Sweat dripped from my forehead as I climbed higher and higher up the hill. The gentle fall day had turned menacing as the sun got higher and temperatures rose. The bus had dropped us off on the side of the road about 3 miles back with a promise we were headed in the right direction.
We came to Albania knowing very little about the country in general let alone what we could do on our off days. Then one day Kaitlyn and Annee stumbled upon a travel agency. The woman was incredibly enthusiastic about everything there was to see and do in Albania, but it was a nearby cave that really got our attention.
So now here we were, hiking 5 miles through the Albanian countryside with no real idea of where we were going, just trusting it was ahead. Thankfully God had given us a little gift for the process. At the last minute our two Albanian friends, Gezim and Drini decided to join us on this little adventure. They asked for directions and read signs, without them we litterally would have been lost, I mean… with them we were even lost sometimes.
After a brief stop to rest and drink coffee/coke in the village of Pelumbas we headed up a narrow path that would take us to the cave. The way was steep and rocky. Some trekked faster than others but in the end we all made it to the cave. Unfortunatly not all had come prepared. Most forgot their head lamps or flashlights so we set off into the enormous cave with only a little light to help us on the way, but that little light we had was enough. We could see awesome stalegtites and stalagmites as well as the Guano that covered nearly everything.
We stumbled along, sometimes falling, sometimes sinking into mud, and when we came to the end there was nothing we could do but turn around, and while it would have been awesome to discover some caveman paintings or cave bear skeletons we were all just content with exploring what was there and the beautiful scenery on the hike along the way.
I can think of a dozen different spiritual metaphors that all involve caves but what really stuck me on that day was simply the beauty of God’s creation. The olive trees, fall colors, rocky mountainside and of course the cave. Every single element of that day screamed of a creator. It was beauty in the simplest and most complex forms. I could literally sit for hours and just stare at nature. But the beauty also surrounded me in the people I was with. In the hearts of the Albanians and my team mates. It’s funny the ways God uses to remind us of his love, but that day, I felt wrapped in it.
