Following in the Footsteps of Paul

Pilgrimage is never only about travel. It is a journey of the heart, a decision to step away from ordinary routines and walk more attentively with God, with history, and with one another. To go on pilgrimage is to enter places made holy not because they are untouched by sorrow, but because God has met people there through struggle, hope, faith, and endurance. 

This upcoming pilgrimage feels especially weighty. At a time when the Middle East is in the news because of war, fear, and deep human suffering, traveling to Greece and Turkey cannot be treated lightly. We do not go as spectators. We go prayerfully, humbly, and with open eyes, aware that these lands bear both sacred memory and present pain. Pilgrimage in such a time becomes not an escape from the world, but a way of carrying the world more honestly before God. 

For me, this journey is especially shaped by the desire to follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Paul’s life was marked by travel through lands unsettled by political tension, cultural division, persecution, and uncertainty. Yet he kept moving—preaching, encouraging, listening, suffering, and trusting that the Gospel could take root even in anxious and fractured times. To follow Paul’s path today is not simply to visit ancient sites. It is to reflect on what courageous faith looks like in a troubled world. 

As I sit in a comfortable airport lounge, waiting for a series of flights to Athens, I am mindful that not everyone can make this journey in person. My hope is that this blog will allow others to share in it from afar—not only by learning about the places we visit, but also by joining in the prayers, questions, and spiritual insights that arise along the way. As we follow in the footsteps of Paul, may we also be led more deeply into the heart of the Gospel: toward faith that endures, hope that does not fail, and love that bears witness to Christ even in a troubled world. 

May this pilgrimage, in however small a way, become a prayer for peace.

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