Dear 206 Tours Family,

In my 35 years of owning, and operating, 206 Tours, there have been a few big bumps, but none could even come close to the last few weeks.

We have been stressed, and put to tests beyond all measures. The year 2020 was to be 206 Tours’ biggest year ever. Thousands of bookings were made, many booked several years ahead, with hundreds of departures marked as “Sold-Out”. Airline tickets were issued, seats were assigned, suppliers were paid, documents were sent (or prepared to be shipped), and then the "war" started - and to me it is a war.

I heard on January 23rd that Wuhan was locking down. On January 30th, W.H.O. declared the Coronavirus a Global Health Emergency. On January 31st, 206 Tours received its first group cancelation – the group was scheduled to go to France in July, so I was surprised.

By February 17th, I realized the danger of the virus spreading to Italy, and from that moment on, I became consumed with "what if's", like; what if anyone got sick, potential border closings, etc. So, I proceeded to cancel the upcoming pilgrimages to Italy. By early March, I made the decision to cut several pilgrimages short and to bring groups back from Israel and Europe. I will never forget bringing back our last group from Lourdes. It was on March 13th that I called our guide and Priest at 3:00 AM and asked them to wakeup everyone, pack, and go to the airport immediately. We, of course, offered everyone the option to stay, in yet everyone chose to return early. Most clients were very grateful, although we did have some clients who shared that they were not happy that we interrupted their Israel pilgrimage. The costs to pull groups out, on moment notice, were astronomical, in some cases up to $3,000 per person. The question of "how much" never crossed my mind. There is no price I would put over the priority of our clients' safety.

I am grateful for my incredible staff who have worked around the clock – they truly gave of themselves all they could to protect every pilgrim. Thank you to our Priests, and group leaders who prayed for us, as those prayers have sustained me. Most of all “thank you” - to you, our pilgrims. I have been amazed by how kind and understanding 99% of our clients have been through all the changes and postponements.

I know two things are for sure: One - pilgrimages will go on, but in God’s time, and Two - our mission will go on.

We will continue to be busy rescheduling, and rearranging thousands of reservations. Some have called to say that they no longer want to travel. It never fails to amaze me how each group departure takes anywhere from one to three years to put together, and only moments to cancel.

Based on the experts’ projections, the virus spread, and global economy reactions, I’ve come to the realization that travel demand will remain suppressed for months or even years! Honestly, that means that life at 206 Tours Pilgrimages will be much slower for some time, but I am okay with that, and never for one moment will there be a doubt if our mission will go on.

Through the slow time, we will come to realize so much of what was taken for granted. Not too long ago, we would have been indignant if a certain flight did not have a particular seat that we had to have, or if a store did not have a product we wanted. The frenetic pace of life has subsided for all, and everything has suddenly changed.

Just four weeks ago, I called my managers to a meeting, to review our “What If” catastrophe procedures. All had their mouths opened in disbelief, at the mention that we might not be able to work in the office for an extended period. As we reviewed our “catastrophe procedures”, we realized that it provided no guidelines for what we were facing. When I called my sister in Serbia, suggesting that she book a flight to New York, telling her that there is a chance borders will close and the airlines will not be operating, she thought that I had lost my mind.

It is surreal to watch the world on a lockdown. It is painful to see people hurting and most of all, to reflect on Jesus being “in quarantine”. The churches are all shut, at the very time when the craving for faith has never been greater.

As insanely busy as I have been, I have found some time to reach out to friends that I have not heard from in a long time, with a short, “how are you doing”. The notion that we need to dial up on care for one another is moving, and so is the notion to dial down on our greed! The notion to increase patience and sharing is finally going mainstream.

While this world and this situation is temporary, many things will never be the same. The lines at the airports will be more organized. Most people will be kinder. We will not be hurrying around, at the pace we did, going from one social engagement to another, or driving kids to every afterschool activity.

We will make a cross between hibernation to prayer, and meditation. And while hunkering down with immediate family, we will discern what really matters in life. We might not worry as much about our clothes, or about our children getting into the best school, but we might embrace a unique chance for all to step off a fast, and ferocious, treadmill. Perhaps, we will learn how to bake fresh bread every day like my husband now does, or spend time looking at photos from recent pilgrimages, play cards, or sit by the fire, or read a book.

Our vulnerability will bring us to much-needed humility, and some serious reflections! There are blessings of going through pain and darkness, such is the awareness of the fragility of how arrogant we have become. The blessing is to turn to those around us who are most defenseless. And, perhaps now, at the brink of losing a whole generation, a chance for awareness and appreciation of life as is, from the very conception until death. God willing, unbelievers will believe.

With 40,000 deaths, all of us knowing someone who has tested positive, I do not want to minimize the horror of what we are all going through, nor do I want to put importance on how busy I have been. These are just my humble reflections and the assurance of my care and prayers.

We encourage you to recall that special "AHA...God I've seen the footprints that you have left for me" moment, from your past pilgrimage, and to share those moments and images with your family, friends and social media. In many ways, Pilgrimages have prepared us spiritually for what we are going through now.

Patience is not my strongest virtue, and I am not as strong a leader when I work from home – I sure miss my family, my staff and you – my pilgrims. Although we can no longer get close - we’ve never been closer.

With prayers and love,

Milanka Lachman
President and Founder
206 Tours

In such times as these, let us find comfort in the words of God the Father and His Son, as Jesus was commissioning his disciples:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (cf: Matthew 28:19-20).