Sunday May 27th … 25 km… 16 miles …. Sunny and Warm
Today, I read my journal before we started walking. I was hoping something would speak to me and I could meditate on it as I walked.
Step by Step Journal … Day 15 “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need.” ~ Hebrews 4:16 When we feel called by God to a certain task and want to move forward eagerly, sometimes it’s important to wait. That waiting time is our time to step away from ourselves and pray for discernment. If we can trust and be patient during this waiting time, and “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor,” then we need to believe that our lives will be serving up the answers we need. We will either be inspired to tackle the task or we will leave it for someone else to bring to life. It is not ours to do. Trust that God has other plans: something bigger, something better, and something more our style.
There it was at the beginning in the Bible verse. “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor” I read that line and it spoke to me and then as I read further it was spoken again. This morning read was perfect. I will take this with me today and meditate on it.
Our morning …
This morning the hostel was a little loud because the dorm room was large. No one could be quiet, even the early birds. With all the rustle and whispers, I decided to just wake up. I laid in bed and read my journal. My journal spoke to me, it was perfect!
After the first pilgrims had left for the day, it was time for us to get ready. As we ate our light breakfast and glanced at the map and guidebook, we noticed we had a fun beginning. The guidebook says the day starts with a “strenuous climb.” and the view at the top will “be enough to revive any flagging spirit.”
We didn’t always believe the guidebook. This was from experience. It might be worse than described. Ugh!
After the climb, it would be an easy day. All on dirt paths and flat. We got this!
We left town and made our way to the trail. The sun was rising behind us. The weather and sky were beautiful. There was a light mist on the fields and the red poppies were starting to be all around us.
The strenuous climb
The morning was perfect. The views were amazing. But, then we saw it. Up ahead, the “strenuous climb”! If you look closely at the picture below, you can actually see the path up.
Ok, we got this. The thing about this climb was it was short and steep. Thankfully the weather was perfect.
Our group slowly started to separate as we started the climb. We all walk at different paces on the climbs. I was always the caboose. I did have to take a few breaks, it was steep. You really can’t see the steepness in the picture.
Out of breath and pulling my jacket off, we finally made it to the top. Time for water. We sat at the top and caught our breath and rested. There was a gentleman at the top, selling snacks, I decided I better get a banana. The views did revive my flagging spirit!
Downhill
We had 7 km to our café for lunch/breakfast! We started down the hill and it was steep. Time to zig-zag, this always helps. It takes the pressure off the knees. I use my walking stick to do that too!
The rest of the way to Itero de la Vega was beautiful and flat; we were walking at a good pace. Minh was walking fast, his blisters must be bothering him. After walking for about an hour, we came to a picnic table and water fountain. No one needed water or a break, so we kept walking. Breakfast was calling us.
Itero de la Vega
As we arrived in Itero de la Vega we crossed the river Pisuerga. Just another beautiful bridge along the Camino. This bridge was built on the order of Alfonso VI in the 11th century after the Battle of Lantadilla (1068).
We arrived at the café, Puente Fitero. It was packed. Along the Camino, the first café in town is always the busiest. Sometimes we would keep walking to the next one, but unfortunately, this town only had one. So, everyone was there. We ran into some old friends and shared a table and some laughs.
We made sure to fill up with water. Our next stop is 9 km. The only thing between here and there is a flat dirt path through the Meseta.
Meseta
This stretch was nice. As we were leaving town we started speaking in Spanish. Luca and Natalie were trying to teach us. Cale can speak some Spanish, but according to Natalie and Luca, he sounds like he is from Mexico. This makes sense because that is our influence in the USA. We had some good laughs.
They were explaining to us the difference between Argentina Spanish and Spain Spanish. It was really interesting. The different dialects.
We really started to laugh when we all started to roll our “R’s”. Let me just say to hear Minh roll his “R’s” was quite entertaining. We actually had to stop walking all of us were laughing. Awe, good times.
Before we knew it, we had made our way across the Meseta and we had arrived into Boadilla del Camino. Perfect! Bathroom and snack, please!
Canal de Castilla
It was 1:00 and we only had 6 km left. The rest of the day was going to be walking along canals. These canals were built in the 18th century. They were now being used for irrigation. It was pretty amazing!
As we were walking along the canals, I started to walk by myself. I found myself alone and started to meditate and pray. It was absolutely beautiful. I don’t want to share too much because it is all in my journal entry at the end of this post.
I will say this, I believe we are all mystics, we all have the Divine within us. Be open! Open your mind and your heart. Allow yourself to receive without judging, without trying to figure things out, just sit in the silence and be. Jesus speaks to each of us, do you hear Him?
After my WOW moment, I listened to some praise and worship music! I just wanted to celebrate the feeling. It was so powerful, I felt like I was floating. My feet weren’t even touching the ground.
Fromista
As we arrived, we saw this sign below, how cool! Because after this Camino, Cale and I are heading over to Israel to walk the Jesus Trail. Only 4,478kms to Jerusalem. Imagine that, they use to walk these paths!
We made our away across a lock and to our hostel.
Albergue
Albergue Canal de Castilla, 16 beds, 15 Euros for bed and dinner
Our hostel was at the beginning of the town. This was perfect because Minh was ready to take his shoes off, his blisters were hurting him. Dinner was included in the price. No grocery shopping tonight, just the usual shower, laundry, and rest. It was nice, as our clothes were drying in the sun, we sat out on the patio and Cale doctored up Minh’s blisters. The weather was nice and it was just us. Only 4 other people staying at the hostel with us.
Our evening consisted of cards and dinner. We were all tired. It had been a long day!
The temperature dropped tonight but thankfully our hostel had blankets. That was a win! With the hostel not being full, we were even able to grab an extra if needed. I think Minh had two!
As we were laying in bed, we all started laughing. I can’t remember what we were laughing about. It was just one of those silly laughing moments and we couldn’t stop. Such joy! Thank you, Jesus!
I hope you enjoy this journal entry below. This day was very powerful. I not only received messages but I had a vision of Our Lord. I know these messages are not just for me, I hope they speak to you as well.
My Journal:
Sunday, May 27th … 25 km … 16 miles … sunny and warm
Today was an amazing day! We hiked up a mountain at the beginning and after that, it was pretty flat. The Meseta is beautiful, I love it! At the end of the day, we walked along some canals. They were amazing.
Had some quiet time today and Jesus spoke to me. It started with prayer and some tears of joy, then I walked in silence. I let go of everything and was present.
It was then, I heard Him. Our conversation was perfect, these are the main messages He said.
“open your heart”
“after your hurt you have closed your heart a little, I need you”
“let go of the past”
“don’t worry about others”
“only look at the steps ahead of you right now”
‘be with me now”
He said it again, “open your heart”
“show others love and compassion, be true to who you are”
When our conversation was over, I looked to my left, and there sitting on a rock was Jesus, I felt His Presence as well, chills ran through my body. I stopped! And He was gone, but then He said,
“don’t worry when you don’t feel me, I am always with you”
I floated into town!
“confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor,”
Thank you Jesus.
Note from Mary: As you can see today was a day I will never forget. I walked with Our Lord today! Reminder, we walk with Him every day.
His message says, “don’t worry when you don’t feel me, I am always with you”
I prayed about sharing this and I am trusting in Our Lord. The messages are powerful! They were exactly what I needed to hear. As I read them today, it brings me back to that day. I feel it. These messages are for everyone. I hope they speak to you!
As I was praying about sharing this, He said, “Let the Divine Shine!”
In Cales video below he said Day 14 but its 15 (you lose count when you are walking. haha)
