Traveling through... on a mission to Pa.

In a wagon that surely has seen better days and a driver looking as shaggy and disheveled as the two giant Percherons that accompany him, Will "Webe" Frost rolled into Dexter on Feb. 12.

The sight of the horse-drawn buggy making its way east along U.S. 60 in the afternoon caused traffic to slow as drivers craned their necks to read the printed words on the wagon's sideboards. "Bro. Will," the hand-painted black lettering read, and underneath, "Across the States," with "God Bless Us All" painted at the bottom, near a stenciled reference to a website depicting his travels called webefrost.com.

Frost began his journey from Oklahoma in April with his wagon, his horse Banjo and only a few provisions. He's on his way to Gettysburg, Pa., to participate in one of the country's largest Civil War re-enactments. He has been participating in similar events for years.

He acquired a reddish weimaraner-spaniel mix he named Rusty along the way. The dog was from a shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized because he had been deemed to be dangerously vicious. These days Rusty rides in the buggy and sometimes atop Banjo, greeting all who approach him with a wag of his tail. Frost, it seems, possesses an uncanny ability to soothe the savage beast in any animal. Banjo had not been handled for five years before Frost's acquiring him for the current road trip. He is now, by all accounts, a gentle giant, allowing Frost to pile on youngsters for photo opportunities at nearly every stop.

Frost has been to many re-enactments, but this journey comes with a greater purpose.

"I was diagnosed with inoperable intestinal cancer about 18 months ago," the tall, bushy traveler said, "and God and I made a deal.

"I would spread His message by being a good ambassador and trying not to curse so much and in turn, He'd rid me of the cancer that was going to take my life," Frost said.

Curtailing the cursing, he admits, is not always easy when handling the horses that can often be "hardheaded."

"Sometimes God and I just have to come to an understanding," he said.

Frost said he spreads God's message through his own Five Bead Ministry, with each of five colored beads representing a different aspect of a faith journey that concludes with a heavenly reward, represented by a green bead.

"That's the one we haven't seen yet but the one where we all want to be headed."

Frost said he must be doing something right. "I've been thoroughly checked out and I'm told I'm cancer free."

The traveling trio of Frost, Banjo and Rusty were joined just days ago by a fourth member -- a well-matched Percheron that Frost calls "Cranky Frank." The horse made his way from Fisk, Mo., saddled up, and tied behind the wagon. He was acquired during Frost's recent stay in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and presented yet another challenge along the journey westward.

"You couldn't touch him 10 days ago," Frost said, "and now he even lets Rusty ride him."

The trip thus far has not been without other challenges. Rusty was struck by a car in Butler, Mo., while tied to the parked wagon. A vet bill of more than $300 set Frost back for a time. He's encountered snowstorms and sweltering heat and a broken wagon wheel. Frost says he lives a life of challenges, though, and the free spirit is content with his life on the road.

Odd jobs along the way fund Frost's endeavor but he accepts donations as well. Drawing a crowd wherever he goes, it's not unusual when he's stopped for food for strangers to curl a $10 or $20 bill into his hand and wish him luck. Others have opened their doors for a night's stay and a hot meal.

Frost plans to reach Gettysburg with his entourage for the June 10 Civil War re-enactment. Until then, the colorful gentleman with the weathered face and the overflowing wagon continues taking one day at a time along a path few would follow. He greets each day with a smile, thankful for the opportunity, and says he only asks one thing of those with whom he shares his ministry; that they take what he offers, and "pass it on."