48-year-old Emyr Mathias, a builder from Ceredigion, Wales, is preparing to embark on an epic 200-mile journey carrying a 25-kg wooden cross from St. Davids in Pembrokeshire to the top of Mount Snowdon, after getting a series of visions from the Lord.
A devout Christian for the past 31 years, Emyr says he is taking on the monumental challenge in response to a calling he received from God. It all started a couple of years ago, when he started getting these strange visions. In the first one he was carrying a St David’s flag from St David’s to Snowdon, but he dismissed it as silly, telling himself “I’m not carrying a flag on the road – that’s silly!” Then, he claims he had a second vision in which God told him “I want you to carry a cross from St David’s to Snowdon,” but again Emyr thought “I’m not doing that”.
Not long after having these visions, Mathias met Angie Taylor who, after the loss of her son, carried a cross from Land’s End to John O’Groats with amazing testimonies of what the Lord did along the way. After telling her about God’s message to him, she said “You daft bat! Get the cross made!” So he did.
Photo: Crossing Wales
At 12-feet-tall and 6 feet wide, the cedar timber cross weighs around 25 kilograms, so getting it to the top of Mount Snowdon is not going to be a walk in the park, especially since Emyr is not in top physical condition. So he is currently undertaking a training program to prepare for the 200 mile journey. “When people ask me what I’ve been doing to prepare I just tell them I’ve been cross training,” the devout Christian jokingly told the South-Wales Evening Post. “But to be honest, to start with I was a bit embarrassed about carrying this cross with me. So I wanted to find somewhere quiet where I could get some miles in without drawing too much attention to myself. I’ve been to Tenby, Milford Haven, and as far away as Cwmbran.”
Getting the large wooden cross to the top of the highest mountain in Wales is not going to be easy, but Emyr is happy to have the support of his family and friends. However, he admits that his challenge seems strange to a lot of people. “The response has been fantastic,” he said. “Although there are some people who think it’s bizarre. I suppose you could say the reaction has been mixed.”
Photo: Crossing Wales
Asked what he wants to achieve by carrying the cross for 200 miles, Mathias said that he hopes his journey will make many people consider their faith and relationship to God, as well as hopefully unite the churches he comes across along the way.
Emyr Mathias’ “Crossing Wales” journey begins on September 13th, 2016.
