The Spiritual Journey of the Man with the Cross - Kenn Neyland
On the afternoon of Tuesday, December 10th, Wellsville was visited by published author 85-year-old Kenn Neyland of Great Bend, Kansas. Kenn visited Wellsville as a part of his effort to visit all of the cities and towns in the tri-state area, carrying a 35-pound cross and sharing his stories along the way.
Neyland reports that he has carried his cross through “all of the big cities” over the past eight years and walked more than 5000 miles - a claim supported by his active social media presence. He averages 10 to 13 miles per day, though he has walked over 16 miles in a single day. In Kansas alone, Neyland has visited over 50 towns, with more still to go.
The Wellsville Chamber Coordinator, Lorrie Glass Coffman, was delivering Wellsville Visitor's Guides to our local businesses before the busy holiday season when she saw Nayland pulling the cross down Main Street. She went to find out "his story." They had a meaningful conversation where she learned Neyland was logging some miles before heading toward home for the holidays. This winter he plans to begin writing his newest book inspired by these travels - The Spiritual Journey of the Man with the Cross.
When asked why he carries the cross, Neyland says that his mission is to “carry it for the people who don’t have it,” and that in his travels, he reaches out to “lost people.” In doing so, he hands out bookmarks with the prayer, “Lord, God, I don’t have to tell you I’m in trouble. I need a miracle. I can’t do this on my own. I can’t do this without you. Lord, God, I can’t do anything without you.”
Coffman requested contact information for Neyland and asked if he might return to Wellsville to talk to our community about his adventures while writing his book. He said he would very much like to do that. Stay tuned!
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