Hope on the Horizon: Barbara Jenkins’s Walk Across America and Beyond

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About the Episode

Barbara Jenkins’s story is an unforgettable reminder that hope, faith and humor can guide us through life’s messiness.

Holding on to Hope. Journeying Inward. Finding a Reason to Smile.

Barbara Jenkins’s life journey — from humble beginnings to extraordinary adventures and heartbreaking loss — is a testament to the transformative power of hope. Through her faith, determination and humor, she reminds us that challenges, no matter how daunting, hold the potential for growth and grace.

“Through this tapestry of my life, God has developed in me a woman of strong faith. I know my voice. I’m not afraid anymore,” she shares. “And we just face each day with, ‘Thank you God, that I’m here. What do you have for me today?’”

This episode covers…

• Barbara’s ongoing journey through life’s many messy challenges.
• How she held onto hope and faith to cross the country to find herself.
• Learning to laugh despite life’s heavier moments.

Hope Is Essential in Life’s Messiness

Barbara sees hope as a vital gift for navigating life’s challenges. She emphasizes that even in chaos, hope provides a foundation to move forward.

“Hope is a gift, and the world needs hope,” she says. “People need to feel that there's a reason to get up and to face the day because every day is new. Every day is a wonder. There are surprises and joys and things to experience.”

Acknowledging that life can be “messy,” she explains how gratitude plays a central role in maintaining hope. “I have a happy mind, and I have a happy heart because I am grateful. I don't look at all the messiness of life. I don't deny it,” she explains. “But even in the worst of times, there's hope, there's purpose, there's reasons.”

Her faith is her compass, reminding her that no matter the circumstances, “God’s hand is not so short that it cannot save.”

Walking in Faith, One Step at a Time

Barbara’s famous journey during the late 1970s walking across America alongside her husband, Peter, taught her life-changing lessons. “That walk took three years, 3,000 miles. I was carrying 35 pounds on my back,” she recalls.

“It was a purging of everything in my life that I thought about myself.”

She describes the journey as a daily act of faith. “I had to learn how to walk by faith and not by sight. What we want as human beings is to know what’s ahead, how soon we’re going to get there, what it’s going to be like,” she says. “When you're walking across America, you don’t have anything except your faith in God.”

Barbara also recalls the dangers she faced, including surviving being hit by a car in Utah. “We were walking into Salt Lake City,” she shares. “All of a sudden there’s this loud impact, and we are hit squarely in the back.”

The force of the impact landed her on the lawn of a Mormon mortuary. “I always say, ‘Well, now there’s some drop-in business.’”

Joy and Humor Lighten Life’s Load

Barbara’s infectious humor and joy stem from her upbringing and her faith. “All across America, all of life, there are funny moments, and I think humor brings joy to life. It lightens the heaviness of life because, as we said, life is messy and can be very hard.”

Growing up in poverty in the Ozarks taught her resilience and perspective. “I grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. My daddy owned a filling station,” she recalls. “We were just poor as dirt, but everybody was poor.”

Her upbringing instilled in her a deep respect for storytelling and laughter. “They’d sit on the front porch or out in the yard under a shade tree and tell stories and just laugh and just have a lot of fun,” she remembers fondly. “Humor helps us to face hardships.”

Even in life’s darkest moments, Barbara finds a reason to smile. “I faced dangers and death more than once…I was spared. I think I was spared for so many reasons. When I think back on those things, I’m not afraid,” Barbara says. “I’m just so happy I’m here to tell the stories.”

“Through this tapestry of my life, God has developed in me a woman of strong faith. I know my voice. I’m not afraid anymore. And we just face each day with, ‘Thank you God, that I’m here. What do you have for me today?’”