Today’s stage was short, with quite a lot of climbing but very pleasant scenery, with lush vegetation. The stretch we covered is part of the route to the shrine of Guadalupe, which unfortunately we couldn’t visit, because it took us a little out of our way… We still owe our Mother that visit!
Today we were accompanied by the jingle of sheep bells here and there, and a slightly crazy sheepdog even came to spend breakfast with us. Some people loved this visit, like Kyril and Maria Miñana, but we can’t say the same for the whole group, which got a bit flustered. A little story to show you how good the people here are: while we were clearing up after breakfast, a car went past and the driver offered to take away our huge rubbish bags. Never seen anything like it!
Today the reading club led by Marina León closed a chapter. In case you didn’t know about it, this select group of walkers has been reading and discussing a chapter a day of “The Little Prince” while walking at an average speed of 5.5 km/h. And not only that: their leader, Marina, can read with perfect intonation, doing the voice of each character, and guide the discussion with the valuable contributions of Anna Gel and other loyal followers.
The welcome we received when we arrived in the village of Agudo can’t be put into words. At the entrance to the village the mayor, Maribel, was waiting for us with several others, and to get our strength back they offered us a delicious local sweet called frutahila. Then they let us go to the swimming pool and eat our sandwiches there, and after that came the most beautiful part of the day, when some 60 people from the village joined us for adoration and Mass. Don Carlos, the parish priest here, preached to us on today’s reading about the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. The Lord tells Israel how to celebrate the Passover, and tells them that it will always be a special time. In the same way, God wants these 40 days to be special for us: a Passover time, a time of the Lord passing through our lives.
Carmen, who is a catechist here, also said a few words to us. She told us that she had watched on 13tv the sending-off Mass that our dearly beloved cardinal celebrated on 25 June, before we set off, and that she was deeply moved. What a surprise when she found out that those same crazy pilgrims she had seen on TV would be passing through Agudo! Finally Maribel, the mayor, spoke to us; she was clearly very moved by our witness. We give her endless thanks for all her warmth and involvement in this welcome.
At the end of Mass we went down to the hermitage of Our Lady of the Star and sang her beautiful hymn. Then they treated us to a delicious snack and we had a get-together, singing and telling stories. A few brave residents of Agudo burst into flamenco, and there was even a hilarious impression of Raphael by Don Carlos… It was spectacular!
Honestly, we can’t stop thanking these wonderful people and God, who put them in our path. Everyone thanked us for our witness and our joy, but we have received much more than we have given. Without a doubt, from now on Agudo will be our second home.
Good night, everyone!