This week, a podcast that I listen to reminded me of something important about group travel: Travel gives us many opportunities to develop friendships.
That’s a simple but profound proposition. I believe it is even more true with Christian pilgrimages. In fact, I know it to be true from my own experience. The fellowship and community experienced on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or other lands of the Bible is a consistent highlight for those who do this kind of travel, including me.
I have made and maintained some quality and lasting friendships through travel over the years. Sharing a faith, walking the land, learning a lot, enjoying the guide and group, exploring the food, worshiping Jesus, receiving communion, praying and singing to God, and laughing together on pilgrimage are ingredients for a recipe that brings us together in a meaningful way. And in that coming together, we naturally forge relationships with potential.
When I travel now, I expect to make friends. I look forward to it and treasure it. It’s pretty unique to have experiences together like climbing the same southern steps of the Temple Mount that Jesus walked, or boating on the Sea of Galilee, or fellowshipping with local Christians in Bethlehem, or reading Psalm 88 in the dungeon of Caiaphas’ house. Pilgrimages are filled with special God-moments and special group-moments. If you know Faith Connections Travel, you know that on our trips we’re never just passing through as tourists. Pilgrims are a part of the places they visit, and those places are a part of them. But along the way in those moments, we also connect with each other.
