A super-fit christian literally has his own cross to bear and has hauled a giant 12ft crucifix thousands of miles around the world – for 26 years.
Lindsay Hamon, 60, has trekked through 19 countries including India, New Zealand, Romania and Sri Lanka.
And despite being thrown out of St Peter’s Square, in Rome, shot at in Bangladesh and attacked by angry zealots he remains resolute and has no plans to stop his mission.
Father-of-two Lindsay said: “There is a reaction from people straight away, you end up talking and connecting to people you wouldn’t normally talk to.
“People start opening up about there own lives and you end up sharing with them something that is most personal.
“I find people often want to talk, but if people don’t want to know I walk on.
“The love you get from it all is amazing, people will just stop and ask you questions, offer you food and sometimes a place to stay.”
Lindsay carries the huge cross, which has a wheel on the foot of the upright, over his shoulder for up to 12 hours a day, and often has no idea where he will sleep that night.
But part-time care worker Lindsay, from Camborne, Cornwall, admitted he is sometimes left fearing for his life.
He said: “There is fear there sometimes because I have a wife and kids and you don’t want to put yourself in danger. It is really trusting in God, knowing he will protect you.”
Lindsay first took up the 12ft by 6ft tall cedar wood cross in 1987 and has only spent a handful of weeks without the crucifix.
He receives generous donations from supporters to help him stay on the road, but with a mortgage, car insurance etc, he stops to carry out carework in his home town in order to pay the bills.
“I tried giving up my full time work and doing this full time instead but I didn’t get enough money to make ends meet,” he added.
It is estimated Lindsay has spoken to thousands of curious people during his treks around the world and has shaken hands and prayed with many more.
He often finds himself ministering to prostitutes or invited to brothels, and will regularly spend nights in bus shelters or basic accomodation with only a sleeping bag, and a hole in the floor for a bathroom.
Even language barriers do not hold the preacher back and he regularly finds himself mobbed by hundreds of locals wanting to hear him speak, even if they do not understand.
He said: “As you can expect in the UK language isn’t a problem. I walk into town centres and try and say hello to everyone I can but I realise that some people don’t want to talk.
“You shake hands with people a lot and some ask you to pray with them. Oddly some of the best conversations I have had have been at pubs where people are willing to sit down and give the time to talk to you.
“I can speak a bit of Spanish and French but other than that it can be a bit of a problem.
“When I’m in countries where I don’t know the language I try to write out a prayer in the language so I can show people that, and often I will just pray in English anyway.
“Sometimes you get people who translate for you, I had one young boy who came out of no where when I was talking to around 20 or 30 people and he just translated everything.
“When it was done he just disappeared, I never knew who he was or where he came from, it’s amazing.”
He is currently on the road in England, travelling from Taunton, in Somerset, to Bristol, before heading south to Exeter and finally onwards to see his wife and dog at home in Cornwall.
His next trip abroad will be to Latvia in May, before he will move on to Cambodia after the rainy season has ended.
Lindsay has walked through;
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
France
Germany
Holland
Hungary
India
Ireland
Italy
Nepal
New Zealand
Poland
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Sri Lanka
United Kingdom
