HOLA Amigos!
Month 2 in Nicaragua has started!!! What a time it has been! When we first arrived here in Granada, our whole squad stayed together for something called a debrief. Debriefs are a time for reflection and sharing what God is teaching and doing in us. They will happen every few months. Plus it gives us time for creating memories together….
I have an EPIC memory from this debrief in which our entire squad experienced something thrilling together…..ASH BOARDING down a volcano!
Let me start by sharing with you some factual information that helps paint a picture of what we experienced…
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CERRO NEGRO (http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=344070) is the volcano we hiked up with our ash board. Spotting the volcano was not difficult as the entire mound is black (hence the Spanish word for black ‘negro’ in the name) and made up of volcanic rock from the previous eruption (in the 1990’s). As we made our way up, we witnessed the amazing view the volcano provides to surrounding volcanoes, mountains and green countryside…
This was by far my favorite part of the day….the contrast between the green and black was amazing to see (Psalm 19:1-3)
Once we made it to the top, which took about an hour and a half, we commenced with the ash boarding….we put on lovely orange jump suits, were instructed on how to safely sit on the board and then told how to go down the volcano….fast (upwards of 95 kph). I chose to stay conservative with a mere 30 kph but a couple of my squad mates clocked out (yes a guy with a radar gun clocked our speed near the bottom) at 70 kph! They won a free hat!
Apparently ash boarding is like #2 for thrill seeking activities according to CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/16/travel/thrilling-experiences/ &
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/12/travel/volcano-board/) yet I would probably only go back to see the view! It just wasn’t my cup of tea however I am glad for the experience!
So my challenge to you is to try something new that seems thrilling to you! Let me know what you try and what the experience was like!
You never know – you might just make an epic memory of it!
Lauren
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Jeremiah 29:11
P.S. Want another experience of our ash boarding day? Check out my fellow squad mate Kendra Harris’s (http://kendraharris.theworldrace.org/) most recent blog “Crying out to my Abba – she made a FANTASTIC video – see at the bottom.
