Wrights On A Mission

The Mission Continues In Ohio!

This morning, Melvin headed out with Jeff around 7:40 a.m. to join a discipleship group at Jeff’s church, Elevation Ministries. Holly and I were able to sleep in a little since we didn’t need to leave for church until 10:30. It was such a blessing to have a slow, peaceful morning.

Holly made delicious cinnamon rolls and an egg casserole for breakfast, and we enjoyed coffee and good conversation around the table. I even had time to get a load of laundry done. After 66 days on the road, simple things like a home-cooked breakfast, clean clothes, and a quiet morning feel like tremendous blessings.

It reminded me of Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Sometimes the greatest blessings aren’t found in spectacular places or exciting adventures. Sometimes they are found sitting around a kitchen table with people God placed in our path.

Holly drove us to church, where I had the opportunity to meet Pastor Russ Strange. The message today really spoke to my heart:

“When you realize where you don’t belong, it gives you the power to go where you do belong.”

What a powerful thought—and one that reaches far beyond our motorcycle journey.

God has a way of showing us what is no longer where we are supposed to be so that He can lead us toward where He is calling us. Sometimes moving forward requires recognizing that we can’t stay where we are.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”

We may not always understand the whole path, but we can trust the One who does.

After church, we met Jeff and Holly’s daughter and son-in-law and their beautiful eight-week-old baby. What a sweet little blessing! It was wonderful to see another generation growing and being surrounded by love.

After church, they took us to Six Senses Restaurant in Jackson, Ohio. Jeff and Holly blessed us by treating us to lunch. Melvin and I enjoyed sandwiches while they had salads. It was another simple but meaningful reminder of how God provides through His people.

After lunch, we returned to the house, where Melvin and Jeff gave Freedom a little TLC and tightened the chain. Then we spent the afternoon doing something we have come to treasure so much on this journey—just being together.

We sat around the garage talking about motorcycles, ministry, life, and family. There was no schedule to chase and no miles to make. Just fellowship.

And then came one of the highlights of the entire day.

We heard from Todd.

Todd is the man we met at the gas station in Hermosa, South Dakota. That brief encounter on the road turned into one of those Divine appointments that reminds us God is always working, even when we don’t realize it at the time.

Todd emailed us to let us know that he had successfully completed his journey and was now on his way home to Minneapolis.

He thanked Melvin for teaching him how to tighten his chain, and he thanked us for our prayers and kind words.

Reading his message brought such joy to our hearts.

You never really know what impact a simple conversation, a little encouragement, a prayer, or a few minutes of your time might have on someone’s life.

Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

That is one of the beautiful things about this journey. We may have started out thinking we were riding motorcycles to Alaska and back, but God has continually reminded us that the real journey has been about people.

The miles are temporary.

The memories are precious.

But the eternal impact of loving someone, encouraging someone, praying for someone, or pointing someone toward Jesus—that lasts forever.

Later in the afternoon, we watched a little television before Melvin and Jeff went to help the neighbor. Somehow, their zero-turn riding mower had ended up in a ditch after the edge of the road gave way.

Of course, two motorcycle guys with tools nearby couldn’t just stand around and watch!

Mel and Jeff helped get the mower back out of the ditch, and the neighbor was incredibly grateful for their help.

Another need.

Another opportunity.

Another reminder that sometimes ministry looks like preaching a sermon, sometimes it looks like handing someone a Bible, and sometimes it looks like helping pull a lawnmower out of a ditch.

Jesus simply said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” — John 13:35

Love doesn’t always look glamorous.

But it always matters.

For dinner, we enjoyed pizza from Kali’s Pizza, and then came an extra-special treat—homemade apple dumplings made by their friend Michelle!

They were warm, delicious, and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Absolutely wonderful!

But this dessert meant so much more to us than simply being delicious.

Apple dumplings were a special dessert our late daughter used to make for Melvin.

So sitting around the table enjoying them brought back memories and emotions that are difficult to put into words. And what made it even more special was that Jeff, Holly, and their daughter had never actually had homemade apple dumplings before.

So something that carried such special memories for us became something new and special for them, too.

Isn’t that just like God?

He can take something connected to grief and weave it together with joy.

He can take an old memory and create a new one.

He can take something that once brought tears and somehow place laughter beside it.

Psalm 30:5 reminds us, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Tonight, we were reminded that both can exist at the same table.

A New Little Blessing

On another very special note, Mel and I would like to officially announce the arrival of our 8th grandchild, August Jon Wright!

August was born on August 19, 2026, at 5:06 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long.

We are absolutely thrilled to welcome another grandson into our family!

What a beautiful blessing while we are on this incredible journey.

We are sending prayers, love, and blessings to our son and daughter-in-law as they begin this incredible new chapter as parents to their first child.

“Children are an heritage of the LORD.” — Psalm 127:3

God has been filling this journey with new life, new friendships, answered prayers, unexpected encounters, and reminders of His goodness.

And today, we received another blessing.

More Prayers Answered

We also received good news today that my father successfully made it through surgery.

Praise God!

We continue to pray for his healing and recovery from his leg infection, and we are looking forward to seeing him in just a few days.

One thing this journey has taught us over and over again is that prayer changes things.

We don’t always get the answer we expect or the timing we want, but we can always trust the One who hears us.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” — James 5:16

So tonight, we continue to pray.

For Dad.

For our family.

For our new grandson.

For Todd and everyone we have met along this road.

And for the people God has yet to place in our path.

The Journey Is Almost Home

Our adventure may be winding down, but the mission continues.

We now know this adventure will be 68 days instead of the original 66. God has extended our journey by two days, and we are trusting Him with every remaining mile.

Tomorrow, we will make approximately 400 miles and find a place to stay somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Then, we will make the final 400 miles home on Tuesday.

After more than 12,000 miles, countless states, thousands of photographs, breathtaking scenery, difficult roads, rain, wind, heat, cold, mechanical issues, Divine appointments, prayers, laughter, tears, friendships, ministry opportunities, and countless reminders of God’s faithfulness…

We are almost home.

But perhaps that is the perfect picture of this entire journey.

We have spent 68 days traveling toward home, but along the way God kept reminding us that our real home isn’t found on a map.

Our destination isn’t simply New York.

Our destination is wherever God leads us.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” — 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tomorrow, we’ll take another step toward home.

And tomorrow, we’ll see where God takes us next.

Because we may not know what is around the next bend…

but we know Who is already there.

The road ahead may only have a couple of days left, but the story God is writing through this journey is far from over.

The motorcycles will eventually be parked.

The luggage will be unloaded.

The miles will stop counting.

But the mission?

The mission continues.

Good night from Jackson, Ohio. 🙏🏍️🇺🇸

Until tomorrow…

It’s time to rest.