Packed and Ready To Go

It has been said that people go on a pilgrimage based on a story. We are now hours away from getting on a plane and journeying to the place where the greatest story ever told began. A day from now we will be walking in the foot steps of Christ, walking down the same streets and dusty roads he walked with his disciples. Seeing the same green hills and blue seas Christ would have seen as he preached to the growing crowds. Praying in the same garden where Christ would have prayed before his death on a cross and his Resurrection from a tomb. It is hard to believe we will be there and soon. But for now, in the few hours left before our bus arrives, we are preparing our bags, deciding what to take and what not to take. Do I take ten pairs of socks or eleven? These are the big questions right now. And yet at the same time we are preparing our hearts for the coming experiences in the Holy Land by praying for our brothers about to go on internship, praying for the deacons who will soon become priests, praying for our families and benefactors back home and all those we promised to pray for. We go as pilgrims, not tourists on vacation, to encounter Christ in the lands and peoples where the story of salvation unfolded, and in that process we hope to prepare our hearts for our coming ordinations. Please pray for us, and know we will be praying everyday for you.