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“Salvator ambulado (It is solved by walking),” wrote St. Augustine.

Billy and Laurie Drum, Mission Society missionaries in Spain, walked the 791 kilometer Camino Francés, a path on the sacred pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. The path led from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The Drums walked this famous Christian pilgrimage, traveled by more than 200,000 people each year, as a coaching/counseling ministry. They served by lending a listening ear and a caring heart to fellow travelers.

Conversations flowed effortlessly as the miles ticked by. Such was the case with “Little” Billy, an Irishman in his 60’s who was traveling alone. Most days he passed by the Drums at a brisk pace. But one day he slowed and began to share his story, a story of love and loss, of joy and grief. He was walking the Camino on the anniversary of his wife’s death. She had fought a long battle with multiple sclerosis, and Billy served as her caregiver for much of that time. For 22 kilometers, Laurie hung back and allowed Billy and Billy to talk, to weep, and to experience God’s gracious presence along this holy trail.

God orchestrated another significant moment after Laurie felt ill from exhaustion and dehydration. Deciding to stop early, the Drums faced a long line of pilgrims waiting for a place to rest. As Billy waited in line, Laurie sat under the shade of a fig tree, acknowledging to God that she was trying to walk the Camino under her own strength. Experiencing an almost immediate renewal of strength, Laurie suggested they walk on. Arriving at the next town, they were joyfully reunited with “Little” Billy!

Gathering with others representing eight nationalities for dinner at a church and pilgrim hospital, the Drums witnessed a woman from England suddenly grow ill and faint. Drawing on her experience translating between English and Spanish for medical mission teams in Peru, Laurie was able to talk with doctors on a phone, helping them to determine they needed to travel to Grañon and treat this woman immediately. Laurie continued to translate once the doctors arrived and treated this fellow traveler for severe dehydration. A prayer under a fig tree had led the Drums to a providential meeting with this woman and her husband.

Pilgrims walk the Camino for various reasons—as a true religious pilgrimage, to renew their spirituality, or to find a closer relationship with God. Some walk for other reasons... tourism, sport, or simply to take several weeks away from the busyness of jobs, responsibilities, and modern technology and unplug by walking all day, every day.
Memories of those they met will stay with the Drums forever. There was 80-year-old Angela, leaving her six children and 18 grandchildren as she made her 12th trek on the Camino. There was Pepé, well into his 80’s, who sat along the Camino, welcoming travelers and offering them snacks of almonds grown from his very own trees, recounting how he found God after surviving an automobile accident. And there was Raewyn, with her quick wit and positive attitude, helping find laughter in the midst of falls and blisters and rainy days.

Whatever the reason, many who make this journey walk away with new perspective, changed by The Way. The Drums certainly found this to be true as they forged a common bond with other pilgrims, a connection that allowed openness and freedom to share deeper stories of life and truth. It was a journey of faith and love; loving God and loving others, walking side by side.