We are blessed to have a ministry host who is proud of his country, and wants to share his love for it with us by giving us adventure days over the weekends. This past weekend, we hit the ground running as seventeen of us headed to hike the Himalayas overnight.
Now, let’s consider my expectations and previous experiences pre-Himalayan-hike.
A “hike” in Blacksburg, Virginia was a morning-trip to the cascades, McAffees Knob, or Dragon’s Tooth, which would most likely cause one to break a sweat before heading back down and treatin’ yo’self to an all-you-can-eat $14 meal at the Home Place. A “hike” in Orlando meant walking the 60 steps to the top of the tallest water slide. A “hike” in Gainesville meant a pleasant stroll through Paynes Prairie.
For some reason, I thought these made me well-qualified for this quest.
I KID YOU NOT, within the first 5 minutes of our 16 mile, 2 day adventure I knew I was out of my league and started praying to sweet baby Jesus. This was going to be long and steeeep and although we wanted to take in the sights and the glory of creation, we also had a goal to make it to our little mountaintop “Tea House” in time to see the sunset. Of course, I had a plan: Start in the front of the pack and by the time everyone passes me and I end up in the back, perhaps the teammates in the front will be stopping for a water break or photo-op and I can sneak up to the front of the pack to start this whole process over again so I didn’t get left in the dust. Front-back-water break-pray for mercy-repeat.
“Keep breathing. You’re still alive. I’m not finished with you yet.” -God, with every pained breath I took.
Since leaving India, I have been working my way through Isaiah and Jeremiah and they were on my mind a lot during my uphill battle. Friends, if you haven’t read these two books or do not recall, these are some dark times. Isaiah lived through the civil war between Israel and Judah and saw the destruction of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C. and in this book, you see Isaiah use the lesson of Israel’s fall to teach the king to trust in the Lord. I had spent the past two weeks reading about judgement, punishment, and sorrow and as I was huffing and puffing and pushing through the burning pain in my quads to get up this mountain, being pulled under by the current when I tried to be cool and jump off some waterfall boulders, trying not to shiver or slip through the torrential downpour without a rain jacket, and fighting off the 62 leeches we kept ripping off our skin and out of our socks, I wondered if I had fallen back into the old testament; I was certain I was being punished for something fierce.
But, just like the end of Isaiah brings a message of comfort and hope, the final destination of our hike was full of comfort and restoration. We got to stand in awe at the magnificence of the mountains that reached beyond the clouds and watch the sky transition from pink to navy and black. We sat around the bonfire and laughed over the games we played and stared at the stars in amazement. We ate in the company of a Nepalese family that ran the Tea House we were staying in and were given warm blankets and beds (and hooks for our drenched clothing). And in the morning, we experienced the sunrise over the Himalayas in the presence of the Holy Spirit and 16 of the best people I have ever met. Thank you, Jesus.
(Peep Venus under the moon and Mars under Venus!)
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature.” -Romans 1:20
“Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!” -Isaiah 65:18
“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain.” -Isaiah 54:10
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet that bring good news.” -Isaiah 52:7
