Hello friends, here’s an update of the last week 🙂
Oh the Camino… full of hard life lessons and so much beauty.
This past week of our pilgrimage (which I must say came on unexpectedly as I had no idea we were going to be doing this as a three week long trek) has already had a lot come from it. We have walked almost 100 miles, uphill, downhill, in the rain, in the sunshine; on rocks, dirt, grass, and concrete; through cities, mountains, cornfields, and ghost towns and each day looks so different from the last.
We have met people from all over the world walking this very long way.. from Belgium, Denmark, Australia, Holland, U.S., Israël, Spain, Germany, France… you get the gist. There have been people of all ages, some straight out of high school, some straight out of retirement. They all have different reasons for coming, and different goals. Some have religious goals, some came for aventure, and for a few this is their second or third time on the Camino. Many have enjoyed offering advice, whether it be “carpe diem”, “hug the saint at the end”, or “when you’re old, don’t make plans, just do it”. We’ve witnessed people in community, and doing it well. One man riding a makeshift bicycle/ wheelchair, with his wife’s wheelchair attached to the front of his bike, was a beautiful display of love- probably one of the most beautiful things I have seen so far besides God’s creativity in the views.
Within our team, each of us been on our own personal journey as well as a journey towards who we are as a team. I have been pretty slow walking due to some knee problems and every time I look up there is someone waiting for me or walking beside me. One of our squad leaders, Shannon has been my “stop and smell the roses” buddy and has brought me so much joy in accompanying me in taking in the little things and stopping to take part in all the pilgrimage rituals such as: sitting in the churches listening to the Gregorian chants, or leaving a cross of sticks on a mile long fence, or ditching a stone that represents the sins/burdens you’ve carried at a cross at the highest point of the Camino. One can’t do the Camino without stopping and reflecting, and without taking in your surroundings. Our first few days were go, go, go as we tried to get into very packed hostels on a slim budget… but after a few injuries came it made us slow down and take what things came our way with trust that God would provide. As soon as we slowed down, God has been showing up in the littlest things such as free meals, fireplaces and always a place to stay.
Day 1: fog, hills, uphill, slippery slopes, cows, Lord of the Ring views, rain, cold, beauty, positive spirits, considered “baptism by fire”, the hardest but the most beautiful day.
I related this day to the struggles in life. With each step I stared at my feet, fixated on whether I would trip on a rock and roll my ankle or slip down a muddy hill… but without fail, every time I looked up, the big picture was surreal beauty. In life we can get bogged down with each little thing and instead of looking up to see what can come of it, we stare at the situation in front of us.
Day 2-3: silence, conversation, music, stars before dawn, sleeping in the grass, pain creeping in, waterfalls, crunching leaves, berries, icy breezes.
By this time, my body started wondering why I was walking so much and decided to make everything more difficult. So through this, discouragement came and I began to wonder why I had flimsy tennis shoes instead of hiking boots.
Day 4-5: rest… sleeping outside a train station, “stay in the shadows”, hospitals, and friends.
We had a much needed extra rest day, accompanied some friends to the hospital from other teams, and got filled up ready to continue walking. We received encouragement from other hikers who assured us that the body is simply in shock and will get better in time.
Day 6-9: worshipping on the trails, taking it all in, pilgrim lifestyle, daily laundry, coffee, cold, hot, cold, unique days, fam dinners, change in pace, medieval Spanish festivals, churches, refuges, donativo paradises, relics.
By this time we have a little routine going… each day we have decided to wing it as far as destination goes. We leave at 6 or 7, and get to the hostels between 12-4 depending on the length of the walk. Then we do a little laundry, siesta and hang out around the hostel with everyone. We have also seen the same people each day which brings some comfort and familiarity with each day of our journey as we arrive in a new home each night.
Overall, El Camino is mysterious and sweet. You can’t always leave when things get a little tough, which God has been teaching me over and over again for the past two years and He continues to remind me of this… and He always proves that over the mountain there will be something good. So now, we walk through the pain and focus on the beauty!
” 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5: 3-5
Pray for: Receptiveness/ open doors to conversation about things spiritual with other pilgrims, growth in the team and harmony, continual lessons to be learned and physical strength!
Also, I am fully funded so thank you to EVERYONE for how generous you have been, I feel so grateful. Thank you!
