DAY 65 

Up at 5:50am. Morning ice from condensation on tent fly. Thank goodness Kyle gave me that tent-heater, I use it to pre-heat my tent at night before I get in, then I turn it off, go to sleep, and then use it again in the morning to take the edge off the cold before I get out from under the covers. It makes a big difference! Thank you again Kyle!

REBA'S MORNING ROMP! Reba works hard about 4 to 6 hours a day, gets good rest and the best food. It’s kind of like she is in training for the Olympics without need of extra exercise like this. So please don’t laugh or frown too much but watch this video...she was doing this romp after two days of pulling the wagon, and she just keep running up and down the way until I had to tie her so she wouldn’t use up all her energy and not be able to pull the wagon… she has become an awesome athlete! She also may be a little impatient and ready to go home but more likely she's just full of energy and doesn't like being penned up. In any case, she's a good sport and we are almost to our destination.

Text Post: DAY 65: After days without seeing it, the sun broke over the horizon. Sunshine! Warm sunshine! Yeah Baby! Bring it on! (We would not have had the early sunshine had we camped at the place Reba refused the evening before, and we wouldn’t have received the human kindness that we would receive that morning. I would like to thank Reba, but of course it’s not her but God acting though her.) Thank You God, and thank You for Reba!

Text Post: DAY 65: I went to get water for Reba from a nearby creek which was frozen over, so I used a piece of a log to chop through the ice While I chopped, I stood on another log that was in the water but looked plenty strong. However, when I chopped though, the entire thing came broke through and I darn near fell in. One of my boots was semi-submerged, but fortunately my foot stayed dry.
 
Text Post: DAY 65: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO NORMAN who stopped by my camp this morning. Norman is a WWII Veteran, and was at the Battle of Midway Island and other battles in the South Pacific where he was badly wounded. Norman is still ranching and still in excellent health, which he attributes to the good Lord, and to staying away from hospitals! Norman told me I had camped literally on a spur of the old Santa Fe Trail, and he pointed out where the trail ran, and I was right on it! Norman gave me directions to town by way of a side road that would help me stay out of the north wind. Thank you Norman!
 
Text Post: DAY 65: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO BRUCE who stopped by my camp to see how I was doing. Bruce said the talk in town was that a fellow could come out to my camp and get a chuck wagon dinner. Bruce then saw that I was eating pecans with my cream-of-wheat, and he went back to his truck, then came back, and handed me a big bag of shelled pecans. I thanked him and, knowing how expensive pecans are, I spoke with passion, “These things don’t grow on trees!” To which Bruce immediately replied, “Yes they do!” And I cracked up laughing!
 
Text Post: DAY 65: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO DICK who stopped by my camp this morning, handed me 40 dollars, and said, “Buy yourself, your horse, and dog a good Thanks Giving Dinner.” I darn near choked up as I thanked him. Thank you Dick!

Text Post: DAY 65: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY FIRST COUSIN SAM AND EVERYONE THAT PITCHED IN AND HELPED ME OUT.  Early in the morning, when I checked the weather on my phone, I also took a quick look at Facebook, and I saw a note from Sam saying that a modest check was on the way. Thank you Sam! To explain what this is about. Three days before I had posted a special request in Facebook. I was running out of money. I have always funded my faith missions with my own money, and over ten years of traveling in faith, and working a job in between, I had spent tens of thousands of dollars of my own money. But now I was nearly broke. I had a good job to return to when I got home but I just needed enough money to see me though until then. (Note: After this mission I continued doing faith mission work and I'm still doing it, and this has been the only time I had to ask for financial help). So I figured I needed $ 700.00. I did not tell anyone this amount but simply posted on Facebook asking for small contributions, and I set up a PayPal button. My hometown friends and relations responded immediately. People gave amounts of $100.00 and smaller. Many responded, and the total amount they gave came to, $ 610.00. And with a few unsolicited/spontaneous contributions that came at this same time, the total was right at $ 700.00. In fact it may have been exactly that amount, I cannot remember but it was very close. Thank you everyone, and thank you God! 

Text Post: DAY 65: THIS MORNING, DRIVING WAGON IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES INTO A NORTH WIND OF 20-30MPH is not an experience I want to have again, and bless Reba for having such a big heart! Yeah, this is a thing to avoid, but sometimes it has to be done, and it reminds me a story my older brother Frank likes to tell about back in the 1860’s when my hometown was being founded; I guess it was only a handful of families back then, and they ran out of supplies in the dead of winter, the ground was covered in heavy snow, and there they were on the frontier… not good! The only way they could survive was to pick the strongest two men, the strongest team of horses, the soundest wagon, and send them on a mission to get supplies in Atchison 60 miles to the north. I will not even pretend to put myself in their shoes, but I thought about them as we drove in difficult conditions, and we only had to go 4 miles to town, without snow, on good roads whereas they had heavy snow and sketchy wagon paths at best for 60 miles! How they must have prayed, and their families must have prayed for their safe return! They did return, with a wagon load of supplies, and had they not, my hometown might not exist!

Entering the town of, LeRoy. A group of high school students were putting up Christmas Trees! I met their teacher Julie and we had a good conversation. Later I received a message from Julie saying that after they put up the trees, they visited the Faith March website as a class and loved it. The message ended with the words, “God Bless.” 

City Park of LeRoy, KS.

Residential LeRoy.

Text Post: DAY 65: I HAVE BEEN EATING LIKE A HORSE IN THIS COLD, this morning began with a huge bowl of cream of wheat with lots of pecans and honey added, plus grapefruit and green pepper slices on the side. Then I ate a large bag of granola, then a container of bean dip with about half a bag of corn chips, then I had pizza and a salad! Wow! It’s this cold, it makes me hungry, and none of it goes into body fat but just burns off to help me keep warm. At the pizza place I met Brittni who told me I could camp at her mom’s farm on my way to Garnett, and she gave me directions to get there! Thank you Brittni!

Reba resting and soaking up the winter sun at our camp on the edge of  LeRoy, KS. In the photo, checkout Reba’s muscles, they are bulging. She is in excellent condition! A little later, around 6pm, two of Julie’s students, Amanda and Miranda, brought supper to my camp! Like I said, there is so much goodness, I can hardly fit it all in. Thank you Amanda, Miranda, and Julie!

Text Post: DAY 65: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MARTIN who gave me some treats for my dog. He makes the threats right here in LeRoy, the treats are totally natural, and totally genius, made from animal sinew, I do not have the details or the name of the treats because I lost an info tag I got from Bruce, but I will get the info and post here in the comments. We need to support our local business, especially when one of us comes up with something so good! (I found the tag! I was in such a scramble last night to get things done, and I couldn't find it. It was under my computer... ha ha! The website is www.JerkyUSA.com. It's called "Noddabone" and it's made and distributed in LeRoy KS in a very small but neat facility, it's all natural.