I CLIMBED A VOLCANO! Also, it’s Semana Santa…

Yes, I CLIMBED A VOLCANO!!!

…an inactive one anyway.

(But I saw an active one!)

There’s a dormant volcano in Guatemala called Acatenango that’s about 13,000 feet tall and is a big hiking destination for travelers here. Pretty much right next to it, there’s an active volcano that’s (fittingly) named Fuego. So this past Sunday, I spent the day hiking up Acatenango with several others from my squad, stayed the night at a camp near the summit, woke up at 4 that next morning to reach the summit by sunrise, and then hiked back down. (Hence why this blog is late!) Truly a bucket list experience… that actually was never even on my bucket list to begin with! 😂

The most striking part of the whole experience, for me, was witnessing on an entirely new level the majesty of God’s creation. I got to stand with my body above the clouds but my feet on the ground (not in an airplane!). I got to watch lava shoot out of the top of a volcano. I got to look into the crater at the top of a dormant volcano and, from that peak, watch the sun rise behind a different dormant volcano (called Agua). I got to experience the tenacity and ability of my body to endure new levels of physical exhaustion and high altitudes.

Everything ultimately pointed to the majesty and beauty and wonder of the Creator. The evidence of His creativity and intentionality blew my mind with each new view. It was an incredibly difficult venture, but worth it in the end because of the goodness of God demonstrated through his creation.

Buuuut that’s not all! I also have another important topic for this week that I want to share about…

Lent and Holy Week in Guatemala

Specifically, Lent and Holy Week as it happens/is celebrated in the town of Antigua.

Some fun background: prior to the Race, my only real connection to Guatemala was a mission trip that my mom went on back when she was in high school. And she just so happened to come here on her trip during Semana Santa – Holy Week, or Easter week, the culmination of the season of Lent. And now I get to be in Antigua, Guatemala during that same season, which I think is so special! Cuaresma y Semana Santa (Lent and Holy Week) are a HUGE deal in Antigua. Just a few points of what I’ve learned about this time:

• Every Sunday during Lent (and every day of Holy Week), Antigua is cleared of cars, the streets are (extra) decorated with purple and white drapes and flowers, people in purple robes walk the streets… over a million people are expected in Antigua for Semana Santa each year, and it’s a big deal for the city’s tourism!
• People spend hours on designs on the streets made from flowers, fruit, grass, vegetables, straw, etc. for processions to walk over. Processions represent the Passion of Christ and/or events from Holy Week and consist of giant floats carried (by hand) by groups of people, with incense carriers and full bands walking before and after the floats.
• For the most part, it’s really all done today out of cultural tradition and religiosity – the majority of people don’t know the heart behind it. That has made these processions very heavy to experience. There’s a very somber tone to the processions, even in the music that’s played, and from what I’ve witnessed, little to no joy or reality of the resurrection. Jesus is depicted mainly on the cross – which is a moment and a sacrifice that absolutely needs to be remembered and cannot be understated! But the cross led to the resurrection and life – and that reality never really gets shown or celebrated during these events. The processions end on Saturday, and Easter Sunday has hardly anything going on, which to me is horribly sad. The resurrection and Jesus’ ultimate defeat of death is our ultimate reason that we can have life!

Here it feels evident that though there are many churches and people know the Gospel story, because of the weight of tradition there is not a full acceptance and acknowledgement of it at heart – which is what truly makes a difference in our lives and eternity. It seems to me that the culture and people here “have a form of godliness but deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). Please, please be praying with our squad during this week for the people in and around Antigua (and Guatemala in general, since processions will be happening in nearly every city during Semana Santa) to see the truth of the Gospel, the truth of the cross, and the fullness of what Jesus did for us, including His resurrection and life. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal Jesus to them in the Spirit and in truth. Pray that the joy of salvation would be restored to them!