One of the many great things about the World Race is that not only do we get to do ministry everywhere we go, but also we get to have fun doing it. After about 3 weeks of being in the mountains of Santa Cruz Del Quiche, we had the privilege of going on a nice little retreat to Lake Atitlan, which is a beautiful place surrounded by volcanoes, clear water, and a beautiful view.
We stayed at a hostel that was more like a resort called La Iguana. A wonderful family owns this place with two boys as well as another Australian couple who work there as well. We were treated with with delicious food, comfortable beds and a patio with hammocks to lay in. the weekend was a time for relaxation and to recharge our batteries.
But this weekend was also a good time for adventure. Right when we got there, a group of us hiked up a mountain. As we went up, our breath got shorter and the path became less of a path and more of a climb. About and hour in we finally made it to the top. The view was beautiful, it took our breath away. We felt like we were on top of the world as we watched eagles soar beneath us. We yelled and listened to our voices echo off the surrounding volcanoes and mountains. For a little while we worshiped the creator of the mountains that we were standing on. After about an hour of standing in awe, we finally made our down the mountain and back into civilization. I forgot to mention that the hostel we were staying at had a German Shepherd/Akita mix named Balto that went up and down the entire mountain with us, which was amazing.
We made it back to the hostel around 4 and had a few hours of down time before dinner, so a few of us decided to get a cappuccino (which was the best one I’ve ever ever had) and lay in some hammocks.
Later that night we went to bed with anticipation for the adventures and relaxation that awaited us the next morning.
When we woke up, about 14 of us decided that we wanted to go cliff jumping, which never happens when you are from Florida so I took full advantage of that. We all hopped on a little boat that took us to the sport where we could jump. As we made our way up to the cliff, I could feel that I was nervous but knew that I was excited and eager to jump.
Jake was the 1st one to jump off of the cliff and deep into the blue water beneath us, then Cheyanne went and I knew it was my turn. So with my heart beating hard inside my chest, I started running and took that leap of faith (literally), did the best pencil dive the world had ever seen and pierced the water beneath me. It was absolutely amazing, and as my head came out of the water I already knew that I wanted to do it again. So I did, again and again, and again.
Diving off Cliffs and lying on hammocks
