The Texas 4000 team made a stop in Vicksburg Friday night on Day 14 of their bicycle journey from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska to raise awareness for the fight against cancer.

The group rested for the night at the Church of the Holy Trinity Episcopal, where they were given a place to sleep for the night. The church provided the cyclists with dinner as soon as they got to the church after taking showers at the local YMCA.

The opportunity to be taken in by the people of Vicksburg for the night is something they’re thankful for.

“Words can’t express how thankful we are for the help we are getting from every city and town that we stop in,” Zach Silvas, cyclist and graduate from the University if Texas said.

The Ozarks route group of the Texas 4000 was coming from Brookhaven before making the stop in Vicksburg. Many of the cyclists did admit that the hills and valleys of Mississippi did provide a challenge for the cyclists, but at the same time, it pushed them harder.

“They definitely made us think about who we ride for and why we really do this,” Christina Pai, cyclist and senior nursing major at the University of Texas said of the challenges Mississippi provided on the route.

As a non-profit organization, it’s a challenge to find a place to stay every night for the Texas 4000. They look for the kindness of others to give them shelter. The Church of the Trinity Episcopal welcomed the group with open arms and took their mission to heart.

“What they’re riding for and the challenges they face every day is simply amazing,” Bill Longfellow, a member of the church said.

“It’s exciting to think that they’re doing something worth while. These young people are doing a great thing.”

For more information on the Texas 4000 and their mission, you can visit their website at www.texas4000.org.