If you take interest in the supernatural, you should take a few minutes to read this. So many ‘random’ things came together we felt obligated to start following it.
Miraculous Connections Beyond Coincidence
In this fallen world often marked by chaos and uncertainty, there are moments that shine through like beacons of hope, revealing an intricate tapestry of details proving the continual involvement of a loving and redeeming God in our lives. Such is the case here, signs of hope, signs of revival… In 2024, just two days before Tilson & Melodi’s 50th Wedding Anniversary, Branden stumbled upon what his dad Tilson wrote about Evel Knievel nine months earlier—Evel Knievel getting baptized in 2007 (if you’re just landing on this page & don’t know, Evel Knievel being the world’s pioneer motorcycle daredevil, Tilson Shumate the World Wheelie Champion). Evel Knievel and Tilson Shumate met in 1984 when Knievel heard of Tilson Shumate, found his number in an old school phone book, then called him up. Tilson’s son Branden Shumate answered the phone. [Link to Fun Facts] While reading (2024), Branden realized that both Evel Knievel’s baptism and Tilson & Melodi’s Anniversary are on the same day, April 20th. The Dare Devil / Wheelie Champion connection got Branden’s attention to read what Tilson wrote a little closer—that Tilson believes the unexpected and shocking return of his original CAGIVA wheelie dirtblke in 2022 (almost forty years after modifying it & breaking records on it) is a sign of miraculous new beginnings POINTING TO REVIVAL, that God seems to be “putting a light on a renewed ‘Jesus Movement’ (1969 – 1971), and somehow using motorcycles to do it.” Tilson also wrote that his wheelies were originally inspired by Evel Knievel.
About an hour after reading what Tilson had wrote, Branden came across a 2015 motorcycle article by Kirby Garlitos which seems to have foretold not only the miraculous return of Tilson’s 1980’s CAGIVA wheelie bike in 2022, but also strangely parallels the timing of major challenges to the CAGIVA brand, with the timing of major challenges Branden and his immediate family continue to face. But Kirby has never met anyone from the Heaven’s Wheelie team, and the miraculous return/discovery of Tilson’s CAGIVA wheelie blke didn’t even occur until SEVEN YEARS AFTER Kirby’s article! Kirby even titled his article: “IS MV AUGUSTA BRINGING BACK CAGIVA?” Kirby wrote that, “Giorgio Girreli has addressed rumors that his company was interested in bringing back another ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE BRAND, namely, CAGIVA.”
Struck with wonder, Branden saw that Kirby went on to write “IT MAY POINT TO THE DIRECTION OF A REVIVAL HAPPENING AT SOME POINT,” and that Kirby’s “Dreaming of the return of CAGIVA.” That’s Kirby writing seven years before Tilson’s CAGIVA wheelie bike ACTUALLY DID reemerge! The indication of a coming spiritual revival (even revolution) is seen in the parallel between the onset of CAGIVA brand revival, the emergence of Tilson’s CAGIVA wheelie bike, Kirby’s unknowingly prophetic article, the Dare Devil / Wheelie Champ Anniversary / Baptism / Jesus Movement connection, and a scary amount of confirming details that continue to happen around that. Then Kirby makes an unknowing parallel with how Branden and his immediate family’s situation took a turn for the worst in 2012—the treachery still ongoing in 2024—yet all this seemingly a divine oracle against it. Kirby wrote, “Why it matters — Back when it was still around, CAGIVA enjoyed a fruitful 60 or so years before things took a turn for the worst in 2012.” What the heck!? Kirby said, “Recent proclamations involving a return of the CAGIVA brand has made me hopeful that such a day would arrive.” Nine years ago Kirby wrote, “It won’t happen soon, that much I understand, but HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL from where I come from.” Motorcycles and the supernatural? Kirby also said, “a lot of things would have to happen for that to be a reality.” Yeah, you mean the shocking return of Tilson’s 1980’s record setting CAGIVA wheelie bike back in his life 7 years AFTER you wrote this? Kirby wrote that it, “comes with the risk of trying to revive an old motorcycle brand (CAGIVA) when the company (MV Augusta) that’s thinking of doing it has its own set of problems and issues to deal with.” Sounds a lot like the struggle to ride out that ongoing treachery (that began in 2012) and onto victory against all odds, while setting some new wheelie records!
GOOD FRIDAY CATERPILLAR CHEWS UP DOUBTS OF FLYING!
monarch butterfly migration
Caterpillar tractors that is, ground breaking machines, and reference it appears to the divine transformation a caterpillar undergoes to fly. Take what you just read and add this — a series of seemly random encounters with the iconic tractor company that UNBELIEVABLY connect to Cagiva, Tilson, and the Heaven’s Wheelie team, while again affirming the coming of a profound spiritual revival!!!!
On two separate occasion about a week apart, while searching for photos for the miracles page [add LINK], Branden realized something hard to believe. Each moment of wonder took him back to a ‘random’ mention of the Caterpillar tractor company on Good Friday, March 29, 2024. An aspiring filmmaker presented the idea of a dirtbike documentary to Branden and mentioned ways that films sometimes end up gaining support. HE GAVE AN EXAMPLE WHERE A GUY HAPPENED TO BE WEARING A CATERPILLAR TRACTOR HAT (clearly displaying the “CAT” logo) IN ONE OF HIS INTERVIEWS, and that type of advert can lead to a company suddenly taking interest in a project depending on the content. So, about a week later, Branden was looking through printed photos to find the picture of Tilson standing on stage in front of his 1980’s Cagiva wheelie dirtblke that miraculously resurfaced in December 2022. The photo was taken at the CAGIVA wheelie blke reveal held about a week after New Year’s Day, 2023. Finding and studying the photo, Branden froze with surprise realizing that IT WAS A CATERPILLAR TRACTOR HAT TILSON WAS WEARING WHILE STANDING ON STAGE WITH THE EMERGED CAGIVA wheelie bike (the hat clearly displaying the “CAT LOGO”).
The connection of this to what Branden heard on GOOD FRIDAY reminded him of a dream he wrote down about two months earlier: “I was standing besides a group of white tractors and excavators that quickly zoomed off together to do something really good as soon as I took one step back. The tractors were full of life looking at me almost shaking for the signal to zoom off to do exactly what they wanted and needed to do. I took that step back and the tractors zoomed off!”
A week later yet another string of remarkable events. Basically the Heaven’s Wheelie team was divinely delayed in using the next photo they needed — and that delay held a spot for the right photo that ended up coming at the “perfect time.” The Perfect Time: Here’s how that went. A picture of both Tilson and Melodi was needed for the miracles page. A good one was found that could work, but nobody liked the hat Tilson was wearing 🙂 because it was smashed down on the top (this wasn’t the CAT hat). Then when they went to use it anyways (because they couldn’t find a better recent photo), they couldn’t find the digital file of the print. So Tilson and Melodi were asked one last time if they could find any recent photos of themselves. The morning before their April 20th Anniversary, there it was, Branden opened to a photo of Tilson UNKNOWINGLY wearing the same CAT hat he wore over a year ago at the CAGIVA wheelie bike reveal event.
When told, Tilson said he hardly wears it, apparently only on very special occasions! The photo is of Tilson & Melodi sitting in a crafts & coffee shop on their 50th anniversary get-away. A divine spot was held by the wrong hat for the right hat! As soon as he wrote, “…a new picture of Tilson and Melodi came in,” a female officer walked up to the door next to Branden and then only said, “Perfect Timing,” then walked off! A couple days later, Tilson told Branden that out of nowhere a woman during their Anniversary getaway shouted out “La Mirada!” which is where Tilson built his CAGIVA in 1983! Tilson was surprised saying he can’t ever remember a time where that’s happened. Not only that, they were up in a quaint village, hardly anyone around! Raising the “whoa” factor even further, Tilson & Branden find out the “Perfect Timing” and “La Mirada” occurrences were ‘randomly’ heard on the same day, and both at lunch time!
After all this, Branden begins to pray on his knees thanking God asking Him what to do about all this. A knock at the door interrupts the prayer, it’s a one page delivery, a print of the picture of Tilson UNKNOWINGLY wearing his CAT hat sitting with Melodi on their 50th getaway! Branden had ordered the print, but they can take months to arrive if ever, not this one! Do we really need more? Same day Branden looks out the window and sees the 2004 movie “Taxi” is on TV, toward the end. The scene shows the Winston Cup oval track races. The stadium is packed, tons of RVs, and there it is, a huge CAT Logo! Now does this take the cake? Remember Kirby’s prophetic article from 2015? (linked above) Well that same night Branden read it, there was another miraculous and seemingly prophetic article, this one from Australia Motorcycle News 2022, its title: The CAGIVA Elephant In The Room (reporting on efforts to “resurrect” the CAGIVA brand)! The kicker? It’s the metaphor written into the section, “The Secret Weapon.” “The Secret Weapon” reference is about modifying a Ducati / Cagiva Dirtblke engine for more torque (Cagiva used to own Ducati). If you can even believe it, “The Secret Weapon” metaphor spelled out is ”LIKE A CATERPILLAR TRACTOR.”
Not only that, this metaphor, “LIKE A CATERPILLAR TRACTOR” was ALREADY WRITTEN IN QUOTES! If you don’t believe it, you can read the article yourself by clicking HERE.
IT’S A “SIGN”
A loud and clear SIGN that is. This is getting wild! On the evening of May 7, 2024, Branden talked to Mark Nohr for the first time in twelve years. Mark has been a close friend of Tilson’s since around the 7th Grade. They raced dirtblkes and wheelied together for a long time. After reminiscing a bit, Branden told Mark about the miraculous connections occurring left and right, that he just won’t believe it. He told Mark it wouldn’t do justice trying to explain it much, but he’d get him the story once he figured out how to write it out. While Branden was sharing this, Mark interrupted saying, “YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS.” Mark was shocked to explain that on May 4, 2024, HIS NEIGHBOR SUE DROPPED BY RANDOMLY AND GAVE HIM A CATERPILLAR SIGN!!!!!!!!!! Sue’s ex-husband had died and so Sue thought to bring Mark some things Mark would like. Mark sounded happy as could be, but for just a second he sounded distant as if met with an awareness this is something from Heaven, something much bigger than us, in God’s hands. Natasha of the Heaven’s Wheelie team snapped this next picture at an Irwindale car show on May 10, 2024.
“I’ve never seen a guy decked out in CAT gear like this, matching yellow shoes and all!!! What’s going on Here!” (laughing)…
Soon after the Caterpillar “Sign” showed up to Mark’s house, a guy read the story above. When he went to breakfast the next morning his friend showed up with a CAT hat on! Of course the guy with the hat didn’t understand the reaction it got, at first!
Worth noting, much of this was going on during a super rare solar flare event that pushed Northern Lights into the United States as far down as Texas and other more southern states (see Romans 1:20). Nevertheless, we look forward to what else the King of kings may have in store. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of supporting our efforts to inspire communities through wheelies, we need new equipment, which is not cheap. And then once we get the equipment, it has to undergo significant modification. Click here to support.
