Day 65- Camping out at McDonalds in KC

Feel blessed that I have a roof over my head the last few days especially with A/C.

I have been wrestling with the idea of being homeless with no place to go back to when I'm done with my trip. Maybe I won't stop. Just keep going. Maybe I will walk across Europe next. Haha! Just a thought.

But seriously, its a strange thing to live nomadically like this. To be utterly dependent on others which really means being dependent on God Himself. Well, in actuality we are all utterly dependent on God; its just do we know it...not just intellectually but in our hearts as well?

Two important revelations about my character: I'm a literalist and I have to learn things the hard way. So...to know my dependence in my soul/heart guess I have to strip away all pretenses and throw myself out there and then I will KNOW I depend on God for my daily provision. Literally, I have to do it that way. School of hard knocks and all.

Going to run out of money and food soon. Then we will see what Schoenbein is really made of! That's where trust/faith in God will truly kick in OR not!

I need this test. Scared but exhilarating too.

Before I left Illinois I did some research on people who walked across the country. Came across an unbelievable woman who clearly conquered her fears and submitted voluntarily to God's will. She began her walk in 1953 and walked 6 days a week every week until 1981! 28 years non-stop. She did not carry anything with her not even a tent. She took no money. She did not ask for money and if offered rarely accepted. She did not ask to stay in homes. She slept under bridges and in ditches.

She walked as a Christ follower for world peace. She claimed she would stop walking when peace was achieved. Which explains why she walked for almost 30 years.

The only reason she stopped walking was she was killed in a car accident when a friend picked her up on the side of the road to take her to one of the many speaking engagements she was invited to. On the way to such an event she and her friend were killed in a head-on accident.

Her name was Mildred Norman or as she was more commonly known by the moniker---Peace Pilgrim.

This was a woman with a spine made of steel!!!

I can assure you I do not come close to having the guts and determination she had!

Anyway...to the business at hand...

Set up shop at the McDonalds off of Red Bridge in KC. Emailed the July 9th article for my weekly column in the Morton Times. Should be in the East Peoria Courier too.

Josh is busy at work until 10pm. I am taking another look at my prospective travel route through Kansas. Looked at Rt 36 and 50 as alternatives to Rt 24. However, decided to stick with my plan to use 24. All three routes have towns with 25 to 30 miles between each other. No way around that unlikeable feature of hiking through Kansas.

Either going to leave KC this Saturday or Monday next. Today the high will only get to 75 degrees. Of course it will since I'm not hiking today! Nice and cool.

The temperatures forecasted for the rest of July will be in the 90s for the most part! Ugh!! Nothing I can do about it other than walk fewer miles or lighten my load or both.

Going to miss Josh. But that's what life here is: saying hello and goodbye.

Called Mark Mahnken today. He will ship his beef sticks to post offices along the way so I can have some food to keep going. Thanks to Mark and Susie for their ongoing support!

Busy now coming up with ideas for my next column article. Like to get a couple of articles done at a time. Never know if I'm going to have WiFi in the rural areas of Kansas as cell towers will be few and far between.

Lots to be thankful for today. Feeling restless again. Rt 24 is calling my name once again!