Taking his cross across country
By Myra Miller
Calton Marshall set his cross aside Monday, but unlike many others, it was for only a short time.
Marshall put down his burden to mail a letter before resuming his cross-country trek.
He, and his “Christian” dog, Bugsby (dipped not sprinkled), rested under a large shade tree, along with his small hand-pulled trailer and his cross.
Marshall, 58, originally of Melbourne, Fla., left Tallahassee three months ago on foot, with his 16-foot cross and supplies trailer and his companion canine on a singular mission - to tell people about Jesus Christ.
Marshall, a retired car salesman, says he walks an average of 12 to 15 miles a day and stops at night at churches to sleep. He rests on Sundays.
He has supplies, food and a sleeping bag tucked away in his small trailer.
His says his next stop will be in Houston where his two sisters, Mary Parsley and Sharon Diaz, live.
Marshall says he is thankful every day for God’s salvation and grace.
He says his mission is to spread the Word to all who will hear him.
He said, “I am literally taking up my cross to follow Him. I want to spread the good news, and tell about the mighty works of Christ.”
As a child he was stricken with polio, resulting in one leg an inch longer than the other, and had to walk with braces.
Forty years ago, Marshall was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was shot with a 12-gauge shot gun in his upper leg. He lost 6 pints of blood and remained in the hosptial for eight months.
His sister, Mary Parsley, said in a telephone interview that he was lucky to be walking or even have a leg.
Marshall walks with a limp, has poor circulation in his leg and hurts constantly.
He says he was delivered from alcohol and drug abuse, “The Lord brought me out of it.”
Marshall is a diabetic, saying that he has to have 60 units of insulin total, in the morning and in the evenings, but since his walk three months ago, he has only had to have three shots of insulin a day. He said, “I guess its all the walking I do everyday!”
Overweight, in his words, when his journey began, he has lost 50 pounds.
Conceding his trek is not for everyone, Marshall says, “I want to give back, to tell about how wonderful God is,” he said.
Marshall, who is single and affiliated with a Lutheran congregation, has a son who lives in Florida.
His hope is to reach California, but is not too sure if he can withstand the heat.
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