Three Springfield natives prepare for trip of a lifetime

Erin Hauth, Anne Goedtke, and Rebecca Goeman, all three 2011 graduates of Springfield High School, left the U.S. yesterday (May 17) to go on a 500-mile walk in Northern Spain. This pilgrimage is commonly known as the Camino de Santiago, which means ‘The Way of Saint James’ when translated to English. The Camino de Santiago is a medieval pilgrim route stretching from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Northwest Spain where the body of Saint James the Apostle is buried. The route that Erin, Anne, and Rebecca will be walking is said to be the same path that Saint James took when he was spreading the gospel across Spain.  “People do this pilgrimage for many reasons: physical, spiritual, adventure and non-spiritual alike. There are many reasons why I am willingly putting myself through this endeavor, but I think the main one is that it is an opportunity to physically leave everything here in America: job, wardrobe, friends, technology, Facebook, and give God the time and space to show me His will for my life,” said Anne. 

Back in 2011, Anne traveled to Spain with her dad, David Goedtke, to attend World Youth Day in Madrid and it was there that Anne first encountered the Camino and spoke with the locals and tour guides to learn more about what it was. Then in 2013, when Erin and Anne were college roommates at the University of Minnesota, they watched the 2010 film called “The Way,” an American drama, and Erin was introduced to this 500-mile pilgrimage as well.  After seeing this film, the Camino de Santiago became a bucket list item for both Erin and Anne. The complete story can be found in this week's Springfield Advance-Press.