New Albany to Corydon Indiana

When we left the hotel in New Albany we headed down Corydon Pike for Corydon, IN. We passed by the pastor's house who had put us up in the hotel. We stopped and talked to him a bit and met all his doggies and then kept heading west. The road was very winding and had many crazy drivers on it. After about 3 or 4 miles we got to the top of a hill and there was a town called Edwardsville, that was a surprise because we did not think we were going to see a town until Corydon. As we came around the side of a building, where there was a great view of the valley, a couple of teenage boys came up the ridge from the woods. They started talking to us and we asked them if there were any churches in town. They said there were a few. They asked us why we were walking and I told them because God called us to. Then there was just dead silence! We got to a highway and saw the church on the right and the boys were heading left so we told them to take it easy and walked over to the church. It was a pretty large Methodist church which had a decent size yard. There were a couple cars in the parking lot and so we decided to check the doors to see if they were open. The side door was so we walked in and took our packs off and I wandered around saying " hello, is anyone here?". Nobody answered so we just sat down and relaxed for a bit. It was nice to get out of the wind. After about 20 minutes I decided to wander around again. I went downstairs and saw some offices and the lights were all on and a friendly elderly gentlemen came around the corner. I told him what we were doing and told him that we just needed a place to put up our tent. He said they were about to have a meeting so I could talk to the pastor. I took him over to meet Jeff and we had some small talk and then he led us back to the pastor's office. She greeted us with a great big smile! The elderly gentleman told her we were walking across the country. We told her Christ had called us to do so. We asked if we could possibly pop our tent in the church yard and as I was speaking she was shuffling through her desk looking for a phone-book. Not even five minutes later she had made a phone call to the motel across the street, made us a reservation, asked the motel to bill the church, and handed us $20 and said, "get yourselves some pie at Korner Kitchen!!" We were just in shock that it all happened so fast. She said all she wanted in return is for us to come to the meeting to pray for the church. So we went to the meeting and met everyone and prayed for the Lord's will to be done. They were wanting to use their building for ministry and so that is what they were having a meeting about. So if you are a prayer warrior, please pray for Edwardsville United Methodist Church that God would show them a way to be able to use their building to serve others in the community! Here is their website: http://www.edwardsvilleumc.org/Home_Page.html
We walked to our room and Jeff went to get french fries and chicken nuggets from McDonald's! Yumm!! So healthy! I decided to go for a swim in the tub and Jeff passed out. I think Jeff slept like a rock all night but I tossed and turned and thought about /prayed about where God was going to have us spend the winter. I was becoming restless. The next day we ate some breakfast at Korner Kitchen. Indiana must be one of the last states to make their restaurants non-smoking. I don't see how people smoke while eating, it makes me gag and I lose my appetite for a while. After pleasantly filling ourselves we went back to the room and I took a nap. When Jeff woke me up to pack my bag 20 minutes before check-out time I was in a pretty grumpy mood. We got packed up, checked in our key cards and walked outside and it was like the spirit of grumpidom hit me and I just wanted to throw my bag across Indiana! After I sulked for a little while we took off walking and got not even a mile before we needed to sit down and have a break. We were both very drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually. After sitting on the side of the road for just a a few minutes a couple pulled up to the stop sign and rolled down their window. The gentleman said something about hitch-hiking in the 70's and said he would bring us some sandwiches and asked us to just stay right where we were, and then they drove off. They came back 20 minutes later or so in a big red truck. I was thinking, "cool, they are going to give us a ride!" Instead the lady just got out and handed us a big plastic bag of food and said God Bless you", and they took off as quick as they came! Jeff hurriedly put on his pack and stormed off down the road while I took my time putting on my pack. As I was fastening my hip belt a police officer lady pulled over got out of her car and came up to me and asked what I was doing. I told her my husband and I were walking across the country. She asked why we would do something like that and I told her because God called us to. She asked to see my id and I yelled for Jeff to come back and right as he turned around another police officer pulled over to talk to him. The extremely rude lady officer told me someone had called in and said we looked homeless and had been looking around in people's houses. I said that was absurd because all we were doing is sitting on the side of the road. It was kinda chilly and so I naturally put my hands in my pocket. She harshly told me to take my hands out of my pockets because I was making her nervous. I thought, "that is dumb, you're the one with the gun!" I then tried to walk towards Jeff and the lady started yelling at me to stand right where she told me to. I told her I was going to get my id like she asked. She said, "No YOU WILL STAND RIGHT THERE!" I said, "why are you treating me like this I did not even do anything?" She said that we looked homeless and suspicious. I asked her when it became a crime to be homeless. I tried to walk away again because she was beginning to really aggravate me and she started yelling at me again. She said, "I commanded you to stand right where you are!" I asked her why she thought she had a right to command me to do anything, thinking God is the only one who can command me to do anything. I told her it was interesting how many lisence plates for the state of Indiana had "In God we Trust" on them but so far it seemed that most the people we have passed seem to be living in fear of strangers. She said, "this is a conservative state mam." I thought, "what does that have to do with anything?" Not even thinking I put my chilled hands back in my pockets. She got even more upset! I thought she was going to arrest me for wanting my hands to be warm!! I looked down at Jeff and the officer that was harassing him waved at the lady officer and then she got in her car and they both just drove off! So....we have now been persecuted twice on this trip, once by a man from a church and the second by the police. That should tell you something about this country!!

~Kristin

I don't even know what to say about those police officers. They were the most rude people I have ever met, and hope that God shows them the error they are living in. The officer that was verbally assaulting me asked why I was "down here" and my wife was "up there?" We were maybe 100 yrds apart and it was because we weren't in the best of moods and I started walking before she had her pack all the way on. But when the officer asked me that, I said, "well because we are bickering at one another and I started walking before she did." He asked, "what were you bickering about?" I polietly said, "well that is a personal matter between me and my wife, it doesn't concern you sir." Boy he got IRATE!! Told me to "TAKE A STEP BACK SIR!" Then gave me a speach about how he strongly suggested that I just tell him what we were fighting about because when an officer detains you it's in my best interest to blah, blah blah.... I asked him why he was being so rude and treating me like a criminal, and what this was all about? He told me that I needed to anwser his question regarding my wife. I took off my sunglasses and looked him right in the eye and, "I get it. I see what you are doing. You are the one with the gun and all the power here, and I guess my private marital conversations with my wife should be shared with you, a complete stranger. IF you must know, I have no idea what we are bickering about. We have been walking for 5 months and we are both very tired and cranky. If you go up there and ask my wife, she'll tell you the same thing." Boy he did not like that anwser!! Anyway, after being humiliated on the side of the road for 20 minutes or so, they both said something on their radios and got in their cars and left. I have to give God the glory for giving me the strength to endure that. My flesh wanted to just tear into that guy, but the Spirit urged me no remain calm. A warm night in jail was starting to sound like an AWESOME punishment for popping that guy in the jaw! OK that's just my flesh talking. I just wish we had it on video! I think the funniest part of the whole ordeal was when he asked me in amazment if this was the first time in 5 months of "walking by people's houses" that we had been questioned by the police. I said, "well no, we were stopped by one other cop back in Clarkstown, IN but he wanted to know if we needed anything, and to make sure we were alright, and he also offered us a ride!" I said, "I guess you guys have a different policy regarding traveling missionaries." Maybe that was pushing my luck, but it was true. GOD HELP THIS COUNTRY!!!

So after narrowly escaping a night in jail we had a lot to talk about while getting back on the road. Our heads were just spinning. We walked maybe another 5 miles and found a christian camp. We tried to talk to the people who owned it, and the groundskeeper, but no one answered the phones. So we just picked out a secluded pavilion and crashed for the night. The whole time I was just waiting for the cops to show up and haul us off for "trespassing." The encounter with the coppers really shook us up and we are still suffering the mental effects, but we are ready for what ever may come our way. We woke up from the camp early and made our way down the last 4.5 miles to Coydon where we are now. We ate some awesome Mexican food and walked over to the library to tell all of you about the COPS! Anyway, we love and miss all of you and hope and pray that you are all happy and healthy!!

~Jeff