Cyclists begin their ride for healing in the Congo in May, 2011

Lewie Briggs is not a cyclist. He's just a college kid from Franklin and Marshall University with a dream too big to ignore. So he started training. Hard.

In May, Lewie will set out on a bike tour from Miami to Maine in search of people to bring healing to the heart of Africa.

Lewie came up with the idea last year when he traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and witnessed firsthand the tragedies that plague this country.

The DRC is the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or girl. More than 200,000 women and children have been raped by militia, who are bent on decimating the heart and soul of an entire nation. Some 5.4 million Congolese nationals have been murdered, millions are displaced, and one in every five children will die before the age of 5. Unprecedented terror is the status quo.

To bring God's Word to a broken nation, Lewie is partnering with American Bible Society in its She's My Sister™ initiative. Through this program, ABS will work with the local Bible Society of the DRC to bring Scripture and trauma healing to women and children plagued by rape and abuse.

Stopping in 16 locations, Lewie and his crew of cyclists will rally together “advocates” from local churches and youth groups, asking them to pledge just $10. Lewie's goal is to raise $500,000, which will bring healing and hope to 500 women and children in crisis.

Heeding the call of Scripture, ABS strives to help heal a shattered people through God's Word.

You have sisters in the DRC. Treasure them.

congosister.org