Whether we want to admit it or not, I firmly believe that everyone in this world is searching for some sort of truth about this world we’ve been placed in. God’s designed us to be curious little humans that desire so much more than to have contentment with not knowing why we’ve been placed on this earth and being unsure of who exactly brought us here. He has placed in us a need to know the truth and He is the Truth. He has placed within us a desire, no matter how deep it may be, to know Him and have a relationship with 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 that people take to find Spirituality is El Camino de Santiago.
The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) 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, the most popular path that takes about a month to walk (we only had about 10 days to walk.. I am determined to return one day to experience the entire route!)
We walked from Pamplona (a small dream fulfilled! The city was even more beautiful than I expected) to Burgos.
The Camino translates into “The Way”. Plenty of people that walk the paths view the Camino as a spiritual journey. Many people walking this path don’t know Jesus and are searching for the Truth about the world they’ve been placed in. They spend a month unplugged 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 the 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 feet (blisters!!) on the Camino and about yourself! One common thing I hear (besides, “Buen Camino!”) 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 that I’ve met here I hope to never forget.
Final Goodbyes
Yesterday was our last day walking the Camino and I’d be lying if I said I weren’t feeling pretty nostalgic about it. God has taught me so much about myself and about others on the Camino and 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 or accepting help in order to take care of my body (let’s be real.. feet.) He’s allowed me to hear so many of people’s 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. We said our goodbyes to some of our friends this morning before they left and today, we are hoping to see others that stayed behind and we lost sight of a few days ago. Be in prayer for that! Goodbyes are hard and common with the World Race, but boyyyy am I thankful for those hellos.
Thank You
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, Monday is my final deadline for my fundraising goal of $17,400!!! This money goes towards my food, lodging, and transportation for the year. I am 78% of the way there!! I still have a little less than $3,800 left to raise until this goal is met! If you’d like to partner with me through prayer or donation, I would be so thankful!! Love you guys!
