A Blog from Aly Beeler :)

This is a blog about what we did this morning for Easter morn!! 🙂 ENJOY!!!

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?â€� 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?â€� The ipod and speakers are pulled out from the backpack. “Celebratory musicâ€� 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 itâ€� 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.