South America and Africa, said he was tested.
A broken collarbone at the beginning of his training and a later hernia operation were among the obstacles he faced, "but the Lord enabled me to train for 2,500 miles" before his actual trek.
The bike route, he said, "was an incredible challenge, but I felt like God could help me do it."
On his daily blog, Argabright wrote about God being in control as he averaged 64.6 miles a day with an average speed of 9.8 mph. He spent a total of 59.5 hours on the bike, with a daily average of six hours and 36 minutes.
Sharon Argabright followed her husband by vehicle, providing water, food, encouragement, hugs and prayers, he said.
Argabright called the experience awesome even though he encountered rain and tornado warnings along the way.
In an interview after the ride, Argabright recalled finishing the seventh day in rain above his bike tires.
"It is somewhat funny now, but I can assure you after climbing the mountains of North Carolina all day and then have to fight the current also, it was not funny," he said.
He credited God for letting him safely complete that day.
Argabright said his trip was also miraculous because of the thousands of people who prayed for him and the number of churches that distributed fliers about his ride.
Some friends fasted. One woman donated a diamond ring to sell on eBay. Others are sending monthly donations.
"These are the miracles of prayer and total trust," Argabright said of his journey. "There's nothing I could have done here by myself."
To read Argabright's blog, go to nazareneblogs.org/davidargabright. Donations also are still being accepted. A $108 contribution will sponsor a child for 12 months.
Checks should be written to General Treasurer, Church of Nazarene, and mailed to South Asia Partnership, P.O. Box 12144, Roanoke, VA 24023.
