The Mennonite Family

So the guy pulling into his driveway that Wednesday night when I hadn't reached my campsite was Mennonite Steve Graber. He was more than happy to help me out, asked me more about my trip, and told me he had two kids, 5 and 6, and a wife, and had just built and moved into this house. He said he would put me up in his camper for the night, and asked me if I had eaten dinner. His wife Anita prepared some delicious leftovers and offered a warm shower. After shower and dinner, I iced my knees, and Steve and I looked at the map of Mexico for potential routes. He also showed me some footage he caught of some prancing bucks in his backyard--this was very rural Virginia, and his backyard consisted of a large clearing surrounded by forest and a pond. Steve works in construction, and Anita had to drop the kids off to school early in the morning, so both would be gone by the time I got up. So we said goodbye that night. I woke up to a cold bottle of powerade and a bowl of sausage gravy waiting for me outside the camper with a note: Hi P.J. Hope you slept well. There's plates and micro in camper if you want to heat this up. Have a Safe trip! + God Bless Steve + Anita Graber

Well, I wrote them a thank you note saying how much I appreciated them and that they strengthen my faith in the goodness of people and that they made me feel welcome in Virginia. I gave them the blog, so I hope they are following along (Steve or Anita, please post a comment if you are!)