Walk across Michigan: update 4

I apologize for not updating this in a while. It got down to the last few days and I just wanted to focus on finishing.

Day 8.5
I stayed at the Powell house in Portland that night. They were a very nice couple and I really enjoyed my time there. We had a delicious dinner and then just enjoyed relaxing and talking for a while.

Day 9
I got up and had a nice breakfast and then headed out after saying my goodbyes. The next stretch of road was pretty boring. There really isn't anything there between Portland and Saranac (a full days walk). The wind was very strong that day. I was getting beat up by it pretty bad. It felt like it was 5 times harder to walk. I finally made it to a carpool lot near Saranac where I was picked up by Sam. Sam is a student at Lifeline (youth group) at Ada. He took me to his house, where I stayed for the night. His family was really nice and a lot of fun. It was refreshing to spend some time with people younger than me.

Day 10
I walked for about 4 miles and then my parents joined up with me along with another guy from their church. It was nice to walk for a while without my bag on. The time seemed to go by a lot faster when I had someone to talk to, so I really appreciated that. We got as far as Ada Bible Church in Cascade and called it a night. Since I was so close, my parents gave me a ride to my apartment.

Day 11
In the morning Mike gave me a ride out to where I left off. I took my bag with me, but I drastically cut down it's weight. Nothing very eventful happened on this day, but I walked all the way to the SW side of downtown Grand Rapids. I called up Patrick and he came and got me.

Day 12
This was Sunday, so I went with Mike and Amy to Westwood Church in the morning. I brought all my stuff with me, so they dropped me off where I had left off the night before. After walking a couple miles on the road I was on, I realized I had made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. My current path was not going to work. It was frustrating, but I had to turn around and backtrack 2 miles to find the right road. After finding the right road, I was able to still get in my 15 miles for the day (making it probably around 19 miles total). I walked through Grandville, Jenison, Hudsonville, and made it almost to Zeeland. I called Mike and he came out and picked me up, since I still wasn't that far away.

Day 13
In the morning Mike took me out to where I stopped. I walked to Zeeland and met up with my parents for lunch. They were on their way down to Chicago, so it worked out nicely. Just after lunch I got a call from WOOD radio out of Grand Rapids. She interviewed me about what I was doing and why I was doing it. I had a good time walking around Holland taking pictures of Tulips. I walked out towards lake Michigan after stopping at the Library. Apparently, it's a 5 mile hike from Holland to the lake... didn't know that. Eventually I got to the end of the road and met up with Amy and Lauren. They brought sloppy joes. We hiked together for the last 3/4 of a mile or so to the lake. It was really nice to be there finally. I took off my shoes and tip-toed into the water. Bill Stephen (the weather man) said the lake was still 39 degrees! well, it didn't feel quite that cold, but it was cold nonetheless. We sat there and had a picnic on the beach.

Thanks to all of you who were praying for me. Thanks for your financial support for Jessica's House! Overall, the walk was a success. I think that many more people are aware now of the global problem of homeless and street children. As a result of the walk we raised an estimated $1000. I'll let you know later once I add it up.
For helping me be the hands and feet of Jesus, you are also being the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you very much.

Because of the joy in me as a result of grace and love of Jesus Christ in my life, I am compelled to share that grace and love with my neighbors, here and around the world. James ch. 1 tells us that we need to take care of our orphans and widows. This is why I do what I do. It is not to earn my place in heaven. It is a response to the grace and love of Jesus Christ.