So, this month was our final month on the mission field, and we got the very unique experience of hiking the Camino from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain with no teams, no rules, and no restrictions. Just like at home in real life, we got to choose how we wanted to do ministry during the month. Some people chose to walk the Camino and finish early and do worship ministry in Santiago. Some stayed at college campuses and evangelized to the students there. I chose to be with 6 other girls, and we simply walked the Camino and had Godly conversations with the people we met along the way, and that turned out to be a very powerful ministry that completely changed my perspective on what “Life is ministry, ministry is life” means.
Typically, the Camino is a journey people take when they are searching for something. It was originally a pilrimage in honor of the apostle Santiago (aka James) and the work he did in the Iberian peninsula back in the day. Nowadays people come to the Camino for many different reasons. Sometimes they are seeking God, but a lot of times they don’t even know what they’re seeking, and they’re just hoping to stumble upon it there. We met people from all over the world who travelled to Portugal or Spain just to do the Camino. We met people from Italy, Brasil, Poland, Belarus, Thailand, and many from the US as well. Some just got out of relationships or divorces. Some came on the Camino as rehab from drug addictions. Some came on the Camino to just escape the harsh realities of life. Everyone on the Camino had a story, and we had the honor and the privilege to hear so many of those stories.
There were very few people we came across who were Christian, and even fewer who were actually practicing, but we got to share our faith with most of them, and they always seemed interested. I know I was really nervous for this month because I knew evangelizing in a western country would be a lot harder than where we had been, and I anticipated a lot of people to be closed off or just shut down the spiritual conversations, but nonetheless, we were bold in sharing the gospel, and people noticed a difference in us. We may have been telling them stories they had already heard, but what they noticed was not necessarily the Bible verses we were quoting or the apologetic arguments we were making, but it was the passion we had. Many people were baffled by just how much we loved Jesus, and they wanted to hear more about it because of the way we lived our lives and how we glorified God in everything we did.
We lead 2 people to Christ on the 18 days we spent on the Camino, had 3 worship sessions at hostels we were staying at, and shared our testimonies with at least 30 people, and even if in those conversations we had, we didn’t see an immediate change, God was stirring in their hearts, and I believe that if they came on the Camino searching and found us on purpose, and God will not let the seeds we planted go to waste.
Before this trip, I believed a lie that people in America are too hard to evangelize to because they are closed off and opinionated. This month taught me that everyone just wants to be heard, and if you’re willing to listen, they will listen to you. About 25% of the people we talked to were Americans, and they were so willing to receive the gospel we were sharing, and happy to hear the testimonies of how God moved in our lives. To be honest, sometimes it was scary talking about those things. Sometimes, I was afraid of being judged, or with someone to disagree with me, but I still stepped out in faith and had the conversation, and the Holy Spirit guided my words and they heard everything I had to say, and that’s exactly what it can be like at home. We don’t have to beat down doors with bibles in our hands, we just have to be open to hearing peoples stories, and sharing our own heart with grace and understanding, and not be afraid to talk about the truth of the gospel that set us free. It’s no small matter. Accepting Jesus and following Him changed our lives, and we need to talk about it! When you love something, you can’t stop talking about it, and it should be the same with God, and don’t let anyone make you feel ashamed for talking about the truest love of your life: Jesus!
The Camino has showed me that our faith is not just a religion; it’s freedom, it’s truth, and it’s a lifestyle I want to live the rest of my life, sharing the power of God from the boots up!
