Muslim, acquitted policeman, sign War Piper’s cross

Despite nasty blisters and a stubbed toe, South Africa’s War Piper 4 Mighty Men, James Mc Gowan (aka Piperjames) was in good spirits this morning as he set out from Matjiesfontein to Laingsburg on the 6th day of his 1 500 km trek from Cape Town to Mooi River.

In addition to his trusty bagpipes, 49-year-old Piperjames is carrying a wooden cross on which he is collecting signatures of people who pledge to attend a Mighty Men Conference (MMC) as part of their commitment to turn to Jesus or to deepen their walk with Him.

He has collected 17 signatures to date, and none so memorable as two he got in Touws River, he said in a cellphone interview today. In that town he met a policeman who had just been acquitted on a shooting charge. The policeman told Piperjames that he had pleaded his innocence throughout his trial and had said to the Lord that if he was acquitted he would go out and evangelise. He had no hesitation in signing the cross. Thereafter, a young Muslim man called Yusuf asked Piperjames what he was doing. After listening to Piperjames’s testimony he too signed the cross and said he was prepared to attend a Mighty Man Conference to find out what it was all about.

Piperjames said that most of the signatories aimed to attend a MMC in Paarl that was being planned for April next year.

He said the walk was proving quite tough. “The devil is nipping at my feet but I will keep on going,” he said. He said walking along the N1 highway was quite scary at times, especially late in the afternoon when some long haul truckers were weary.

He said he walked as far as he could each day: the previous day he had walked for seven hours. But he did accept short lifts if necessary in order to reach his overnight stages on schedule. There were limited opportunities to interact with people on the highway, so he made the most of his time in towns, to rally men to go to MMC events and become warriors for Christ. He has also played his bagpipes in a church in Worcester and at a service on a farm in De Doorns.

Keep piperjames in your prayers over the next seven weeks as he makes his way to Mooi River for the MMC-KZN from October 21 to 23. You can keep up with his progress on the Piperjames facebook page that is being updated by his wife, Ina.