By Tom Sheltraw
Almost one year ago to date, I joined a local Hog Chapter and started riding again after a 15-year break. From November 1, 2021 through the end of the year, I started making a good pace for riding and rode about 5000 miles.
I remember when I first joined the chapter, I heard about people going to Sturgis, so I decided to look up how many miles to get there. It was over 1300 miles, and I remember thinking to myself, “There is no way I would ride that far on my motorcycle.” Fast forward about 10 months later, and not only did I go to Sturgis, but we also did a 4700-mile journey there and back. I guess I’ve come a long way!
This year, I’m happy to report that I’ve picked up the pace a bit and I’m currently sitting at about 38,000 miles this year alone. I’d say that I’ve come a long way from my first scare of a 1300-mile trip. I guess once you start getting out there to see America the beautiful, it starts inspiring you to ride more.
When I started asking people about their trip to Sturgis, I received all sorts of positive and negative comments. I was expecting that the city might be something like Sodom and Gomorrah and girls would be walking around topless and people would be doing, God knows what there. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I got there but I was told not to bring my daughter :-) I decided that I would go and use my blinders to keep me focused on my real mission…ministering to other bikers who need Christ.
Surprisingly, when I got there, it wasn’t as bad as everyone was describing, although there were a few pretty crazy people walking around at times. They were half dressed, wearing some crazy outfits. Fortunately, there was no outright nudity or some of the crazy things I was warned about.
My wife was also concerned about my going there because of some of the stories she heard. I told her, “Honey, I am going there to represent the Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry and I will be ministering to people there.” Although she was a little bit reluctant to my going, she gave me her blessing.
I ended up riding there with three of my road captains from the Hog Chapter. Although these guys weren’t Christians, they definitely were some pretty cool guys that I got along with very well. Lord has been especially putting one of those men on my heart to be a godly example to and I was curious to see what God would do with my time riding with them.
Our trip in whole was a total of 12 days and we set out for the trip of a lifetime. We spent four days riding the long route to Sturgis, five days in Sturgis, and we pushed three days to get home. We ended up renting a house about a half a mile from downtown Sturgis. Although we went downtown every evening, we spent the days riding and seeing the sights around South Dakota.
One of the things I noticed about the town was that the Hells Angels had a pretty big presence there and you saw plenty of them walking around with their cuts on. Although the 1% Motorcycle Clubs may have a reputation, I found that if you were nice and respectful to them, they would reciprocate. I was told before we got there that no one would be wearing their cuts, however, I decided to wear my Black Sheep cut because I noticed there were other ministries there, and they were wearing their cuts. As you walked up and down the streets lined with motorcycles as far as the eye can see, the people walking on the streets were actually very courteous to one another. Respect from everyone seem to be present everywhere we went.
It is definitely a sight to see as you roam around town, there were bikes everywhere. Although I was told that you could not find a parking spot in town, that was not true. If you rode up and down the strip, there was always someone that was pulling out which would leave a spot to park. Yes, you definitely wouldn’t be parking next to whoever you came with because it was pretty packed, but there is definitely room for a bike here or there. I believe it was reported that there were approximately 500,000 bikers that showed up for the event.
I spent a couple days hanging out with the Hellfighters. Hellfighters is a Christian Motorcycle Ministry that target other motorcycle riders. Almost daily, the HellFighters would drag three large crosses down the main strip and occasionally stop and push up the crosses. One of the guys would give a short one-to-two-minute evangelical message and then they would move onto the next area. It was a pretty powerful sight to witness, and it definitely drew a crowd.
On day four, the Hellfighters purchased gas on three pumps and gave out free gas to hundreds of motorcyclists. As they would pump gas for people, they would share about the ministry and then pray over them before they left. It was amazing site to watch for two hours straight as they pumped gas and prayed over everyone.
Although the town was pretty tame on the streets, there was definitely some bars that were filled with dancing women and more provocative and wonton lifestyle. Obviously, I chose not to partake in entering some of those establishments. As I walked through the town during some of the days and every evening, it definitely reminded me of life in general. We definitely have the power to choose where we go, who we talk to, and have the ability to stay away from temptation. We have the choice to stay on the path and enjoy the good things in life. We can look for opportunities to minister to people and enjoy the good things in life that God has put before us to enjoy. We also have the opportunity to walk into places that might cause us to stumble. It is our choice, and we can choose to not step into sin.
There were plenty of shops to go into that had knives, jewelry, and other super cool items. although it was easy to get distracted with the cool things on the strip, I constantly had to remind myself to look for people in need, people hurting, and people that might need prayer. It is amazing how many needs you will see if you are spiritually tuned to looking for them.
With regards to the guys that I went with, I definitely took some time to get to know them and have them share about their life. Although I didn’t present hard. I think the most important thing when riding with non-Christians, is just being present and letting them see the Christ inside of you. The Holy Spirit will do His work and His time. I know many people think that we have to be actively preaching the gospel to people. I think the most important part in ministering to others is living your life in such a way that you cause other people to ask, “Why are you so different?” How do you have so much peace and joy in your life when things don’t always go well?”
I believe there’s much power when Christians are the living example of the gospel.
Overall, we had an amazing trip, and I am looking forward to the 83rd Sturgis rally in 2023.