In one week (that’s 7 days, or only 168hours!!), we will be starting our journey to Prague. That flight overseas will kick off what is sure to be a spectacular adventure. I can’t wait!

The trip OVERSEAS…

We have a couple special treats in store for us as part of our flight itinerary. First, we will take a short hop from Raleigh-Durham airport to Charlotte International Airport (don’t ask why we didn’t just start from Charlotte). Our flight to Europe will be from Charlotte to Madrid Spain. We will have the cool priviledge of having a church friend of ours as our pilot for that flight. He made a special request to be scheduled on that flight to send us on our way. What a way to start.

In Madrid we have the inconvenience of an 8 hour layover before we catch our last flight to Prague. We should arrive in Prague mid afternoon Friday, 18 July. After collecting our bags, we will then make our way to our lodging for the next few nights which is an apartment across the river within walking distance of Prague central. Even though we will be jet-lagged and tired, we have a few bits of business to take care of before we crash for the night.

Near our lodging is a tourist information station. There we can purchase our Pilgrim Credentials. If you don’t know what those are, check out our FAQ page. They are integral to our trip. We will undoubtedly get some cash from an ATM and eat dinner as well. The next couple of days (Saturday and Sunday) we will play “tourist” and relish some last few days of walking without backpacks while exploring the beautiful city of Prague. They are having a heatwave at the moment and it looks like it will continue for our days in Prague. It’s not too bad. And there is a forcast of rain. But it’s still a long way out – weatherwise.

On to the topic of this post.. WHY?

People often ask WHY? Why are you doing this? The reasons are different for each of us, so I’ll let everyone answer in turn.

Nadine

I’m often asked first, “What exactly are you doing”, and the statement that follows next is, “You’re crazy!”

So the first answer to the question of “Why?” is that “I Am Crazy”!  But truly, walking is cathartic for me.  I love walking and appreciating the beauty of things around.  I love the adventure of new places, different foods, and meeting new people.  I am the most introverted one of the group but not with The One who is walking with me.  I talk with Him about the friends and family I leave behind. I seek Him in regard to decisions in front of me, and what His good desire is for the days I have left in my life.  It’s those deep times of contemplation and awareness of God’s presence that I cherish the most and love to share with others.

My Mum is almost 102 years old and her comment has been “Do it while you can!”  She is now in a wheelchair but despite her physical limitations she is just as involved in others lives.  She is my inspiration.  So this trip is for you Mum.  I will do my best and, even if I fail, I know you will still love me!  

Grüß Gott! (Primarily used as a greeting in Southern Germany which literally means “Greet God” or “May God greet you”.)

Allison

Why do I walk these walks? I love the adventure of these trips. We get to meet so many interesting people and while we walk we will certainly have opportunities to share with them for a few hours. I relish the people that God puts in our path, and I look forward to planting seeds in their lives.

Of course, spending time together with Mark and Nadine builds our relationships as well. The conversations quickly move beyond small-talk and you really get to know someone when you spend so much time together. If past trips are any guide, we will laugh a lot at the absurdity of a situation, and also stand in awe at the natural and man-made beauty that surrounds us.

Mark

After several pilgrimage trips you’d think I’d have the “why” nailed down by now, but honestly I always struggle with the question. But this year I think I got honest with myself and put it down in writing.

First, I want to walk this pilgrimage because it is hard. That may sound like a pretty bad reason, but hear me out. I have been blessed with a pretty decent life. I had a good career, raised three kids, have a great relationship with my wife, and live in relative luxury compared to the rest of the world. I have food and shelter and live a pretty simple and safe life. As a result I’m relatively self-sufficient. The down side of this is that it is pretty easy to live life fooling myself that I don’t need God or others. I can too easily rely on my own prowess and talent and get by. But I miss out on so much that way. Yes, I am a Christian and have an honorable routine of bible study, charitable work, and I have a good group of friends I can count on to keep me level headed. But when I do something truly hard, I am forced to rely on God. I relish doing these hard things because without Him, they would be impossible. I get to see miracles when I reach beyond my own natural abilities. I get to experience the view from that mountain top and see all the places I would have failed if I’d been alone with just my natural talents to rely upon.

Second, I want to walk on pilgrimage for all the stories I’ll tell. The adventure of seeing places that few others will see, and definitely in a way few others will experience them, invigorates me. I want to have more stories like that of a fellow pilgrim I met in Portugal who flew home only to call and ask me about my faith. I want to have another experience where an Earl invited us into his home (a castle) for the night becaues he was previously a pilgrim as well. I want to have more stories like the one about the two intoxicated gents in a pub in Canterbury who after we’d given them a token gift, broke down saying “no one has ever given me a gift before”. I want to meet people again like the two italian utility workers who shared their “lunch wine” with us because they’d never heard of modern pilgrimage and were fascinated by it.. I want tell again a story like the one when my brother at age 76 who struggled in the first days of walking with us, but later was walking miles ahead; or the one about my sister who was terrified by the sight of the huge mountain ahead of us, but later stood at the top and was amazed of what God had done. I want those stories!

I want to walk on Pilgrimage for the time with my bride Allison, and sister Nadine. I’ve seen the dedication they both have, and I’ve witnessed us each build the other up when we’ve stuggled. We are just better people because of these adventures.

And finally, I want to walk on Pilgrimage to see beauty. Oh, those mountain views, waterfalls and even the beautiful hand carved wooden door, radient stained glass and the path that seems to vanish across the horizon. And oh, those sunrises.

So there you have it. The quesion has been answered. I know most of you guys still think we’re nuts, but that’s OK. I do hope you will enjoy the vlog once we get to Prague. Honestly, putting the vlog together and posting words, pictures and videos isn’t that easy – especially when you’re tired and would rather just crash for the night. But any engagement with folks back home is really treasured. I do hope you will write us a note to encourage us along the way. Keep our journey in your hearts and ask questions about anything we write, capture or record.