No Food + No Water + No Room = No Worries (-11days)

This past week I've headed further north to the 'Pan Handle' of northern Texas where the land is flat & the roads are long & straight. There are cotton fields everywhere & they stretch for miles in every direction. This is also home to the world's largest rattle snake population though to date I'm yet to see one! Mind you, I did step within a foot of a 5ft bull snake... close enough. I left Junction City last Monday morning & walked up to Menard & then further afield to a town called Eden. In Eden I stopped at the town library & met a lovely elderly woman called Ivy who was very welcoming & invited me to stay with her & her husband on their small farm just out of town. It was just like staying with my grandparents! It was great. They fussed over me & didn't stop talking the whole time. I just wish they'd waited until the other had stopped talking before beginning a new conversation. I had to keep on my toes! After dinner we stepped outside & Ivy walked me through the northern hemisphere astronomy, star by star, & so now I actually know what I'm looking at as I trundle along in the twilight hours. They sent me on my way the next morning with freshly washed clothes, a bag full of food & a request for notification upon completing the walk. I headed on towards the town of Paint Rock & was filled with anticipation as a close friend from Australia was flying into Housten & driving up to visit me on the road for a couple of days. He was also bringing with him new socks (see the old pair in the photos to the right) & a new book to chew through. I spent the entire day looking over my shoulder wondering how much longer it would be until he pulled up alongside me but as it was, I arrived at Paint Rock well ahead of him. There was only one store so I bought a lot of food & waited... & waited. By night fall I was concerned as to where he was but with no phone in this small country town I had no way to contact him. A kind local allowed me to use their internet & at 9:30pm we finally made contact - after 6months of planning we'd stuffed up big time with our communication (where I was exactly) & he wasn't going to be able to make it. It was very disappointing. I trudged down through the darkness to the Paint Rock picnic ground to set up my hammock. The picnic area was spider infested & dark & because of my not-so-good mood I packed my bag up & hit the road to walk through to the next hotel some 30km away. I marched the whole way there without taking a single stop & roled into the hotel at 2am. Time to sleep. The next day I was still 'not pleased' with not having seen Damian but I at least had the rest of the day to slow down as I was already at 'todays' destination. Later that day I met Fr Wade & Fr Bob, two ex-servicemen who had given their lives to the church & their hospitality was extremely 'blokey' & relaxed but always Christ-centred. I loved it. Holy has never looked so real :-) I made my way further north from there to a town called Wingate. I'd only walked a kilometre though when a Sheriff's car pulled up behind me & I was asked to explain myself. Apparently someone had seen me (a stranger) walking down to the road & so... rang the police. I was free to continue but it wasn't the last I'd see of the sheriff's department for the day. 7miles out from Wingate I ran out of water & so stopped at a farm house alongside the road & rang the door bell. There was no answer so I continued on but 15min later another Sheriff's car was behind wanting to know why I was ringing someone's doorbell. I explained & the sheriff laughed. He then threw me a bottle of water. Thankyou! Wingate was a lot quieter than I had hoped for. In fact the grocery store, cafe, bank & post office had all closed down leaving only... a cotton storage shed. As it was already the evening twilight I decided to hitch a lift to a town some 20km away to get food & water & then return to put my hammock up, but after standing on the edge of the road for a minute I decided to swallow my pride & just knock on someone's door. I walked right to the edge of town until I saw the very last house, which looked 'welcoming'. I knocked & enquired of the elderly gentleman if it would be ok if I strung my hammock up in his front yard for the night. He was more than happy for me to do so & even helped me put it up. I was then invited inside the house of Mr & Mrs Poehls who shouted me a Dr Pepper & some smoked venison. I still had few muslie bars in my bag as well so they made up the rest of dinner. After a lengthy & animated chat with the Poehls I nestled into my hammock underneath the Texas stars. Their guard dog came over for a visit so I threw him some smoked venison that I still had & all of a sudden I was his new best friend. So much so that he slept beside me for the night & snored the whole way. Ocaisionally he'd wake up & poke his head up over my hammock, resting his head on my belly, & moan, presumably wanting more venison? Then he'd rest back on the ground & continue snoring. By 5:30am I was ready to hit the road again. The guard dog trotted down the road with me for a good distance but we finally parted company & I was going solo once more. With a full container of water but only a tiny amount of food it was an intersting walk to Sweetwater. I trusted God that he wouldn't leave me hanging & simply walked on. As the sun rose I found myself walking & praying through the largest wind generation tower array I've ever seen. Wind turbines filled the landscape from east to west & up to the north. I was in complete awe of these massive turbines & most likely walked for 20km with my mouth open. Apparently it's the world's largest array. I ran out of food & water at around 12pm & I was in the middle of nowhere. I stopped at an intersection & looked down the roads wondering where they led to. A fellow drove up beside me & asked me if I needed help. I explained my situation & he offered to drive me to a remote restaraunt set up for the wind turbine workers & then to return me to the intersection to continue walking. Mr Dale Finch drove me 4miles to an outpost town called Nolan where he bought me lunch, organised for someone to take me back to the intersection & then headed on his way. Lunch was great & then the owner came & gave me the money Dale had used to pay for the meal. I got to chat with all the locals there about what I was doing & Mary (the towns 'grandmother') was very passionate about praying for unity. A farmer drove me back to the road & I continued on into Sweetwater feeling very blessed from my unplanned trip to Nolan. Yesterday I moved on to a town called Hermleigh, where there was nowhere to sleep once again & so I perched myself up in the football stadium & slept there. It was uncomfortable. Oh, and I couldn't find the stadium in the dark to begin with so I asked a fellow who was sitting up on the back of his truck if he knew where it was. He just sat there & didn't reply. Turns out 'he' was a gas cylinder - no wonder he was tight lipped... Oh well, can't win them all. Today I am in Snyder & after arriving just in time for mass, I've been invited to spend the afternoon & evening with parishoners Scotty, Wendy & family. I am exceptinonally sore from pushing to make up for the extra 15 days (now at 11) but the hospitality of the Texans & constant prayer are keeping me motivated. The weather has been cooler than normal (high 20's) & with autumn setting in it's finally becoming a tadmore comfortable day in day out. Plese pray for me & particularly for Christian unity. 4:01. God bless, Sam.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1

Pushing the limits, toilet comfort & wilder beast (-13days)

Hello everyone & welcome to the weekly update! I'm in Junction City in central Texas after a limit pushing 166km in the past 3 days. The crossing from Uvalde to Junction was scheduled to take 5days but I pushed through in 3days in order to bring the 'days behind' back to 13 (in order to cross the USA/Canada broder on time - please see last blog entry). Trekking over 50kms each day hurt but the solitude & scenery was quite something else. I began in Uvalde after being hosted by 3 Terese of Avilla sisters whose hospitality & youthfullness was infectious. As I headed out of town I stopped into a grocery store to pick up my 24hrs worth of supplies & happened to run into a lady by the name of Betty Fitzgerald. Betty had seen me walking the day before & so enquired about the mission. As quick as a flash she was on the phone & within a few minutes the local newspaper was on the spot to report on the Aussie passing through. Betty was lovely & after the interview set me on my way with a first aid pack with lots of little goodies such as a new razor, deoderant, shaving cream & face washer. Once on the road I had a pleasant walk through green sprawling farms until I came to something that is a bit of a hidden jewel in the Texas landscape - The Hill Country. I couldn't believe it; the farms & ranches gave way very suddenly to an abrupt hill range that was covered in elms, oaks & silver birches. The rivers were flowing fast & clear & the air was crisp. By 9:30pm I finally made it to Garner State Park where I'd been told I could hire a cabin for the night. Unfortunately I arrived after closing time & so there was no one to be found anywhere. With a wild boar looking on from within the forest off to the side I wasn't too keen to set my hammock up & so I searched & found the only cabin with an ensuit... well, most people would call it the public toilet, but beggars can't be choosers! It sounds worse than it actually was. The State Park office had a disabled toilet ajoining it & it was spacious, very clean & air conditioned! I set my survival bag (glorified plastic bag) down on the floor, filled it with my clothes & placed my sleeping bag on top. I locked the door & slept uncomfortably, but safely, for the night. I wasn't able to turn the air conditioner off but it was simply a matter of reaching up & tapping the hand dryer & I'd get a blast of warm air when needed... Anyway, I hit the road at 6am, making sure I was away before anyone discovered me. Under the very watchful eyes of that wild boar I left the State Park & headed north along I83 & past by a few more wild boar before sunrise. I arrived in Leakey in time for breakfast & discovered from the locals that in fact those hills contain more than just wild boar - mountain lions, black panthers, bears & squirrels. You really have to watch out for those squirrels. Nasty temper :-) So in the end I was happy to have only seen the wild boars. From there I headed into no man's land up even higher, following some magnificent mountain streams until I was walking along the plateau through ranches that are used for exoctic hunting. At 8:30pm I made it to the one & only shop on the 99km stretch between Leakey & Junction to find it closed. All I had was two muesli bars so dinner wasn't looking promising. I found a place to hang my hammock on the shop's verandah but thought I'd better ask for permission first. I found the owners home (the only house for 99km, wasn't difficult) & thank the Lord, he was a straight down the line, Texas gentleman with a beer in one hand & remote control in the other. "You want to sleep at the store? Sure! No worries. Hang on a minute & I'll grab my keys & open the sotre up for you. You must have a sure big appetite!?" So to Vince at the Galvin Store, thank you! I ate well & I slept well in my hammock. Yesterday morning I finished the crossing with another painful 55km haul. I saw about 10 different species of deer but the show stopping moment was when I realised I was being watched from the bushes by 3 wilder beast. There was a huge fence between us so no threat or anything but I stopped & looked at these animals & wondered why on earth I was looking at an icon of Africa on a Texas ranch. A rancher happened to stop by just to say hello & so I asked him if they were in fact wilder beast, "Yes sir" he said, "and they got Giraffe & Zebras as well." As I walked on down the road trying to spot a zebra it did cross my mind that perhaps the ranch was owned by Michael Jackson... You never know. Over 55km yesterday I saw about 40 ranches & only 5 cows. Times have changed. I've checked into a small hotel here in Junction City & will continue north towards the Oklahoma/Colorado border tomorrow morning. It's three & a half weeks away but I hope to be there sooner. The folks here have been very supportive in praying for unity & often comment on how difficult they believe it would be for all Christians to unite in theology, however, they are very happy & humbled to pray for complete unity for God's glory. Please join in praying each day (particularly at 4:01) & I'll hopefully 'see' you all next week from the city of Sweetwater. God bless, Sam.
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, & with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." Ephesians 6:14-15

Farewell Nikki, Dislodged Hip, Border Security & the 15days

Sorry for the late entry! I normally have an entry up each Sunday however today is the 1st day since leaving Monterrey that I've found internet. To begin with, as the heading suggests, it is time to say farwell to Nikki Harris who is right now, comfortably sitting at home in Newcastle, Australia! Nikki had made the decision to head home a month ago due to financial reasons (no money) & the desire to further other missionary fields. I haven't said anything until now because Nikki wanted to suprise her family with her return & so we've kept it under wraps until now. It's incredible how fast those few months crossing Mexico went, even though it didn't feel fast at the time. I hope you've settled in well back home & are feeling rested Nik! Thankyou so much for your support, your prayers & for laughing at my jokes. It felt bizzare to walk that first day alone & I have to admit, a few times I did do a shoulder check to see how far back Nikki was... whoops. By the end of the day though I was back into the swing of making my own decisions & walking the beat solo. At the end of the 1st day I met 2 young guys who'd run out of petrol & after a long conversation they gave me a present - a Monterrey soccer shirt with it's major sponser, the local bread printed across the front - BIMBO! Straight to the pool room. I'd been having some back problems for the few days leading up & it wasn't until that night that I realised what the problem was. I checked out the sore part of my back in the mirror & found that my left hip was sticking out of my back by a good 2cm. I thought, "Oh, that's not good" & made plans to return to Monterrey to find a hospital. After 2 hospitals & many specialists they eventually concluded that an injury of this nature could only be caused by a serious accident & thus couldn't have been caused by me jarring my back those 3 or 4 days earlier. I tried to explain that my back as never had a hip bone sticking out of it but they discharged me none the less. That was 7days ago & it's still giving me a lot of pain but I'm walking so... I'll just learn to live with a 'hippy' back. I spent two days resting my hip in Monterrey with a group of young Missionaries before catching the bus to catch up on the lost days. Before I left though, not impressed with my new socer shirt, they gave me 2 more shirts of their favourite teams!! Anyone want to buy an authentic Mexican soccer shirt? I crossed the Mexican/USA border on Thursday but getting through Border Security was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. After a long wait at the counter they asked me to please come through to the back where they walked me into an interrigation room, conducted a body search & then proceeded to ask over an hour's worth of questions with 2 armed soldiers standing over me. At one point the interviewer left the room & waked back in fitting on blue rubber gloves. He gave the final glove a bit of flick on his wrist as he walked in & I didn't mean to, but I very loudly blurted out, "Oh no!" The guy looked at me a little confused & then said, "No, no, I need to search your bags." Wow, I don't know if I've ever been so releaved. In my bag I carry a note book & for those who don't know me, I write film scripts in my spare time & wouldn't you know it, I'd written notes in my notebook on a script I'd headed, "The Shot" & right next to it I'd penned some notes for another script, which involves people such as, let's say, George Bush... Now that took some explaining!! By the way, "The Shot" is a camera shot not a gun shot. Thankfully they believed me & eventually I had my passport stamped & I was free to pass. It was a confusing 90minutes. While getting my passport though something dawned on me that had not entered my often ditracted mind until that point - I have budgeted for 105 days to cross the USA & my visa is only for 90 days. So... the story now is that I have 90 days to cover 105days worth of walking. And I was looking forward to the USA! As a consequence I'm currently sitting 15days behind schedule & will need to rapidly make up those days before it's out of reach. My walk to here, Uvalde, 218km north of the border has been at a frantic pace but very blessed. My first night I walked into the night trying to make up lost time & at 10pm said to the Lord that, if it was ok, I'd walk up to 'that sign' about 1km ahead on a deserted country road & then need to rest. The sign wasn't anything special but at the base of it was a smaller sign with an arrow pointing down into a paddock. It read, "RV Park". I wondered what on earth an RV Park was but upon peering through the trees spotted some caravans & thought, "Oh! An RV Park... of course." (for those not from Australia, we call them caravan parks) So down I went, met the owners as they were locking up & secured some hanging space for my hammock plus the shower facilities. Apart from the howling coyotes during the night & the red ants that made a nest in my backpack for their 100,000 strong community, I was off again the next morning for a huge 55km day to... a picnic area where I once again slept in my hammock to the sound of howling coyotes. I've met some of the most wonderful people here in Texas & I'm really enjoying meeting & praying with them. I have plenty of time for prayer these days with me being alone once more & with the extended length of the days. It has rained the whole time I've been here. In fact they've just finished their wettest summer ever. Due to the constant rain my feet are not looking great. They have turned black from the black tanning agent in my leather boots & the constant water has caused the skin to litterally wear off one of my toes. It doesn't look good at all. Quite disgusting actually. Never-the-less, I walk & I pray & I am blown away each day by the generous hearts who live here. Yesterday was a sad day though. I arrived in a very small town just as they were gathering to remember a 14yr old girl, Marina, who had been accidently shot & killed by her 18yr old brother. It was horriffic for the family & community to deal with & after a memorial service at the school we all gathered in the church to pray. Please keep the family, particularly Marina & her brother, in prayer. That's about it for now - oh, thanks to Tanner (an oil exploration & legalities officer) who shouted me a night in a great hotel & bought me a Texas Long-Horns cap! The cap fits... So, as I was sayign, that's about it for now. Please keep praying for unity - that all those who have faith would be united in truth & in love, & please say one for me as well as I head north, now 15days behind schedule. God bless, Sam.
"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God." Isiah 50:10

Arrival in Monterrey & Providence along the way

Hello everyone, this time from Monterrey in northern Mexico! If anyone out there still remembers the 'end of the school year' feeling, that's a little how I'm feeling right now. After nearly 10months on the road I'm now within 5 days of crossing out of Latin America into western culture! I'm looking forward to crossing into US soil but it's also a little daunting to think that for the first time in 10 months I'll be able to speak english, I'll be able to understand everything people are saying to me & I'll be able to read the road signs. I could possibly have 'culture shock' in heading back into my own culture! I'm speaking more & more Spanish as well so it's a little sad to leave before learning 'enough' of the language (however much that is). This week Nikki & I averaged well over 40km a day & we are feeling the pinch a little now. The scenery was breathe-taking though & we met some great characters along the way. The Lord provided for us with a roof a number of times when it looked doubtful that anything would become available. On Monday we stayed in an empty chapel, which wasn't overly comfortable (Nikki had my hammock & I had the concrete floor... owwww). Then on Tuesday we stopped under a tree for a bite to eat when all of a sudden the house behind us became frantic with people running everywhere as they tried to kill a rattle snake that had ended up in their living room! We watched in amazement as they swept the snake out with a broom & then... disposed of it. At that point, without warning, heavy rain started to fall & as we gathered our gear together the family, still standing over the 'disposed of snake', called us inside to shelter. The father was an American citizen & Pentecostal preacher & after a great chat, we stayed for dinner & were offered the spare beds! Then on Wednesday, after a huge 52km day, we finished in the dead of night at a town with no church & no hotel. Actually, I couldn't see many people either. Nikki had been praying for somewhere to stay & so I asked the Lord, "Ok, what's the deal? Where are we staying?" A building off to my right hand side caught my eye & I felt the Lord say, "You're here". So, Nikki & I wandered over to the darkened, lifeless, closed building & as we did, a man walked out from the back & through the side fence. He was a Police officer & had just knocked off work. We chatted for a moment & he happily invited us to travel the 40km back to his place for the night & then he would drop us back first thing in the morning. Great stuff! Thankyou Officer Hector! I've found this week a little 'heavy' as I've walked. Although there is predominantly a huge welcoming from people of all walks of faith to pray for each other that we'd be united completely in Christ, there has also been the odd rejection. I've found it difficult to swallow that praying for each other to be united in Christ is even an obstacle at all. The question of 'why?' has popped up a lot this week. In the end though, I can only keep walking & keep praying. Christ implored us to pray for our enemies, so praying for other Christians should surely be within our limits. My favourite moment from this week though had to be the communities of Gophers we passed along a 50km stretch of highland plains. They were very inquisitive & consistantly called out to one another as we approached. I'm not sure if the farmers appreciated all the holes though. There are also a lot more snakes in this area, one of which was slithering down along the edge of the road next to where I needed to walk. A few accurately looped stones to the left of its head & it kindly headed right & off the road into the grass, where 5ft black snakes belong. Walk on. I hope everyone back in Australia enjoys the last week of winter & I look forward to seeing everyone soon (11months actually). Oh, & to anyone who has sent me an email & is waiting for a reply - I currently have 128 unread emails, so please be patient! I'm plugging away slowly. God bless & please pray on! Sam.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching & to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread & to prayer." Acts 2:42

'Rattle Snakes & Cactus' and the 81km

Hello once again, this time from Matehuela, Mexico. Nikki & I are both in good health & continuing to walk & pray for unity. We have travelled far into northern Mexico & the scenery is constantly changing around us. Up until yesterday I thought that I wouldn't have a great deal to write about. The only thing of real note was an incredible thunder storm that swept across a plain & competely saturated us for the final 5km of that day. Oh, & the passing of the strawberry & cream highway stands from last week to the rattle snake & cactus stalls of this week. Bizzare. And yes, the 'rattlers' were for eating... I'll have a cactus thanks! Other than that it was a 'quiet' week of slogging it out from town to town & the daily chores that go with it. That is of course until yesterday. It began as normal; 4:30am alarm, 5am wake up holding alarm... & then hit the road under the cover of morning darkness. After only a kilometre or so Nikki & I rounded a small hill to be met by an amazing sight - car headlights stretching in a dead straight line all the way to the horizon. That was one very straight piece of road & it was home for the day. In fact, the other end of the road was some 60km away, so a car that appeared on the horizon with it's lights gleaming stayed in view for well over half an hour before flying past at 100hm/hr. Traffic was intense even for that time of day & so the darkness of the night was split in half by this pin-straight flickering fire light of car headlights. Nikki & I were scheduled to walk 42km for the day & back it up today with another 42km to Matehuela. However, after tipping 45km, we still hadn't found a place to stay & the locals were all indicating that we wouldn't until Matehuala itself. Nikki was struggling with leg soreness & so travelled on ahead by truck to secure accomodation at 'the first hotel'. I wasn't sure how much further I would walk, but eventually I would also need to find a lift or sleep on the side of the freeway with the living 'rattlers'. 50km came & went, then a sign marking the Tropic of Cancer & then sunset. Not sure of how far I would be walking I kept drinking more & more water to ensure a repeat of 2 weeks ago didn't eventuate. The night time walking was pleasant & once again I could see the stretch of car headlights, but this time from the other end of the road. Some of you may remember a certain day back in February when I walked 66km & came face to face with a Puma in the dead of night. That night pushed me on many levels & for only the second time in my life I once again visited kilometre 66. Although there were no Puma's about it felt strange to push on past that mark into 'new ground'. Praying & singing the whole time my body began to hurt less & less & after 73km I eventually pulled in to a service station to restock my food & water supplies, which had just run out. Nikki was carrying our money & I had only a $20 note in my backpack hip pocket, but it would be enough to feed me for the moment. Twice that evening I had been offered either water or food from people as I passed by & a packet of donated biscuits had ended up in the same hip pocket. On arriving at the petrol station I discovered that the note was no more! I must have pulled it out with the biscuit packet at some point & so it's probably still sitting alongside the freeway somewhere. Oh the agony! A shop full of food, a stomach with none & no money. To rub salt into the wound, I was busting to go to the toilet & in order to open the door I had to pay $2... I had $1. A moment of staring at the door in disbelief & I turned & continued walking, praying even more for the unity of all Christians & also for the faith of the Mexican people. It was another 7km to the hotel (or so a sign told me) so, with my body still working (apart from an angry stomach) I walked on through to kilometre 81 &, much to my delight, discovered that Nikki was there (fast asleep in bed) & I had a great little room waiting for me. It was now 2:30am. After having a substantial dinner I finally slinked into bed at 4am, 23hours after waking up. I'm very thankful for being able to finish of the final 3km into the city centre this afternoon & apart from muscle soreness, all is well. Only an hour ago I had $50 stolen from right under my nose so that ticked me off to no end but such are the obstacles in this 'race'. Tomorrow morning we head north for the final stretch to Monterrey city, which we are hoping to cove in 9 days or less. Please pray for unity (for truth & love) & I hope you have a beautiful week! God bless, Sam.
ps: A few times in prayer this week (and in particular in praying for unity with those I may not currently be 'united' with) I was reminded of something my mate Simon once said to me. It was a simple encouragement to always defend people behind their back. And, as Paul wrote;
"Remind the people to be subject to rulers & authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, & to show true humility toward all men." Titus 3:1-2

Saved by Scarpa, Racing Heart Rate & a Dead Dog

Greetings from Santa Maria del Rio! An interesting week to say the least & my boots have played a major role a few times. This is stunning countryside Nikki & I are walking through - stark mountains, cactus everywhere, farmers on donkies - but the walk very nearly came to an end a few days ago. For the last four days in a row we've been unable to find accomodation in our destinations & have thus been shipped off to neighbouring towns for the night before returning the next morning to resume the walk. On one particular evening after completing our scheduled walk Nikki & I needed to walk an extra 6km off the main road to a rural hotel. A few kilometres down the road we managed to thumb a lift. Nikki jumped in the front but as I was trying to squeeze myself into the back seat the young driver impatiently took off with my right foot still firmly planted on the ground. The movement forward caused my foot to lift slightly such that the sole of my boot was now facing the rear tyre & in a split second the car mounted my boot with me being contorted & pulled out of the car. Thank the Lord his Dodge didn't have enough power to get all the way over my boot & onto my ankle & with Nikki & I yelling at him to stop he depressed the clutch & the car roled backwards & back to the road! Incredibly my Scarpa boot somehow managed to hold steady with a car parked on top of it & I literally walked away with nothing more than a dusty trye mark imprinted on it. My knee is still a tad sore from the twisting motion but other than that, walk on. In other news, earlier in the week I had a nasty experience after pushing too hard at the end of a long day. Nikki was suffering from massive leg pain & so caught the bus to our destination after completing 40km of the day's 53km. Me, in my stupidity, decided to take on a challenge of increasing the normal km rate to finish off the final 13km in 2hours rather than the expected 2&half hours. Especially after having already walked 40km that day it was not a moment of wisdom. I knocked off the final 13km in 1hr & 50min but my glee soon turned into 'whoops' as my body went into melt-down. I'd pushed too hard & now my heart rate was soaring (200bpm) & my temperature rising. It took nearly 2hours to get everything under control & to a point where I could stand up without feeling faint. It was dumb on my behalf, so, note to self; 13km can be covered in less than 2hrs but is seriously stupid to attempt. DO NOT ATTEMPT. My boots have also been involved in a nasty incident of a different kind that nearly saw me throttled to death by Nikki. While searching for spot to sit down & eat lunch along side the road I accidently trod smack-bang in the middle of a dead dog that had been festering for at least 6months. I laughed it off but Nikki was mortified. We eventually found a nice little spot (away from the dead dog) & Nikki placed her backpack on the ground. Unbeknownst to her, the mouth piece of her water bladder had slipped down onto the ground & then I, not looking, stepped on it, leaving a dirty great big 'dead dog' foot print all around & over it. Nikki's reaction was, well, priceless. My reaction was to rapidly apologise & then assist in washing it by providing water from my water bladder. I removed the mouth piece to increase the flow of water but I misjudged the force at which it would exit the nozzle & instead of wetting her mouth piece the water shot straight over the top & into her open backpack... ouch. Some days just go from bad to worse. I retired from humanitarian work for the day at that point. Anyone else want to walk with me? Poor Nikki. I'm currently in the market for a new pair of socks after leaving my 2nd pair on a clothes line at a priest's house but I'm not having much success - size 16 socks aren't sold here. I'm having to wash my one & only pair every evening & hope that they'll be dry by morning. Also, one of my walking poles is struggling badly. The tungsten tip fell off & the plastic it was protecting is no match for the bitumen roads & is lossing a few mm every day. I'm hoping it will stay long enough for me to reach the USA where I should be able to find a replacement. As I mentioned earlier, the scenery here is amazing - very typically Mexican. We are still, however, having trouble with the locals who refuse most often than not to return our greeting. People stare at us all day long as we walk & if we say hello or good morning they either continue to stare or quickly look away as though they've been snapped out of a trance. In a moment that was straight out of a Hollywood film this afternoon, Nikki & I walked through the towns main square while a huge Mexican ensemble played a very upbeat tune with the locals looking on. As the tune came to a thunderous end not a single clap was to be heard. Instead, every single pair of eyes (including the members of the ensemble) was wide-eyed as they followed us across the square. It was a little unnerving. I smiled at one guy & said hello but he then looked confused & turned to his mate beside him for what I think was moral support. I'm pretty sure a pigeon taking off was the only movement apart from the two Aussies. So, that's been my week. I hope yours was dead-dog free & painless. Please continue (or begin) to pray for an increase of love & truth so that all people of faith may be united in Christ. God bless & peace be with you! Sam
"May the Lord make your love increase & overflow for each other & for everyone else, just as ours does for you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Mexico City, Alltitude & Brian

Hello from Teculopan! Population: Well, that depends on how many truckies have stopped for dinner... Another week has come & gone & so has Mexico City. A very cool & steep climb took us up to around 4000m above sea level before we descended into the expansive city. I have to say, I didn't see the poverty I expected to. A lot of work has gone into housing developments & so the slums I expected to see everywhere were actually difficult to find along the route we walked. The pollution however, was not difficult to find - it was difficult to escape. I saw one bloke riding his bike with a gas mask on, not a dust mask, but a full-on gas mask. I wouldn't have minded borrowing it at the time either. There was a horrible smell around that reminded me of rotting flesh & sewage in one. It was in truth difficult to breathe. Thankfully it only took three days to cross the city & Nikki & I are now trekking along through beautiful rolling farmland with a gentle cool & clean breeze blowing the whole time, although Nikki is currently having to grit her teeth a bit & push through some pretty major foot/leg/everything pain. My only problem is that my body is so used to walking through stupidly hot weather & the consequent constant sweating that now I'm in nice cool weather, well, my body isn't sweating out what I drink. If I have to take another toilet break Nikki is going to punch a hole in my water container! Nikki celebrated her 25th birthday in Mexico City in style with a few chocolates & a massive lollie-pop but that was about the extent of it. For those following the walk with an itinerary at hand, I'm no longer walking from Mexico City to Monterrey via the route outlined, instead, I'm heading inland up through the centre of Mexico along the major freeway. It turns out this route, though appearing longer on the map is actually shorter (and safer). So from here I head to San Jose del Rio & then straight up through the centre. We are currently 107km down the freeway & the hospitality has been super! The thinner air up here has made it difficult to sing or even make cow noises at the cows... so I've been given an opportunity to pray a lot more. There are many death markers along the side of the road here so I find myself praying for them & particularly for their family left behind. More & more as well I'm praying for & thinking about the unity of all people of faith. Particularly about my continual need for a deepening of coversion, humilty & God's mercy. Nikki & I still get heckled every now & then but that's all part of the deal these days. On one particular day I received a passing slur by a fellow driving a car with a 'Jesus' sticker on the back. I thought to myself, "Your actions are speaking louder than your 'word' mate." My mind heads off on tangents very easily & I quickly found myself remembering a conversation I had with a fellow called Brian Shadbolt 2 years ago at my grandfathers funeral. I grew up on Flinders Island & Brian & his wife Maureen owned the farm down the road from us. I hadn't seen him for quite some time (& haven't seen him since) but we walked & chatted as we made our way down through the cemetery. I noted that I'd only recently discovered that he was a Christian (& had been since before I was born) & this made Brian laugh. He was almost embarassed that I didn't know; that it wasn't obvious. In fact I think his words were along the lines of, "That's not good at all!" But here's the deal, Brian didn't have a Jesus sticker on his ute or wear a huge flashy gold chain with a cross on it but if there was one couple on the island who, as a child, I trusted & looked up to, it was Brain & Maureen. I wasn't keen on getting too close to his beard as a kid but over time I grew to love Brian being around because he was always happy. Always. His actions spoke louder than any words could. And then, as if to make my day complete, I logged on to the website & checked the prayer list & there at number 154 was Brian & Maureen. His actions are still speaking louder than his laugh. I hope you're both well! I've also found time to check up on the Australian Football results & I'm very pleased to see that my team, the Geelong Cats, are on top of the ladder by a mile! Sorry about your Tigers Luke. The walk continues & so does the prayer, "Father, please unite all people of faith in truth and in love." God bless, Sam.
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. James 2:22