Different types of travelers cross our county

Motoyuki Kuroe and Satoru Goji TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

I got a phone call Sunday morning from a neighbor who had come across an interesting character on the service road between Smith's Crossing and Centerville. He was on foot, and carrying a large cross which he had made. I was able to catch up with 61-year-old Dorman Simpson under a shade tree on Hwy 7, visiting with a woman who had stopped to talk. Sure enough, he was leaning on a 13' cross he had made of 4" PVC pipe, rigged up on a pair of tires from a furniture dolly. Strapped to it was a simple case with some food and water, changes of clothes, and a blanket.

Passing cars honked and waved. Turns out, folks often stop him to talk and Dorman uses the opportunity to witness for Jesus. "One thing about this -- I've got a big congregation!" Simpson quipped.

He was only on the second day of his journey when I met him, but this "ain't his first rodeo", as Leon County folks might say. In 2000 he set out to with 9' cross made of 4"x6" timbers. He had 37 quarters in his pockets, and he recalls that his daughter told him he was crazy. His goal was to go 900 miles by the time he was 54 years old. When he reached that milestone, Simpson recalls, "I decided: I ain't through." When he WAS finished, in 2003, he had carried that cross through parts of Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas and Nebraska -- a total of 3700 miles. And when he saw his daughter again, he put those 37 quarters in her hands.

Dorman Simpson Travelling at a pace he calls "walk a little bit, stop a little bit", Dorman expects it to take him two or three days to carry his cross to Crockett. From there he's heading to Nacogdoches, "then wherever God takes me to from there." He has some of the provisions he needs and isn't worried about the rest. "God'll send me some. He hasn't let me down yet."

Dorman shared one example of God's provision. "A Pentecostal preacher stopped me once, and he was angry -- asked 'What do you think you're doing?' After we talked a bit, he took off, but came back with tears in his eyes. He asked, 'Is there anything I could do for you?' I said that my shoes were wearing out and I'd asked God to send me shoes. He said, 'What size do you wear?' and when I told him he said, 'That's my size.' And he took his shoes off and gave them to me."

Simpson's "congregation" grew by two as we talked by the side of the highway. Feaby Randle of Buffalo was touched by her chance meeting with Dorman Simpson on the streets of Centerville. "I've been trying to get my life right with God. This is the Blessing of the Day for me to see this. This made my Sunday morning!"

Maybe that was why he was there. Mission accomplished.

ROLLING, ROLLING,

ROLLING...

Later in the afternoon we were driving south on Hwy 75 and spotted two young men biking toward Buffalo. The way they were loaded down with camping equipment and supplies indicated that theirs was no casual Sunday afternoon ride, but a journey of epic proportions. Whipping the car around, we waited for them at the top of the next hill and invited them to share their story.

Motoyuki Kuroe (22) and Satoru Goji (23) are university students from Tokyo, Japan. They ride Americanmade bicycles bought in Japan and brought over for this adventure. When we met, they had been on the road for two days, having left Houston on Saturday morning. Their destination? Los Angeles, California. That's roughly 1700 pedal-powered miles.

The guys are travelling on a limited budget. "Sometimes we will sleep by the road and sometimes in cheap hotel. We don't have so much money," Motoyuki explained. "This is our first time in Texas. It is very, very hotter than we expected," he added.

When we parted they were not sure whether they would stop in Buffalo or go on to Fairfield. Apparently, the journey itself is the thing.