taylortomlinson - Thoughts From the Top of a Volcano :)

Holaaaaa :)

We are still here in Guatemala and I have so much love and gratitude for this country and the friendships and memories that have been cultivated here over the past couple months. My hope is to have a whole post dedicated to Guate coming soon, but for now I want to share about our most recent experience here and what the Lord reminded through it.

So if you know much about Guatemala, I'm sure you know about all the Volcanos and that hiking them is a big thing here. We have been staying in Antigua where there are 3 volcanos, one of which is active (Volcań de Fuego) and we got the opportunity to climb Volcań de Acatenango which is right next to Fuego and you get a great view of her popping off. I went back and forth between wanting to do it or not but in the end I decided that I would regret not and up we went. The thing I was most excited for about this hike was the summit because you get such a fantastic view of the sunrise over Fuego above the clouds. If you know me, you know I love the sky and the sunrise summit was like 90% of what made me decide to do it. So we full sent it.

Saturday we hiked up, it took us about 6 hours and 4 or 5 miles of straight incline... it was tough lol. We arrived at base camp where we were supposed to stay for the night and then summit super early the next morning for sunrise then come down. It had been getting steadily cloudier all the way up to base camp and literally the second we got to camp the rain started. It was cloudy and rainy all night long and because of that we weren't able to summit. Our guide was super cool though and offered for us to stay the day at base and stay the night again so we could try to summit again the next morning because the weather forecast was completely clear. So we said yes. The skies cleared up later that morning and we got to see some awesome views of Fuego (I'll add pics later on) which was a gift and we spent a super sweet and relaxing day by the fire, reading, chatting, and hanging out. By the time night came it was pretty clear and we were super hopeful for the next morning. However, in the wee hours of the morning the rain came again and this time even harder. Long story short we never got to summit. Sad day, I know. It was still such an awesome experience and so worth it. I hope to get to come try again one day.

Here's the lesson though;

I hiked all the way up that volcano almost only to see the sky and the sunrise. We prayed in faith that we could do it and alas it rained harder. It would've been super easy to let disappointment set in and to a point that would've even been reasonable. BUT, the Lord reminded me early that first morning that even though the clouds were thick and the rain was heavy, even though we couldn't see it, the sun was still rising and beautiful, Fuego was still right there and probably popping off with ferocity. The entire scene was still there and lovely, the clouds just kept us from seeing it. And what a picture of us with the Lord. Even when we're in a "cloud;" when we can't see, feel, or taste his goodness, majesty, faithfulness, or love, it's still right there. He is still right there standing in all of His goodness, glory, and love and He is looking back at us as beloved children. It is a picture of hope. Because eventually, the clouds did clear - even if only for a little bit - and we were able to see the awe of the active volcano staring back at us, the awe of the creation surrounding us. And that was a gift. The clouds in our life will part and the glory of the Lord will shine through and our hope in Him will not put us to shame. What an honor it is to live this life, to experience the God of creation, to marvel at Him, to hope in Him and proclaim His goodness from the mountain top (or volcano top;)). He is good and His ways are perfect. It is crucial that we never allow the clouds of life to blind us from the truth that is always there!

Anywhoooooo... this was such a cool weekend on many levels. Here are some pics to prove it: