On this first day of the Journey of Hope, Bart Tarman shared a bit of his sacred experience walking El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Bart explained that this journey was both physically and mentally challenging, for he had chosen to put himself in an uncomfortable experience of dislocation. Gradually, he found himself leaving the missional mindset of needing to do things, and the slow, steady pace of his walk allowed him to catch up with God and even to catch up with himself. Is this what the Journey of Hope pilgrimage would be for me? For us? How do I reconcile this tension between slowing down to catch up with God and the urgency of the suffering that is taking place now?

After our initial gathering with the Journey of Hope cohort, I met with Jer Swigart for a time of reflection and processing. I shared with Jer my struggle with how to help my church that is very comfortable in its whiteness become a church that sees the suffering in our community and works to disrupt systems that cause that suffering. And then, Jer asked me, “Yes, and who must you become as a leader to help navigate this shift?” Who must I become? All this time, my focus has been on trying to get my church to change, but I had failed to recognize the change that needed to take place within myself. 

So, I tie the laces on my hiking boots, lift my heavy pack upon my back, and I begin to walk. I do not know the destination of this Journey of Hope pilgrimage, but I look forward to following Jesus on the way.

Image Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/cnn-underscored/best-hiking-boots/index.html