On Monday March 30th, David Smith, 72, set out from his home in Paradise, Utah, on his way to LDS General Conference in Salt Lake City on April 4th. He was walking there from Cache Valley and he was carrying an 80-pound cross. This is about a 80-mile walk, traveling with a wooden cross that is about 12 ft. with a message written on both sides, “Remember, Jesus loves us” in bright red paint.
The first day of his journey, Mr. Smith walked for 18 hours from Paradise to Brigham City. Along the way, he had numerous visits from strangers pulling over to ask what he is doing, offer food and drinks, and even to help carry the cross.
On Tuesday, he was seen carrying the cross through Perry on the shoulder of the road. He walked about 15 miles a day, in order to make the conference on Saturday. Two days into the walk, Mr. Smith had to change out the wheels on the cross after grinding the first pair down to the bearings. He had stopped at Walmart and bought a new skate board taking off the wheels and giving the board to a teenager that stopped to help him.
On Wednesday, Danielle Heil Bowman stopped to shake his hand near Willard Bay Gardens in South Willard.
“I thought it would bring a lot of attention to Christ,” says Mr. Smith of the experience. He is a high priest in the Paradise Second Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
