♪ somber country ♪
[Peter] All right, Titus.
Going on a mission,
hitchhiking to Nashville.
[Titus] Yes.
-Show us the route.
What do we got here?
So…
[Peter] Here’s Liberty.
[Titus] Yep.
So we’re gonna go South on 127
and then we’re gonna go west
on the Cumberland Parkway
till we get to Bowling Green.
-Okay.
-And then we’re going south on 65,
and down into Nashville.
-How long do you think, Titus?
-Well if we had a ride straight through
it would be just under
three hours to get there,
and so God is calling us to go.
So he’ll provide the transportation
and we’ll just see who he sends
and there may be somebody on the way
that really needs to hear about Jesus,
and I got a few Bibles.
-Oh, you’re bringing the Bibles?
-Got some Bibles and Bible tracks.
Maybe we’ll meet somebody
that doesn’t have a Bible.
We can give them a Bible and…
-How long do you think it will take us?
-That’s in God’s hands.
-Ran out of space, Titus?
-Yeah, I didn’t space things very well.
-“Nashvill”.
[both laughing]
[Titus] Oh, no.
[Peter] That works.
All right, hopefully
by this afternoon, Nashville.
-Yes.
[Titus] This first, maybe two miles or so,
it’s usually pretty quiet.
We may have a little bit
of exercise this morning.
-Titus, I haven’t hitchhiked since
I was… I think 15-years-old.
-Wow, so you’re excited?
-I’m super excited,
it’s like child-like excitement today.
[tractor approaching]
Here we go, Titus, we have a tractor.
Do you think it’ll pick us up?
[tractor drowns out giggling]
[Peter] All right, here we go… we’re in.
All right,
this is the way to start, Titus.
Thank you.
We’re going to Nashville.
[tractor drowns out farmer]
-[Peter] Thank you.
-[Titus] Thank you very much.
All right, nice.
[both giggling]
[Titus] Life, for many people
has become boring and predictable,
but when you’re stepping out in faith
when you’re working for God,
life will always be
full of surprises and adventures.
And I don’t have a worry in my mind
because I know
that we’re doing this for God.
He’s gonna provide
what we need to get there.
He’ll provide everything we need.
[Titus] The dark purple ones
are called ironweed.
I guess because they’re so tough,
you can’t hardly kill ’em.
This one here is called chicory,
and it has a root that can be
ground up, and roasted,
and it can be brewed
as a tea and coffee substitute.
-Yeah Titus, this road is quiet.
-It is, yeah.
[crows cawing]
[Peter] Hear the crows?
Going down this road for about 45 minutes.
Not one car has passed.
[Titus] We’re getting close to where
we’ll have a little more traffic.
[truck approaching]
[Peter] Oh, yeah.
[Peter] How you doing?
[Titus] We’re going out to 117.
Don’t go out of your way.
-We’re heading that way,
y’all c’mon the back.
[Peter] Thank you.
[Peter] There we go.
-This thing sounds mean.
-[Titus giggles]
-[Peter] Yeah.
-[Titus] Woo.
Oh yeah.
[truck accelerates]
♪ upbeat country ♪
-Ladies, you guys are awesome.
-I love your driving style.
-Thank you.
-You got a heavy foot.
-Hard and fast.
-Did you modify this?
-I modified it, but no,
we didn’t go hard and fast with you,
but if you want to, we can take you.
-Maybe you can
do a burnout when you leave?
-Maybe.
-All right, if we’re lucky.
[all giggling]
[engine revving and tires squealing]
[both laughing]
[Titus] Wow.
[Peter] She was proud
of her modifications in that truck.
-I’m just gonna use the restroom, Titus.
-Go ahead.
-You gonna stay out here?
-I’ll just push this cart.
-You’re returning the cart?
-Yes.
-That’s nice of you, Titus.
-Might as well.
-When’s the last time
you ate a chip or drank a soda?
-Probably when I was maybe 17.
-17-years-old?
-Yeah, 17 years ago.
-You’re looking for Titus?
[woman] …they’re from Florida
and I was telling my sister…
I was telling them how he lived and stuff.
He’s really become a celebrity.
-My niece is Jerry Roberts and Sherry.
-Oh yes, up on the hill.
-She’s my sister, and you was talking
to one of the little girls the other day
and she come running out,
“He talked to me.” [chuckles]
She’s about 12 or 13.
-We’re going to preach in Nashville.
-Oh, are you?
-We’re hitchhiking.
-You’re both hitchhiking?
-[both] Yeah.
[Peter] We’ve done well so far.
-I know Titus did but I didn’t know
you were following him walking.
[Peter] Yeah.
[Titus] He’s adventurous,
Peter’s very adventurous.
[Peter] Gotta say
we’re doing pretty well, Titus..
-Yes.
-Two vehicles passed us, two rides.
-Yeah.
-Now this is the true test, the main road.
-Yep.
[truck speeds past]
-I’ve had people pass me and they’ll
come back a while later and they’ll say,
“I just passed you up
and God wouldn’t let me rest.”
“I had to turn around and pick you up.”
Had that happen numerous times.
-Any crazy stuff ever happen, Titus?
Any bad experiences?
-No, I’ve never had any bad experiences.
-I did ride with one guy
that I just had this really bad feeling
and he didn’t say anything out of line,
he didn’t do anything out of line,
but I just had this bad feeling
and I was so grateful when I got out.
-Yeah.
[truck passes]
[Titus] I don’t mind riding in the back.
[Peter] You know of Titus?
-Yeah, for years.
-Okay, great.
[Peter] All right.
-Thanks for picking us up.
-No problem.
-Well this is cool, unexpected…
I tell you what.
[Peter] He’s a character, huh?
-He is that. That’s for sure.
-He’s going down, he’s going under.
-The AC’s a little stronger back there.
-So people really know him well
in the community?
-Yeah, I’ve known him for years too.
I’ve known their family for…
I guess since I was little.
-So you grew up here?
-Yeah, just down the road.
-How do you like Casey County?
-I really… I haven’t been
a lot of other places
but I really love it here.
There’s a lot of family here,
that’s probably the biggest reason.
I could be happy wherever there’s family.
People are friendly here, I like it here.
-They are, everyone is super nice.
-Yeah, you travel a lot.
How is it compared to other places?
-It’s really friendly, I knew nothing
about Kentucky except the Kentucky Derby.
-Oh yeah?
-My first time was this summer.
-Okay, that’s funny, I’ve actually
never been to the Derby.
That’s pretty much the only…
-Very nice people,
it’s just simpler in many ways.
-It is.
-I see what you’re talking about,
the deep roots, the deep connections.
I’m enjoying my time
in these countryside landscapes
more than cities these days.
-I was watching the Appalachian series,
it’s so interesting to see that.
From what I tell people,
as far as industry and things here,
unless you’ve lived here
or have family here,
if you’re in this area
you’re probably lost.
There’s not a lot of reason
to be here as far as getting a job.
-There’s not a whole lot here.
-Yeah.
-Church is a big thing out in these parts?
-Almost everyone goes to a church.
We don’t all go to the same church
but I would say definitely in a minority
if you don’t go to church.
There are a lot of very conservative,
similar to Amish and Mennonite,
there’s a lot of different variations,
there’s car-driving Mennonite here,
they’re all very conservative though.
-So you were saying Kieth, you saw
the first video Titus and I did together.
-Yeah.
-You were saying something
that wasn’t conveyed in the video
which I agree with
is that lifestyle looks easy.
-Yeah.
-And most people can’t hack it, right?
-It has a lot of parts
that are pretty hard.
Like you mentioned,
there’s ticks, there’s poison ivy,
you gotta be willing
to deal with some of that,
and another big thing is for Titus,
he’s part of a community.
And that really,
I think is necessary to live like that.
Where when it’s time to cut hay
his buddies come
and help him throw the hay
and he helps his friends too.
But it’s kind of hard for one person
to live like that by themselves.
-Right.
-So I think community
is part of living that lifestyle.
-So you helped build his barn?
-Yeah, me and his brother did
a few years ago.
We hand-dug the footers out for that barn.
Which in hindsight,
we were both telling each other
we should have just
hired a backhoe to come
and it would have still been
easier and cheaper for us
than to spend two or three days there
with a pick and a hoe.
-Titus didn’t want that?
-No, he…
How did he say that?
“It’s a better experience, you know?”
“It draws you closer.”
and he’s right, you know?
Occasionally that’s a good thing to do.
I would probably go broke
if I did that every day.
-Did your back think
it was a better experience?
-No, it probably was a good thing
for a young guy to do actually.
-All right Keith, appreciate it.
-No problem.
-All the best.
-Good meeting you.
-You too.
[Kieth] Take these sesame sticks.
-Oh… shoot, I like them
-There you go.
-Thank you.
-You have a good trip, man.
[Titus laughs]
[Peter] Wow.
All right, we’re out at the main road,
this is Cumberland… what is this called?
-Cumberland Parkway.
Going west is…
-Cumberland Parkway,
that’s what we want to get on.
-We wanna go west.
-Okay.
-This is where it
gets more serious, huh Titus?
-Yeah, this is where
we may get a longer shot of a ride.
[Peter] You were saying back there
sometimes when people
pick you up for hitchhiking,
they really open up to you,
tell you their stories, their problems.
-Yes.
-Why do you think that is, because
you’re going to be out of their lives?
-I’m anonymous, I don’t know
anybody in their circle of friends.
-I don’t know anybody in their family.
-Right.
-So if I would say something
about what I heard or what they said
it’s not gonna go back
to their family or their friends.
[Peter] What’s the sign say up there?
-“Prohibited, pedestrians,
bicycles, and those on foot.”
-Tituses?
-[Titus laughs]
-Would that sign
stop you from going though, Titus?
-No, I’ve walked on the shoulder.
I’ve had sheriffs tell me,
“You’re not allowed
to walk on the interstate.”
They pick me up
and give me a ride to state line
or I’ve had a state trooper
that gave me a ride
and he never said a word about it.
He’s just like,
“Yeah, keep up doing what you’re doing.”
He’s like, “I radioed ahead to my buddies
and when they see you on their range
they can give you a ride.”
But then I’ve had
other police officers that told me,
“Oh, you’re not allowed to do this.”
and I got arrested when I was walking
on the shoulder in Nashville, Tennessee.
They put me in jail there,
held me for 27 hours.
-Really, for hitchhiking?
-Well they didn’t say… I wasn’t…
They didn’t charge me with hitchhiking.
They told me it was illegal
to walk on the interstate
and they said that you’ll go to a…
[truck passes]
They said, “You’ll have
a state-appointed attorney.”
I said I don’t want an appointed
attorney, I want to speak for myself.
But when I went to the…
I ended up seeing the state-appointed
attorney and she’s like,
“We decided since
you have no formal identification,
we’ll drop this case.”
So they just let me go.
[giggling]
-For those that haven’t seen
the first video with Titus
we went over that, no driver’s license,
no social security card.
-Because it burnt up…
-Never signed it.
-Birth certificate
burned up in a house fire?
-No, birth certificate in a flood.
-Oh in a flood, that’s’ right.
-So zero identification?
-Yeah.
-What’s your identification here,
just the Bible, right?
-Yeah, got my Bible in here,
and I’ve got my name on it.
-Oh, there we go.
[Titus giggles]
[Titus] I feel like God’s
speaking to my mind and my heart,
and telling me that
he’s preparing a ride for us soon.
We’ve been waiting here for,
I don’t know what, 15 minutes?
-Something like that?
-Twenty.
-You’re feeling it?
-Yeah.
[truck passes]
-What’s this here, Titus?
-This is a lady that I go dig ginseng
with her and with her daughter.
We go in the woods together
and she recently died.
And I was just looking at it,
I had it tucked away here.
Brings back good memories.
We had a great time
going through the woods
digging ginseng and…
They called it yellowroot,
it’s actually goldenseal.
-Sorry, you two were very close?
-I wouldn’t say real close
but I grew up with ’em, you know?
When I was young.
-[Peter] Oh, yeah.
-[Titus] Woo.
-Yeah Titus, we got a ride.
-Yeah.
-Donald, thank you.
-Yep.
-I felt like God was telling me
a ride would come soon
and then after I said that,
you showed up probably five minutes later.
[Peter] Do you pick up
a lot of hitchhikers?
-Not a whole lot.
[Peter] You got burnt on it?
Oh…
[Titus] What did they do?
-They had dope.
-Oh no.
What made you pick us up?
Me and her started dating
back in February.
She wasn’t saved
and had been in drugs and all that stuff.
Well, me and her get together,
I tell her no drugs and all that.
Well, she started going to church.
It was her idea to go to church,
I didn’t force nothing on her.
So we started going to church.
About the fourth time
we went to church, she got saved.
-Wow.
-And we been continuing
at the same church
and it’s going pretty good.
-This is your girlfriend?
-That’s my girlfriend.
-Oh, wow.
So she’s saved.
What do you mean exactly by that?
She went to church four times
and on the fourth time she was saved?
-She got conviction,
and she got on her knees,
she prayed for forgiveness,
repented of her sins,
and she’s turned her life around.
-Doesn’t have addiction problems?
-Huh-uh.
Well, she finishes up her clinic,
Suboxone clinic…
-Oh, yeah.
-She been on that for three years,
she finishes up next month.
-So she’s gonna get off Suboxone?
-Off all that, yeah.
-Oh, great.
-And then she was at work…
where she works at,
and one of her coworkers
had got divorced and all that stuff,
was in a bad way,
got to talking to her, she got saved.
So it’s just a snowball effect.
-[Titus] Jesus is still changing lives.
-[Donald] Oh, yeah.
-So where we’re at, here in Kentucky,
most people are religious, right?
Fair to say?
-No.
-No?
-Well, religion, yes… Christianity, no.
-What religion?
[Titus] There’s a difference between
following Jesus and having religion.
[Donald] You got a lot of people
that go to church,
but you don’t have
that many people following Jesus.
[Titus] Yeah.
-What do you mean by that?
-Well they’re what we call
Sunday morning Christians.
-Christians on Sunday–
-They go, sing some songs, go home?
-Yeah, and then
when they’re at home they’re…
You know they…
Just like picking y’all up.
They won’t do anything to help anybody.
-One of Jesus’ biggest things was charity.
-Okay, gotcha.
-They won’t do anything to help anybody.
So I call them Sunday morning Christians.
-You you call yourself
a follower of Jesus?
-Yeah, ’cause I drove
a truck for 20 years.
I mean the good lord’s put it on me
to see somebody sitting in a restaurant,
just walk over and hand ’em $20.
I do it, it could be
my last $20 but I’d still do it.
-You feel that come through you?
-Yes.
-Like a higher power?
-Yes.
-This is what Titus
has been speaking about today too.
Interesting.
[Titus] There’s no better satisfaction
than to know that you’re being guided
by somebody who knows more than you do.
That’s something I told Spring,
you can’t outgive God.
[Titus] Yeah, that’s true.
-You might give your last $5
but God will give back to you.
[Titus] That’s right.
[Peter] What are your thoughts
about the country right now?
-About the US at the moment?
-It’s bad.
-What do you mean by that?
-I think we’re coming into the end times.
[Peter] The end times?!
[Titus] I definitely agree with you, Don.
-Okay, but I was told by some
very religious people when I was a kid…
They were saying it then,
they’re saying it now, but you really feel
something’s about to happen?
Is that what you’re saying?
-Yeah, it’s already happening.
-Like we’ve never in the history
of America seen pastors going to jail
for keeping their churches open
but we just saw that recently.
-We’re being lied to by media, by news.
There’s no truth out there.
And if you speak the truth,
you get in trouble.
There’s one thing
I used to say when I was a preacher,
the Bible says, “A liar shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Why is that?
Why would a liar
not enter the kingdom of heaven?
Because he will
lie about his own salvation.
You can’t tell a liar
that he’s telling a lie
because he believes it himself.
[Donald] All right, I’mma take you
down the next exit
’cause that’s where most trucks run.
[Peter] Oh, do you think…
You were a truck driver,
so do you think truck drivers
are picking up
more hitchhikers these days or less?
-No, it’s against
company policies nowadays.
[Titus] I used to…
I don’t know… Seven, eight years ago,
I used to get a lot more rides
with big semi trucks
but now I don’t hardly ever
get a ride with them.
-Because a lot of companies have…
Well insurance companies
is what’s the big player is.
because somebody
had an accident with a hitchhiker,
and the hitchhiker sued
the insurance company, and you know…
-[Donald] So now, no riders.
-[Titus] Yeah.
-That’s too bad.
-Yeah, it is.
-Because it shows
an open trust culture, right?
That you pick up a stranger,
I think it’s a very beautiful thing.
-You know where the United States
ranks in the freedom, personal freedoms?
Index is probably like nine or ten.
-Try 25th.
-Okay, but freedom’s hard to measure
’cause look at Titus’…
You’re living on 50 acres,
you pay $250 in property tax,
you’re really left alone.
-I have to say for me,
I’m very blessed to live in this country
and still,God is blessed and merciful
but our days of freedom are numbered.
-Difference between me and him.
[Peter] What’s that?
-Okay… now… I work a job,
I make, say, $600 a week… gross.
Uncle Sam’s gonna take $200 of that.
[Peter] You make 600 a week?
-That’s a rough estimate.
-That’s tough these days to get by.
-Yeah.
-So…
All right, if you make $600 a week,
Uncle Sam takes
$150 to $200 right off the top.
What’s that leave me to live on?
-So what are you doing now?
-You’re a mechanic, right?
-Yeah.
-And you’re only making 600 a week?
-Uh…
Sometimes a little over that
depending on the hours.
But I mean where’s the freedom at?
If I’ve gotta work 80 hours
to make a living in a week…
-Donald, can I pray for you?
-You sure can.
-What can I pray about?
-Just whatever.
-All right.
Father in heaven,
thank you so much for this day.
Thank you for Donald’s kindness to us.
He went the second mile to take us
to a better exit with more traffic.
We’re so grateful for that.
Father, I pray
you bless him with his work.
Give him better health, and draw him
closer to you, and his girlfriend.
I pray you continue giving her freedom
to live life free from addiction, father.
You sent Jesus and because of him
we have freedom
to live life to the fullest.
I ask also for Donald that
you put in his heart the desire
to quit tobacco and give him
the strength to quit it.
Break that habit in his life
that his lungs could be free
and he could live many more healthy years.
We thank you for his kindness
and ask that you continue to bless him.
We know that you already have
and we just ask you to continue.
In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
-[Donald] Amen.
-[Peter] Amen, beautiful Titus.
-I gave my girlfriend
my last bit of money this morning.
[Peter] There’s a bit of gas money.
[Donald] That works, appreciate it.
-Thank you, sir.
-Thank you.
[Titus] The ones that gives the gifts.
-That was a beautiful prayer, Titus.
-He was a beautiful–
-You condensed everything he said
about his life, put it into one prayer.
-He’s a beautiful person,
I just want to see
that tobacco addiction broken in his life.
I want to meet him a year from now
more healthy, more strong,
more vibrant, more full of life.
I want to hear
what Jesus is doing in his life.
Maybe he’ll come visit me sometime.
-At your church.
-That would be great, yeah.
-Guys, I want to let you all know
Titus is building a church
where anyone and everyone can come.
-That’s right.
Even if they…
If they watch these videos,
if they’re in your neighborhood.
-From all over the world, whomever, right?
-That’s right.
-And I want to leave all ink down below.
I want to help Titus as much as possible
because you have the gift.
We just saw it in the car there.
-That is beautiful.
-God is the one that gives gifts.
-All right, I’m gonna get some water
over here at the gas station.
Titus is asking if we can
hitch a ride with this guy here.
We need what you’re doing,
a lot of people
aren’t willing to work hard at it.
[Peter] What are you doing, sir?
[man] I pick up garbage.
-Home, residence…
-Okay, yeah, sure.
-Doing pretty decent.
I mean I think everybody’s…
A lot of people are having a hard time
making it the way things are.
Everything’s went up so high.
I live in Glasgow and started a route.
It was like $26 at the landfill,
and it more than doubled
in like two weeks time.
[Peter] So you’re
feeling the prices right now?
-Well yeah, it makes it rough for…
You go up and everybody
don’t like that you go up
but you ’bout have to stay in business.
-Because all your prices went up, yeah.
[Titus] I guess you’ll
never be out of a job.
-That’s one thing,
it’s nasty work
but I say the garbage will be here…
[Peter] Oh, without you guys,
life is terrible, seriously.
[Titus] You help
keep the world a nicer place.
-Yeah.
-Yeah, Titus, you really see
a lot of that in rural America.
I know you’re sort of
out of the system to some degree.
Your overhead is a
couple hundred bucks a month
but for the average person
things have gotten very expensive.
-Yeah, it’s getting harder and harder.
-Yeah, you can see it
and you can feel it
when you talk to people
that just the wages
aren’t keeping up with the expenses.
-I don’t think, you know?
-Yeah.
-I can’t believe that mechanic
is only making 600 a week.
-That’s really low.
-Yeah, that’s skilled work.
-Yeah.
[cars passing]
[Peter panting]
[Peter] You were saying you think Donald
will be very happy
when he sees himself on the video?
-Yeah, just because he’s able to express
what he’s really thinking, or feeling,
or what he’s experiencing in his life.
-Yeah.
-Other people can see that
and identify with him too.
-Right.
-They can identify what he’s going through
having so many expenses
and working so hard, barely scraping by.
-So Donald is like your every day man.
-Yeah, like a very–
-Hard-working blue collar-type guy.
Has really little voice in society.
So he’ll be pretty happy
to have that on video?
-I think so.
He was very willing to be on camera.
Like he wanted
to say something to the world.
-Yeah, I find that a lot of people
really want to speak up.
I’m not having a hard time
making videos usually,
getting people to speak out.
More want to speak on camera than don’t.
-That’s good.
-And I think it’s because they feel like
their voices aren’t being heard.
Oh, that was the slow down,
that was the tease, Titus.
-Wasn’t it?
-Yeah.
-They’re scoping us up and down.
-I thought he was gonna stop.
He let off the gas pedal,
cruised, and then took off.
[Peter] Oh, right at the sign.
[Titus giggling]
[Peter] How you doing, sir?
Thank yo so much.
[all chuckling]
[Peter] We won’t knock you in the head.
[Peter] So Billy-Roe, you went by us.
-I didn’t see you,
I just looked up and thought
I hadn’t done this in a long time.
[Titus] How long has it been?
[Billy] Well probably 15, 20 years
since I picked someone up.
[Peter] Billy-Roe, are you from here?
-Yeah, I was born in the hospital
in Glasgow, I’ve lived here all my life.
Except when I went to Western for college.
-Okay, what’d you study?
-Agriculture.
-Gotcha.
[Titus] Oh, you a farmer?
-Yeah, I actually taught school
for six months, went back to the farm,
been there ever since.
[Peter] How’s farming these days?
-Well I’m a dairy farmer right now.
I will be for another ten days I guess.
We’re selling all 360 head of cows.
-How do you feel about that?
-Well I don’t know, of course
I’m gonna miss it
but I’ll be 75 in January.
-You drive like you’re 16
when you hit that gas pedal.
-You just took off.
-[Billy chuckles]
I’m actually heading
to Bowling Green to a dairy meeting.
Supposed to be there in seven minutes,
you think I’m gonna make it?
-With the way you drive, we can get there.
-[Billy laughs]
No, I don’t believe we’ll make it.
-How far is Bowling Green?
-About 65 miles
from where we’re at right now.
-Oh, we scored, Titus.
This is a big ride.
[Titus] Yeah.
[Peter] At 75, you’re saying
it just goes quick?
Life goes quick?
From 45 to 75, that just went like a blip?
-Yeah, about three weeks you’ll be 75.
-Oh, wow.
So Billy-Roe, what do you think?
You’ve seen a lot, 75 years,
been in your industry for a while.
What are your thoughts
about the US right now?
-I think we’re in terrible shape, myself.
-Yeah?
-Did it feel like this before, late ’60s?
-Not to me.
-No?
-No.
Just hope we can come out of it.
-Not even like during Vietnam times?
-No sir.
Especially when they
don’t think it’s more racist now.
We lived through segregation.
-Yeah.
-I went to school when we had two…
Our school was segregated.
We actually integrated, I remember that.
-You remember that?
-Yes.
-So when you
first started going to school
there were separate bathrooms
for blacks and whites?
-Yes, sure was.
-And segregated classrooms too?
-We had segregated schools.
-Wow.
We didn’t have blacks
at our school when I first started.
[Titus] So was there a lot of bullying
and hard feelings when they integrated?
-No.
-Not at all.
-Wow.
-Not at our schools.
[Titus] So that speaks really well
of the teachers and students then.
Why would you say
that they accepted it well?
Just because
a lot of them were Christians?
-Just a rural area I think,
we lived with them.
[Titus] So you worked together
farming and things like that?
So you already knew these people?
-Yes.
But it seemed like the government
don’t want us to get along.
Or doesn’t want us to get along.
[Peter] Right.
They use all these issues to divide us.
-Yes.
Sure do.
Seems like that to me,
I might be wrong, I don’t know.
I hope I am wrong.
We’re getting ready to get on 65, guys.
[Peter] Oh, wow.
-Titus, this takes us to Nashville, right?
-Yep.
That’s when we can start using the sign.
-That’s exciting.
-They’ll be going towards Nashville.
-[Billy] Got an email?
-[Peter] Yeah.
[Billy] Can you send me one
with your phone or something?
[Peter] You want us to let you know
how it went, huh?
-Yeah.
-Thank you.
-Gonna get off right here.
-Be safe out there guys.
-Thank you, you too.
So Nashville, I just saw a sign.
I think we’re like 50 miles.
[traffic speeding past]
Do you feel like your preaching…
It’s like it’s building up inside you
as you get closer to Nashville?
-Yeah, like I have more joy
and more excitement.
Definitely.
[traffic speeding past]
[Peter giggles]
-He was nice.
-Officer was nice.
-He was.
-But we have to get off this road.
-Yeah.
-Because it was a parkway
but now it’s a highway.
-Now it’s an interstate.
-Now it’s an interstate.
-State highways are okay
for people to walk on.
They don’t want you
on the federal interstate.
-But that’s changed, you didn’t know that?
-Yeah.
Oh well.
-So we’re gonna go up to this road.
-This road is going the direction
we need to go, it’s going west.
[Titus] Climbing over.
-What’s God telling us, Titus?
Because it all went so smooth
until it seems like the very end.
-Well, we’re gonna
get to Nashville somehow
’cause God wants us to go
and he’ll provide a way.
[Peter] Okay, so the new plan
is to walk far down this road a few miles.
There should be an on-ramp to the highway
where the cars are going much slower.
Where we were was not ideal at all.
Cars going 65, 70 miles per hour.
Not gonna stop before
getting on the on-ramp.
So…
It was almost
too good to be true, Titus, right?
All the rides came so easily,
seamless transport,
and then as we get very close
50, 60 miles away to Nashville,
it’s gotten difficult.
[Peter] You just told me off-camera
you’re missing somebody special?
-Yes.
The woman that God brought
into my life, I’m missing her right now.
Uh…
I wish she could be
with us on this adventure
but I’ll see her when we get back.
-You get like the tingly feelings,
and lofty heart, butterflies?
-For sure.
-Would she want to go
on a mission like this?
-I think so, yeah.
She’s done street ministry before.
-Oh, okay.
I mean this is true street ministry.
Like really working for it.
-On the front lines.
-Yeah, because we got quite a bit
of walking here before the main road.
-Yep.
-All right, guys,
turning into a bit of a slog.
The closer we get,
the more it feels out of reach.
We’re gonna get there
but it’s become much more difficult.
Titus.
I got you a banana.
You’re feeling it?
[man drowned out by traffic]
-[Titus] That is so kind of you to stop.
-[Peter] Thank you.
-No problem.
-God bless you.
-[Peter] He was going the other direction.
-[Titus] yeah.
-But he stopped,
you didn’t even have the sign out?
-He just saw us walking.
-That’s pretty cool.
-Yeah.
Yeah, the news reports
on all the evil people in the world
but there’s so many kind-hearted people.
-Right, right.
So where in the Bible
does it say this, Titus?
The closer you get to your destination,
the more difficult it becomes.
Is there a proverb?
-Hmm, no,
I don’t know that I’ve seen that.
The Bible says that the end of a thing
is better than the beginning thereof.
-The beginning was fun though.
-Yeah, we’re towards the end, so the end
will be better than the beginning.
The beginning has been good
but the end will be even better.
Sometimes God saves the best for last.
-Titus spreading the word.
So you give those pamphlets
to everybody you see?
-Yeah, anybody I can.
-They usually accept them pretty well?
-Yeah, like probably 99% of the people
at least in Kentucky, Tennessee, they do.
They accept them but I have been
in some places in the country where
like 50% of people will say,
“No, I’ll pass.”
There’s a lot more openness in this area
towards the Bible or towards God
than there is
in other parts of the country.
[Peter] That looks like a prime zone
up there with the shoulder.
[Titus] Yeah.
[Peter] Same guy.
[man] Do you have shoes?
-I… I go barefoot in the summer.
I love being barefoot.
I have ’em at home if I need ’em.
-You don’t need a pair?
I got some in my trunk.
That’s so kind of you to offer.
-I turned around ’cause I seen,
man, he ain’t got no shoes on.
-That’s so kind of you but I’m good.
I love being barefoot.
-[man] Where y’all headed?
-[both] Nashville.
-Yeah, we’re headed
to preach on the street.
-You Mennonite?
-No, I’m not Amish or Mennonite
but I do live the lifestyle.
-Oh, do you?
Well like I said, I was getting on
the interstate and I was like, that guy…
I thought I had
a pair of shoes in the trunk.
[Peter] That’s so cool of you.
I was like I’ll come back
and see you anyway.
-[Titus] So kind of you.
-[man] Y’all have a safe trip.
[Peter] Appreciate it.
[chuckling]
[Peter] Bob saved us
from Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Thee and a half hours standing there.
So Bob, how are things
in this part of the country?
-Good, no issues.
Everybody’s pretty much employed.
People are still spending some money.
-What’s your line of work?
-I am sort of retired as of June 30th.
So I worked in the steel industry
for about 40 years
-Oh, wow.
[Titus] What kind of steel work
were you doing?
-Running a steel plant.
[Peter] Do you need coal to make steel?
Is that a necessity?
-To take iron ore out of the earth
and convert it to pig iron
you need either coal slash coke
or you need an energy like hydrogen.
-And hydrogen’s
the new technology for that.
-It just isn’t established yet, correct?
-Correct.
The issue with hydrogen right now
is the cheapest way to make hydrogen
is with cracking natural gas
and that’s not great.
So when somebody
figures out how to make
green hydrogen economically,
that will be the utopia…
or the solution.
-How many years out do you think that is
before that’s the main way of doing it?
-Probably 15.
-Fifteen? Okay.
-Europe’s spending
a lot of money on it, a lot of time.
-They’re much further ahead.
-Okay.
-Whereas what we’re doing more in the USA
is shutting down blast furnaces
and relying more on the arc furnaces.
Which is good.
They use a lot less coal and coke
but you need scrap steel.
-Okay.
-So some place you had to
originally converted from iron ore.
-So when someone says
shutdown all the coal now,
that would be detrimental
to our way of life?
-Yeah.
-I mean if we’re not even talking
power plants, we’re talking steel.
-Yeah.
-Okay.
I knew nothing about it two months ago.
-It’s a political topic to say the least.
-Right, okay,
that’s what it’s turned into.
-Yeah, I mean it’s…
How much of the heat
the last summer is truly greenhouse gas?
How much of it is you have
these things once every 20, 30 years?
-So you need nuclear?
Solar, wind?
-Well I mean nuclear
is positive for a lot of folks.
Other folks aren’t crazy about it
because of the potential dangers.
For me it’s a very viable option.
-Okay.
-Solar… whether it be solar, or wind,
or water, any of those
all have their benefit.
The question is how do you store
the energy in large volumes economically
for when the sun’s not out,
when the wind’s not blowing?
So what’s your battery?
And then we get into lithium batteries,
and all the costs,
and mining, and all of that.
-And you need cobalt.
-Yeah.
-Which comes from DRC.
-Which is like slave labor these days.
-Yeah.
-So why’d you decide to pick us up?
You know, you could easily cruise by.
-Forty years ago somebody picked me up
when I was trying to hitchhike
and it was miserable out.
And so if I can, I do.
[Titus] Wow.
[Peter] Do you do it often?
Do you see many hitchhikers these days?
-I see more people walking
and not even looking for a ride anymore
than I see someone looking for a ride.
Um…
Once in a while I’ll stop
if it’s sh*tty weather,
and ask if they want a ride.
Nine times out of ten, they say, “Sure.”
[Titus] That’s really kind of you
to pass on the kindness
that was given to you years ago.
…world would be a better place
if we would all pass on
the kindness that we’ve received
when he have an opportunity.
[man] I do believe
what goes around, comes around.
[Titus] Yes.
-[Titus] Thank you so much.
-[Peter] Best of luck, take care.
-Bye-bye.
-[Peter] Titus, we’re getting close.
-[Titus] Woo.
[Titus] Yeah.
This is a good exit,
I’ve been here before.
-You’ve been to this exit?
-Yes.
-Why do you like it, Titus?
-I just got rides quick.
So kind of you,
we were only there for like three minutes.
[Peter] We were there…
yeah, three minutes.
Juan, thank you.
-No worry, my friend.
-Going all the way to Nashville.
-40 minutes to Nashville.
-40 minutes.
[Juan] Driving to Nashville.
-[Peter] You’re originally from Mexico?
-[Juan] Yes.
-Do you like United States?
-Only for work.
-Only for work?
-Only for work.
United States, good for money.
-Juan, what do you do for work?
-Block, demolition, construction,
mechanic, everything.
[both] Wow.
-Originally I work here for two years,
and three years… go back Mexico.
-You’re gonna go back?
-Yes.
The work in the USA is hard.
So it’s good pay for Mexico.
All week, on Saturday
I send my money to Mexico.
Maybe I have in my pocket $100.
Every week for pay my lunch
and every month for pay my rent.
-And then your family is in Mexico?
-In Mexico I have my wife and four kids.
-Oh, wow.
What’s this, Juan?
-Oh, that’s for my baby.
I… the machine, I take this one.
-The claw machine?
-Yeah, I put it right here for her.
All the time thinking my family
and my babies.
♪ somber country ♪
[music fades]
[Peter] Thank you, Juan.
-No problem, my friend.
-For the gas
-No, no, no!
For the niños, niños.
[Juan] No, no…
I give you a ride to help.
[Peter] Thank you, Juan.
You’re a good man.
I glad help you, Okay?
-Good luck.
-We’re here, Titus, what a journey.
-Wow… wow.
What a panorama there.
-Right… skyline of Nashville.
You fit right in, Titus.
-I don’t know…
-Like a natural
-I don’t know,
I think I’m more like a duck out of water
but I know that God sent me here.
So this is where I need to be.
-As long as you run it with confidence,
which you do, then it doesn’t matter.
-That’s right.
-Don’t let your identity be based on
everybody else around you.
You know, be who you are.
Find your core values in God’s word
and then be the man
or be the woman that God wants you to be.
What everybody else is doing,
don’t let that make you who you are.
Titus is going to people pumping gas
and others in the store
passing out the pamphlets.
The thing I love about Titus…
there are many things I love about Titus,
but he has full confidence
in what he does.
He’s a true believer in his way of life.
He’s kind,
energetic, fun to be around.
I’m just saying
all these good things about you, Titus,
and how I really enjoy
spending time with you.
-Likewise, it goes both ways.
Without Jesus in my life
I woulda just killed myself.
So it’s because of him.
He’s the one that makes me
so joyful and full of life.
-You were very depressed?
-Very… yes.
Very depressed.
And I just thought it would be better
to end my pain and suffering
rather than try to go on
the way it was going.
-So by having Jesus Christ,
that averted you from…
-Yes.
-…a terrible situation.
-Yeah, he took me out of that dark place
and brought me into
a place of light and joy.
And what he did for me,
I want other people to experience too.
That’s why I’m here in Nashville.
How are you?
[man] Going on the YouTube?
[Peter] Yeah, Titus is preaching,
spreading the word.
-Oh great, right on.
[Titus] I like your hair.
-Thank you, I like your beard.
I’m hungry but I love that
you’re barefoot, so you got two minutes.
-Okay.
[both chuckling]
-Well, I used to just want to kill myself
and I was very discouraged,
very depressed.
I just thought life was not worth living
and then when I invited Jesus
to come into my life and my heart
he changed me
and now I’m a joyful person.
And what I’ve experienced with Jesus,
I want other people to experience also.
-That’s beautiful, man. I love that.
-Yeah.
-I had a similar experience.
-Wow… neat… neat.
-Um…
For me it was more
surrendering my beliefs to God.
Um…
So I grew up Christian
but I realized there were a lot of people
who were talking the talk or whatever,
and then I got be 18,
I was like, “Where are all the martyrs?”
“Where is everyone selling
all their stuff and giving to the poor?”
You know what I mean?
Why is no one doing that?
Um, and then I discovered that…
Um, at least a part of my calling was
to study philosophy in college actually.
Which was a way to
surrender my intellect to God
and in doing so I asked for
the holy spirit to purify my beliefs.
-Wow.
-And now I feel like I “know” a lot less
but I feel a lot more peace.
-Yeah.
[Peter] You feel a lot of peace with it?
[man] Oh God, yes.
-Is it because
you export a lot of your issues?
Like it’s God’s will, it’s up to God.
Like is that how it works with you guys?
I’m reading this through Titus today
where he exports
or outsources all of his issues
because it’s all because of God.
So if we can’t get picked up
by a car hitchhiking today
it’s like… Oh, God’s will.
-[all chuckling]
-It’s all right, it’s cool.
It’s sort of like with everything.
-Absolutely, and I’ve noticed…
I have a story.
So my car got stolen this time, right?
My battery had been dying
so I decided to…
I was at Kroger
and didn’t want to ask a stranger
to jump my car again
for the twelfth time in two weeks.
So I left it running
under a security camera.
I go in, come back my car’s gone.
Long story short,
I felt God’s peace the instant it happened
because I knew
that the holy spirit told me
one, that I would
get my car back tonight.
But I knew even if
that didn’t literally happen
that I was gonna be okay, provided for.
That’s exactly what happened.
and I ended up getting my car back
that night without the police.
Without any law enforcement
and it was a miracle
because it was a lesson in overcoming
and surrendering fear for me.
Because I ended up
going way out of my comfort zone
to a really sketchy place where everyone
thought I was gonna get shot.
It was a lesson for my mom
because all of this
surrendering my beliefs to God stuff
that I’d been doing…
I was living with her.
She really just saw that as
you’re a lazy bum.
Why don’t you get a job
and take charge of your life?
I’m like, “No, this is what’s important.”
She got to see that in action
and then the woman who stole my car,
I was able to forgive her in that moment,
and she got a lesson in like…
You’re not gonna get away with,
you know, doing wrong,
but you’ll always be forgiven.
And that was just…
I…
This is turning into my testimony.
[Titus] It’s beautiful.
-I took a cross country road trip
because the holy spirit led me to.
[woman] Million dollar winner right here.
[Peter] Million dollar… this guy?
[woman] Million dollar winner.
[all laughing]
-You’re going home
and cooking up a storm, huh?
-Yes I am.
-Pork, beans…
-Uh-huh, and some potatoes.
[laughs]
-Yeah, but I…
I prayed, and I meditated,
and the holy spirit told me
that I needed to drive to California.
I did by myself and I discovered that I
needed to apologize to a friend in person.
Car was crap,
I didn’t have any money in savings.
It was very irresponsible
by a lot of worldly measures.
I actually lost my license
and debit card right before going.
Super…
[Peter] You guys have that in common.
-Yeah, I don’t have
any license or anything.
I mean I drive horse and buggy
but still I don’t have it.
-But every time
I needed a miracle, I had one.
♪ somber country ♪
[Titus] No, I don’t have nothing on me,
but I can give you this.
[woman speaking incoherently]
[man] Hey, you got smoke?
[Peter] Okay, here’s his message,
you ready for the message?
[Titus] I’d like to share
something with you from God’s word.
Jesus has changed my life and I’d like
you guys to be able to experience it too.
This is in Isaiah, chapter 42.
I’ll sing it for you, y’all like songs?
[man] That’s all I do is sing all day.
♪ A bruised reed shall he not break ♪
♪ And the smoking flax
shall he not quench ♪
♪ He shall bring forth
judgment unto truth. ♪
♪ I the lord have called thee
in righteousness ♪
♪ And will hold thy hand ♪
♪ And will keep thee ♪
♪ And I will bring the blind by a way ♪
♪ I will make darkness light ♪
♪ Before them
and crooked things straight ♪
♪ These things will I do unto them ♪
♪ and not forsake them ♪
-Ma’am, do you like the song?
-Mm-hmm.
-He’s got a good voice, huh?
-Yeah.
♪ …Three six and sixty ♪
♪ and not forsake them ♪
So when I see this in God’s word
it gives me a lot of hope
because God says in his word
that he will make crooked things straight.
So like if we’re smoking tobacco–
[woman] Crack!
-Or yeah, if we’re doing drugs
or guzzling the alcohol,
if we’re doing those things
it’s like our life is crooked
but God, he sent his son Jesus
and he can make crooked things straight.
So if you ask Jesus
to come into your life and change you
he can make a crooked person straight.
-You sure?
-Like for me, I was a hopeless person.
I wanted to end my life.
I thought this life is too miserable.
I don’t want to live.
I really don’t want to live
but when I let Jesus come in my life
and I asked him to help me
he changed me
and now I’m full of joy and full of hope,
and I want you guys
to experience that too.
You guys have a Bible at home?
Is there anybody here that wants a Bible?
You don’t have a Bible at home?
You have one?
What about you?
-[Titus] You need a Bible?
-[man] I have one.
[man off screen] Man, c’mon, think!
-I’m created by God
just like you’re created–
[man] But you come from a tribe, my man!
-We have the same blood–
-You come from a tribe!
We do not have the same blood!
[woman] Very nice.
[man] I appreciate you
but we all come from the tribes.
[Titus] I expect that.
[woman] I appreciate you,
we all appreciate it.
-Yeah, well thank you.
-God bless you.
-God bless you too.
-That’s very sweet, ma’am.
-Let me give you something to read later.
[man] I’m just being real, man!
[woman] You understand I love you…
-[Peter] Get out of here?
-[woman] Yeah.
-I mean this area.
-Okay.
-But even though it’s getting better
but I’m gonna tell you what they won’t,
it’s not gonna be safe for you
when it gets dark.
-I’m just saying.
-Okay, thank you.
[man] What’s your bloodline?!
[Titus] Y’all have a good night.
[Peter] Take care.
[live country music from the bar]
[Peter] How’s it feel, Titus?
-Uh, little bit overwhelming.
[live music]
Wondering if maybe
we should go a little farther on down
where it’s not quite so loud
so people can hear better.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Oh yes, oh my gosh, I saw on Instagram.
That’s so crazy.
Yeah, you live in a barn.
-Well, I have a barn,
I don’t live in it but…
-I watched you climb up to your barn.
-I’ve got the rope.
-That is so… I was just watching
this a couple days ago.
[Peter] Now you’re in it.
Do you wanna be in it?
-Yeah, sure.
-Titus, do you have anything to say?
-Yeah, well, like, Jesus has changed me,
given me so much joy and purpose,
and what he’s given to me,
I want other people to experience.
-Yeah, definitely…
Jesus for real, like…
-You have a cross.
-I do have a cross.
-Changed my life as well.
-Wow, that’s great.
[Peter] Changed your life
as in you didn’t start off Christian?
-No, I didn’t really
grow up religious much
but my ex-boyfriend,
he was really religious,
and a lot of his values allowed me
to go through life a little bit easier.
-Yeah, I’d like to share with you
one of my favorite…
-[Peter] You ready for this?
-[woman] Yeah, sure.
-This is Jerimiah, chapter 29,
verse 11, where God says,
“I know the thoughts
that I think toward you.
Sayeth the lord,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil,
to give you an expected end.
Then shall you call upon me
and you shall go and pray unto me
and I will harken to you.
And you shall seek me and find me
when you shall search for me
with all your heart.”
-Wow, yeah.
-Like my plans for me was I was
so miserable I just wanted to kill myself
but God’s plans for me
were so much better
than anything
that I could choose for myself.
-Yeah, that’s a great blessing.
It’s lovely running into you guys,
like definitely meant to be.
[Peter] Take care,
all the best, thank you so much.
Let’s go, Titus, get up to the bridge.
-How you doing, Sir?
-How you doing?
-How you doing, man?
-Yeah, I’m Titus.
I see you, I watch you.
-Oh wow.
-Big fan of your channel.
-Oh, thanks you guys.
-Do you guys have a Bible at home?
-Yeah, I’m baptized.
-Great, okay.
Can I pray with you guys?
Anything that you’d like a prayer about?
Anything specific?
-Whatever God guides you, man.
-Whatever comes to mind.
-Grace and…
-Chris.
-Chris, all right.
-Yes, father in heaven, thank you so much
for this time that we could meet here.
Thank you for life and you arranged
our schedule so we could meet.
I pray that you would be with
Chris and with Grace.
You would bring them
closer to you and to each other.
Guide us through these uncertain times.
Sometimes we’re afraid
when we look at the future.
We’re not sure.
Help us to trust you at each step
but remember that you have
a home prepared for us in heaven.
Please keep us safe
as we part separate ways,
and please fill us up with
more of your holy spirit.
So that we can make a difference
in this dark world and encourage people.
Help them to come out of
their darkness into your light.
We thank you for this
and I’m asking in Jesus’ name, amen.
-Amen.
-Thank you.
-Nice to meet you.
[busker playing]
[busker] Is that Peter?
[Peter] Yeah.
-Holy crap, I follow you.
Hell yeah.
-What’s your name?
-Aaron… Aaron Parkman.
-Thank you so much, appreciate it.
-Wow.
-Do you know Titus?
-Yeah, how you doing, buddy?
-Hey.
-Wow.
This is a guy I follow on Facebook.
-You got great music here.
-Thank yo so much, sorry I stopped.
-Oh, no problem.
Titus, we’re doing a video,
we started hitchhiking in his town.
-I loved it, I really do
’cause my family is actually
Church of the Brethren from Johnstown.
-Okay.
-Johnstown, Kentucky?
-No, Pennsylvania.
They’re basically like Mennonites
that have electricity.
-Okay, yeah.
-Some of them I read,
what they had to go through to get here.
Some of them selling themself
into slavery to get here.
It’s all Swiss and lower Germany.
It was just wow, I did not…
I really got a big appreciation for…
-You know what I’m saying?
-Yeah.
-That is just like wow.
It’s crazy… I can’t believe… wow.
[laughs]
[Peter] We’re finishing up,
are you okay being in the video?
-Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.
-Oh my goodness.
-Yeah.
-Let’s do it.
-Holy moly.
-Aaron, is there anything
I can pray for you, anything specific?
-Not really, just the ears hear the music.
That, you know,
I at least touch somebody with the music.
That’s why I came here.
-Yeah, well let’s pray.
-Yeah.
Father, thank you so much for this day
and thank you for Aaron.
Father, I just pray that you bless him.
Forgive us of our sins
where we’ve fallen short.
Help us father to walk
on that path you lay out for us
and I just pray that Aaron can use
his talent more and more for your glory
to bring people hope in this world
bring them to you.
Thank you for sending your son, Jesus,
who is the way the truth, and the life.
Help us father to truly follow
your son with all our heart.
We get distracted in this world,
and we get tempted to sin,
and go on the wrong path.
Give us strength and the help
that we need to stay on the path.
Help us father to meet one day.
If not here on earth,
help us to meet in heaven with you.
We look forward to that day
and we’re asking in Jesus’ name.
-Amen.
[Aaron laughs]
[Aaron playing guitar]
-Titus, that was fun.
-Definitely.
-Seven rides.
-Seven amazing people.
-Yes.
-A lot of fun hanging out with you.
You got such a good positive energy.
You really believe in what you’re doing
and your intentions are good with people,
and that can be felt.
And great day
hanging out with you, brother.
-I enjoyed every minute of it.
-I also want to mention, guys,
more than anything, I’d love to see
Titus’ church come to fruition.
This preaching that you take
all over cities in America
you also want to do on your property
under a roof and structure.
Titus also has a YouTube channel
which he doesn’t film, edit, or post.
Other people do it for him
’cause you don’t like touching tech.
That link is down below too.
We have a few other awesome videos
of us together on the channel.
Thanks for coming along on that journey.
Titus, you’re the man.
Appreciate it.
-Jesus is the man, he’s the one.
-There we go.
-He’s the one why we’re here.
He’s the reason why we’re here.
-Thanks for coming along, guys.
Until the next one.
♪ Aaron playing “Drift Away”
by Mentor Williams ♪