met Pilgrim George today, and thought I'd drop you a note with a photo I took, and My blog post from Facebook on the meeting...

"I'm the feet"

Today, I was driving up Ohio 7, on my way to run some errands in New Martinsville, WV. A mile or so above New Matamoras, I saw a man walking South along the road, dressed in robes and carrying a staff. I thought, "Huh. That's odd", and I kept driving. Within a mile, I knew I had to talk to that man. I turned around and drove back. I got out and hailed him from across the road. As I walked over, I took a good long look at him.

He was dressed in an ankle-length robe of patchwork denim, and he carried two denim bags over his shoulders. He had a bible in a denim case under his arm, and he carried a staff with a picture of Christ on the cross at the top, and wore a painting of the Virgin Mary around his neck. His sandals were made of tire tread.

I told him that I wasn't going to stop, but that something told me I should come back and talk to him. He responded, "Praise God!". I asked him where he was headed, and he told me he was going to Alabama presently, but that he had been around the world. He said that his name was George Walter, but that his friends call him "Pilgrim George". Asked what his mission was, he said, "My calling is to walk and pray, and lift up the name of Jesus Christ. The body of the church has lots of parts. I'm the feet."

We talked a while, and I told him a little about myself. He listened attentively, and didn't seem the least bit impatient. He said that he spends eight months of the year living as a hermit, and the other four walking. He gave me a Saint Benedict medal from a tiny satin pouch he retrieved from somewhere in the folds of his robe, then he prayed over me, and we went our separate ways. Before I left, I asked if I could take his picture, which you see above.

By the time I finished my errands, I wanted to find him again, so I drove back looking for him. I didn't see any sign of him, so I figured he found a shady spot, and I went home and googled him. I found out that he's been making pilgrimages since 1970, and that he's touched thousands of people around the world. Years ago, he spent thirteen years walking through Europe, Asia, and Russia.

After I finished on the computer, I went out again, and I saw Pilgrim George walking through town. bought a bottle of water, and met him as he passed by my house. He greeted me by name, and graciously accepted the water.

I walked with him for half a mile, and told him about the problems I once had with the church, and about how I've lately been feeling as though something is calling me back. He was very understanding, and not at all judgemental. All in all, he struck me as a very happy and contented man, and one I'm so glad I met.

Before we parted ways, he said, "You know, God talks to us all the time. Do you know what he says? He says, 'I love you, I love you, I love you'".
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I was really touched by my brief time with this wonderful man, and I wanted to share my experience.


Respectfully,

Charles Vachel McMahan