Western Canada

Denise and I carried the cross in Western Canada in July 2004.

We carried the cross in parts of the provinces of:

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

We flew into Winnipeg and rented a mini-van. Denise drove most of the time while I carried the cross. On several occasions while in the cities Denise and I walked together and this was just wonderful. The witness was powerful and we prayed and talked with many. The people welcomed us with love, hospitality, food, drink and interest.

The following are a few glimpses of the witness of the cross on the road.

A car stopped and a young man came over to talk to me. He was a follower of Jesus but very confused about being able to know and do the will of God. I asked him what he would really like to do. He said, "I would like to sing and draw for Jesus, but I can't." I then told him how he could go into the center of his city and put up a drawing board and that he could begin to sing and also draw on the board. Mixing the two he could draw a crowd of a few or many and share the message of Jesus in music and art drama. I said, "You could go to London and perform in either Leicester Square or Trafalgar Square or in many cities all over the world, and even into remote villages." The man was amazed and said he could now see that it was possible to sing and draw for Jesus. We prayed and he left in glory!

Two ladies stopped on their bicycles to talk. They cycle to raise funds for the homeless. We had a powerful time of sharing. We had prayer together. I led in the sinner's prayer and after a few hours they returned. One of the ladies said the prayer and our talk was the highlight of her life!

A man came up to me on the city street. He parked his car nearby. He wanted to walk with me and talk as he did not want to slow me down. Ha! I said I had time to talk and that he was more important than the amount of miles I wanted to walk. He had deep, lifelong questions about God and why Jesus was important. We talked about subjects from the creation to Jesus to eternal life. I prayed for him but he did not make a commitment to Jesus as he still was not convinced but said he would ponder what I told him. He said I was the first person to take the time to explain to him the real message and salvation of Jesus.

The young man came calling out to me. I stopped and waited for him to arrive. We spent two hours talking as he asked question after question. He knew Jesus but needed to learn how to live for Jesus in this world. It was a glorious time of road ministry.

Along the valley road I carried the cross. There were high snowcapped mountains on both sides of the green valley in British Columbia. I could see that I was walking faster than the lady walking in front of me. Soon I caught up with her and she asked about the cross. We walked along the road talking about Jesus. After a while we stopped. She was in tears as she opened her heart to Jesus as we prayed. She is such a wonderful lady.

A car drove up and two young men studying to be pharmacists stopped to talk. They were so hungry to know about the cross walk and why I was carrying the cross. We talked for an hour and a half about Jesus and then they both wanted me to lead them in the prayer of salvation to follow Jesus.'

I arrived at the van where Denise was parked. She was sitting on the curbside talking with a lady. The lady was so happy to see the cross Denise had been telling her about. Denise had explained the life and message of Jesus and the lady had invited Jesus into her life and was so happy.

Denise and I were carrying the cross in Winnipeg in the downtown area alongside the river. At an intersection in the heart of the city the sidewalk was closed off to pedestrian traffic. We could only cross by going down the underpass. I have done this many times in cities around the world so I put the cross by my side and carried it down the stairs where there was an escalator. So on down we went, through some doors and then there was a big roundabout to walk around and then some more doors.

We were just trying to find a way to get back up to the street. To our amazement we found ourselves carrying the cross through a ''Bank'! I stopped and inquired from a shocked lady at her desk, "How do we get out of here and back up to the street"  She got up to point the way out. I handed my camera to Denise and said I must have a photo of the cross in the bank! The lady was concerned about us taking a photo, but Denise did not hear her and took the photo anyway. Ha! So for the first time I have carried the cross through a big bank! Wow.'

On and on I could go with stories of beautiful Canadian people we met along the way of the cross. We had a glorious time of witness and refreshment. I feel at home on the road and just love to live the life of walking and the cross and witness.

God bless Canada!

Pilgrim followers of Jesus,

Arthur and Denise Blessitt

Luke 18:1