The First Step

Day 1

This was my first day hitchhiking. It started off pretty slow. It took over an hour I'm sure to get my first ride. The guy that picked my up was a dancer/home health provider who took me a couple miles down to
Amite.
 From there I was picked up by a father and son coming from Texas where the son had a hair transplant operation done. They took me a good ways into Mississippi.
 The next ride came from a woman odly enough. She was a scout master and said she picked me up because I looked like a boy scout! She took me down the road a few exits.
 Then I was picked up by a few old sketchy guys in an old sketchy truck, they only took me a few miles down the road. He said he was going to pick up his daughter, then he might take me further if I hadn't already found a ride.
 Luckily, I did. An older gentlemen by the name of John sojourner picked me up. He, I later found out was a former hitchhiker himself, and was also a strong Christian. We talked about God and theology as he took me all the way to the other side of Jackson. He prayed over me, and also gave me 12 bucks.
The next ride came from a dentist, why was kind enough to take me all the way to Meridian. It was really awesome to meet and talk with him and he even let me take a nap in his truck. After that I was picked up by a national guard chaplain in training who was a basketball coach as well as former youth pastor and had a masters of divinity and was work on another masters degree at seminary. We were able to have some great fellowship talking about God and sports, he gave me a protein bar (which was awesome) and took me all the way to Birmingham even though it was out of his way. Then, to top it all off he gave me 100 dollars, I kid you not. Then he prayed for me and went his way.
 Where he dropped me off however wasn't the best part of town...so I hiked a few more miles to a little bit better exit. There I had my first encounter with the police. The officers stopped, made sure I wasn't begging, then moved on and wished me luck.
 Then I was picked up by an older man in a rather old and beat up van who took me to a decent exit. Where I again met some more cops. They asked me where I was going, asked for ID ran it through their system, and even asked their Sargent if they could take me a little further. They weren't, but we had a good talk, and they wished me luck and went on their way.
Then I was picked up by a sketchy older couple who let me ride in the back of their truck down to the next exit which he said would be better for me. And it was.
 I was then picked up by and old cowboy who took me half way to Decatur. I don't think he said a word the entire trip haha.
Then came a car full of girls stopped and the mom asked me if I needed money and I told her no, then said she would pick me up but didn't have room for me and my backpack.
 Then my final ride of the day came. It was a young husband, his wife, and their 3 daughters. She said they stopped because I looked like her nephew. She asked me if I had a gun, the. Said later that she let me in because I looked so shocked and surprised when she asked. During that ride I was treated to the movie HOP, a bag of snacks and a water bottle, a picture drawn of myself, and the prayers of fellow believers. The mom almost wouldn't leave when we got too Athens, she said the mom in her was coming out. But they. Eventually were able to leave after making sure that I was completely fine and had everything that I needed. Which leads me here where I am now, under a bridge in Athens AL. Praising God for what He's done today and looking forward to tomorrow! Well I'm gonna get some sleep now.