Update #37 - October 12, 2004
Covington, LA - 10,248.5 miles (17,397.6 kms.)

The first part of this month has been okay. I've covered 602.8 miles in 11 days. Overall, the weather has been good except for the past weekend. Tropical Storm Matthew was in the Gulf of Mexico and it rained from Saturday afternoon to Sunday night. I stayed at the East Howard Baptist Church in Biloxi, MS in an unused upstairs classroom. There was a shower in the church, which was a plus, along with a food pantry. Saturday and Sunday nights were my 53rd and 54th nights that I've stayed in a church this year. The church was also the 51st church that I spoke at this year. It was a small church with about three dozen members present but they gave me over $60 in a love offering.

For the most part, churches have been receptive and kind. I was hosted by the Methodist churches in Cuthbert and Donalsonville, GA, and Fairhope, AL. The First Baptist Church in Mary Esther, FL and the Calvary Gospel Church in Lillian, AL also hosted me.

I was hoping to maybe find some way to help out with the recovery effort after Hurricane Ivan in the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama Coast but there wasn't anything for me to do. The American Red Cross had pretty well closed shop and FEMA was getting ready to do so in the Pensacola, FL area also. The Gulf area in Alabama was under curfew. Because of the extensive road damage, they only allowed residents to come into the area only during the daylight hours. I met up with the Samaritan's Purse disaster response team in Foley, AL but they were getting ready to go back to Boone, NC.

I'm staying with some friends tonight who I met over the internet. We have been corresponding for the past ten months. From here, I'll be crossing Louisiana and maybe will be riding to the Dallas, Texas area. After that, I would like to maybe ride to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before it gets too cold. There is a ministry that I would like to check out there.

My wish is that the next two and a half months in the year would be a much better than the last nine months have been. I hope that I find more open doors and ministers with compassionate hearts. I do wish that I could find someplace to stay over the winter. I'll try and post and update as often as I can if my plans change again.