Relying on Divine Providence

Crossroads runs into problems a lot. Seriously. But when you’re walking across the country, you have to expect that. You grow resourceful, and when it seems like there’s no solution, you rely on Divine Providence. And the good God always provides.

Our rental van broke down the first week of walking. Apparently that’s a record, and we will go down in Crossroads history. But we were in civilization so we got a new rental van.

(PC Marina Bianco)

The next day, our new rental van got two holes in a single tire, so we had to drive for miles on a low tire to find air. After we prayed a single decade of the rosary though, we saw tow trucks and found the perfect place to patch up the tire!

The next week, we stayed at a state park with no showers. But we were able to shower in the sink!

A week later, we ran out of water in the middle of the desert. But we had ice. So, our assistant walk leader sat on a jug of ice to melt it. It worked. Out of the blue, a nice couple offered a bottle of water to some of our walkers too!

In the very middle of Nevada, we weren’t sure where we were going to stay. But a fellow from the local Baptist church stopped us and told us that his church ran an RV park as a ministry, and we could stay there!

(PC Marina Bianco)

The week after, the host housing for the guys fell through, but at the last minute a couple offered up two hotel rooms for them.

Last week, it took us 4 hours to find an RV park, but we had enough time to get there, get settled, and even cook dinner.

This past week, we were desperate for daily Mass. Nevada and Utah are sparse for parishes, and the Eucharist is so crucial for us to have the strength to get through the day. We’d been nearly two weeks without daily Mass. So, we drove two hours to a parish only to find it closed. But the next day, we found a parish, and were able to attend Mass there three days in a row. They even served us breakfast the second day! It was a huge blessing.

Our rental van got another hole in its tire last week, and that same day our RV broke down. The engine blew a gasket and we had to leave it in Salt Lake (we’re in Denver nearly 400 miles away). But we happened to be in a city that had a Ford dealership which could fix it. We’re still RV-less at the moment, but we’re staying in motels until it’s fixed. Plus, just this week at Mass, a man came up to our walk leader and told him, “I’ll pay for the RV fixes. Don’t worry about how much it costs; whatever it is, I’ll cover it.” Praise God!

(PC Angela Marino)

And this week, we only found host housing by a very generous family the night before we were to arrive.

Without the RV, we’re not sure until the afternoon whether we’re sleeping on a church gym floor, sharing beds in a motel, or stuffing into a host family’s house. But God always provides.

So, Divine Providence is at work, folks. It’s scary relying on God. But He has a plan. He always comes through. And honestly, out here, when things are completely out of your hands, you can’t help but trust Him. It’s quite beautiful, really.

Utah and Colorado: I Could Live Here

Utah is so gorgeous and majestic. Beautiful tall mountains rise above grassy fields. Small mountain streams wind peacefully through evergreens and birch trees, and forget-me-nots nestle within lush meadows. I could walk here forever. Deer softly poke their heads out of the forests to peek at us and moose munch happily on small bushes. A beaver crept over caches of rocks sweeping down to a cascading river. When I imagine peace, this is what I think of.

We climbed a really tall peak just for fun to get a good selfie, and found a geocache! Later, we walked through Dinosaur National Monument, and got to crawl into a tiny cave. Maybe dinosaurs lived there…

But Colorado…I’ve never seen anywhere so beautiful in my life. Rocky Mountain National Park took my breath away completely. Magnificent snow drifts cap deep blue mountains with slim evergreens marching up the sides. Rivers of melted snow rush to greet the ground 12,000 feet below the summits. Herds of moose and elk graze in the valleys, and wildflowers collect in bunches to gaze at the sun. A cute little marmot curled up in the sun.

As we drove up the summit of this one mountain, you could see for miles. So, we played full orchestral soundtracks with epic scores – Gladiator, Narnia, Braveheart, World of Warcraft, and Irish music. It was marvelous.

I’ve collected the best pictures for you below.

We walk from sunrise (PC Marina Bianco)

to sunset (PC Marina Bianco)

Yay Utah! (PC Angela Marino)

PC Marina Bianco

The Great Salt Lake (PC Anthony Briseno)

Yes, I tasted the Great Salt Lake. Worst. Idea. Ever. Seriously, don’t ever do it. Just say no. (PC Anthony Briseno)

Bison at the Great Salt Lake (PC Angela Marino)

It’s our dinosaur friend (PC Angela Marino)

Selfie in the Rockies! (PC Anthony Briseno)

Hello, Elk! (PC Anthony Briseno)

We had a snowball fight at 11,700 feet in the Rockies. Be jealous.

So majestic!

Just 11,000 feet up. No big deal. 😀

Don’t You Ever Feel Like Giving Up?

She checked our groceries methodically as we told her, “Yeah we’re walking across the country.”

“Wow. Don’t you ever feel like giving up?” she asked. It’s a good question.

I’m known as the always chipper, adventurous and happy one on my walk. I’ve licked a salt flat, walked through a drive thru window, punched a bee by accident, and been excited even when there were no showers because it meant bathing in the sink! Wahoo!

But I’ll admit to you…sometimes I feel down. Maybe it was that mountain where I was searching for breath at 7500 feet. Maybe it was mile 15 when I still couldn’t see the van signaling the end of shift. Maybe my feet hurt and had blisters, and maybe my legs had a Charlie horse and shin splints.

And occasionally, I think to myself about how crazy this all is. Here I am, getting up at o’dark thirty, walking long distances all day, and then stuffing myself in a 35 foot RV with eight other people to sleep in a tiny space for a few hours. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So, yes. Sometimes I do feel like giving up. Yet even here, there is beauty. Even here there is hope.

It’s in those moments where the voice says, “Give up,” that I search for strength. I remember the people we meet at parishes, the people that wave “hi” on the road, the people in my life who I am offering this suffering for. Most importantly, I remember the unborn and their mothers and fathers.

It’s in those moments that I lean on Mama Mary. I begin another rosary and ask her to walk with me and support me. I especially love the second Joyful mystery of the Visitation, since “Mary arose and went in haste into the hill country…” (Luke 1:39).  She would have made a great Crossroader. 😀

It’s in those moments that I search my heart for the One who loves me most. The dear Lord does not abandon His children. I’ll call up some encouraging verses in my mind (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:39 especially), or offer up a silent prayer through gritted teeth and heavy breath.

So I lean on the strength that’s greater than me. My toes keep gripping the earth. My feet keep walking. But somehow, my steps feel lighter.

Kindness in All Its Forms

One of the most striking things about walking is the kindness of strangers.

People have taken us to breakfast and lunch, made us humongous potluck dinners, and served us every kind of tasty dish. They ply us with seconds and desserts too, saying, “Oh, you’ve got a long walk ahead of you!” If I gave in each time, I definitely would gain weight over the course of this summer.

More than a few kind folks have stopped in the middle of the desert to give us granola bars, water bottles, and encouragement. One lady drove up to me and Colby in a big truck with a trailer. She asked us what we were doing, and after we told her, she dug a $100 bill out of her truck to hand to us. She shook her head saying, “Wow, I just really admire what you’re doing.”

We’ve also crossed paths several times over the last few days with a group biking across the country to raise money for disabled kids. It’s been super fun cheering them on and having them root for us. “Yeah, Push America!” “Go Crossroads!”

On the weekends when we stay with host families, I’m shocked and humbled by the generosity of these wonderful people. These folks are genuinely sweet and selfless. They open their homes, their hearts, and their fridges to us. Let me tell you, we have more cookies packed into our RV than we could ever eat!

One host family in Sacramento set it up so that every single walker on Central, Northern, and Southern walks would have a prayer warrior praying for their safety every day. We pulled the names out of the hats…I couldn’t contain my excitement and joy. How wonderful that so many people, even people we may not have met before, care enough to pray for us each day. Since this was my home parish, I knew most of the prayer warriors. Mine were an awesome family and my neighbor down the street! One family of prayer warriors makes shirts with the name of their walker on the back. So awesome!

So, to all of the awesome host families, kind strangers, lovely parishioners and cool bikers, I salute you.

Desert. Lots of Desert.

I’ve been walking through the desert all the live long day!

We’ve been through Carson City, Dayton, Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely, Nevada. Sitting in the middle of the desert, it’s a very harsh and inhospitable landscape. They call Highway 50 “The Loneliest Highway in America.” But the rugged terrain maintains a stark beauty.

The sunsets turn the sky bright orange and pink. The brown hills are dotted with trees, gaining shades of blue and yellow silhouettes at dusk.
Bright constellations light up the night sky as we make our way back to the RV we call home. The alkali salt flats that looked white moments before turned into miles of reflective mirages.

By far the most exciting locations I’ve walked by would be the forest fire in Lake Tahoe and the bombing range in the Nevada desert. The wildfire had dozens of fire crews and police, two aircraft and a helicopter dropping fire retardant and water on the small blaze. The bombing range was complete with half a dozen military planes practicing hitting their targets.

Some other highlights include:
-driving the RV (we’ve lovingly nicknamed her Bessie the Struggle Bus)
-flooring the gas (I need to so I can get Bessie up these hills)
-licking an alkali salt flat (note: it tastes like dirty salt)
-walking through a drive-thru in Reno (just because)
-seeing wild horses, antelope, many species of lizards and birds, and a dead rattlesnake and coyote

Best sight by far: the night I first saw wild Mustangs. There were two chestnuts and a paint. They flicked their tails and shook their golden manes in the light of the setting sun. Powerful, graceful, independent and carefree, they pawed, pranced, galloped and grazed their way across the bushy plains.

Wild Horses! I can die happy now.

I fell in love. Truly, I don’t think I have ever seen such majestic creatures in my life.

Of course, now my fellow walkers love to poke at my soft spot for horses. Whenever I start bouncing up and down over how gorgeous they are, they love to point out that they will likely be sent to a glue factory, or starve to death, or meet some ugly fate. But I still love them (horses and walkers).

Why We Walk for Life

So far this trip, I’ve walked further than I ever had in my life (my longest day so far was 14.5 miles). It’s stretched me in the most beautiful ways. Early mornings, late nights, little sleep, speed walking, good conversations and peaceful scenery.

Since we’re the only ones out on the road, I wave at all the passing cars and trucks. Nearly everyone waves back. They probably think, “Human interaction! YES!”

I’ve only had one person yell out the window, “Pro-choice!” It amused me. Pro-life young people walk across the country because we have a cause, a desire, a hope. Our message is life-saving, and each child is life-changing. Yelling a single word at us accomplished nothing.

To be pro-abortion has no fire, no hope. You either believe you’re advocating killing which is frightening, or you are confusedly advocating for a surgery…which is just boring. There is no cross-country walk for choice by the youth because it is a dead end. To be “pro-choice” is to be pro-abortion. It promotes pain, heartache, and death, and few people have such an intense passion for the culture of death.

I don’t think any of us would do something this crazy and intense were it not to offer it up for the unborn. We want to change the world, to save our unborn brothers and sisters, to love mothers and fathers, to spread a culture of life. And that in itself is exciting. It motivates, it fuels our actions, and it pushes our feet when they ache.

 

 

We Nailed This First Week of Crossroads

Rockin the Pyramid

Woohoo! We are still very much alive!

PC Angela Marino

We’ve walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, by the San Francisco Bay, San Quentin, Napa, Lake Berryessa, Sacramento, Jackson, Tahoe, and Silver Lake. After walking a lot and running a bit, we’ve reached Nevada! It’s beautiful country: open ocean, golden hills, meadows of wildflowers, quiet streams, fields of strawberries, tomatoes, sunflowers and wheat, pink and red sunsets, mountains covered in trees and capped with snow.

I’ve seen a lot of very dead wildlife, including a dead bear! Hawks, geese, cranes, and swallows soar overhead. Deer poke their heads out of the woods with curious expressions. A couple dumb ones jumped right in front of our van. Yikes! Of course, the most common creature to be seen are cows…and they are mine. If you see a graveyard, body of water, or roadkill though, you can tell me all my cows are dead.

We’re working our way up to 60 miles a day. And yes, I’m feeling the burn. The uphills are especially gruelling. But when the going gets tough and it seems like the miles don’t stop, we start another rosary and find strength there to push through the pain.

PC Anthony Briseno

God is so good. What a beautiful chance to witness to people about the importance of protecting all human life. I’m also getting used to being stared at now. Being the nut I am, I wave at all the cars. Some people wave back. Others aren’t too happy. Others contort their faces, conveying a very confused expression that says “do I know you?” Hehe no, stranger, but God bless you.

Last Saturday, we headed to In ‘N Out. The walk director is also from Sacramento, so he told all the others that you need to have a special handshake to order from the In ‘N Out secret menu…mwahahaha. What a prankster. While we were there, two guys sat down next to us, saw our shirts and asked about our walk. They wanted to know our motivation, the details, and asked how we would respond to the hard cases for abortion.

PC Angela Marino

I’ve spoken three times in parishes so far. Even though I like public speaking, it’s still nerve wracking. But it’s the same beautiful rush that I miss from my competitive speech and debate days. Plus, people are so generous. It leaves me completely humbled and grateful. A few ladies have even asked when they saw my nice shoes for Mass, “You have walking shoes don’t you?” Hehe, yes, I just wanted to dress nice for Mass. 🙂

PC Anthony Briseno

One wonderful gentleman came up to me after Mass with his two young daughters. He told me excitedly, “I make videos for 40 Days for Life. You know, I used to be on the fence about abortion, but when I saw her ultrasound, I said, ‘That’s Nina! That’s my daughter!'” I was so touched by his story. We discussed pro-life apologetics, how to make the biological case for life and respond to the hard cases. Even after he left, I was mulling over the beautiful gift it was for him to recognize the beauty of all human life.

Fitting eight people in a 35-foot RV makes things very cozy. So far, I’ve bumped my head on the ceiling, the cab, the cabinet, and my teammate’s face! But I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love how unique and diverse our walkers are. We have an intellectual, prankster Texan, an ice-cream-loving Philadelphian, a crazy, seminary-bound Virginian, a rambunctious, redneck Delaware native, a martial arts guru Arizonan, an accent-loving, snowboarding Coloradan, a sweet, independent Alabaman, and your token California girl (yours truly).

It’s hot, dusty, exhausting, fun, exciting, thrilling, adventurous, dangerous, and amazing.

Here’s to 3000 miles to go.

PC Angela Marino

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Ben Elliott

We found Mr. Bean’s Car! PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

If you want prayers, comment below and I will pray for you as I walk.

Can You Believe We’re Already Making a Difference with Crossroads?

Here’s the first picture of our team! We’re very sane.

The last couple days have been training days for us. But I have been amazed at how people respond to our presence, even just at Mass or in the local Wal-Mart.

All the gals

Just this morning, our group of 9 headed to Mass in the signature neon yellow Crossroads shirts. All of the school children turned around with wide eyes. Some of us were surprised by the increased eyeballs zeroing in on us. Our walk leader even warned us we might feel like fish in a fish tank…lots of folks staring. But each person we encounter is able to see young people sending a bold message. We’re taking wearing our beliefs on our sleeves to a whole new level!

I imagined people might take notice, but I had no idea that it would attract such responses. For example, just today in the church parking lot, a kind

couple walked up to our group to hand us a donation. The lady, tears in her eyes, thanked us with gusto for standing up for life.

Even when we trekked to Wal-Mart to buy supplies, several people came up to us and were interested in what on earth we were up to. We spoke to some, and smiled at others. It made me see with new eyes. Our views were visible even without words. And yet just that was enough to inspire.  

Another lady at Wal-Mart was so impressed by what we are doing that she made a donation right there in the Wal-Mart! And then, she thanked us deeply, and sweetly asked, “Can I give you a hug?” Wow. I was so humbled by her excitement and joy. Our simple presence was enough to inspire her and give her hope. So we all hugged her. And that was enough.

I’m Walking Across the Country for Life!

One walk. One RV. 8 people. 15 miles per person per day. 3000 total miles.

San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Lincoln, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Steubenville, Washington D.C.

Today, I leave on the adventure of a lifetime. For the next several months, I will be walking with Crossroads Pro-life Walks to raise awareness for the dignity of all human life, especially the unborn. We walk in shifts throughout the day, camp out at night, speak in churches and pray at abortion clinics on weekends.

So, why am I doing this? First of all, I feel called to do something more for the pro-life movement. The new evangelization calls for creativity. If abortion is the greatest human rights abuse of our time, we need to do our utmost to raise awareness to it, educate people, and then end it. Doing something radical like walking clear across the country definitely draws attention to the pro-life cause!

I’m sacrificing my summer (and my feet) because I want to raise awareness of the value and intrinsic worth each human being possesses. I’m doing this in memory of my 55 million unborn brothers and sisters who have been killed by abortion. I’m doing this for the mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of their child, and live in silent regret and pain. I’m doing this to touch the lives of the silent majority who refuses to speak up for the unborn because of apathy.

I’ll keep you updated as often as possible through this blog. Please pray for me as I embark on this journey. God bless you all!