Getting off of the cable car, a sense of excitement was building up in each of us. After 2 weeks of praying for good weather, it finally came. Today was the day my teammates and I would climb Pichincha Rucu. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. This is something we hadn’t seen in days. The view: breathtaking. My first thought was, “God created this”!
Side note: I am not an athletic person. I am not in shape. But I was determined to reach the summit of this magnificent volcano. The cable car ride alone was an additional 2000 feet. Then there was an additional 3200 feet to the summit. I can tell you now; there were a lot of “Yo puedo hacerlo” and “Podemos!” (“I can do it” and “We can”!)
We began our trek at noon. An hour in, I recall saying, “We’re doing this! Look how far we’ve come!” It was amazing to see the mountains climb, but then deep down there were valleys covered in green. After several brief stops, photo ops, water breaks, many ‘we’ve got this’ comments, and a few more hours, we were approaching the rocky part of the mountain. Twenty minutes after that, I took one look at the rocks I would have to climb to continue on the path, and thought, “Is this safe”? After much encouragement from my teammate, Crystal, and hesitant looks between Hillary and I, we managed to see the top. I may have stopped about 100 feet before the top due to nightfall approaching and simply pure exhaustion. But hey, I made it to 15,100 feet! It was incredible.
I love seeing God through nature and enjoy comparing it to walks with Him. You have these low parts in your life and the only way to go is up. Climbing up is not always easy. It’s difficult. There may be obstacles in the way and you may stumble…a lot. Pain results at times. Wounds may occur and scars may be left. There may be times where you think, “This is impossible. I can’t do this”. But the Lord never leaves you (Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you Hebrews 13:5).
The girls at Casa Elisabeth have certainly been through valleys and have had to climb mountains. But they are here. This week, during Beauty for Ashes, I witnessed them confiding their struggles. Some that I myself have struggled with as well. I never imagined relating so closely to these girls. But we do. And I reassured them, if they put their trust in the Lord, they won’t ever find themselves alone.
This week I have been meditating on Isaiah 41:9-10
“You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.
To the right: My squad leader Kaylaynn, with Santi at Casa Elisabeth.
