2/3/20
Today was our sabbath day and we chose to make it an ADVENTURE DAY! About 40 minutes from Palacaguina is the Somoto Canyon tourist destination. Our host Osman graciously offered to drive us and wait the entire time while we had our adventures.
Let me tell you, a canyon tour in Nicaragua is nothing like a canyon tour in the States. There is a lot more of an anything goes atmosphere. We chose the tour that included some hiking instead of being on the water the whole time. Also, it was a shorter tour, but we’re still talking a 4 hour adventure here.
Cross roads kind of became a theme of the day for me. You see, very early in the hike, we came upon a fork in the trail and I wondered which route we would take.
Against all my expectations, our guide, Carlos, opened a gate between them and we walked a 3rd path. I looked at my team and said, it’s like those times in life when you come to a crossroads and you think you have to choose one decision or the other, but then God opens a new door.
I hope I never forget that moment. I hope I carry it with me through the rest of my life. I hope I remember that God should never be underestimated. He doesn’t see the options we do. He sees so much more and sometimes He opens a new, unexpected door and you just have to walk through and see where life takes you. The World Race in general is kind of like that for me and probably other racers feel the same.
And now that I’ve given the lesson of this blog, let’s continue with the story of how the adventure went, because believe me I am eager to share. Don’t worry, we’ll hit another crossroads later and it’s certainly not one you’d be expecting based on what I’ve told you so far.
As we got ready to start, we were handed our very essential life jackets and began our hike. Our guide had a waterproof bag that didn’t really look all that full but I am sure had all the essential supplies we needed. Our journey was going to be part hiking on dry land, part floating on tires down the river, and then part boat ride.
We enjoyed our hike, and we stopped at multiple beautiful views for pictures. Only Kellie took her Go Pro which is made for filming in water and Erica took her phone in a waterproof bag so that we didn’t risk too many casualties. There were some tough rocks, but it turns out that Hannah is the kind of person who just wants to climb everything and it was the most natural thing in the world for her. She was joined by the ever eager Kristen and Bethaney, who is from Minnesota and felt throughout the entire adventure that she hadn’t realized how much she missed hiking and the beauty of just being in nature. In the States, I can guarantee those 3 wouldn’t have been allowed to climb into some of the places they got themselves, but Carlos just stood by and waited silently. He didn’t speak English, so we didn’t really converse that much but Erica and Hannah are our translators that come in clutch for the team because they’ve both spent time studying abroad and they have got this thing down pretty decent.
And then we got close enough to hear the water and let me tell you everybody loves that sound and we were so excited. Then Carlos told us we’d have to wade through a bit. No big deal. We expected to get wet. Carlos even offered to put anything in his dry bag and we put Erica’s phone away for even safer keeping.
We all were having to try so hard not to bust out on those slippery rocks. It takes a minute to figure out how to walk in water on slippery rocks, but we got in down…sort of. And then we got to a deeper part of the river and we looked around for the tires we were supposed to float on, but there weren’t any. I thought maybe they were in Carlos’s bag and we had to blow them up. Nope.
Turns out we were swimming, not floating on tires.
It was a pretty nice day. I think I was told it got to 85 degrees, but that water wasn’t the warmest. I re-learned the word congelado, which means freezing. If you know me, and I tell you everyone else was complaining it was cold, then you can imagine I was freezing. But it was exciting enough that I was fine. It only really got bad toward the end.
But anyway, we would swim and then we’d get up on some more rocks, and then we’d swim, and then we’d get up on some more rocks. It was a really cool mixture that I have never experienced before.
About a quarter of the way through, Kellie’s poor soul twisted her ankle on a rock. I learned a new saying from her today: “That hurt like a butt cheek on a stick.” If it was painful beyond that moment, she didn’t show it. She trooped along like a pro.
And then we came to edge of a small cliff and found out the only way down…was to jump.
To me, it wasn’t that bad. I’m not that afraid of heights or anything like that. But, let me tell you, trying to get your footing on a slippery rock to stand while also being reminded that you should hold your water bottle so it doesn’t hit you and your glasses so they don’t fall off, well that’s not easy. And y’all should give a major shout out to all 6 of your TNT girls because they ROCKED IT!
And when we got to the bottom, that cliff didn’t look so big anymore. And it reminded me of all the difficult things we do that when we’re done and the tribulation has passed that suddenly don’t look so big.
I’m pretty sure that was the first sort of cliff diving I’ve ever done. I don’t think I really have a desire to jump off a bigger cliff, but, eh, I know I could. Granted, I fell climbing up those slippery rocks to get to the top of that cliff, but I only came out with a bruised knee, so I really barely remember that part.
And then we went through an area where the water was super cold, Hannah climbed on some rocks and hurt her elbow, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect when we came upon the boat that would finish the rest of the journey through the river after that. We were at a point of being ready to be done while having enjoyed the experience. It was good.
Turns out, we also had a hike back from the river. Poor Kellie definitely was feeling it on her ankle as we hiked up some steep hills. Finally, we came to the top and found Osman lounging in a hammock. We sat in our van and ate a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips as we prepared for the next stage of our adventure. The next crossroads.
You see, Palacaguina is in the very northern part of the country, and after our hour drive to the canyon we were right on the border of Honduras. So, yes, we went to Honduras today. It cost about $17 dollars each to go into Honduras for an hour, drink some sodas, sit and admire a magnificent view, take some photos of the view and the border, meet a few locals, and return back. We loved it. It was a dream of Kellie and Hannah to visit Honduras because of our proximity to the border. I think Hannah said her goal is 15 countries rather than 11 this World Race. I have no doubt we can make it happen. And I can now say that this weekend, I will have been to 3 countries in the span of 1 week: Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. 4 countries in the span of a month, including America.
The hardest part of it all was that Kellie’s ankle was finally telling her it had enough. She struggled on the way back, but she made it. And she and all of us were quite glad we went because it also gave us a preview of what our future border crossings will be like.
A border really is so much a crossroads. In the middle, it’s no man’s land. You can go either way. You can return to where you came from or you can venture into a new and unknown land. And there are definitely people trying to entice you in both directions. It’s akin to spiritual warfare. You always have the option to return safely to the arms of Christ, but you also have the option to venture out into the world’s ideas and desires that are separate from God’s will. And if you try to stay stuck in the middle of a border, you’re pretty useless. You can’t go far or do many things. There’s not anyone who’s really going to help you because nobody has real jurisdiction. You have to pick your side. You have to decide what you want.
So, we had an adventure in Nicaragua this week. And, as you can tell, it really made me think about God’s love. I can tell you the magnificent views of the canyon and the love God put in to crafting it were not lost on me. And I am glad I can say I know which side of the crossroads I choose. I choose God’s path.
And next time I find myself at another crossroads, with another big decision, I will fight my hardest to choose God’s path.
