On Monday, before leaving Salem, I stopped at the Chamber to thank Barb for her help in making arrangements at the Super 8 Motel. She then drove me to the newspaper so they could do a story, then on to the radio station where they did an interview. After that I started walking to Xenia. The weather was around 50, so on January 21st I was walking in shorts & a t-shirt!
Pat, from the Flora Chamber of Commerce, had contacted Xenia Community Church to see if I could spend the night there, and the Pastor said yes. I got to the church and was expecting to unroll my sleeping bag out on the floor and sleep there. I was amazed when they showed me my room. The church is fairly large, and even has a gymnasium. On the far end of the gym, from the outside, are a flight of stairs that lead up to a small apartment. The church built this room for visiting evangelists to use. It has a small, nicely decorated living room with furniture, a TV, a microwave and a small refrigerator. Then it has a lg bedroom with a king-size bed and a full bathroom. In the living room there was a window that looks down into the gym. It's a really neat place to stay! I was so surprised! Today (Tues) I walked to Flora, only 9 miles away. Pat made arrangements for me to stay 2 nights at a motel for free, and also got several meals for free. At 1:45 today I went to the High School to give a talk to the PE class. That went so well that tomorrow (wed) I'll go back to the HS at 8:30 and stay there all day giving talks to all the PE classes. On Thurs I'll walk 23 miles to Olney, where I'll spend the wkend. Heres the ph# to the motel I'm at now, and will be Wednesday night: 618-662-2181 Rm 138. Take care and have a great day! KB