Church Honors Wounded Hero

Church Honors Wounded Warrior

Riding in the Rain

On October 7, 2016, a hurricane was moving up the East Coast of our great nation, rain was falling, however eleven Mission:M25 and Hard CORE M/M Riders mounted their "Steel Horses" at Journey Church in Siler City, NC. Led by Mission M25 National Assistant Director, Pastor Mark Richardson, headed to Greensboro, NC airport. Some, like Upper South Carolina Conference Pointman, Gail Glick and Bobby Cepek rode from Pelzer, SC, Rodney McCray from Indians Trail, NC and the South Carolina Conference, riders from Henderson, NC, Tom Mangum and Melvin McBride rode miles before arriving in Siler City, NC. Why? In such conditi
ons would men ride in these conditions? We were welcoming Gunnery Sgt Chris Claude from Pennsylvania was arriving by air. 

Chris & Mark with selected trike

Mission M25 and Pastor Mark has joined forces with Hero Combat Bike Build (www.eaglesup.com) in connection with our relationship with Run For The Wall to build this true hero of our nation a custom trike. This trike will enable Chris who is missing one leg above the knee and some serious damage to his left hand from an IED in Iraq in 2006. Chris was coming to pick one of three bikes/trikes that would be modified to express our nations appreciation for his sacrifice. He will once again be able to 'get his face in the wind'. 

Carolyn & Chris

On the next day, Journey Church moved forward by hosting the Cornerstone Conference M25 Annual Summit. While the crowd was definitely effected by the terrible storm where there was a loss of life and much property loss. However, the attitude and spirit of those who rode in or drove in was still upbeat. There was a presentation by National Director Gary Burd of Battlefields M25 is fighting the Spiritual Battle on. Then on to a study on the Parable of the Seed Sower, looking deeply into the subject of John 4:35, the white fields of harvest. The battle, as we see it, is for our equal rights of sharing the Christian Faith in this nation that is under fire on many fronts. M25 also uses service (good deeds) as a way to let the "Light Shine", Mattthew 5:14-16. 

On Sunday morning, the church began to gather at 10:00 am for the morning worship service. Gunnery SGT Claude was again honored, along with all the veterans. This was a weekend of "God and Country", a stand inside and outside the church for His Kingdom and our Country! There were motorcycles inside the church, Pastor Mark's ride, a bike with a salvage title that looks like a show bike was used to remind us that the Creative Power of God made us like He wants us while in our Mother's womb, Psalms 139:13-14. However, many of us crash and burn but God does not discard us, He has the ability to 're-create' us as He did the world in Genesis 1  and Psalms 51 reveals this truth in King David's life, Lord create a GENESIS week in me. There was much hope and encouragement in the house. 

Parade Bikes

Then off to Pittsboro, NC where riders joined us with new toys for Toys For Tots (an effort of the Marines to assure kids have toys for Christmas). At 13:00, bikes roared toward the Journey Church, where people awaited with a chili cook off, bike games and a lot of fun. As we concluded there was a moment of honor bestowed up on our HERO of the Day, Gunny Sgt Claude. Then there was the raffle of the custom motorcycle Hard CORE M/M had built. It was exciting watching the four people with keys try to start it, however, it was the last key tried by Dave Schau that lit the front light and allowed the engine to roar.

Pastor Mark & Dave Schau

Another creative way to share our faith in service and love, a day where we not only worshiped inside the church but outside the four walls. We encourage churches to find ways to stand for our moral values and the Kingdom of God in places and ways  people in this world can see us. Thanks to Mission:M25 in Cornerstone Conference, North Carolina Conference, South Carolina Conference and Upper South Carolina for attending this great event. We were so blessed by the sacrifice and love of the Journey Church, Hard CORE M/M and Pastors Mark and Ellen Richardson. 

RFTW 2016- Year number 12

RUN FOR THE WALL

MISSION:M25 OUTREACH

2016

On May 15, 2016, Mission M25 will begin to gather in Los Angeles CA from ten states to cross the USA on two routes to serve our TRUE AMERICAN HEROES. This will be the eleventh year M25 has serve in areas of Chase Chaplains, Emergency Chaplains, Platoon Chaplains, Chase Vehicles, Hydration Team and Sr. Chaplains. There are 43 people committed to ride across the nation in packs of motorcycles to hold Memorial Services, Wreath Laying Services, school visits and War Memorial Site visits. 

The picture of a 'church' being held at the funeral of one of these heroes back in 2004 is one of the motivations for our going. This was the only church 'out there' expressing it's opinion for these great men and women of sacrifice. M25 decided to make a 'positive' statement and as you know, it takes a lot of positive actions to overcome a negative. 

Another great motivation, in 2004 we flew three World War II soldiers and their wives to DC for the unveiling of the WWII memorial. One of them was my father-in-law, Robert Young. Our government put him on 100% financial support, we wheeled him around in a wheel chair. He was one of them who never talked about his experiences living on the Pacific Island and dealt with bodies decaying, with the exception of once or twice. As people asked for his autograph, tears would swell in his eyes. This moved us to see the value of healing in efforts like honoring our veterans. 

You can be involved in this effort several ways:

1. Please pray for the men and women as we ride across the nation in packs of motorcycles. 
2. You can find out if we pass your area at www.rftw.org. Then come out and hold a homemade sign that thanks our veterans, stand on a bridge with a USA flag or come and meet us at a stop. 
3. We are in great need of financial help, the picture attached is of our banner that is posted on our trailers. You can place you name on there for a minimum of $250 donation. We ask churches, individuals and businesses to join our efforts. Comments of our Heroes as they read the banner list, 'I did not even know the church cared'. 
4. Join us on FaceBook, Mission:M25 Network, for our daily devotions. We will be live at 8:30 pm at the varying time zones, depending on our journey but you can watch at any time. 

You can help - you can be a part of not forgetting our Heroes. Test POWMIA to 71777 and follow instructions to use your credit card. 

Mail your check by May 1, 2016 and made out to  M25

M25 

POB 30309

Amarillo TX. 

                                        Thanks for our Heroes

Gary Burd, National M25 Director

Westboro Baptist Church
Heroes Funeral 2004

Run For The Wall
Banner of support

50CC Diaper Run Report

November 2, 2015, at 0600 sharp, six motorcycles (we had two fail  mechanically before we left) roared with excitement from the Hampton INN on the west side of Jacksonville, FL. Pastor Dave and Jennifer Ragan, along with members from both the churches they pastor, Harvest Church and Destiny People Worship Center to serve coffee, burritos and lots of encouragement. Ellen Richardson, Kristen Coleman and Betty Ann Gee were in the lead vehicle to get things ready for us before we arrived at our stops. Bishop Doug Beacham, Carolyn Burd and Herman and Carol Strickland were in the chase truck pulling a 24’ enclosed trailer to pick up the diapers. 

There was a threat of rain in the skies but riding was clear for a while, then torrential rain began to fall. But soon we were through the storm where sunshine prevailed until the last 156 miles. The final leg of our journey took us across the Alpine Mountain Range, almost 5,000 feet, to experience freezing rain. 

Our riders, Pastor Wes Alvarez, Pastor Kevin McBride, Rodney McCray, Pastor Mark Richardson and Jude Rodriquez (this was his first long ride, HE DID IT), pushed through “the wall” (pushing yourself beyond the natural limits) to complete the ride in 44 hours and 51 minutes! There is no way of communicating the endurance it took to make it happen. Bishop Doug Beacham rode on the motorcycle behind me for one leg of the journey, drove the pickup and even helped change a couple of tires on the trailer. A Presiding Bishop, General Superintendent with a International Church to lead that took time and put his body through a hard day for the cause, is to be commended. While it is not customary for a man to carry a man on a motorcycle, it was an honor to have our Bishop behind me, knowing the encouragement and honor it was to our team to have him with us. I will let him speak for himself on the experience.  

There were people meeting us at all but five of our stops to cheer us on, provide coffee, donate money and diapers.

• Pastor Steve and Yvonne Dow 
• My Father’s Vineyard (served us lunch) 
• Bishop Mike Gray, along with pastors
• Al Bethea 
• Joe Collins
• Todd Erskine
• Rick Fountain
• Clayton McCormick
• Landon Willis
• Bishop Gordon Atwell
• Rev. Joe & Jennifer Connors
• Pastors Jerry and Donna Williams
• Rev. Travis Evins
• Bishop Scott Hampton and folks from two GPC Churches
• Pastor Hector and Maria Chavez from El Paso and 
• Danny and Glenda Stewart and Rev Stephen Walker from Christian Heritage in Amarillo, TX
• Representatives from Rev. Demetrius Miles in Tucson, AZ’s church and Rev Bill Hepfner in Mesa, AZ’s church
• The last leg from Yuma AZ to San Diego, representatives from M25 ministries in Southern California, led by Jerry Plent met us, fed us and rode with us across the mountain. 
• They paid for our rooms! 
• They collected over 7,500 diapers
• When we arrived at our hotel around 3 am on Wednesday, we were welcomed by Bishop Tom Murray and two of his pastors, Rev. Bill Kenedy and Rev. Billy Wood (also Pointman for M25). 
• The celebration meal at noon on Wednesday was furnished by “Way Of Life Church” with Pastor Bruce Balcombe. A good breakfast was enjoyed as our first meal in three days.

To top this all off, our Run For The Wall family met us at several stops from Louisiana to Arizona! It was so good seeing folks along the way, for them to bring the diapers, fill our tanks with fuel, clean our windshields, ride with us for a while and make donations.  I regret I did not get all their names written down, that will change next year. 

We will ride in the Harvest Train, November 24, 2015 in Falcon, NC and present almost $6,000 in cash and over 30,000 diapers (estimated value over $10,000) to Jonathan Hill, director of Royal Home Ministries. We would welcome all riders to join us that can make it (bring lots of candy to give to the kids during the parade). 

      

Standing for Life / Honoring Death

Standing for Life / Honoring Death

January 22, 2015, a date to be remembered by Mission:M25 for years to come. 

STANDING FOR LIFE

The IPHC Pre-Rally

Fourteen Mission:M25 riders left Falcon, NC on January 21, after a short meeting and send off by the Royal Home and Falcon Children's Home staff. There was a chase vehicle carrying the banner promoting "50 For Life" with church's and individuals giving to support the Royal Home (an alternative to abortion home owned and operated by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, IPHC). The Chase Vehicle drivers needed our customary 'road names', without a lot of thought we identified our drivers as Papa Bear (John Wheeler); Pot Hole (Jonathan Hill) and SuperGlue (Jessica Dunning), names they will not SOON forget! 

We rode to Prince George, VA, where the Redemption Ministries Conference hosted a meal for the riders. After hot soup, chicken sandwiches and HOT coffee, the riders put on their foul weather gear and headed to Washington DC for the March for Life. We were watching radars and the skies, preparing to run into a snow storm, however, just North of Richmond, VA, the sun broke through and beautiful but cold weather welcomed us to our warm rooms near the Pentagon. During the meal and fellowship, Rev. John Wheeler delivered an inspirational devotion and Rev. Jonathan Hill led an uplifting and challenging prayer before we ate.

The next morning we rallied in the motel parking lot with a bus of riders arriving from Falcon, NC. The rally was hosted by Royal Home director, John Wheeler, Joey Leggett, and Jessica Dunning under the warm skies of the January sun. When Mr. Wheeler introduced several girls living in the home that chose life, the crowd enthusiastically applauded in support. As Mission:M25 director it was my privilege to speak and introduce Bishop Tommy McGhee, Discipleship Ministries Division of the IPHC. His inspirational speech and prayer was followed by our presiding Bishop Doug Beacham.

A small view of a large crowd

We mounted our 'iron horses' to join approximately a million people on our National Mall to "Stand for Life". We listened to inspirational speeches but the last one, Rev. Samuel Rodriquez deliver was the way to end a list of speeches. He captured my heart in his final proclamation, 'Uncle Sam may be our Uncle but NEVER our Father; for every Pharaoh THERE WILL BE A Moses; for every Giant THERE WILL BE A David; for every Jezebel THERE WILL BE AN Elijah; for every Nebuchadnezzar THERE WILL BE A Daniel; for every Herod  THERE WILL BE A Jesus and for every demon the devil sends THERE WILL BE the Power of the Living, all consuming power of God Almighty to take it down!' On this high note, we began our march.

Honoring Death

Eleven of us once again mounted our 'iron horses' headed toward Arlington Cemetery, carrying the remains of Lois Rhodes Boyd Jr., Retired USAF and his wife, Maria. As we entered the sacred grounds of the final resting place of so many of our TRUE NATIONAL HEROES, you could feel the seriousness, the quiet, the honor and respect come upon all of us on the bikes. Rolling through the gate, we heard the silence of our cb radios broken with only a reminder, 'Men, keep the bikes as quiet as possible', assuming all knew we were on 'sacred grounds'. 

We dismounted our iron horses, took a few pictures and headed toward the main building. We were met with the seriousness we approached with. There is no foolishness to be found in this setting, we are handling the remains of a hero and his wife. The papers were signed and the remains were delivered and we all mounted up and rode off. 

As we lay our heads upon the pillows that night, some after a long, cold hard night's ride, we knew we had completed yet another mission under the banner of M25's MO, BALNAM (Be A Light Not A Mouth). We were able to find sweet rest knowing we had stood for people who could not stand for themselves and stood for men who did the greatest thing anyone can do, 'lay down his life for another'. 

 
M25 thanks the IPHC; Falcon's Children's Home; Royal Home and Taylor's Funeral Home for allowing us this huge honor of riding to "Stand for Life and Honor Death" all in one day, one mission!

L-R - Bishop Tommy McGhee, Gary Burd and Bishop Doug Beacham

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Honoring a True USA Hero

On November 1, 2014, at 7 am, Bo Pearson, Danny Stewart, Stephen Walker, Carolyn Burd and I (pictured below around a broken trike along with Johnny Joey Jones) left in sub-freezing temperatures headed to San Antonio, TX - ON A MISSION! Well over 500 miles later we checked into a nice warm motel, anxious for the next day.

John Barker of Eagles Up organization had requested we attend the Boot Campaign Ride and interview Johnny Joey Jones, a double amputee for the possibility of building him a trike in 2015. A mission the five us were incredibly honored to do and one we took very serious.

An appointment was made for early Sunday morning to meet this hero of our nation at the Boot Ride. There are no words to express our instant admiration for such a quality young man. He stood erect on his two prosthesis and poured out his passion to assist the wounded warriors in our country. He stated without any hesitation, 'I would really appreciate a trike built for me, however, there is an immediate need, a brother who also walks on two prosthesis, due to an IED in Afghanistan, needs his trike rebuilt. My first mission is to help others and this is very important. It blew a hole in the piston the other day while I was riding it'.

Seeing we were there to interview and not commit for Eagles Up, Mission:M25 committed to picking up the trike and rebuilding the engine for him. Boot Campaign committed to cover the cost of the parts to rebuild the motor.

The only missing step was getting the trike from Austin, TX to Amarillo, TX. When the local leaders and mechanic of LeFleurs Transportation, Mike Carlisle, Craig Lawlis and Jeff Kestner (seen below standing behind Johnny Joey Jones) heard of our dilemma, they immediately responded. They met with Johnny Joey Jones and the pickup was made.

This is where a gifted and talented mechanic comes on the scene. Bo and Debbie Pearson, High Expectations Motor Works, in Amarillo TX took the task of rebuilding the engine. The engine had to be disassembled (pictured below), flushed out, diagnosed why the piston come apart and reassembled. Bo's 40 plus years of working on Harley Davidson's engines performed a masterful job of rebuilding the engine. (second picture below is Bo, Debbie and myself after the work was completed) The engine made music at the twist of a key!

Now the special moment when the owner, Dustin Johns' arrival to take his newly rebuilt trike home. On the morning of December 18, 2014, Dustin arrived with a trailer in tow to pick it up. The statement was made, 'we fell in love with this quality young man immediately'. Pictured below is Jeff Kestner; Pastor and Texas Pointman for M25 Kevin McBride and Bo Pearson, Mechanic and National Biker Missionary for the IPHC, with Dustin setting on his newly rebuilt ride.

Mission:M25 looks for ways to honor our true heroes for the church. We want to let the veteran know the church really is thankful for our Freedom of Religion, and of course, other Freedoms as well. We know the price of Freedom is not cheap, take a look, these two young men had their life altered forever due to this war on terrorism. The church is very thankful but falls short many times of telling those who will newer come to our services. This is where Mission:M25 comes in.

Thanks to all, Eagles Up, Boot Campaign, LeFleur's Transportation, High Expectations Motor Works for allowing Mission:M25 to be involved in honoring Dustin Johns by rebuilding his trike to bring him a little enjoyment!

Gary Burd, National Mission:M25 Director

The Quit

This picture was taken on July 31, 2014, (actually August 1), 1:20 am - 8,178 miles from Key West, FL. We had ridden 1124 miles that day on 3.5 hours of sleep. Exhausted, yet so excited! We did it, Gene Adee and I had accomplished the finish line in Homer, AK.

However, there was little brushes with quit, but setting in Prince George, BC, the quits had really come over me. When I looked at the map given out to all of the riders, there was 2069 more miles to go, across the Yukon (oh the stories I had heard). It was getting real old gearing up with warm clothes, rain gear, sleeping on the ground, eating out of gasoline stations and most of all, going slow.

I realized there is still a seed of quit inside all of humanity. From all Carolyn and I have gone through, it appeared there was no quit in us anymore. Decades of sticking to it, decades of going through it, decades of betrayal and not getting bitter, decades of disappointments and yet never losing hope. It would appear the quits were long gone.

Here the quit came, on a 'bucket list' trip, the quits show up. A trip that many would love to attempt, love to have the opportunity to ride, the beauty seen and the beauty that awaited us. Oh, the stories of the wilderness that lie before us, and yes, it was that and more.

Jesus had the quits in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Son of God, a part of Trinity, and He had the quits. Oh, it was obviously a greater trial, an absolutely greater purpose but at the foundation, a quit was still there.

Yes, the Father sent an angel to encourage Him. He found the inner strength to carry on. Where would we be if He had quit? Where would the world be?

Setting at the Harley Davidson dealership in Prince George, the inner strength came when I said, 'I am going to finish this course'. The words were never heard by anyone but the inner man started to rise up. Gene Adee arrived, we ate a free hamburger and mounted our iron horses and rode toward the vast wilderness that lie before us, at speed limit.

You say, that is a silly comparison. Well, you are right. However, there are two things that most seem to look past.

One, there was no angel that visited me but the Holy Spirit lives within. We all can reach inward, in the face of a vicious trial, through the deepest and loneliest valley, in the violent storms and find the strength we need in His power (assuming you have received from the Lord this blessing).

Secondly, it is a firm conviction of mine that when you start quitting, it becomes easier to quit the next time. Oh how many people have we witnessed on our journey that have opened the door to quit and cannot get the door shut. What would the fruit of that simple 'quit' produce in this season of my life?

Whatever you are going through today - DON'T QUIT! Look for the Holy Spirit's grace to continue on.

Gary Burd aka Shepherd

Riding under the Son

No, that is not a mis-typed word, SON is what was meant. Carolyn and I have spoken much the past few days of His blessings on our life.

We have raised a family of three to the best of our ability and we are proud of the adults they are and the mates they have chosen. We truly enjoy our time with our seven grandkids and miss them very much.

We have served the IPHC for over 47 years in ministry (not always faithful but we were there), served the same church for approximately 40 years, 28 as lead pastor, served the Great Plains Conference for over 20 years as Bishop. We have no regrets for our service.

Now we are on a new journey, riding our bike, serving people where we can and speaking in churches as they come open (at which time we are fully booked for which we are humbled and thankful). Our biggest cry from my choice of a family creed as a Knight of Refuge is to 'right wrongs'. We will be in many settings throughout the year to 'right wrongs'. Do we believe we are the answer? No, however, we must live out a core value though, 'it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness'. We will do something.

This year we have been allowed to stand for:
1. Pro-life
2. Bringing our nation into accountability for POW/MIA (Prisoners of War and Missing In Action)
3. Unjust division in the rich and poor through Free Camp.
4. The unjust & continued treatment of the Native Americans.

Our current 8,000 plus mile trip will include many opportunities to share and serve. However, we are extremely blessed by the following facts:
1. We are together. This is huge to us. We have been married almost 45 years and are still deeply in love and enjoy being together.
2. We are seeing and experiencing things that we never thought would be possible to do. We are making new friends and deepening relationships with friends we have had for years.
3. We have our health to enjoy numbers 1 & 2, which at our age we do not take for granted.
4. The weather (after the first night) has been remarkable. Not too hot or cold, we missed rain and have had a joyful ride.

As we rode yesterday to the Harley Davidson Museum and ended our time there setting by the river eating an 'all you can eat' fish special, we were reminded of 2 Cor 4:1 - it is by His mercy that we have been given this ministry. We, neither one, feel we deserve this opportunity. It can only be defined by his Mercy and Grace, Mercy - He does not give us what we deserve and Grace - He gives us what we don't deserve!

May God bless you on your journey. Hold fast where you are with joy. Never look for greener pasture and spend more time thanking God than complaining to God. You never know what the journey will bring you if you keep a pure and undefiled (no unforgiveness) heart. No roots of bitterness. Let Him handle your adversaries and only defend those who cannot defend themselves, never defend yourself. That is His job.

Gary and Carolyn on the road in Howard, MI

Honor - PFC Gordon

The leader of our trip to Eastend Canada, Les Williams sent this to us today. It caused me to think of Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and the four virtues of the hoop of life, the first being honor. Carolyn is laying her 'challenge coin' on the coffin as did all of the Run For The Wall riders as a sign of honor. 

Honor is something that is not earned or merited by behavior. It is something you give due to an individual's place in the community. Honor for PFC Lawrence Gordon was based upon the fact he was a KIA (Killed In Action) and a MIA (Missing In Action) fighting against an aggressive and evil regime. For almost seventy years he lay in a foreign land with his family wondering where he was. 

Why do we honor a man who will never know that we made that ride? There was plenty of time to reflect on this during the 1400 plus mile ride on a motorcycle, one way. Here is what surfaced:

We honored him for his family sake. We wanted to bring healing to his family. 

We honored him for the community's sake. As we rode through towns like Turner, Havre and Eastend, people standing and waving and holding flags brought the tears. The old farmers, not standing so erect but saluting as we passed with great pride. There was no doubt healing was being happening by honoring this war hero. 

We honored him for the nations sake. It just kept surfacing during the ride inside my soul. Lord bring healing to our nation of men and women who feel forgotten due to the political and social environment of days gone by. Lord bring healing to a nation of men and women who grieve because they feel their loved one that was killed or wounded or is MIA and has been forgotten. 

Then it rose up inside of me: Lord what if we honored you as you deserve? Seeing we live in a religious system that allows people to 'yell' at God; curse His holy name; mix Him up with 'strange gods'; give Him part of our life rather than fully commit to Him; etc. In my journey over the past twenty years there has been so much come from within due to a simple move, "I HONOR GOD". I honor God because He is God, creator, redeemer, sustainer, and life giver. God was a partner in my creation, Jeremiah states that while I was being formed in my mothers womb, He was putting my inward parts together. What more does He need to do for me? He has done it all! 

If we truly honored Him rather than giving Him 'lip service', 

Could we bring healing to families that are confused and feel 'overlooked and ignored', Mt 25:38-40 MSG? 

Could we bring healing to communities that are being filled with strange gods and are living in a state of apostasy? 

Could we possibly be so bold to believe we could bring healing and hope to a nation that is like a ship without a rudder in the middle of an ocean during a storm? 

How about it, join me in the decision I made on Hoka Hey Motorcycle to "Honor" God to new levels? Let's see what God will do then! 

Oh, let us save our 'yelling' for the times we need to "YELL FOR GOD"! Remember Peter drowning in the lake, He yelled out and the Lord saved him. What about the blind man Bartimaeus? What about the lepers?  

PFC Lawrence Gordon

MIA (Missing In Action), PFC Lawrence Gordon is finally laid to rest, seventy years after his death to the day. Fifty three men and women, almost all from Run For The Wall family mounted their iron horses before the sun came up, 5:30 am in Havre, MT and rode into the darkness to the Canadian border. After a lengthy delay to get into the country, rode to a hill just outside Eastend Canada awaiting the arrival of the hurst carrying the remains of a hero long forgotten.

PFC Gordon, born in Canada but fought for the USA during WWII, was killed and his body was lost in the confusion of war and a multitude of bodies so badly burned and/ or dismantled that identification was not properly done. The USA government had told the family he was identified and properly buried. However, when his namesake nephew went to view the grave, it could not be found. When the government of the USA would not make the proper effort to find what had happened to him, the nephew began the costly and grueling journey to find his uncle. With a lot of assistance from others, a willing French government and determined heart, DNA was done earlier this year to prove the remains of PFC Gordon were positively identified.

Mission:M25 had six riders present, Bo & Debbie Pearson, Alan Atkins, Jerry Plent, Gary and Carolyn Burd all joining in the ride to bring closure to this family. Bishop for the IPHC in Canada Gordon McDonald was present upon the arrival at the community center where the funeral service was held. 

People have asked, 'why is it so important to find the remains to a family?'. If you could have seen the relief and listened to the comments of the family, as they laid to rest their uncle, cousin, etc. you would understand. As Gary Burd was praying the final prayer before the dinner that night he thanked the Lord for allowing the riders to have a small part in bringing peace to the family. He noted the fact the Lord never lost sight of PFC Gordon because the Bible states a sparrow can fall and God notices, how much more would He do for a young soldier boy, however, now the family knows where the remains have fallen. 

The feelings cannot be expressed as you ride a motorcycle with that roaring engine beneath you and you hear on the CB Radio, 'folks, this is the parade PFC Lawrence Gordon never received, let's do it right'. You turn the throttle, take your position in the formation and begin to wave at the people standing on the side of the road. As the hurst pulls down the stretch, you know you have truly ridden for those that can't, brought honor to his sacrifice, healing to his family and an awareness of the sacrifice that was paid that people might be free and a wrong might be righted.