Newsletter week 2: Camino de Santiago
Welcome to the Bravehearts newsletter! We are a team of missionaries travelling by faith to share the Gospel and edify the church, and we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to create this newsletter for YOU, the body of Christ, to share all God has been doing and teaching us on the road.
Here's week 2 of our mission around Spain.
Walking the Camino
At Jesus’ word, it was time for us to walk the Camino de Santiago across Spain! This walk is an old, ancient pilgrimage that for over 1000 years people from all around the world have walked. There are many different routes - the most famous from Jean Pierre France, a 1000k walk, a holy path towards Santiago de Compostela where there is the tomb of Saint James the apostle, one of Jesus’ disciples.
It's a beautiful path where you get to connect with people from all walks of life, from every different nation. And that's the beauty of it - it's the people you meet on the path, sometimes friends for life, where you get to encourage and inspire one another. Many people that walk this path, some are fed up with life, they've had enough, they're searching and they just pack their bags, leave their home town and walk it. And they find what they're looking for on this path! So, if you're reading this, it's not a coincidence. You need to get on that path! And enjoy the journey.
The Camino is very special to us. Colston has walked it five times, telling everyone about Jesus. Zachary loves Jesus and has been known to frequent the Camino. Kim and Nikos’ first pilgrimage was the Camino and this was where Nikos first said he believed in God.
After briefly meeting on the Isle of Patmos, Greece, in 2023, these four Bravehearts first came together properly on the Camino in 2025, walking hand in hand with Jesus for a week of destiny that would change their lives forever.
Now it's October 2026 and we're so excited to walk the Camino together once again, a journey not just on foot but one of the heart.
In the footsteps of our ancestors
We walked the English Way, also known as the Celtic Way, from Ferrol to Santiago. This one was very special as we're also from England and it's important to walk in the footsteps of the ones that have gone before us.
We started in Ferrol at the docks where the English, Welsh, Irish and Scots would have landed by boat to start the Spanish leg of their Camino. We prayed, sang, danced, blew the shofar and set off with a mighty roar in Jesus! Watch the video: https://youtu.be/hn5RuUZKBRY?is=C0loTbd11vzDRHwP
Lost sheep
Jesus was highlighting to us the parable of the lost sheep and how He leaves the 99 for the one. Our good Shepherd! Luke 15: 3-7.
Sure enough, this became a theme of the mission trip as Jesus quietly led us again and again to beautiful souls who needed a personal touch from Him. The ones on His heart. The ones He was running after with open arms.
We could write a whole book about the divine encounters on this Camino but one stood out most of all. One day, as we walked for miles with our backpacks, enjoying time with our Father and one another, we stopped in a cafe and saw a cross with Jesus holding a sheep on His shoulders. That evening, as we walked into a random village, a woman ran out of her restaurant shouting: “Stamp! Stamp!” We didn't really want a stamp for our pilgrim passports but she was insistent. In we went - and so it began. We had lots of tea, free biscuits and she even gave us stools to put our feet up. It was a time of love and refreshment.
Then she asked us if we needed a place to stay. We did! We hadn't booked anywhere, hostels were full and it was getting late. We knew it was Jesus taking care of us. The woman led us to an apartment. It was just us 4 there.
Then after 9pm, the woman came back with someone else. A Mexican pilgrim who had walked for over 40K that day, ending up in the cold forest after dark. She was shivering and a little distressed. We spent time with her, talking, praying with her. The Holy Spirit really touched her and she started to weep. She said: “I really need this.” Kim gave her a note on the story of the footprints in the sand and she said it was her history. Colston gave her a Father's Love Letter which moved her too. In her hour of need, God met her. It felt like He gave her a hug and He was healing her emotions. What a wonderful Father. She was on God's heart all along - His one lost sheep. What are the chances of this happening? She came into a home with 4 believers on fire for Jesus and our Father saw this the minute we woke up in the morning and He orchestrated this divine encounter so that she could be touched by His love and strengthened for this journey. That is church.
A journey of the heart
By the grace of God, our Father, this wasn't just about sharing the Gospel to others. God changed our hearts too, as we went on a journey with Him. We spent our days walking and walking, praying, speaking with Jesus, enjoying His presence. He healed hearts, showed us more of Him, brought us closer together. He taught us about ourselves and our lives in Christ, and we finished the walk more in love with Jesus than ever. It was prophesied before that this would be a journey of transformation to prepare us for what's ahead, and we saw that.
Reaching Santiago together was a beautiful moment as we reflected with the Holy Spirit on how far He has brought us all - individually and together. And of course, we blew the shofar and shared the Gospel outside Santiago!
Watch the video of us worshipping outside Santiago de Compostela.
Jesus moves in Santiago
We spent two days in Santiago and Jesus did amazing things that blew us away. Our favourite moment was one afternoon when we passed through a square and a Colombian busker asked Colston to blow the shofar. He was a believer with a beautiful, unique heart and when Colston blew, the power of God fell upon the busker and he started laughing and playing the guitar faster. He then said: "Again, again!" And Colston kept blowing. A crowd of people formed around us, recording it on their phones, and a man came out on his balcony to see.
The presence of God was really strong. We prayed with the busker and Nikos played with him. We prayed with lots of people, handed out tracts, shared our testimonies and shared Jesus. One woman from France cried as we prayed for her, saying she felt the presence of God and this meeting was an answer to her prayers. It was a beautiful whirlwind as the Holy Spirit took over. God is so good!
We also had a very special time sharing the gospel and resting well at Pilgrim House, a Christian space in Santiago - if you go there, check it out!
Signs and wonders
One of the special things about the Camino is how the Lord speaks on this path. You'll find yourself noticing how surrounded you are by beautiful signs as you are removed from daily life and focussed on Him.
One day, when we really needed provisions for this walk of faith, a bread van pulled up and the baker got out with a box of bread labelled ‘JESUS’. He is our daily bread! Shortly after, provisions came to sustain us. God is amazing.
Another time, while Kim was struggling with something, she saw that on the road in front of her was a house plant with its soil still in the shape of a plant pot - but the pot was gone. It had fallen from a balcony and smashed. Then a young woman came out of the door behind Kim and lovingly scooped up the little plant, holding it carefully in her hands and carrying it inside. Even in our weakness, when we fall, our loving Father picks us up and holds us close, taking us back home. A plant cannot grow if it's stuck in a plant pot for too long. It can be hard when we're taken out of our comfort zone but God always carries us. In our weakness, He is strong. What an encouragement to keep on going.
And on the last day, when Colston's trainers had worn thin, Pilgrim House gave us free trainers for our mission that had been donated by pilgrims who'd finished the Camino. Colston got a pair of blue Hokas… The same pair the guy from Portugal, who we'd met a week previously in an albergue, had said he was going to donate at the end of the trip! The way God orchestrates our paths is so personal and loving.
What an amazing week walking with our Jesus. Next stop… Portugal!
Check out Kim's Camino-inspired Christian children's book, Little Pilgrim: https://www.bravehearts4jesus.com/books
And our Pilgrim Poetry on the website: https://www.bravehearts4jesus.com/pilgrim-poetry