After finishing my last term of school, I had the privilege of travelling to Europe this past May with my fellow graduates Stephanie Hsu and Raegan Wong, and we were later joined by fellow CCF alum Joyce Tang. The main event of our trip was completing the Camino de Santiago. It was an amazing trip filled with challenges and good memories. As I reflect on my time spent walking the Camino, I think if I had to use one word to describe my experience, it would be the word joyful. I found joy in many different aspects of walking the Camino but they all led to me developing a better understanding of what it means to have joy in the Lord.
Camino??
Before I start, you may be wondering — what in the world is the Camino de Santiago? Also known in English as the “Way of St. James”, it is a pilgrimage that ends at the shrine and (supposed) remains of the Apostle James, located at a cathedral in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. While the Camino was first completed by Catholic pilgrims for religious reasons, hundreds of thousands of people now complete the Camino each year, regardless of religious belief or motivations. During the day, you walk along the route which is marked by yellow arrows or seashells. At night, you stay in an albergue — a hostel specifically for pilgrims, in a town that is along the route. Over the centuries, popular paths have resulted in numerous different Camino routes. We wanted to experience the most “traditional” route, as well as some stunning mountain views, so we chose to complete the French Way which starts in southern France and makes its way across the north of Spain.
So, on the morning of May 8, we laced up our hiking shoes, shouldered our (overpacked) bags, and began walking! At around noon on June 8, we sauntered (ok, maybe more like hobbled) into Santiago de Compostela. In total, we walked 800 km in 29 days with 3 rest days.
The Joy of Friendship
Growing up, I’ve always been a very independent person and in the past year I’ve done a lot of solo travelling, which I greatly enjoyed. At the beginning of the Camino, I began questioning whether I should have walked the Camino alone. Even though I was travelling with some of my closest friends, I selfishly felt that it would just be “easier” and “more convenient” if I didn’t need to consider them in every decision (sorry guys!). After the first week, God began changing my heart and reminding me about the joy of friendship. I probably could have walked faster and been more efficient if I was travelling alone, but I also would have missed out on the jokes, memories, and encouraging conversations that I ended up sharing with my friends. Looking back, some of my favourite times on the Camino were the meals and walks where we found the strangest things to talk about. I guess that happens, when you spend every waking moment together for more than a month. By spending so much time with my friends, God also showed His love for me through the way they loved me. They stuck by my side in my lowest moments and encouraged me no matter how grumpy, tired, or hangry I was.
Walking the Camino alone is a very cool experience, but getting to walk the Camino with my friends who are also my sisters in Christ? Learning how to love and serve one another in all the mundane routineness and the surprises of the Camino? I think that was way cooler. It was also a reminder that our spiritual walks are not meant to be done alone. The Bible gives us so many passages about how we ought to love our brothers and sisters in Christ by carrying their burdens (Galatians 6:2), encouraging them (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and even laying down our lives for them (John 15:12–13). I think it’s truly a special and joyful thing to know that because of what Christ has done on the cross, we as Christians are all children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. As we finished the Camino, it was bittersweet to know that my friends and I would soon be in different cities, starting a new chapter of our lives. Our friendship will change as our lives evolve, but I know it will always be rooted in Christ. Plus, we’ll always have the memories of walking the Camino together to cherish and laugh about.
The Joy of Scripture Memorization
In my 4B term, I joined a Small Group at Trinity Bible Chapel (highly recommend!!). While doing a book study on spiritual disciplines, we learned about the importance and benefits of scripture memorization and meditation. As I began preparing for the Camino, a goal that I set for myself was to begin memorizing the book of Psalms. I saw the Camino as the perfect opportunity for practicing scripture memorization and meditation, given that I would be spending at least five hours a day walking. Since we had to carry everything in our backpacks as we walked, minimizing weight was a priority when packing for the Camino. Thus, I purchased a pocket-sized KJV New Testament + Psalms bible.
By the end of the Camino, I memorized the first four chapters of the book of Psalms. As I walked each day, I would recite the passages to myself, pray through them, and meditate on them. As the unpredictable events of our Camino trip began unfolding, I took comfort in the words of Scripture that I now knew by heart! If you think about it, we have so many things ingrained in our memory, like pop culture and song lyrics. But how much of God’s word — which is infinitely more valuable — have we remembered? I would highly recommend beginning to practice scripture memorization as a spiritual discipline, and I can guarantee it is more useful and brings more joy than knowing the words to a trendy song.
The Joy of God’s Sustenance
One of the ways I experienced God’s sustenance on the Camino was through sleep. First of all, I had some of the best sleeps of my life while walking the Camino. After spending an entire day on the road, doing our daily laundry, and eating a typical, huge pilgrim dinner, I would konk out immediately each night. We were also on a grandma/pilgrim sleep schedule of 9 pm -5 am, so we were getting at least 8 hours of quality sleep each night.
However, the main reason sleeping became a joy is because it was incredible to see how our God-given bodies were able to recover each night. As we knocked down more and more kilometers on our journey to Santiago de Compostela, the toll of walking so much became apparent through joint pains, sore muscles, and blisters. On some of the days, we arrived at our albergue and I truly felt like I could not walk another step, much less another 25–30 km the next day. Yet, the next morning I would wake up and be able to continue walking again. As I began walking each morning, I would recall Psalm 3:5, one of the verses I had memorized:
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.” — Psalm 3:5 KJV
Everyday, I was experiencing the Lord’s sustenance. Not only did He sustain me and give me strength to walk each day, His goodness was also evident in the way He gave me rest so that I could continue the journey.
Since we spent so much time outside, I was also able to experience God’s beautiful creation everyday. Whether it was the majestic forests, beautiful wildflowers, or endless fields of wheat, God is the source and sustainer of all life. All the beautiful views were created by God to reflect his beauty and majesty, and how joyful it was to be able to spend so much time enjoying His creation!
The Joy of Freedom in Christ
Near the end of the Camino, there is a famous cross called the Cruz de Ferro. A lot of pilgrims will specifically plan to stay at the nearest town then get to the cross at sunrise the next day. We didn’t know about this, but we just happened to be staying in the nearest town and one of the Australian friends we made on the Camino was the one to tell us about this tradition. It sounded like a fun plan, so we left early the next morning and watched the sunrise as we sat at the base of the cross. To be brutally honest, the view from the cross is …mediocre. The cross itself is ALSO mediocre — Raegan would tell you that she was expecting a “large, fancy cross” but was instead met with a “tiny, dinky cross”. But the cross is famous because it is tradition for pilgrims to bring a rock from home and leave it at the base of the cross. This is supposed to symbolize the pilgrim leaving their burdens behind. I did leave a rock at the cross too, but as I reflected on the burdens that I carried, I joyfully recognized that I carried no real burdens because I had already given them to the Lord.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” — Matthew 11:28–30 ESV
Even though people can carry a rock and leave it at the Cruz de Ferro, and maybe put enough importance in it to feel enlightened from doing so, true peace comes from Christ who calls us to Himself in Matthew 11:28–30. Of all the burdens and trials of life, He is the one who carried the ultimate burden of our sin and gives us the ultimate freedom of salvation. After leaving the Cruz de Ferro, I did not feel any “lighter” because I was already aware of this freedom that is found in Christ. Instead, I was overcome with awe and joy at the reminder of Christ’s salvation and the gratitude of knowing that I can cast all my burdens unto the Lord.
Post-Camino
While I loved walking the Camino and I have attempted to capture and share some of the joyful moments I experienced on it, I understand that most of you will not read this and be inspired to experience the Camino for yourself. However, as Christians, there are many ways in which being a pilgrim on the Camino is similar to our spiritual walks with God. On the Camino, you pass from place to place with the ultimate goal of reaching Santiago de Compostela. As Christians, we strive toward holiness, with our eyes focussed on eternity with God.
Now imagine if I spent my whole month on the Camino only thinking about how nice it will be to arrive in Santiago de Compostela, and as a result failed to notice all the joy that God was waiting for me to discover as I was making my way there. Yes, as Christians, our ultimate joy will be eternity with God, but God still reveals Himself while we’re living in this broken world. In the meantime, God gives us joy in sanctification, our relationships with fellow believers, worshipping Him, and so much more. Don’t become so discouraged that you forget there is always joy in the Lord!
You may end up never walking the Camino de Santiago, but I hope that your walk with God would be so full of joy that it can be called the Camino de la Alegría — the Way of Joy.
On the Camino, there is a parting phrase all pilgrims say to wish each other a good journey, and I wish you the same now: buen camino!
