Mehdi & Roberto

Shared a 6 hour bus ride with Mehdi, a young Frenchman of Morrocan decent who just finished his studies in business administration…  

After speaking with him a while it’s clear that he will eventually be an entrepreneur, given his risk tolerance, integral view of things, and diverse formation from management, finance, and legal… 

Fun sharing with him and helping him to confirm his professional calling…  

He was most satisfied in some recent agricultural development work that he did with poor communities in the Philippines, helping folks to build a diversified ag economic system including fertilizer and top soil development, poultry protein production, and production of mango and other fruit crops.   What he liked most was helping folks to help themselves and he also liked managing the project from end to end.    

The above, coupled with fact that he has both a law and an MBA degree tells me he’ll be finding his way to the entrepreneurial camp in the next few years.  


After getting to LA bus station I decided to Uber it over to LAX… 

Got to meet my driver, Roberto.  He shared his testimony of faith in Christ, born in El Salvador, but growing up in LA and involved with gangs and then drugs to eventually hanging with many of the homeless in order to score drugs or to drink with them.  

He also has had seven kids, starting at age 14, with four women, and the broken relationships and guilt was haunting him.   

At one point he woke up underneath  a bridge on the 101 after a night of binging on drugs… he was feeling worthless and was socking himself and pressing a screw driver against his stomach in contemplation of suicide, feeling that Satan was accusing him of failure and encouraging him to give in, but then he felt God calling him to repentance, stating that his committing suicide would be yet another attempt at rebelling against God and asserting his own will against God’s. 

Later he attended a church meeting and heard the gospel of Christ, where he realized that Christ Himself was the only one who could fill the void that he was trying to fill with drugs and alcohol.   He broke down crying there like he never had before and there committed his life to Christ.  

Our last words before embracing were “See you on the other side brother.” and “God bless you brother.”

LORD, thank you for introducing me to my brother Roberto.  

A good day. 

Family day, and then bus ride to LA…

Starting the trip in Pilgrim style today, by bus, southbound to LA…

This pilgrim may break pilgrim protocol for an Admirals club day pass and shower before my 6am flight to Madrid tomorrow… 

Today was a peaceful day, but tough as well, in that I will miss Lyndsey and the kids, and they me as well… 

I suppose what allows me to do a trip like this is that I cherish the time with them when home… 

Lynds and I having gone through tremendous financial stress in our past, and the pressure that that puts on ones mind and body, for me, has caused me to depend on the Lord daily, and never to take any moment for granted that He has given me with them.  

While I will make the best of every moment, experience, and new relationship on this trip, I look forward to getting back to nightly bible time with the kids and to the time that Lyndsey and I share together every evening after they go down… 

Here are a few pics from today… 

“I AM (YHWH) the Way…”


“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NIV

As I prepare for this walk I take a moment to recognize that this Way of St. James, while a beautiful experience and possible means of expression of my faith and walk with God, is not the end or object of my affection nor the solution to whatever ails me.

I take time to recognize Jesus’ very explicit words that He Is (YHWH) the Way. 

LORD, may you be glorified on this walk.  May I be a small reflector of the Light that You’ve sent into the World, and as I walk along the “Field of Stars,” (Compostela) please open the eyes and ears of my heart to see and to hear You and Your call to faithfully walk in the “Cruciform Way” of dying to self, and being conformed to the likeness of Your Son, the Annointed One.

In His Name,

Amen 

The Camino’s Calling… Again. :)

Finished the first half of the Way of St. James in 2013… Headed back to finish the camino in 2017…

What I love most about the experience is the confluence of history, faith, culture, relationships, experiences, and physical challenge and health improvements that one can experience on the Camino.  

Why am I walking?

• To spend time in Prayer to the LORD, and to mediate on His Word;

• To get healthy by dropping the 1lb/day and getting lots of fresh air and sunshine;

• To disrupt and move into a new life rhythm, to mark a new chapter and a new challenge;

• To read, reflect, observe, interact, and to redact on all the above in hopes to progress in wisdom, and more importantly in love… first of all for God, and then also for His image bearers, my fellow mankind, those in Christ, and those not.  

I’ve never done a blog before, and do not have a clear narrative framework in mind, so for now I plan to take this day by day, posting lots of pictures, and sharing my experiences, thoughts, and insights along the way. 

Hope this blog will be a blessing to you, and feel free to interact with whatever questions or comments you feel moved to post.  

Sincerely,

Jerald