Psalm 10: 14B “Thou has been the helper of the orphan”. 

Isn’t it such a blessing from God for all of us to be a part of Homes of Love.

Psalm 13:5

“But I have trusted in thy loving kindness.“

Whether my joint holds up or not, His loving kindness is far bigger. I am excited to say that my joint has held up. After 2 days of hiking over 26 miles it feels completely normal. 

These photos are the kinds of markers that are there to keep us on the Camino Trail. However, as expected, we got lost! But still got back on track.

I saw this verse beautifully displayed today ...

Isaiah 55:12 

“For ye shall go out with you and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you and into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands."

I shared Christ through my story/Homes of Love and heard other pilgrims' stories from all over the world including Netherlands, Germany, Italy, USA, Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, and Spain. Pilgrims traveling with their children, some alone, some with their siblings, some just good friends, and some just couples. Often pilgrims reseting their lives or just becoming yearly traditions/ journeys with good friends.

Strange thing here is that we repeatedly see the same pilgrims 

all through out the day. Stories are shared quickly and vulnerability comes fast. So many stories. I’ve got a special one for you tomorrow.

To Siarria 

12.27 miles  

Total milage  53.21 miles to date, an absolute miracle. 

Today is Sunday. Started walking very slowly at 8:00 and it was actually cool. On mile 3 we happened upon a small cottage/store and decided to go in. Something felt peaceful unlike anything Debbie and I had felt during our trip. It was full of paintings with scripture on them. Today was the first time in a while that Arthur, the owner, had reopened his store. He is from the UK.  He had been diagnosed with lung cancer and also is a recovering addict from many years ago. He had an encounter with the Lord on the Camino which led him to the purchase of the cottage totally isolated miles into the hike. In a very gentle way he announced it was prayer time. First he gave a message with the gospel. He also talked about receiving the gift of peace above all circumstances. Also that Jesus is the Camino, which means the Way. He prayed for all of us, prostate on the floor, in the small room very gently and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Then finished with an instrumental Christian song. Then Debbie and I prayed quietly for him. It was all so moving to Debbie and I, feeling deeply the Lords presence. The following are some pictures including our Camino passports on which we get 2 to 3 stamps a day of places we visited.  As you can see he stamped it at the top, and then proceeded to  paint a picture on both of our Camino passports all while there were about 20 people in his store.  We were truly blessed to have this holy time especially on Sunday morning.

15 miles. 68.21 total miles

Today was the most we have walked and 2,170 ft of elevation gain. Interestingly, it was the easiest day of walking. Started the cool morning in the fog for about half the day.

Today we reached the half way point of 100 kilometers.

I have had 12 people scan the Hikes for Homes QR code including 5 today! Praise the Lord!

We met a sweet man, Ben, from Nairobi today. His priest had walked the Camino last year and Ben was moved to walk the Camino this year. Ben is a lay pastor who talks in his church once a month. He is a retired chemical engineer who was trained for 1 1/2 years to be able to teach. Ben is 80, yes I said 80 years old! Remarkable, dear man who loves the Lord.

If you're still following this story, this is a perfect time to send some extra encouragement to Gary on the second half of his hike. His desire is to raise money to support new children coming into Homes of Love. You can be a part of that by going to ... www.homesoflove.org/Hiking-For-Homes  Thank you for continuing this journey with Gary! He is reading all this social media so please drop him a comment!

16.64 miles today. 84.86 miles total. Thank the Lord, we're still just getting stronger.

We're traveling with a team of 12, good friends from our own neighborhood. The morning brought beautiful villages and centuries-old churches; the afternoon brought 3+ miles of steady, heavy rain. We were prepared, and honestly, this is becoming our wonderful normal.

Today we walked alongside a couple from Mexico on their first Camino. Between my limited Spanish and his translating for his wife, I got to share about Homes of Love. Later we met their adult children walking ahead, and their daughter scanned to learn more. Debbie gave their son a cross bracelet and a written blessing.

So far, you've given enough to bring 3 more children into a loving, secure Homes of Love home. Would you help us reach 7?

20 miles  

Total milage  104.86

Very thankful for body holding up. It’s cooling down some and makes each days walk a lot easier.

Today we walked through a lot of small villages and beautiful paths lined with stones up to 7 ft tall, obviously very very old, or a canopy of trees.

Met lots of people who were genuinely interested to hear all about the Lords work of Homes of Love. When I was done people would ask me more questions. 

One of the highlights of the trip. Around mile  15 we were in the woods, cool with wind blowing a little through the trees and started to hear beautiful instrumental music. 

They made it to Santiago!

After 9 days and 133.89 miles, Gary and Debbie Chesney completed their Camino de Santiago walk for Hiking for Homes, arriving at St. James Cathedral surrounded by neighborhood friends.

“Thankful to the Lord we were able to complete the Camino with so many memories,” Gary shared. On their last day, they met fellow pilgrims Judith and Luda, who peppered them with questions about Homes of Love and called their story “encouraging and inspirational.”

“This wasn’t just about bringing awareness to Homes of Love,” Gary said, “but also inspiring the next generation to make a difference, one step at a time.”

Thank you, Gary and Debbie, for walking this out for vulnerable children and families in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe.