I've had an intense week on the road. It began well with two English speaking towns settled by refugee West Indians (beautiful people) and I was excited to hear a Jaguar roaring from deep in the jungle as I walked. From there though I encountered racism on an intense level. Verbal abuse and even objects thrown from passing cars (I have the bruises to prove it). Two days ago though I truely walked through the Valley of Death. Out of the blue I felt God ask me if I wanted the stigmata (wounds of Christ). Not really sure what I was getting myself into I said yes. I had a 40km walk but I arrived at a town that didn't exist! So I pushed on to the next town 15km away and ran out of water and food on the way. When i arrived the same thing - the town had folded and no longer existed. It was now night. I could see the lights of what I thought was a town some 8km away so, tired, hungry and thirsty I pushed on into the darkness. When I arrived I found it was nothing more than a road works facility that was secured and teaming with guard dogs. I was so weak and exhausted but spent three hours trying to wave a car down but no one would stop. At 11pm I decided to continue walking. At midnight, on a secluded country road with 1m high dry grass along the side I suddenly realised I had a Puma stalking me in the grass. I flashed my light onto him and blew my high-pitch whistle as loud as I could but he kept creeping closer. I was more scared than can be described. I had my walking poles ready to fight and every hair on my body was on end. He kept creeping closer thorugh the gass. Very slowly I started backing away, still blowing the whistle as loudly as I could (almost deafend myself). Eventually he stopped and layed low in the grass giving me the oppurtunity to painfully walk the few kilometres back to the road works facility. I tried to get a lift until 3am but no one would help. After 66km, exhausted, dehydrated, starving and scared out of my wits I fell asleep on the side of the road next to the guard dogs. Welcome to the wounds of Christ - Complete physical pain, complete mental anguish and complete abandonment. How was your Ash Wednesday? There has never been a sweeter sunrise to wake up to. God bless and please pray hard!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Km88, Venezuela 13/2/2007
I've reached Km88 (a town) at the bottom of the Venezuelan Highlands. I walked across the most amazing National Park I've ever seen. It is a rolling savanha with rivers and waterfalls everywhere and it's surrounded by 2000 - 3000m high mountains that are almost vertical the whole way up and flat on top (this is the home off Angel Falls). The indigenous people still call it home and were very friendly and welcoming. The lack of banks since crossing the border though meant that I ran out of money and food today. I walked this morning for 5 hours up and down mountains before reaching a place where I could have breakfast. I prayed a rosary and foccused on the sorrowful mysteries... I've eaten like a horse since. A very big thankyou to everyone in Brazil who welcomed me and looked after me. A particularly big thankyou to the people of Patos for a very Brazillian Christmas! Still praying hard and walking to who know's where and smiling 'most' of the way. Have had some run-ins with Pentecostals who've accused me of not being Christian because I am Catholic and that I shouldn't be walking for unity as it already exists between Christians (it's just that I'm not one of them apparently). I've found this humbling, particularly as this is the exact reason I'm walking but there was no point in arguing so on I walk and on I pray. Peace be with you all!
Sam
ps: yes mum, I now have money and food :-)
Sam
ps: yes mum, I now have money and food :-)
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Injured on road to Eldorado 11/2/2007
Hello everyone!
After a marathon sprint across the Amazon Basin I have made it to Venezuela and walking again. I crossed the border yesterday on a 35km walk into the highlands where I have spent the day. Yesterday I was asked how old I was and I replied, "27". The person continued talking and then I stopped them and said, "No, it's my birthday today, I´m 28!" I celebrated with... a long walk.
I have an injury as the heading suggests. After a few thousand km through very dangerous places I have torn my glute (butt muscle) whilst getting into my hammock. How typical. And you may well ask, "How do you tare your glute getting into a hammock?!"And to you I say, "Don´t ask silly questions." The injury inhibates sleep and sitting but I'm still fine to walk thankfully.
I might take this oppurtunity to talk briefly about Unity of Christians in light of injuries. Firstly, I'll quickly list my injuries thus far over 28 years.
I've broken 15 bones, I've dislocated my shoulder several times, I've had two shoulder reconstructions, two ankle reconstructions, 7 stitches in my finger, 3 in my eye-brow, skinned my foot in a bike wheel, I've had Pneumonia twice, was asthmatic as a child, have been biten by a snake and once upon a time tore my left glute whilst hopping into my hammock.
The point is this; all of those injuries have hurt and most of them would have stopped me form walking around the world, if not at least made it very uncomfortable. Yet despite all these injuries, I am still able to walk around the world. Each injury was treated and allowed to heal. It requried humilty to slow down and allow healing to take plcae and it often hurt even more in attending to it (putting a dislocated shoulder back in is the classic case). So too with Christians, it requires humilty and patience to allow injuries to heal and more often than not it's the intial 'attending to' that hurts the most, but the consequences of not attending to hurts or injuries is far worse. Imagine if the doctor had discarded the part of my body that was injured because it no longer functioned as it should. I´d have one leg, no arms, a pretty warped looking torso and a very gummy smile. The Church is the Body of Chirst and the Body of Christ is broken. Please pray for unity and may we always approach unity with humilty and reverence!
And always be careful climbing into hammocks.
Peace, Sam.
After a marathon sprint across the Amazon Basin I have made it to Venezuela and walking again. I crossed the border yesterday on a 35km walk into the highlands where I have spent the day. Yesterday I was asked how old I was and I replied, "27". The person continued talking and then I stopped them and said, "No, it's my birthday today, I´m 28!" I celebrated with... a long walk.
I have an injury as the heading suggests. After a few thousand km through very dangerous places I have torn my glute (butt muscle) whilst getting into my hammock. How typical. And you may well ask, "How do you tare your glute getting into a hammock?!"And to you I say, "Don´t ask silly questions." The injury inhibates sleep and sitting but I'm still fine to walk thankfully.
I might take this oppurtunity to talk briefly about Unity of Christians in light of injuries. Firstly, I'll quickly list my injuries thus far over 28 years.
I've broken 15 bones, I've dislocated my shoulder several times, I've had two shoulder reconstructions, two ankle reconstructions, 7 stitches in my finger, 3 in my eye-brow, skinned my foot in a bike wheel, I've had Pneumonia twice, was asthmatic as a child, have been biten by a snake and once upon a time tore my left glute whilst hopping into my hammock.
The point is this; all of those injuries have hurt and most of them would have stopped me form walking around the world, if not at least made it very uncomfortable. Yet despite all these injuries, I am still able to walk around the world. Each injury was treated and allowed to heal. It requried humilty to slow down and allow healing to take plcae and it often hurt even more in attending to it (putting a dislocated shoulder back in is the classic case). So too with Christians, it requires humilty and patience to allow injuries to heal and more often than not it's the intial 'attending to' that hurts the most, but the consequences of not attending to hurts or injuries is far worse. Imagine if the doctor had discarded the part of my body that was injured because it no longer functioned as it should. I´d have one leg, no arms, a pretty warped looking torso and a very gummy smile. The Church is the Body of Chirst and the Body of Christ is broken. Please pray for unity and may we always approach unity with humilty and reverence!
And always be careful climbing into hammocks.
Peace, Sam.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Sam in Santarem (Brazil) 4/2/2007
Hello and welcome to the first web blog!
Thankyou particulary to Pete Gilmore and Kristen Toohey for making this possible.
I'm well and preparing for the long boat ride up the Amazon River to Manaus and Boa Vista. It will take about 5 to 6 days on the boat non-stop so I'm preparing for a lot of prayer, reading and of course singing (amazing how I never tire of U2). I've made it to Santarem from Maraba over 5 days through the Amazon Basin. It has been very distressing seeing the distruction of the jungle - I travelled 600kms through the Amazon basin before I even saw any... It has been very sad seeing smoldering piles of timber. On the flip side, I have been blessed incredibly in my travels and am tired just thinking of the past 5 days! I've discovered the best way across the amazon goes someting like this;
From Maraba, 5km on a motorbike with a Military Officer, then 50km in a minivan bus for free (organised by the military officer - he had a gun, the driver wasn't going to argue...), 3km on foot, 20km in a Cattle Truck, 0km at the Cattle Truck drivers local bar with his workmen for 30min while they talk about how Panthers attack you and kill you, 5km on foot (through Panther territory, praying your heart out), 15km in the back of a ute, sleep the night in your hammock in a solitary farm house at the bottom of a valley with no road in or out, 100km in a Petrol Tanker at sunrise, 300km in a bus (which will get bogged a number of times and you'll have to push), sleep the night in a hotel, 4km on foot in the wrong direction courtesy of locals advise..., 3km on foot in the right direction, 1km in the back of a Ute, 2km in a Horse Truck, 30km in the back of a ute with two chatty boys, 50km in a combi van with 12 other people (!!), attend a 63rd birthday party and then sleep at the Padre's house, 7km on foot, 40km on the back of an empty Semi Trailer (you'll have to apologise to your mother for doing something this silly...), 50m on foot, 5km on a motorbike with a farmer, 3km on foot, 45km in a Ute with a travelling lotto salesmen, attend an Assembly of God service and invite the congregation to pray for unity, sleep the night at an english speaking member of that church who owns his own sawmill and a spectacularly designed house next door, 200km with his mate in a 2wd ute through the Amazon jungle along a bush track that resembles pretty much anything other than a road, arrive in Santarem, Thank God for an incredible trip and go to sleep.
Ok, you get all that? Of course, you could take the 20hr bus ride, but where's the fun in that. I'm very gald to be here. The 200km trip through the jungle was insane. Very slippery, wet, overgrown and overflowing with wildlife. The dirver of the ute managed to do a full 180 degree spin on the clay track that was no more than 4m wide and no part of the ute touched the vegetation. I was thoughrouly impressed! I have met two young guys from Poland here in Santarem and we went to mass together and had a meal and drink afterwards. Very nice to spend some 'down time' with them.
I begin walking again from Boa Vista in northern Brazil in about 10 days time. Please remember to pray for the unity of Christians and please keep me in your prayers also!
In Chirst,
Sam.
Thankyou particulary to Pete Gilmore and Kristen Toohey for making this possible.
I'm well and preparing for the long boat ride up the Amazon River to Manaus and Boa Vista. It will take about 5 to 6 days on the boat non-stop so I'm preparing for a lot of prayer, reading and of course singing (amazing how I never tire of U2). I've made it to Santarem from Maraba over 5 days through the Amazon Basin. It has been very distressing seeing the distruction of the jungle - I travelled 600kms through the Amazon basin before I even saw any... It has been very sad seeing smoldering piles of timber. On the flip side, I have been blessed incredibly in my travels and am tired just thinking of the past 5 days! I've discovered the best way across the amazon goes someting like this;
From Maraba, 5km on a motorbike with a Military Officer, then 50km in a minivan bus for free (organised by the military officer - he had a gun, the driver wasn't going to argue...), 3km on foot, 20km in a Cattle Truck, 0km at the Cattle Truck drivers local bar with his workmen for 30min while they talk about how Panthers attack you and kill you, 5km on foot (through Panther territory, praying your heart out), 15km in the back of a ute, sleep the night in your hammock in a solitary farm house at the bottom of a valley with no road in or out, 100km in a Petrol Tanker at sunrise, 300km in a bus (which will get bogged a number of times and you'll have to push), sleep the night in a hotel, 4km on foot in the wrong direction courtesy of locals advise..., 3km on foot in the right direction, 1km in the back of a Ute, 2km in a Horse Truck, 30km in the back of a ute with two chatty boys, 50km in a combi van with 12 other people (!!), attend a 63rd birthday party and then sleep at the Padre's house, 7km on foot, 40km on the back of an empty Semi Trailer (you'll have to apologise to your mother for doing something this silly...), 50m on foot, 5km on a motorbike with a farmer, 3km on foot, 45km in a Ute with a travelling lotto salesmen, attend an Assembly of God service and invite the congregation to pray for unity, sleep the night at an english speaking member of that church who owns his own sawmill and a spectacularly designed house next door, 200km with his mate in a 2wd ute through the Amazon jungle along a bush track that resembles pretty much anything other than a road, arrive in Santarem, Thank God for an incredible trip and go to sleep.
Ok, you get all that? Of course, you could take the 20hr bus ride, but where's the fun in that. I'm very gald to be here. The 200km trip through the jungle was insane. Very slippery, wet, overgrown and overflowing with wildlife. The dirver of the ute managed to do a full 180 degree spin on the clay track that was no more than 4m wide and no part of the ute touched the vegetation. I was thoughrouly impressed! I have met two young guys from Poland here in Santarem and we went to mass together and had a meal and drink afterwards. Very nice to spend some 'down time' with them.
I begin walking again from Boa Vista in northern Brazil in about 10 days time. Please remember to pray for the unity of Christians and please keep me in your prayers also!
In Chirst,
Sam.
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