When God Changes the Plan

Sometimes the best part of an adventure is when the plan doesn’t go according to plan.

Our alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. just as we had planned. But when I looked around the tent, I quickly realized our plans were about to change.

It had rained hard all night. Torrential rain, booming thunder, and lightning so bright it lit up our tent like it was daytime. Everything around us was soaked.

I started moving our bags around and grabbing whatever I could find to soak up the pools of water collecting on the tent floor. I was especially thankful that our sleeping bags were still dry. The air mattresses had kept them elevated above the floor. The pillows, unfortunately, weren’t so lucky.

I started getting ready to ride out with Melvin and Diago to help with the water tent for bikers leaving Sturgis. But then I discovered one more problem—my riding gear was soaking wet on the inside!

That was enough for me.

I threw in the towel and called it.

I would stay behind and work on drying everything while Melvin headed out with Diago and two officers from the Rushmore Thunder CMA chapter, Michael & Rodney. The last thing I wanted was to start the ride already soaked, or come back later to deal with wet sleeping gear all over again.

So around 6:30 a.m., Melvin and Diago headed out.

And I stayed behind.

Funny how quickly God can change our plans.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Sometimes the Lord redirects our steps through circumstances we never expected. And sometimes, instead of fighting the change, we simply need to recognize that His plan may be better than ours.

It was still early, so after working on the tent for a while, I laid back down until about 8:00. I didn’t really fall asleep, but it was nice to rest.

At 8:00, I walked over to the camp store, bought myself a cup of coffee, and found a dry place inside to sit for a while.

The new plan?

Dry gear. Edit videos. Stay flexible.

And apparently, God had some divine appointments planned for that too.

While sitting in the KOA café, I met a couple from Houston, Jeff and Mary. They were on a 90-day adventure traveling around the country in their RV, with plans to see Yellowstone, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Jeff told me about his brother, who had ridden to Alaska twice and completed the Four Corners of the Lower 48. He had also completed the Iron Butt 1,000-mile challenge—riding 1,000 miles in 24 hours.

I smiled and thought, I don’t think I’ll be adding that one to our mission list!

Our adventure is already plenty adventurous!

On my way back to the tent, I saw the adventure riders staying in the cabin next to us. I noticed one of their bikes and said, “I like your 750 GS. I have the same bike!”

That opened the door to conversation.

There were six men traveling together. One of them was driving a truck with an enclosed trailer carrying three of the motorcycles. They were getting ready to ride the Alaska Highway all the way to Anchorage.

I told them, “We’re actually on our way home from Alaska.”

We began sharing routes, places to stay, and stories from the road.

Before we parted ways, I gave each of them a CMA rag tract and prayed for their safe travels.

Another divine appointment.

Another opportunity to encourage fellow riders.

Another reminder that sometimes you don’t have to go looking for ministry.

God simply puts people in your path.

Then it was back to the soaking-wet mess we called home.

I spent the entire morning washing, wiping, and drying clothes and gear. Thankfully, the rain finally stopped and the sun came out, making it much easier to hang everything up and let it dry.

While our gear was drying, I headed back to the café and worked on video editing.

By about 1:30, I had finally gotten most everything dried out. I decided to ride into town for lunch.

Of course, as soon as I left, the sky started getting dark again.

I was grateful to make it back before the next round of rain came through.

Ministry in Wyoming

While I was working on our gear and videos, Melvin and Diago, along with Diago’s wife, Janet, were busy doing what we came to Sturgis to do—ministry.

They were working the CMA chapter, Silvercliff Salvation Seekers, ministry booth at the Mule Creek Junction rest area in Wyoming, reaching out to bikers traveling through the area from Sturgis.

They prayed with bikers from Mexico, the Netherlands, and many different cities and places.

They prayed for women battling cancer.

They prayed for riders and their families.

And one biker said something that really stood out:

He could feel the presence of the Lord.

That’s why we’re here.

The motorcycles are the vehicle.

The journey is the story.

But Jesus is the mission.

Every mile we’ve traveled, every person we’ve met, every conversation we’ve had, and every prayer we’ve prayed has been an opportunity to let someone know that God sees them, loves them, and is still reaching for them.

After lunch, I continued working on our videos until Melvin returned from Wyoming.

By evening, Diago and Janet decided to take us out for Mexican food.

Our waiter, Twan, had only been in America since June. He had come from China. Before we ate, we prayed over our food and also prayed for Twan and his family.

The meal was delicious, but the conversation and fellowship were even better.

After dinner, we went to the Purple Pie and Ice Cream.

Because even when you’re completely full…

There is always room for dessert!

It was such a sweet evening.

No schedule.

No place we had to be.

No miles we needed to ride.

Just sitting around the table, enjoying fellowship with our brother and sister in Christ.

Sometimes the greatest blessings aren’t found on the highway.

Sometimes they’re found around a table.

We eventually returned to the campground and sat together underneath the pop-up canopy as the rain began falling again.

And there we stayed, talking, laughing, and fellowshipping.

It means so much to spend time with Diago and Janet because we don’t get to see them very often.

As I sat there listening to the rain, I thought about how different this day had turned out from what we had planned.

We were supposed to ride.

Instead, I stayed behind.

We were supposed to be on the road.

Instead, we dried our gear.

We were supposed to follow our schedule.

Instead, God filled our day with conversations, prayers, ministry, fellowship, and people we never would have met if everything had gone according to plan.

Maybe that’s the lesson.

A changed plan doesn’t mean a wasted day.

Sometimes the detour is where the divine appointment is waiting.

Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours. We may not always understand the road He takes us down, but we can trust the One who knows exactly where it leads.

And after 58 days, we’re still trusting Him to direct every mile.

The journey is nearing its end, but it isn’t over yet.

There are still roads to ride.

People to meet.

Prayers to pray.

Stories to tell.

And divine appointments waiting somewhere ahead.

So let’s keep riding.

Let’s keep watching.

Let’s keep listening.

Let’s keep saying yes.

Because when we surrender our plans to God, even the unexpected detours can become part of the mission.

We are—

Wrights On A Mission.

If you’d like to continue riding along with us as we make our way back across the country, we’d love to have you join us on YouTube and Facebook at Wrights On A Mission.

The journey isn’t over yet.

And we can’t wait to see where God leads us next! 🙏🏍️❤️