'Crosswalker'

Thomas Moore of Paragould, Ark., walks down Kingshighway in Sikeston Thursday. Carrying a wooden cross, Moore is on a mission to walk from his home to St. Louis, meeting with others along the way.
(Photo by Jill Bock, Staff)

SIKESTON -- Thomas Moore bears his cross with a smile.

The Paragould, Ark., native walked into Sikeston carrying a large wooden cross, aided only by two small rubber wheels at the cross' base. As he walked, he waved at the cars passing by, offered a handshake to pedestrians and often stopped to shout, "Jesus loves you!"

Moore is on a mission to walk from his home to St. Louis, taking time Wednesday to travel along Malone Avenue and Kingshighway. His reason is simple: "God sent me," he said.

This isn't the first of Moore's treks with his cross. He said he once walked from Kokomo, Ind., to Houston, Texas -- a trip in 1981 which took him through Sikeston.

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