Hinsdale to Iona

Chronicling the Canopy Course Pilgrimage to Iona Scotland, November 2017. A ministry of Hinsdale Covenant Church (hinsdalecovenant.com)

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Well, traveling is always an adventure. We’re stranded in Edinburgh as of now. Please pray for a solution soon. In the meantime, here’s my favorite group picture

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Good evening from Edinburgh. We’re packing our bags to come home, giving thanks for a great week, and sharing stories from a great last day. Today was all about this charming city. We toured the Edinburgh castle, St. Giles Cathedral, the house of John Knox, princes street, and Holyrood house. In between was a very authentic pub meal of fish and chips (I opted for haggis again!). We celebrated tonight with a farewell meal to our dear tour guide Joe and shared stories of how God showed up this week. We can’t wait to share those stories with all of you. Tomorrow will be an early departure to London and then direct to Chicago. We’ll be on American soil by 3pm. This trip has been excellent, but we’re ready to head home

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Greetings from Edinburgh. Today was a big travel day with stunning scenery. We drive through the Ben Nevis range and the Scottish highlands, stopped in the quaint town of Callendar for a Veterans Day parade and lunch. Then through the lowlands to the bustling city of Edinburgh. Dinner in a local pub, discussion on John 16, and Kathryn insisting on Christmas music. More Edinburgh tomorrow then our eyes set toward home. Good night!

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The view from our hotel this morning, and a view into me eating haggis the morning. By the way, it’s delicious

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Well, the day has finally come. Our trip to the Island of Iona was amazing. So much to process in this holy space. It took a bus, ferry, bus, sailboat, and good walking shoes to get us to the Iona Abbey, but we made it with lots of sunshine. Thanks for all the prayers for traveling mercies. More reflections to follow...

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Forgot to mention, excellent discussion around John 14 tonight. Gods word is speaking

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Traveling day today. Toured a few final sites in Glasgow and then headed west and north. Stops included Loch Lomond (the town of Luss), fish and chips for lunch at Inverary, a stop in the port of Oban, and finally our hotel in Fort William. Stunning scenery here in the Scottish highlands

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Just in case you wondered what our tour guide Joe’s accent sounds like...

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A brilliant day thus far in Glasgow. Morning tour included: Glasgow University, the transportation museum, the botanical gardens, Glasgow Cathedral, and lunch on Buchanan street. Time now for coffee and some group discussion around John chapter 13

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We’re safe and sound in Glasgow, attempting to stay awake long enough to eat dinner and reset our clocks. Enjoyed a long walk on the pedestrian street, a good cup of coffee, and some minced pie.

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A prayer upon boarding the plane

Every time you leave home,

Another road takes you

Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.

New places that have never seen you

Will startle a little at your entry.

Old places that know you well

Will pretend nothing

Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself

Alone in a different way,

More attentive now

To the self you bring along,

Your more subtle eye watching

You abroad; and how what meets you

Touches that part of the heart

That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune

To the timbre in some voice,

Opening in conversation

You want to take in

To where your longing

Has pressed hard enough

Inward, on some unsaid dark,

To create a crystal of insight

You could not have known

You needed

To illuminate

Your way.

When you travel,

A new silence

Goes with you,

And if you listen,

You will hear

What your heart would

Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:

Make sure, before you go,

To take the time

To bless your going forth,

To free your heart of ballast

So that the compass of your soul

Might direct you toward

The territories of spirit

Where you will discover

More of your hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,

Gathered wisely into your inner ground;

That you may not waste the invitations

Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,

And live your time away to its fullest;

Return home more enriched, and free

To balance the gift of days which call you.

~ John O'Donohue ~

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Pregaming for the upcoming pilgrimage with this great memoir. 5 days and counting