In chapter one of “A Mile In My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion” Trevor Hudson describes the birth of a Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope, an eight day pilgrimage experience for his largely middle-class suburban congregation. Hudson describes it as an “immersion into the struggles and joys of our suffering neighbors.” 

Illustrating that Christian groups have not always approached such attempts with the proper posture, I appreciated that Hudson shared the concerns of friends and colleagues who ministered in possible pilgrimage sites with comments like “come as pilgrims, not tourists; as learners, not teachers; as listeners, not as talkers.”

After the first Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope Hudson committed to three things: (1) He would plan for his congregation an annual, week long pilgrimage; (2) he would try to shape the pilgrimage experience into an effective means of spiritual formation; and (3) on a personal level he would seek to become a “pilgrim” in daily life. Throughout the remainder of the book Hudson provides very practical and insightful encouragement on each of these points.

After reflecting on almost a decade worth of leading his congregation on Pilgrimages of Pain and Hope, Hudson concluded that the concept rested upon three essential ingredients: Encounter, Reflection, and Transformation. While Hudson explores each ingredient more fully in later chapters, he introduces each in chapter one with a brief explanation.

With the element of encounter Hudson writes:

First, the Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope is a personal encounter with the pain of our shattered and fragmented societies. . . . Alongside this encounter with pain in pilgrimage experience comes an encounter with hope. Throughout these deprived communities we discover those who resiliently refuse to become prisoners of helplessness and despair. Often unsung and anonymous, these hidden saints bring rays of faith, hope, and love to the lives they touch. . . . Encountering these signs of hope challenges the pilgrims to examine their own faith response within their lives and communities.

With the element of reflection Hudson writes:

Reflection on experience constitutes the next ingredient in the pilgrimage process. The pilgrims experience daily a wide range of emotions, circumstances, and people. Without reflection they run the risk of losing the transforming insights.

With the last element of transformation he writes:

Transformation into greater Christ-likeness comes as a gift to those generously open to the Holy Spirit.

While each of the above ingredients were obviously important in the Pilgrimages of Pain and Hope, they are equally crucial in the routines of daily life. On incorporating these key ingredients in daily life Hudson writes:

As the pilgrims returned home and shared their stories, many who listened expressed their disappointment that family and work responsibilities precluded their participation in this annual event. As I thought through this aspect I began to see that these three essential ingredients, Encounter – Reflection – Transformation, represent three critical movements of the authentic Christ-following life. . . . In other words, Christ-followers need to find a practical way of making the pilgrimage experience part of their daily lives. . . . Alongside the usual activities of solitude and silence, prayer and fasting, Bible study and meditation, I began to see the possibilities of the pilgrimage experience as a regular spiritual discipline undergirding our daily walk with God.