Serving as the protestant chaplain in a 600-bed regional medical center for the past ten years, I have encountered patients and their families coming often from great distances in search of healing and wholeness. They come into a foreign environment, where they do not know the technical language of the medical world, and where they are totally dependent upon the kindness of strangers. Many come wondering where God is in the crisis of a hospitalization. By embarking on a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago - the ancient Way of St. James from St. Jean Pied de Port in southern France to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain - a journey of 500 miles, I hope to deepen my spiritual foundation and identification with my patients. The journey will be from June 20, 2008, to July 25th, the Feast of St. James. Much like the experience of those I serve, this will be a journey in a new language, carrying all of my belongings and sustenance on my back, and dependent on God and the hospitality of strangers who care for pilgrims. The journey will be both inner and outer, exploring how I may live more prayerfully, intentionally in the present moment, and filled with gratitude for my calling.