Written by: Jordan Harrington
Revised by: Forrest Dickerson
Sorry it has been so long since I’ve posted! – Forrest
Everyone in this world is searching for some sort of truth about this world we have been placed in. Humans are curious creatures that don’t settle well with the unknown. We question the reason behind us being placed on a giant rock, that is flying through space at a dizzying speeds, and moreover is heated by a ball of fire suspended and burning in space. As we should question! I mean when you think about it like that… what the heck? We burn inside to know if there is an ultimate truth in a world so skewed and screwed up in so many ways. And this is where God comes in. He created us. He is the ultimate Truth. He is the answer behind these deep questions. He placed in us a need to know the Truth. He has placed within us a desire to know Him and have a relationship with Him, that need can only be satisfied by Him. I’m realizing more and more each day how many people are searching for the Truth and the great measures that they’re willing to take to find it. The thing is, though, they don’t know it’s Jesus that they’ve been searching for all along.
A Spiritual Journey
One of the measures people take to find Spirituality is El Camino de Santiago.
The Camino de Santiago (which translates to the Way of St. James in English) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. More than 200,000 pilgrims from all over the world walk the Camino de Santiago each year. The average pilgrim walks 10-30km each day, staying in albergues or tents along the way, and connecting with others that are on similar journeys. Our teams walked part of the Camino de Francés, which starts in lower France, and travels east across the northern part of Spain. This is the most popular route taken and requires about a month to walk.
My team and I didn’t get to walk to full thing, but we walked from Pamplona to Leon. Which is roughly 250 miles.
The Camino translates into “The Way”. Plenty of people that walk these pathways view the Camino as a spiritual journey. But many pod them don’t know Jesus, and are searching for the Truth about the world they’ve been placed in. These people spend a month unplugged from their realities,
and are constantly meeting people from different parts of the world with different cultures and backgrounds. So many people that I met on the Camino made profound impacts on my life in such a short amount of time. I had moments where I was able to share my faith with people who didn’t know the Lord, some where I was able to encourage other believers, and I had other moments where I needed encouragement and God brought people along my side on the Camino to fulfill that need. It’s been a really sweet opportunity to share the love of Jesus with people that have never noticed God chasing after them with relentless pursuit. I believe that God brings each and every person onto the Camino so that they can look to Him, yet it’s our choice to receive that or not.
It Takes A Special Type Of Person
It would be really hard to leave the Camino without some sort of growth occurring in yourself. It’s both mentally and physically challenging. You learn so much about your physical limitations and mental processing. One common thing I hear (besides, “Buen Camino!” Which mean good walk) is that it takes a special type of person to do the Camino. It takes someone that’s willing to push through and seek a new perspective in spite of pain, boredom, or whatever it may be that would challenge them on the Camino. One thing that I’ve learned about the people that we’ve encountered is that so many of them are so.. different. In a great way. Almost every conversation I’ve had, I’ve walked away from feeling refreshed. They’re people who are generally open-minded and kind-hearted. They’re not afraid to dig deep into conversation and get right to the important matters. They’re not afraid to be uncomfortable. They come alongside strangers and choose to do life and build community with them. It’s a really beautiful thing. The people I’ve met here I will never forget.
Final Goodbyes
It’s already been a month since the Camino and I’m still nostalgic about it. God has taught me so much about myself and about others on the Camino. He has used so many people to pull at my heartstrings! He’s renewed compassion in me in ways that I didn’t know I needed until now. He’s used the Camino to remind me of some of the aspects of missions that I’m truly passionate about and has brought forth those passions into my prayer life. He’s taught me how to humble myself by staying back, and leading from behind, or accepting help from others (I’ve always been stubbornly independent). He’s allowed me to hear so many different stories and connect with people that I would have never had the opportunity to if it weren’t for the Camino. He’s exposed me to new cultures, new languages, and new eyes. I’m so thankful and beyond blessed to have had this opportunity. The hardest part may have been the goodbyes. Goodbyes are hard and common with the World Race, but it really only means “until we meet again”.
Thanks for taking part in this journey by reading my blog posts! I am really grateful for your support and interest in what God’s doing on the World Race! Please feel free to message me if you have any specific questions or prayer requests. I really love hearing from you all!! Also, be sure to subscribe to my blog if you haven’t yet for more updates!
Also, The end of June is my final deadline for my fundraising goal. I still have a little less than $3,900 left to raise until this goal is met! This money goes towards my food, lodging, and transportation for the year. If you’d like to partner with me through prayer or donation, I would be so thankful!! Love you guys!
