ANTIGUA –
We’re still here.
Yesterday 22 of us went up to Volcan de Pacaya. An active volcano about an hour and a half away. We got bussed there, hiked up there and everything for a little over 8 dollars. Not bad.
I could go on and on about how cool it was, but I don’t feel like I should. There are plenty of other blogs that people have posted that would probably say it better anyway. And to be frank, I am rather disappointed with how these pictures turned out.
This is straight up lava yo
Here’s for you spring arbor folk 🙂
Ok…so lava is really hot! I was able to climb up to a spot at the last minute to see the actual river of lava flowing by. I was climbing up to the spot, and my heart was beating really fast. Cuz the groups were starting to come together to head back down, so I felt like maybe I could be the last one and something could happen. Just kind of eerie feeling of being the last one high up on the volcano.
I get to this one point where it is flat for a little bit and the ridge to go up on and see the river is just up ahead. I stood just before the flat part and finally scrounged up the guts to go the rest of the way, and as I’m walking over this flat area, there are cracks in the rocks and seriously 6 inches down in those cracks is red hot lava! KINDA FREAKY! And at another section down the mountain where there was lava, it’s so hot that some of the cooled/hard lava just crumbles away. So, I was thinking ‘what is keeping this stuff from just crumbling away as I walk on it!?’
I get up to the ridge and am probably about 15 feet from the molten flowing river of LAVA! So HOT!!! You could only stand there for maybe 2 minutes max. Other people that were at that same spot said they could smell the rubber on their shoes starting to burn.
It was the biggest rush I’ve had in quite a long time.
During my time here in Antigua I’ve been in kind of a weird state of mind. Nothing terrible or anything, but just kind of reflective on some stuff.
We’ve met up with some AIM missionaries named Gary & Nancy Lengkeek, who have been great for support and good advice and have completely hooked us up with our contact of the place we’re going starting tomorrow.
But the biggest thing I’ve been debating in my head (and Clinton has been thinking about the same thing too I think) is…I’ve been hearing a lot about how we just need to ‘be’. I need not to worry or think so much about seeking out ministry maybe…but just be. Just live with God as your center and
simply love on people, and that’s all you need to do.
So I’m grappling with that. Like how much of just normal daily life can be ministry? What makes ministry, ministry?
On the way down the volcano last night, it was dark and there was an Australian couple in front of me that didn’t have a light, so I took my head lamp off and shined it in front of them so they could see. I was thinking about this while I was doing it…and not to…boast or bring attention to myself or whatever, but just to describe the situation, I was more concerned with them being able to see than I was myself. I even ended up slipping and falling down once, cuz I couldn’t see right in front of me. So…does the love in that count as ministry? Should I feel good or should I feel anything about that situation? Is that all ministry is? Just simply loving people? If so, should I seriously feel content if I’m only able to do stuff like that from time to time?
I think I just desire to see and experience more intense ministry.
I don’t know. I’m just still wrestling with the fact of the short term mission stuff and what the purpose that kind of mission work is, and what that means for me and this trip.
Just keep praying for me to keep seeking God and to still figure out what my purpose for being on this trip is (a bunch of short-term trips), because I still think about Japan and even Sweden a lot.
We are heading out to Puerto Barrios tomorrow on the carribean coast for at least a week. So pray for safe travel and good ministry opportunities.
STAY TUNED…for stories and pictures of Carribbean land!
Dios te bendiga!
