After a crazy 16+ hour layover/weather delays in NYC we finally made it to Spain!! Praise the Lord! I can’t believe it’s only been 2 days since we launched and I feel like I’ve already seen, done, and experienced so many things. So I just wanted to share some quick highlights and ask for some major prayer requests!
HIGHLIGHTS:
August 7th: Got up at 5 am to get ready to leave Atlanta! The squad (34 people) headed to the airport and headed to NYC (our 9.5 hr layover destination before leaving for Spain). Since I’ve never been to New York and we had a few hours to kill a few of us decided to try to head to Times Square! Our time was very limited and mostly spent on the subway (where I got to see some cool rats lol) but we did get to see and walk around Times Square before heading back to the airport. We managed to all make it through check in and security smoothly and were ready to board our flight at 9 pm! Unfortunately due to weather and unknown circumstances we did not get to take off until 4 am! While exhausted and somewhat frustrated at the waiting, I was also glad to be in the US just a few more hours as it was finally starting to hit me that this thing is real and I was leaving for a year!
August 8th: Arrived in Madrid at around 5 pm, but since our flight was so delayed we missed our bus to Pamplona! So the next bus isn’t until the following day at 10:45 am and we are told we are sleeping in the airport for real this time! So luckily we also had a few hours to go out into Madrid and experience their metro system and grab a traditional Spanish dinner. I had a bocadillo de Jamon Serrano, it was super good. We head back to the airport and camp out for the night! 
August 9th: Get woken up by airport security at 5:30 am saying it’s time for us to get up as more people will start coming into the airport and it is potentially dangerous for us to be sleeping and get robbed. We discover that throughout the night one of our squad mates indeed did get robbed! Someone stole her backpack with passport in it, we all begin to pray!! And God is so good ya’ll within an hour it was found in a nearby bathroom with NOTHING MISSING! We are now getting ready to get on a 5 hr bus ride to Pamplona. The plan is to settle into an Albergue (cue all the SHOWERS!), grab dinner, and head to bead as we plan to begin our pilgrimage on The Camino bright and early tomorrow!
Here is the route our amazing team leader Carla figured out for us:
August 10th – Pamplona to Puente a la Reina (15 miles)
August 11th – Puente a la Reina to Estrella (14 miles)
August 12th – Estrella to Los Arcos (19 miles)
August 13th – Los Arcos to Logrono (16 miles)
August 14th – Logrono to Najera (18 miles)
August 15th – Najera to St Domingo (13 miles)
August 16th – St Domingo to Belorado (14 miles)
August 17th – Belorado to San Juan Ortega (15 miles)
August 18th – St Juan Ortega to Burgos (16 miles)
Here is some more info on The Camino de Santiago if you are interested:
https://caminoways.com/camino-de-santiago-facts-you-need-to-know
INSIGHTS:
- Traveling with 34 people is hard but everyone has been amazing and incredibly patient throughout the journey so far! I’m thankful for this squad and our leadership team!
- I am so thankful for our logistics coordinators Shela and Joelle who have been working so hard to work around all the delays, they are the real MVPs!
- I am not in control anymore! This one is hard but I think it’s something I will be constantly reminded of on this trip.
- I am doing this thing & there is no turning back now! The sadness of leaving actually hit me at the airport in NYC but it is also very exciting to think about what the year will hold.
- Charging things abroad is HARD, here’s me in the airport restroom trying to charge my laptop >_< (you gotta do what you gotta do)
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- For unity of The Fierce Five (that’s our cool team name) as we hike El Camino de Santiago and throughout the rest of the race.
- That we would get no blisters or bed bugs during El Camino and that we would find housing in the Albergues along the way!
- For a clear vision for our team and that The Lord would provide us with people to minister to and love along the way.
- That Haley & I would get to fully funded SOON!
- That I would be able to reflect and get a revelation from the Lord over the next 10 days, that my relationship with Him and spiritual life would grow!
As always, I would be honored to pray for you! Please comment or send over any requests <3 I love you all and am incredibly grateful for you!
