On Sunday 21st we had a dramatic presentation of the Nativity story at Yetholm kirk on Sunday morning - many thanks to Margaret Rustad for writing it and for everyone who took part (including Jim the dog who, unfortunately, is not in the photograph). In the afternoon there was a carol service in Morebattle kirk. Merry Christmas to everyone.

A big thanks to Yetholm Village Choir (+ the Colliery Band) for a wonderful concert on the afternoon of Sunday 7th December. On a dark, rainy and windswept day the church became a beacon of light.

Arrived! I set off through some mist and made good time. I gradually made my way through the suburbs of Santiago to the Cathedral. There was a long queue to get in , so I will wait till later. But I joined pilgrims from so many countries outside in the Square. Some have been walking for a month or more, others for under a week like me, but each with their own experiences and stories yo tell. There is a sense of achievement in reaching the destination, but the most important part is the actual journey. 

I went to the pilgrim centre to register my walk (now done with QR codes and internet), waited in a queue for only 5 minutes and was given my compostela in Latin. When I did it 10 years ago, people were writing names in perfect calligraphy and you had to wait half an hour. 

Now tucking into a menu of Galician broth and seafood paella. 

News from our vagrant minister:
This is my penultimate day, and it was a pleasant day walking through hamlets and vineyards (and closed churches!). My destination was Rua de Francos, where there is a 14th cross, marking the pilgrim route. The hotel is the nicest I have stayed in, and the village is round a green. Like everywhere in Spain, there is the sound of children playing outside.

A day of walking through woodland. Unfortunately,  I managed to lose my glasses.  I had put them down at a café to stamp my pilgrim passport and only realised that I didn’t have them after I had walked a kilometre - so had to double back. I feel fine,  though was tired when I reached Padron, where I will spend the night. My feet are unrecognisable,  however!

Just as the bones of St Andrew were brought to Scotland, so the body of St James ( Sant Iago in Spanish) were brought to Galicia and arrived at Padron, before being buried at Santiago de Compostela. There is a stone in the church where his body lay, but today being Sunday, the church is closed! Quite a few churches have surprisingly been closed, which makes me appreciate our Cheviot Churches being open.

In today's dispatch our heroic minister battles against the elements:

I am in Caldas des Reis, where a Celtic hoard was discovered, not unlike the Galloway hoard, but from pre- Roman times. I saw it in the museum yesterday. Church dedicated to Thomas à Becket. At least the rain has stopped now. Today's offering:

Now over halfway to Santiago. Today was my longest stretch at 22km, and it was a pleasant walk through woodland and past vineyards. Good walking weather - except it started to rain quite heavily when I had still 1km to walk to my destination at Caldas des Reis. It was a Celtic centre, taken over by the Romans, and tomorrow the route takes us over a Roman bridge. The Church is dedicated to Thomas à Becket, and there are Botanic Gardens and riverside walks - too bad about the rain.

On Day Three Colin made his way fron Arcade to Pontevedra, which has an old town and a brilliant museum/ art gallery. His bag has to be down at reception for 8am, so it means an early start to the walk. He is thankful he brought a jumper! At Arcade, the hotel breakfast room opened at 7.30am, and by 7.40am each of the 20+ tables were full. 

Almost every pilgrim has a scallop shell (with the St James cross) on their backpack, a sign of the pilgrimage. But also everyone has a pilgrim passport or 'credential' which are stamped and dated at hotels, cafés,  tourist offices en route. You need so many per day to qualify for the 'compostela', certifying that you have completed the pilgrimage.

Our intrepid pilgrim continues his journey ...
Day 2 - today was a shorter walk, though with uphills and the more dangerous downhills. Still following the coast. Up in the forest, I thought my ears were deceiving me, as I could hear bagpipes.  It turned out to be the Galician equivalent. There is a lot of fish on offer, and I tried cuttlefish cooked in its own ink (if I interpreted the menu correctly). Bang goes my diet.

Good news - or minister Colin is still upright and plodding his way forward! He started his camino from Vigo on Wednesday morning. He left the port city behind and found that there were many other pilgrims walking the 15km to Redondela. He walked with several Canadians, an Irish couple and a German. All there for different reasons, but determined to reach Santiago. There is a terrific camaraderie and everyone is ready to engage and tell their stories. 

The first stage was easy walking , looking over the estuary and going through woodland to Redondela, where they made the once- famous Dali shirts. Tomorrow is a shorter journey to Arcade, but Colin will first walk to the port of Redondela. 

We've been having quite an international period at Yetholm Churches over the last few weeks. Following a visit by pastor Ujwal Rai, from the Church of North India, our service on 21st September was led by the Rev Muriel Pearson, who has recently retired as Associate Minister for St Andrew’s Church of Scotland in Jerusalem and Tiberias. In many ways it was a disturbing service as Muriel's words brought into vivid detail the horrors that are currently taking place in the 'Holy Land'.

Beauty for brokenness
Hope for despair
Lord, in the suffering
This is our prayer
Bread for the children
Justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase!