Villamayor de Monjardín

Well, here we are in northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago, in the village of Villamayor de Monjardín. This will be our home base for the foreseeable future.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, the Camino (or Way of St. James) is a popular pilgrimage route that dates back to before the 11th century. It’s part of a large pilgrimage network in Europe, but most people walk the final stretch in Spain.
Covering a distance of 780 km (485 miles) through hilly countryside and winding through picturesque villages to Santiago, this is quite a challenge.

Some pilgrims are drawn to its religious significance, others to the natural landscapes or the simplicity of life along the way. And for many, it’s a combination of personal challenge, cultural interest, and the desire to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life.

And in all of this, we have the privilege of serving at a hostel along this route in the coming months. More than five hundred thousand people walk this route (or a portion of it) each year, and many are searching for God (sometimes without even realizing it themselves).
The hostel is a wonderful place to welcome these weary pilgrims, provide them with lodging and food, and show them God’s love. It’s a fantastic opportunity to introduce people to Jesus—through words, deeds, and miracles.

We have a great team of volunteers. First, there’s Gerrit-Jan, Annemieke, Rose, and Mary Ann. They’ve been running things here for years with love and passion. And then there’s: us and Malia from the U.S., Sophie from England, and Carmen from Germany, who are all here to volunteer for a short term. It’s a lively atmosphere in the ‘short termers’ house next to the hostel.
The ladies are really eager to learn more in their walk with God, and it’s wonderful to be able to share our experiences and knowledge with them.

We’ve already experienced some amazing things.
For example, after prayer, one woman was completely set free from suicidal thoughts and heavy oppression.
And at the dinner table, Amanda was able to share her story with a young German man. She told him that she had traveled a lot, but that it hadn’t brought her true fulfillment until she surrendered her life to Jesus. He then shared that he, too, traveled a lot, but was now realizing that it indeed didn’t bring fulfillment to his life. Without Arjan knowing about this conversation, he later had a similar conversation with him. The Lord clearly wanted to bring something important to his attention!
This German man also had a serious problem with his big toe and said he couldn’t walk any further, so Arjan was able to pray for his healing. After the prayer, the young man was very surprised because the pain was gone. He thanked us several times for the conversations and said he had a lot to think about.
It’s so beautiful how God has His eye on people and reaches them in different ways.

And of course, we hit the jackpot, because the solar eclipse took place here a few days after our arrival. And what an event! We were fully booked that day, so we decided as a hostel to make something special out of it. We went with all the pilgrims to the other side of the valley to get a better view of the solar eclipse. We first had a meal together there and then walked in a procession to a beautiful viewing point.
Along with many others, we stood there wearing special glasses, staring at the bright sun, until it got so dark that even the streetlights turned on automatically.
And there, for a full minute, we saw a “black sun” surrounded by a fiery halo. It was truly extraordinary. How beautifully our Father has made it all!