Our efforts over the past month are over again. Arjan was able to use his running talent in the relay race. With 12 runners they covered 240 kilometres (150 miles) in 2 days, raising a wonderful amount of 7500 euros in the end. His legs were nicely trained, so only the lack of sleep was his “mountain” to overcome. What a blessing. It is God who has made health available to us. Thank You Jesus for Your finished work!
Amanda’s walk on the camino in Spain was a beautiful experience. Starting in historic Pamplona with the goal of the next big city 100 kilometres (60 miles) away, Logroňo.
The route winds through hilly countryside, picturesque hamlets, interspersed with forest and vineyards.
Walking with God. How does that work? Quite simply, actually. Walking together with Him as if He were walking beside you. What an honor to walk with THE Creator and talk with Him about the things you see and experience. This is really not a monologue as some think. He talks back. But as His children, we must learn to listen and understand Him.
Each day (and night) went differently. The first day already became a challenge. The idea was to start slowly and walk only 11 kilometres (7 miles) since these Dutch legs had not walked so many hills with a backpack. But life sometimes runs differently. Then you arrive tired in the village and are told that the inns are closed and the next village is again 5 kilometres (3 miles) away (up and down the steep hills!).
‘Okay Lord, this is no surprise to You, You knew this in advance. I thank You for Your strength in my body and for making sure there is still a free bed there at the inn.’
And there at the top of that climb with a beautiful view during a rest stop, I had a great conversation with another hiker. He was impressed with how God works. The Lord is the Director as we walk in our roles.
The next day, while asking the Lord for a good quiet place to sleep, I ran into the same hiker again a few villages away at a little bakery and he told me about his quiet overnight stay. Hallelujah! The occasion for my asking the Lord was that I had almost not slept the night before, because there was a veritable concert of half a dozen snorers going on in the dormitory. No, life doesn’t necessarily always go smoothly when you walk with God, but He does deliver.
So it was through this encounter that I got the address of a quiet room. The room even had a small bathtub where I could give my stiff legs a substantial heat treatment!
Each day brought different things. The surroundings were always different, as well as the encounters with other hikers. Sometimes I had a good conversation in the evening at the inn during the communal meal. Or along the way when stopping to eat a sandwich and apple on a rock.
One encounter did stand out that I had with Karsten, a German. I met him along the way at a little stone bridge. It was time for some liquid and food. As amiable as it is on the camino, we struck up a conversation and he told me that he walked this route to reflect. He had a 19-year-old son who had problems with drugs and he wasn’t sure how to deal with that and he was worried about the future, looking at the whole world stage. So I was able to testify very relaxed about my relationship with Jesus who gives peace and security. But also that God has that in mind for him. He was very open and said he was really looking for assurance. To which I was able to tell him that real assurance has a name, and that is Jesus. After a long lunch, each followed his path again.
That day I had not planned to stop at all in a certain village, but it began to get hot, the back and muscles began to revolt. So I spontaneously decided to stop anyway. This village had only 2 inns, facing each other along the camino. Was it going to be the left or the right one today? I chose the left one. And who did I find sitting inside? Karsten, the German. How wonderful are God’s ways! The conversation picked up where we left off 4 hours before. The Lord saw his hungry heart and thus embroidered on.
That evening I told the Lord that it was wonderful that I could talk so much about God with others that day, but that I also wanted to talk more with the Lord the next day.
The next morning began, that I was sitting alone at breakfast. All the other hikers had left very early. And for the entire rest of the day, there was almost no hiker far in front and behind me. So I was able to talk and sing wonderfully aloud with the Lord. When I mentioned this at the table in the evening, others were surprised, because they had seen many hikers that day.
The city of Logroňo was getting closer and closer. The walk on the camino was coming to an end.
But had Logroňo really been the goal of this walk….
Because the walk with God just continues.
Walking with Him every day is God’s purpose for each of us.
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