And I HAVE walked 500 miles and I will NOT walk 500 more!...by NR

Wow, it is surreal to sit here and write that we have arrived in Santiago! Many say that this is when the real journey begins, when you take the road home and piece together all that you have learned and experienced. Emily and I looked at each other after reaching the beautiful cathedral and did not know if we wanted to cry, laugh, sit or stand. I have to be honest, that I was somewhat expecting a welcome banner, but in reality, there were just a lot of relieved people celebrating their arrival. Three hospital visits, one case of bed bugs, an allergic reaction, tendonitis, 32 days, 10 blisters, a ton of laughing, singing and 500 miles later, we have made it! The road is now paved with our story forever and the journey of faith and friendship that it took us on this past month. I am filled with gratitude for this experience. One thing I learned especially today was that pride does not get you far...Em and I were the slowest hikers today because of my knee and ankle. Hundreds past us as Em walked steadily by my side until the very last step. People would give me the most pitiful looks, but we turned it in to the funniest story yet. I have so much to say but I would become random and confusing if I started to decribe it all. So, I will end with a prayer... Lord, thank you for this journey. Thank you for the prayers that have been answered and the provision you had of us during our travels. Every detail was a blessing, sometimes in disguise and you taught us so much. May we continue on this road looking for the arrows that you put in our path, in order to love ourselves and others better than the day before. Thank you for Emily and our friends and family who proved to be relentless in their love and support. I praise you for teaching me, guiding me, loving me despite myself. May I remain in your arms forever...Amen.

Almost There...by ER

We have almost crossed the finish line to Santiago and I have really mixed emotions about leaving the Camino. I have dreamed of walking this pilgrimage road for the past 5 years, and now I suppose I will dream of walking it again. Tomorrow, when we arrive at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, we will have to say goodbye to a good friend. We´ve come to depend on the road and little yellow arrows to show us where to go and guide us to our home for the night. Sometimes we start walking before dawn and have to look for arrows with our flashlights...you can imagine the relief we feel when a shining spot of yellow appears in the forest. I think I will search for the arrows even after this trip. Many people have dedicated their lives to finding these arrows and we are reminded of this when we see graves and memorials along our path. They are beautifully decorated with pilgrim momentos, acknowledging their sacrifice. Hundreds of years ago, many pilgrims were robbed, kidnapped and murdered on their way to Santiago. Imagine walking from Rome, where many pilgrims started, to Santiago in 1794. There were no ATMs, (so you had to take all of your money with you), no Merrell shoes (i.e. blisters galore), bed bugs (wait we still have those), no internet cafes or rucksacks. They did however, have the protection of The Knight´s Templar and the hospitality of strangers along the way. Time marches on, but the intention of the Camino remains the same.

Serendipity...by NR

Sometimes I wonder why worry is such a big part of my day. This camino has certainly proved to me that if you take time to do things well, or take time to be still, good things, including clarity always come. Em and I were walking today until we reached our destination. I have now learned to make jokes about my limp, as we have found many names for me to substitute for ¨gimp¨. Once we crossed that final bridge, I was thanking God for allowing my body to make it that far. My heart broke when we heard the words ¨Completo,¨ meaning there were no more beds in this small town...we would have to travel almost another mile to the next town. We sat down and as I was praying, Em said that she felt something better would happen for us. After we finished a sandwich, we started our ascent slowly up the mountain. There, we met a man that was advertising a hostel in the next town that was new and he would even take our backpacks for us. We both sang praises of ¨MUCHAS GRACIAS¨ and went along our way. Today, my body took me further than my mind thought I could go. It was a feeling of triumph for both of us as we reached the nice rooms for the night. So, as I reflect back on every single day of this journey, and even my life thus far, it stands true that if you are still and know that there is a God bigger than our finite minds can imagine, great things happen. We are two days away from Santiago, about 45 km to go! We are now dreaming of cute shoes and clean sheets. We are excited to start the next chapter of our lives using the wisdom we have gained from this long, long hike. We will blog a note of VICTORY soon. Love you all...

Peaks and Valleys...by ER

I wake up every morning, jump out of bed and thank God for every moment of this trip. For the good times and the more challenging times: they are all necessary. Just as in the walk, I have now seen the highest peak: the legendary Cross of Ferro ( 4,940 ft), the lowest point : bed bugs (altitude unknown). Yes, I Emily White Reid am covered with itchy red bites that I contracted in a hostel bed. It is a common occurence with you are sleeping in a room full of bunk beds with 50 other sweaty, snoring, coughing pilgrims from all over the world. There is no telling what else we have. I went to the hospital today in Sarria where Dr. Angel Calado treated me for free. He was in fact, an angel. When I showed him my bite-ridden back he quickly called in a nurse to give me a shot for the swelling. The funny thing was, she didn´t know which of us was the patient, so she turned to Nik to administer the injection. As you can imagine, she quickly refused the 3-inch needle haha! I was so tired, humiliated and exhausted and needed someone to take care of me and my prayers were answered. It is really amazing that both Nikki and I have been to 3 different doctors since our arrival in Spain and have never had to pay one cent. This is partially because of a long tradition of free services to pilgrims on the camino and because we´re so damn lucky. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We feel it with every step we take.

Vamanos!

We have made it to Sarria, 120 km and 5 days from our goal...we will miss the road so much. I had a question posed to me today that I stumbled over. A German woman asked me why I was here and why I chose to study theology? Two questions I thought I surely knew an extensive answer to. Yet, I fumbled over my words and could say very little. Thus, my quest for the answers began today and I think God delivered. I am here on this camino because there is freedom is risk. There is wonder and excitement that can only come from getting out of your comfort zone--out of control. This has been a wonderful lesson to learn and a vital part of my growth towards who I want to become. The theology question has yet to come fully into place, but what I can explain is that when I think or talk about what I will learn in seminary, it is as if I come more alive and you can hear the energy rise in my voice. I feel so fortunate to be with others seeking to better themselves and how the interact in the world...it is a unique family. I was eager to end my rest and I cannot wait to hit the road again tomorrow. I have too many stories to share from the village of Astorga and the saints that cared for me there. I learned from a British woman how to let go of past things you cannot change; a Aussie man and I discussed the church and how it is still relevant and important to today´s ¨spiritual, non-religious people¨. The list could go on but I know Em wants to write as well. We are glad to be back together, walking along the road side-by-side. This last week has proved to be challenging in every way for both of us. Others have pressed our beliefs both in ourselves, each other and the road we are on. But everytime something difficult comes along, we are blown away by God´s faithful presence to provide EXACTLY what we need at that time. We are in the Celtic territory of Galacia, looking over breath-taking, green mountains and cool air. We still smell and we are looking forward to coming over that hill to see Santiago´s enormous cathedral. May God bless each of you-we think of you every day!

BAHHHHHHHHH...by NR

I have always been under the impression that if your mind says that you can do it, your body will follow. Well, I have learned that this is not the case, as I write this blog from the prideful part of me that says the above HAS to be true. Today, I am stuck, I mean, resting in Astorga, Spain. I will spend the next two days here healing and then catch up with Em in Vallefranca. Yesterday, we had the best time listening to nature´s music: the wheat fields whistling, the trees soft song and the sound of accomplishment as we heard our footsteps moving onward. The last couple of km´s left me talking aloud, coaching my feet to keep moving. Em agreed that our feet were howling and we looked anxiously towards the town in front of us. We hitchhiked the last km, as the heat was unbearable. As the nice (and safe) man dropped us off at the hostel, I could feel my legs shutting down. As we sat down infront of the hostel´s host, he immediately read my emotion. He then showed us his leg, which was ravaged and disfigured from 27 walks through the Camino. Reading the dismay upon my face and the well of tears I held back, he said, ¨My friend, the Camino is not just this road, it is whatever journey your soul takes. The piece of paper when you reach the end just says what you did, but not how the journey played out. I can tell your strong but you need to let your body do the talking for today. Tomorrow, you stay here with me¨. Em and I had a discussion about what to do next and decided together that she would walk on and take good pictures. So, our journey has again led us in two diverged roads, both leading us to life-long lessons that are surely valuable. I woke up today and hugged Em goodbye and a peace came over me about what I was learning at this moment. That is, that sometimes this ol mind needs to learn the value in rest, peace and a lack of control. It is a lesson I thought I learned a couple of weeks ago, but I guess I have further to go. And I am okay with this journey and I look forward to greeting Em with stories of growth and visa versa. God provided Em with Alexa, a Californian to walk with today and Anna from Texas will stay with me until I head out again. We have certainly added angels to this list, thanks be to God.

Keep on keepin´ on...by NR

We have just finished a long day of walking in the hot sun, but we gave each other ¨high-fives¨ because we weren´t ready to die at the end. My ankle continues to swell but it is improving and Em´s sniffles are going away too. We were quiet today and only laughed when we reached the hostel for the day. I think Em would agree that we are trying to stay focussed for the days ahead and recount what we left behind on the trail. Singing has been at times our only communication, and then there is quiet, deep thought. Then we share what we were thinking and realize, mant times, that we were thinking the same thing. We think of home and funny falls we´ve had in public places, or funny things our parents have done or said. We remind each other how we´ve grown or improved, even since the beginning of the trip. I am learning Spanish, so we practice the street signs as we pass. Today, I was not as slick because I read the ground as we were passing through a town, which said to me ¨zoom¨. Because people are so encouraging to the pilgrims as we pass through their communities, I began to comment on how nice this town might be, that they would even encourage us to zoom forward. Em, being the fluent senora she is, explained that it actually said 200 m (meters). So we are thankful we are here together--growing, laughing and becoming more like our parents everyday! Additionally, we look forward to hot showers with no shoes, to smell nice and to not hear women snore like old men...looking forward to hearing from you all.