Betty and Glen Martin Glen and Betty Martin's faith took them nearly to the ends of the earth - on a 1950 John Deere tractor.

They were born into the Mennonite church, and missions were always a big part of their lives.

His vision and burden for world missions was drawn into sharp focus one day when while looking over a field of dandelions.

Glen Martin said it was as if the Holy Spirit was telling him to get on his John Deere tractor with his wife, head for Alaska, name the tractor "Dandelion " and refer to the trip as "Miles for Missions."

To answer the call, that is exactly what they did.

The Christian couple were 66 years old, had raised four children, and had 16 grandchildren when they climbed aboard Dandelion to head to Alaska to meet and encourage people. The purpose of the trip was not to ask for money for missions or for favors - but they ended up receiving both.

Betty Martin said along the way, a young, shirtless man in an old pickup truck flagged them down to explain he was a Lutheran, believed in God, but did not attend church. He handed them $5, got back into his truck and drove away.

At a few of the campgrounds, they were given a free night's stay, while others paid for their gas or meals. Many pastors let them park their travel trailers at their churches and invited them to stay in their homes.

Sometimes, people passed them in their cars, honked their horns, gave them a thumbs up, and then waited for them down the road so they could take pictures. Dandelion was always dressed for the occasion. She wore a big red flower on her nose.

Not only were the Martins interesting folks for others to meet, but they in turn met many who were just as interesting.

While at an RV park one night, Betty Martin said they met a couple with an unusual lifestyle. The man is a retired Pan Am Airlines pilot. Eight months of the year, they live on a houseboat in the Fiji Islands.

During the summer, they live in an RV, travel around the country, and visit their daughters in Alaska and California.

Betty Martin said she was pleased her story was gonig to be told.

"In the media, we mostly hear of terrible people who do ungodly things."

For the tractor, the Martins ' Amish friend built a clear fiberglass frame and put a roof on it to go around the seating area so they would be protected from the weather.

Betty Martin, she said, doesn't wear jeans or slacks, only dresses or denim skirts.

"There were times I got pretty cold and during a heavy rain the tires would throw mud and water into the seating area."

The fastest the tractor would go was only 13 miles an hour. That is true devotion to God, traveling 9,500 miles in 126 days at 13 mph, and at times even slower than that.

On their journey, they met a couple from Michigan who stopped them to talk. The gentleman told Glen Martin he knew what it was like riding a tractor cross-country because, in 1979, he joined a band of disgruntled farmers who rode their tractors to Washington, D.C., to get the government's attention.

Over the years, Glen Martin traveled to Haiti, China, Indonesia, Nepal and Tibet. His wife made trips with him to China and Haiti.

When their children were still young, they took them on one of the trips to Haiti. They wanted them to see what their father did when he was on these mission trips.

He also made seven trips to Hong Kong and many into China as a Bible courier.

Glen Martin has passed on, but Betty Martin continues to share the inspiring story of she and her husband's dedication to God.