Eleven Alumni Take on the Camino de Santiago
Eleven Truett alumni joined Dr. Michael Stroope on a pilgrimage walk in June along the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. After months of preparation, including online group meetings and readings, they completed the final 90 miles of the Camino from Triacastela to Santiago while engaging in discussions on virtue and vocation. These alumni encountered new experiences every day, including as they walked the path, they met strangers from various backgrounds, including Taiwan, Germany, Canada, and even students from the University of Texas and Texas A&M.
Although they graduated from different years and several of them did not know each other until signing up for this trip, by the end of the journey, this Truett group became unified and walked as one. They listened to each other, supported each other, and offered words of encouragement. Once they reached Santiago de Compostela, they all walked in the city together. There, they each got their book stamped and received a certificate saying they completed this journey.
Step by step, mile by mile, day by day, they trekked across this path they had not taken before and discovered they could accomplish the task even when the journey was difficult. All eleven alumni and Dr. Mike Stroope are now back in the United States.
Quotes from the Trip
What a mix of things in this special experience for me—When I had questions or struggles inwardly, it almost helped to have the predictability and even monotony of continuous walking mile after mile, plus the knowledge that everyone in the group was doing it together. I also loved the built in rest stops and the necessity of them. In regular work life, breaks are treated as an exception (even sometimes a barrier) to work. But on the trail they are welcome, imperative, and assumed to be just another part of the journey.
– Stephanie Drum, MDiv 2014
Truett students/alumni have an uncommon way of viewing the world—with curiosity and an openness to thinking in new ways. Walking with these fellow travelers day after day provided me with opportunities to see my surroundings differently and consider my life’s circumstances from other perspectives. This brought hope to me personally and to my understanding of the future of our faith community.
– Angie French, MDiv 2005
I learned that I have a deep need for like-minded community. There were times along our walk that I would have stopped, had it not been for the encouragement of those around me. This is applicable in all areas of my life. I was reminded that walking is never really "pain-free". However, with good community, proper attitude and God's grace, you can persist in spite of the discomfort. This is also applicable for our walk as Christians.
– Josh Flores Olvera, MDiv 2019
The best part of our pilgrimage was walking alongside Truett alumni I never met previously. We engaged in meaningful conversations about our diverse professions and the various ways we minister in our workplaces.
– Robin Fox, MDiv 2010
Walking almost 100 miles in 6 days with 11 other Truett pilgrims was a balm for my soul. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones in our group and along the way. Listening to each person’s story and sharing my own was like piecing together a stained glass window: God’s faithfulness created beauty in the midst of our shared brokenness.
- Jenni Chilton, MDiv/MSEd 2020
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Photos courtesy of Jenni Chilton