Crosswalkers take time-out after 1 400km due to Covid

1 400km into their 2 000km walk from Cape Town to Musina a group of crosswalkers have had to pause their Gospel trek after two of them were struck by the Covid-19 virus.

Team visionary Reini Coetzee and David Smith landed up in hospital in Midstream, Gauteng after they were diagnosed with Covid, while remaining team member Sive Mjoli has stayed healthy.

When I connected with them earlier this week, Reini was still in hospital but on the mend and David had been discharged.

The men — all from East London — agreed that it was their common love for sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the world that had bonded them together during the gruelling walk towing a heavy wooden cross that began in Cape Town in September.

Along the way they have prayed for many people and seen many come to salvation in Jesus. The hardest part of the journey, according to Reini, has been coming across people in all walks of life who are living in absolute poverty.

“When you see hurt in people’s eyes, the hope that has been lost…those moments are beyond human understanding’, he said.

David said it was especially tough to see children battling in life. Poverty is rife, especially in the Karoo where a lot of game farms have closed due to Covid, and there are no jobs.

He said their hearts broke in one Karoo town where they saw children walking around with holes in their clothes.

The toughest moment for the team, personally, was when they had to say goodbye to their families after they spent two days with their wives and children in Bloemfontein. Not having seen them for two months, and then parting again, was extremely difficult said David.

The team members expect to be home before Christmas and hopefully back on the road to Musina by the middle to the end of January.

Regarding their Covid-enforced break, David said it felt as if the Lord was saying they needed time to relax and heal physically, mentally, and spiritually and to go home and spend quality time with their families.

He said the break has brought them closer to the Lord, allowing them to spend more time in the Word and prayer.

Reini’s wife, Maritza, said: “With our loved ones on the open road ministering the Gospel of our Heavenly Father, my biggest fear was the safety of the team, their health, and provision for a place to sleep and food.

“God showed me in so many ways that He is our only provider. Sometimes we as humans try to do our own thing, depending on ourselves.

“God showed me that I need to focus only on Him and not the world. God has provided for the team and the families at home. I must say, I had my bad moments when fear stepped in but God showed me that I don’t need to fear for He is in charge.”

David’s wife, Michelle, said: “I have witnessed five completely different men, handpicked by God as His instruments to awaken and to reflect God’s love.”