Even if one starts the Camino alone, they are never alone for very long. On the Camino, you find community. On the Camino, you find Kingdom.
Kingdom looks like an impromptu worship jam session on the albergue patio. It looks like a field of sunflowers aglow with the rising sun. It looks like celebrating birthdays. It looks like inviting a solo pilgrim to join your table at a cafe. It looks like lending your shoulder for someone to cry on. It looks like popping and bandaging each other’s blisters. It looks like learning yoga from a sweet, 70-year-old Hungarian woman who doesn’t speak English. It looks like a dinner table, every chair filled with people from all over the world.
We started walking the Camino in Pamplona and ended in Burgos, approximately 100 miles away. We saw so much of the breathtaking Spanish countryside, drank insane amounts of cafe con leche, and met so many lovely souls along the way.
On day 7 of our Camino journey, we met Liza in the quaint town of Belorado.
Liza (NOT pronounced like Liza Minnelli) is an incredibly special and courageous young lady from Lithuania. She is 18 years old, and she is solo hiking the Camino before her senior year in high school.
My teammates Kelsey and Joelle ran into her twice in a short span of time, once while doing laundry, and once while grocery shopping. They immediately felt a connection with Liza and invited her to have dinner with us.
We prayed over the meal, and we got to know our new friend as we broke bread together. We learned that her mom lives in Berlin, while her dad lives in Lithuania.
She described herself as a generally “cold”, not touchy-feely or emotional person, but she said that the people she had met and the experiences she had so far on the Camino had filled her with such deep emotions. She mentioned how when she was a little girl, she had an intimate relationship with the Lord that filled her spirit with great love and peace, but she said that she drifted away from the Lord as she got older.
Finding a cathedral to sit inside was the first thing she did at every town she stopped along the Camino. She was searching for something— for Jesus— perhaps without even realizing it. While she spoke about her life, I saw a young lady with such a radiant, sweet, and inquisitive spirit. We shared with her what we were doing on the Camino, and what we would be doing for the next 11 months. She was so curious and she asked wonderful questions— she was so hungry to learn about what we believed.
Many times during the evening, she said that she had never met people so passionate about their faith. As the meal came to a close, we asked Liza if it would be okay if we prayed for her. Each of us prayed over Liza individually. She was so grateful to receive prayer— with a huge smile and with light in her eyes, she hugged us one-by-one.
After dinner we did our team devotionals and invited Liza to stay— she listened intently, as each of us spoke about what the Lord had been revealing to us. There had been something weighing heavily on my mind over the past few days. I told my team and confessed that I needed prayer. They were so encouraging, and they covered me in prayer, while Liza sat with her eyes closed and her head bowed.
Then, I shared an encounter I had with the Holy Spirit, and Liza listened, wide-eyed and amazed.
That night, Liza was moved to renew her relationship with the Lord. Kelsey blessed Liza with her personal bible.
To be honest, I was struggling that day. I was so tired. My legs had been feeling great the whole time on the Camino, but that day they were finally giving out on me. I’d gotten blisters on the first day, and more and more would pop up as the days went on. I was hurting and I was weary and I was over it.
But, man— this is so worth any pain or discomfort. Following Jesus always is.
Two days later in Burgos, we met up with Liza for dinner.
Liza said that she called her grandmother to tell her about the dinner we shared together, and about how we covered her with prayer. Liza says her grandmother is usually very stoic, without expressing much emotion no matter what Liza shares with her. But when she told her grandmother about meeting us and what happened, Liza said she heard the raw emotion in her grandmother’s voice for the first time in a long time.
After dinner, I pulled her aside and asked her if I could write about her and share some of her story. I offered to change her name, if she would be more comfortable with that. She seemed shocked and said that she would be honored if I wrote about her.
She doesn’t think she has a story worth telling, but she does— everyone has a story worth telling.
Liza is a beloved daughter of The Lord Most High. A daughter of the Light. As she begins this next stage of her life pursuing Christ, please pray for people to be divinely placed onto her path who can guide her and disciple her.
Please check out my teammates’ blogs for their impressions of the Camino! I love hearing about all of our unique perspectives and experiences.
Also, I found out I was fully funded while waiting to board the plane to Spain— Praise God! Three of my teammates are still fundraising (Gina Marie, Joelle, Kelsey). Please pray and consider donating to one (or all) of them.
Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement!
