Easter Sunrise Adventure

I roll over in my sleeping bag to turn off the alarm on my
phone. 0345 on Easter morning. Feelings of joy in the middle of a fog of sleep. I dig my
jacket out of my backpack, grab peanut butter, carrots and instant coffee out
of my bedside table. I walk down a flight of cold stone steps from my hostel
room at Mochila International Hostel in Antigua, as always, hoping I don’t
trip.

0400. Twenty four hour prayer started yesterday at 0900. I
walk into the common room outside two of our rooms. BCox and BP are finishing
the 2-4 shift. Worship music is playing from an ipod. BCOx is creating a
background of written scripture on a sketch pad, soon to hold the words “He is
Risen!� in large bold letters.

0515. I sneak into Beloved’s dorm room. Waking up BP an hour
after she’s gone to bed, I look over and see that Kige is already stirring. “Are
you going?� “Of course!� Next to her, I attack Jenny in her bed. These few
weeks in Antigua have been sweet mornings of waking her up to return her “attacks
of love� from our time as teammates. “Happy Easter!!�

0535. My backpack holds the equivalent of Easter basket
necessities. We find our first obstacle of our Easter morning adventure. We’re
locked in the hostel. Poor Eric, the doorman, gets woken up to let us out.

0550. So much joy in an early morning! Seven of us are
walking down a mostly deserted cobblestone road – me, Elle, BCox, BP, Jenny,
Heather and Kige. The sun hasn’t risen yet and there’s still a mountain chill
in the air. There’s laughter and smiles all around, even when the only people
we pass on our walk are three stern-faced policemen.

0615. We’re at the top of a hill overlooking the city of
Antigua. For the first time since we’ve been here, I notice the top of the
volcano that borders the north side of Antigua’s valley. The sun hasn’t come up
but our hike up the hill has warmed our bodies to a light sweat. There are
three other people, obviously Americans, along with the always present
policemen, are up here with us. During the day there are usually more people
enjoying the view, taking pictures by the large cross that keeps watch over the
city. We are attempting to get one of the policemen to take a picture of the seven
of us. It doesn’t work. “Are you wanting a picture of all of you?� asks one of
the Americans. We later learn he’s a photographer from San Francisco – Josh.
Photos taken, complete with volcano, cross and Antigua as a background. We all
sit down on a bench nearby. 

Here’s our bench.

“Worship music?� The ipod and speakers are pulled
out from the backpack. “Celebratory music� is the request. BP suggests a ‘frolicking
song’, You’re the One by Enter the Worship Circle. We all sit on the bench for
about five seconds. “There’s a patch of grass inviting us to frolick in it�
coming out of BP’s mouth moves seven adults to a place of skipping and moving
and flowing – frolicking, even – in the Lord’s presence on a patch of grass,
trying hard to ignore the police nearby. Is there a better, joyous, more
celebratory way to ring in a Resurrection Sunday?

Not posing. This is just how we all ended up after our frolicking.

0630. Elle goes back to the Easter basket of a backpack and
pulls out a few slices of bread. Also grabbing her Starbucks Thailand thermos,
she rejoins our circle of seven. “Do we want to ask them to join us?� BP walks
over to ask. Josh, Jarrod and Shantel join us for communion. Elle leads us in a
prayer of thanksgiving, hope pouring from her voice. Two slices of bread are
passed around with the thermos, worship music continuing to provide our
background.

0650. Elle adds another piece of paper to an empty wine
bottle. Notes of praise and thanksgiving written by most of us have been added
to this “bottle of praise.â€� 

Elle putting songs in our “bottle of praise” next to the Easter basket backpack.

0700. Back on the bench, Jenny stands up and starts reading
out Psalms, starting with 126. The sun is continuing to rise, striking the top
of the volcano. Beautiful way to start a beautiful day.

Psalm 126. For O Squad!!

I have one of my “How in the world do I get to be here with these people doing this?!?!” moments.

Bottom row: Kige, Elle, Heather. Back row: Jenny, BCox, BP and me.