Leighton’s Blog

Today’s first Mission For Hope outreach in Indianapolis stop was unbelievable! Indiana Christian Jeep Association Chapter    President Brian A. Engelhardt and his team put together 170 “huge” hygiene kits. Hygiene kits were different for men, women and children. Brian had so many donations he had to rent a trailer. Dayspring Center, a shelter for families was our first stop. We dropped off hygiene kits, blankets, books, toys, candy for the kids and Bibles. We’re also able to give them cases of granola bars & snacks.  Our next stop was the Wheeler Men’s in downtown Indianapolis. We were able to donate four boxes of blankets from Beantown Blankets, hygiene kits and cases of granola bars and snacks. Before we handed out the hygiene kits we helped out a little bit in the kitchen to serve 80 guests lunch.  After lunch we handed out full size hygiene kits to the men and prayed with quite a few of them.  I remember going to both facilities on my last trip three years ago. Such wonderful

Wow! What a send off on Sunday! Family and friends going all out to wish me well on my journey! 

Left on my journey Sunday and it’s been a great week camping and hanging out with the Christian Jeep Association chapter presidents of West Virginia and Ohio. Outreach in Indianapolis on Saturday. Keep track of my route live here::  https://us0-share.explore.garmin.com/MissionForHope

This Sunday I hit the road again. This time for 9 months. This is what we did in 2019 for 6 months.  https://youtu.be/IcUN-FFwCgM

I received this Shepherd staff on December 1, 2019 when I was installed as a pastor at Calvary Christain Church after my first Jeep mission trip. The staff leaned quietly in the corner of my office. The Shepherd staff never left my office until my last day on staff last Friday. For two years Pastor Tim and my fellow Pastors taught me how to be a Shepherd and what a Shepherd staff is for.   A Shepherd staff is used to find fallen sheep in the undergrowth of life, protect sheep from attacks of the enemy, and to guide the flock to green pastures and clean water. A Shepherd staff is also used for balance for the Shepherd. Balance on rough and rocky terrain. I don’t have the room to take my Shepherd staff in my Jeep on my next mission trip, but knowing I was given it to pastor a flock I love so much, will keep me balanced on the rough and rocky roads.    No matter where that flock is or where that road is going.  If it wasn’t for the support of Calvary Christain Church for the last four yea

The staff at Calvary Christain Church gave me a nice little send off today. Amazing card, amazing cake and amazing people. Truly love these people and everything they’ve done for me over the last couple of years while I’ve been on staff. They are all family to me. 

My journey started without this Jeep four decades ago.  In 1980, on my way to photograph a Celtics game at the Garden in Boston, I saw some homeless people. I was 16, a junior in high school and grew up in the country.  I didn't know anything about the homeless but my heart went out for them. I created a body of work that day of homeless people which I have used for many of my photography shows over the last 40 years. Below is one of the images I took that day.  Thirty-five years ago I named this image after a Bob Seger song called "Even Now". This image has been hanging in most of the places I have lived for the last three decades to remind me how blessed I'm and how others are in need. In the mid 80's I was working at the Ninety Nine Restaurant in Billerica, Massachusetts, The owner of the Ninety Nine, Charlie Doe, was very passionate about helping the homeless. He encouraged his employees to volunteer to serve meals at a homeless shelter in Boston called the Pi