Mark Brazis is walking across America to spread the word of Jesus Christ and the Bible. He started in September in Indianapolis, where he lives, and is traveling all the way to Los Angeles on foot. He believes Christ sent him on this mission, so he walks from church to church and house to house trying to convince people to change their ways.
He’s traveling along US 40 with a few small detours and has already been through Indianapolis, Greencastle, Indiana; Terre Haute, Indiana; Marshall, Illinois; Marshall, Illinois; and Effingham.
Brazis left Terre Haute on Nov. 12, and he arrived here in Effingham on Nov. 23. He took off for Altamont on Nov. 26.
But first, he stopped by the Effingham Daily News for a chat.
Q: What’s the message you want to spread?
A: It’s love and needing to love each other more and help each other out more. But there’s also the other side to repent because when we don’t do that, judgment is coming. We need to turn towards each other, and that’s part of the message that I’ve been sent to share with people across America, too. My mission is to share the gospel with people, to love people … it’s also ‘Wake up, America’ because we need to repent. We need to do better. That judgment day is coming.
Q: What’s your route? Where do you plan on going?
A: I’ve mostly followed US 40, the national road. A little detour here or there, but pretty much that way… In Marshall, Illinois, I got stopped, and God led me to the owner of the newspaper. That gave me the idea after he interviewed me that maybe I should go do that. Go to the news, and then some of the towns that I get to and speak to them. Maybe they want a good story.
Q: How do you deal with food, water and sleeping?
A: People are charitable. Some people are not. When I left, I just had the clothes that I was wearing and my walking stick and my backpack. God has added to me little by little through people that want to be charitable and share a coat, a hat, a blanket. I have some great stories for charitable things people have done. As far as staying, some people have welcomed me in to give me a place to stay. Sometimes people help me get a hotel room, and sometimes I sleep on the streets or in parks.
Q: What’s your best story so far?
A: I was getting cold at night … and I couldn’t sleep. I get to Clayton, Indiana, and there’s nothing there except a Pizza King. I went to eat there, and the owner, Ted, gave me a free dinner and free drinks. After I told him what I was doing, he said, ‘You stay here as long as you want,’ until he was closing.
The reason he had done this is he had been homeless once in his life … He was so nice to me, and at the end of the night, I said, ‘Ted, you’ve been so wonderful, but if there’s one thing I could really use, it’s a blanket because I’d been unexpectedly getting so cold at night.’ He said, ‘Mark, I’m sorry. I don’t have a blanket for you.’
I went to the park to go to sleep that night, and he showed up in the middle of the night. He had driven to another town where he lived. He and his wife got a really nice blanket for me, and he drove back to where I was staying in the middle of the night … so that was really nice … I’ll get compliments on it sometimes, and people often wanna stay in touch. So sometimes, they’ll give me their numbers or social media. So I still text with him from time to time and message him, ‘Oh, you’re getting more compliments on your blanket.’
Q: What do you carry with you?
A: I started with my backpack and my walking stick and a couple of maps. I ditched those. So I had my backpack and my walking stick, and it eventually got colder. So I got a sleeping bag that people had got for me. I wear that [the blanket he was gifted] around my neck.
Q: Have you ever done anything like this before? Do you know anyone who has?
A: No. I read about stories in the news from time to time. Of course when I was planning to do this, I looked up some things on the internet, people who have maybe done something similar … What resonates with me is I used to be a professional poker player. That’s what I did for a long time, and I used to drive around in my car from town to town trying to win money off of people. We’re not called to do that. We’re called to help people and to love people. So now, I walk from town to town trying to do that, to help people, to love people.
Q: Can you walk me through a normal day for you?
A: When I’m just sleeping out on the streets, this would be my day. I’ll get out of my sleeping bag … I have to roll it up and put it in my bag. I’ll shake out my blanket, make sure I put on my shoes and get dressed. I probably [would] wait to have breakfast or something like that. I get going at sunrise. So I’ll get on the road, and I’ll walk two or three miles. Then I’ll take a break, and I’ll maybe have something for breakfast with me, or I’ll just rest. Maybe I’ll read my Bible. It’s not uncommon to have maybe three breaks. One in the morning, a longer one in the middle of the day for lunch… and then another break in the afternoon. I’ll get to my destination before it gets dark.
Q: Are you worried about being in the snow and cold?
A: Jesus said don’t worry about tomorrow, just worry about today. We’re not used to that … It’s a challenge for me. I do worry about it, but I’m just called to trust God more. And he’s provided for me … God said he promised that he’ll take care of you if you would turn to him, and he’s taken care of me.
Q: Where do you see yourself going [after Los Angeles]?
A:I don’t know. Wherever the Holy Spirit leads me. I try to plan things out sometimes because that’s what we should do. We think that we need to have a reasonable plan, but often, I’ve found that God will just take that plan away and say, ‘Nope. That’s all wrong. Do it His way.’
Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.