Spain: Sharing the Way, the Truth and the Life

On October 4 myself and seven others from our church went to Spain to serve “pilgrims” hiking “El Camino de Santiago” or “The Way of St. James”, which is a 500-mile journey from France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in Northern Spain.

Since the Middle Ages, this spiritual pilgrimage has drawn people from all over the world who are seeking something … whether it is peace, purpose, healing … or maybe they are celebrating something like retirement. I was fortunate to meet many people from all over the world, and to hear their stories.

I have been home for over a week but have been delaying writing this blog because I am not sure I can adequately relay how amazing the trip was. Yes, the towns and countryside were beautiful, but the way God works uniquely in all of us, for His purposes, was absolutely the most beautiful aspect of the trip.

Highlights

We arrived early on Thursday and spent the next three days in Santiago de Compostela to acclimate and to learn more about the camino, the cathedral and the Spanish people. Our group consisted of two couples and four solo ladies, myself being one of them (Dale was short on PTO days!). Three of our group had served previously and two of those three speak Spanish, so we were in capable hands.

On Saturday we took a guided bus tour to Finisterre, stopping by Muxia and Costa de Morte. Finisterre is called “the world’s end” because it is the farthest western point in Spain. Many pilgrims finish their journey here after stopping at the cathedral in Santiago. There is a cross located there where pilgrims leave items from their journey.

La Fuente del Peregrino

On Sunday we took a bus into the countryside to a small town called Palas de Rei. From there, we took a van to the even smaller town of Ligonde, where we would spend the next week serving at an albergue (hostel) named La Fuente de Peregrino, which means “The Pilgrims Fountain”.

Ligonde is a small, one-street village of about 55 residents. If you include cows and chickens in that number, it would increase substantially! Ha! Many of the homes appear to be very old, but well maintained and improved. Our little albergue is more than 400 years old. The Camino de Santiago goes right down main street, and our albergue is situated right next to the street so it was very easy to greet and engage with the pilgrims as they passed by.

Upon arrival we were greeted and trained by our host, a Cru Missionary named Nathan. And after a quick tour of the town, we had dinner and settled in for the evening.

Life at the Albergue

Monday morning our day started at 8am with breakfast and devotional time at the long wooden table in the kitchen. Then we cleaned and prepared for pilgrims until 9:30am.

All of us had a different task each day. Some cooked, some cleaned, some worked in the “garage” and some stood outside greeting those walking by. One task I had that I enjoyed very much was taking reservations for overnight guests, and checking them in as they arrived. Each day we accepted up to 10 overnight guests. We had guests from all over the world — Taiwan, New Zealand, Netherlands, South Korea, Croatia, you name it. More than 50 countries were represented in just one week’s time! I became fairly proficient using Google Translate!

The Pilgrims

Many of the pilgrims had been walking for over a month on the most popular route which begins at Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and travels 500 miles and ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Once the pilgrims reached our albergue, they were just three days away from the cathedral.

Almost everyone who stopped was open, talkative and friendly. We provided hot coffee or tea, lemonade, clean bathrooms and stamps for their credentials. We asked them about their journey, listened to their stories and shared Christ with them in some way. Many allowed us to pray with them, some asked for prayer for sore feet or knees. We had information in many languages ready to hand out as well. Several gave their lives to Christ. I can guarantee that no one left our house without hearing the name of Jesus.

Buen Camino!

Each day I would stand out by the road and greet pilgrims as they passed … “Buen Camino!” “Hola!” “Banos” “Agua!” “Free hugs!”. Most everyone stopped for a while. Some stayed quite a while and some even stayed overnight. I find it very easy to shout out and engage with strangers. Early one morning before we opened I was sweeping outside, making sure all the cow poop was out of the road (the cows walked down our road twice a day) when a young man with olive skin and dark curly hair came down the camino alone. He saw our sign that said “free hugs” in several languages, and looking at me, he opened his arms. I hugged him tight then he began to walk away. He turned and came back for another hug then turned to leave again. Once again he turned and I gave him a final hug. As he walked away I wondered how long it had been since he had been hugged. We hadn’t spoken a word, but the hugs said it all.

I spoke with many individuals who said they were spiritual but didn’t believe in God. Some believed in God but don’t like organized religion. I would talk casually about my faith and leave them with a challenge to find out if what I am saying is true. I told them that their eternity is worth the effort.

We are all Pilgrims

This was an eye-opening trip for me. The presence of the Holy Spirit was obvious. The Lord’s love for these pilgrims came through us to them and they sensed it. Many of them said so. One gentleman came up to me and began speaking so I pulled out my translation app. He said, “Jesus lives in your house.”

Everyone is on a path. We can walk alone or we can walk with Jesus. Jesus is recorded in the book of John as saying “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This verse is posted on the outside of the albergue. I pray that everyone we encountered were drawn closer to Jesus.

Watch this simple video I made for my family.