Travel Mercies
Early in the pilgrimage, my friend asked, “Penny, what’s your favorite word?” Today, it is ¡Ojalá!, a Spanish word derived from Arabic during the VIII century when Muslims ruled Spain. Today, across religions, it means “I/we hope” or “hopefully.” I prefer the translation, “God willing.”
Borrowing a term from my time as a camp counselor, today is Change-over Day. Most of our group is already en route to Tel Aviv, beginning the long trek home. Nine of us are extending our trip into Jordan. While we are all adults and each responsible for the continued success and blessing of our pilgrimage, we will also be looking to our leaders, Emily and Steve, to shepherd us until we are back in our hometown or in our next home-away-from-home tonight.
My understanding is that our smaller band of pilgrims will meet our next Arab guide “on the bridge” between Israel and Jordan during the afternoon, after Israeli soldiers finish their scheduled maneuvers in the area.
While our plans seem more nebulous on this day of transition, I am excited. I am leaning on prayer and curiosity, hoping all will go well for both groups. Ojalá…’Iinsha’ allah…God willing.
Postscript
We are in Petra, Jordan! Team approach to leadership was great today with Deborah handling the papers; Erik, Mary and (again) Deborah chipping in to tip our luggage porters on both sides of the terminal; and Melanie offering Grace. All is well.
‘
Always Bridging 
I am holding you and your fellow travelers in my heart, showering you with light to keep you all safe on your journey.
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This means the world to me. 💗🧘🧘♀️🙏
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I also love Ojala! 🙂 And here in Djibouti, I love how ‘Iinsha’allah is uttered frequently throughout conversations, serving as a constant reminder that God’s will is determining the course of events in this world, even if some of us frequently forget that elemental fact as we get caught up in details of day-to-day living.
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Wow! And thank you for adding your understanding here. Last night at fancy birthday dinner, Clarke and I talked about going around the world and learning to say “Cheers!” when toasting in as many languages as possible. I think learning to say “God willing!” Is a good idea too. Thanks for being one of my most consistent blog followers. Your wise comments from the other side of the globe mean the world to me.
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My pleasure! And I love the topic of conversation that you and Clarke were engaged in during the fancy birthday dinner (loved the photo from that, by the way 🙂 ); super idea to learn how to say both “cheers” and “God willing” in as many languages as possible 🙂 It is really a great joy and privilege to follow your blog, both to learn from your experiences and reflections, and as a form of ongoing connection across the world ❤️
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