Nothing will stop Pastor Len Crow from his transcontinental mission on horseback to save at-risk children of the world.
Not a bear-roping stunt gone wrong, not charging grizzlies, not a runaway horse on a Grand Junction highway.
Since May, 2014, the 61-year old “Cowboy Pastor” has been riding horseback from Deadhorse, Alaska, on his way to Guadalajara, Mexico, to raise $1 million for orphanages.
“There’s been some challenges, icy rivers, accidents, frigid weather, truck traffic,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the saguaros in the Arizona desert!”
He came through Pleasant View on Tuesday after riding more than 5,000 miles through Alaska, Canada, Montana and Wyoming.
So far, he has raised $144,000 for child orphanages he helped start in Mexico, Guatemala, Cambodia, the Philippines and, hopefully soon, in India.
“That is my mission, helping the children in need with a stable home environment where they will be safe from disease, hunger, and exploitation,” he said.
Crow has witnessed abject poverty in the Third World. He’s fighting against the evil of trafficking children into forced labor and the sex trade.
“Young kids are sold by their parents to brothels. Thousands live on dumps searching for scraps of food with little or no clothing or shelter,” he said. “Thinking about how I can help keeps my spirits up. I need the public’s help too.”
This is Crow’s sixth cross-country mission on horseback to raise money for the orphanages, and the most ambitious. The pistol-packing pastor preaches at North Country Baptist Church, in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.
“In July, I expect to arrive at the orphanage in Guadalajara, then it’s back home for three weeks and on to Cambodia to start spending the money on expanding the orphanage there,” he said.
In his eight-year campaign, he has become a father figure for forgotten children.
“We find them, take care of them until they are adults. They get an education from licensed teachers, live in a safe home. To see them have a chance is inspiring,” he said. “God willing, there’s more work to be done.”
Fundraising is part of the job, and Crow’s creative approach fits his adventurous spirit. He travels 10 to 40 miles a day depending on terrain, and is on his third horse. He prefers Arabians.
His wife, Nancy, drives ahead with a horse trailer and camper, and some dedicated friends provide support as well. Along the way, Crow preaches at churches, gives media interviews and campaigns for the cause. He’s had donations from $20 to $20,000.
Still wondering about the bear-roping reference?
Crow said it was a stupid mistake, but seemed like a good idea during a stretch of boredom in the middle of the Yukon.
“I was gaining on a bear trying to rope him, and my horse General was having a good time chasing him down,” he says. “The bear went under some thick shrubbery, and I could not get my horse to stop. He went in there after him.”
On the other end, the bear ran up a tree, and then a large female bear charged, forcing the horse backward through the thicket with Crow hanging on for dear life.
“We got out of there without injury. That’ll wake you up!” Crow said.
In the Brooks Range of Alaska, an agitated grizzly kept bothering his camp. He fired a warning shot, then another at its feet. When that didn’t work, he heaved a large stone, hitting the bear in the shoulder, finally scaring it off.
Then there are the moments of ecstatic joy at the natural world.
“On a high ridge on the Continental Divide, I could see blue sky and birds flying below both of my stirrups,” he said. “There have been some exhilarating scenery.”
In Grand Junction, his horse was not used to heavy truck traffic and panicked, bolting down the highway with trucks flying by “just inches on either side,” he said.
And there is a lot more to go. Crossing the Mexican border at Douglas, Ariz., is the next challenge, then it’s 800 more miles along the Baja and Pacific coasts to Guadalajara.
“It’s a worthwhile mission,” he said. “People have been generous, and I want to make people aware of what is going on.”
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
