There’s a bit of the gypsy in all of us; in Gregory Kuehmichel, there’s just a bit more. The things that dissuade most from hitting the open road in a covered wagon and taking leave of responsibility to job and family—in addition to those responsibilities themselves—are the danger and uncertainty inherent in ambling down a busy highway with little or no shoulder for escape from passing motorized traffic. Early Monday afternoon, when I mentioned those hazards in the midst of cars rushing past us on Missouri Highway 11, Kuehmichel just shrugged. He then explained in what seemed like the fewest words possible that his faith in God’s purpose was all the protection he needed. The answers to the rest of my queries were even more succinct: “Read the book,” Kuehmichel patiently repeated. Not the Bible, mind you—although in hindsight I can see he would have been delighted to have persuaded me to pore over the scripture of his choosing—but the 227 pages chronicling his travels between Weatherford, Texas and Marshfield, WI. Those thousand-mile journeys on horseback and by covered wagon have been pilgrimages for Kuehmichel, epic wanderings of great moral significance. Early on in his chronicle—which is available on-line, free-of-charge at http://jubileetrump51.googlepages.com—he makes his purpose clear: “I did not want to take the trip just to say I had done so, nor for any personal gratification, [but to] bring honor to God...Along the way, I could tell my story to church groups...[and] share with them the Lord Jesus and what He had done. That was actually far more important than my travels. Now my trip had some real meaning and purpose...I realized I had an obligation to faithfully use the abilities which had been given to me...I also had the ability to make such a trip because I was single and had no debt.” But a reading of some of Kuehmichel’s poetry reveals such had not always been his circumstances: “I heard the message of truth come to me one day while I was busy working to receive my pay. My life was hectic, my family discomboobilated too, my creditors upset and me, they were ready to sue...
-See Friday's LCL for the full story
