Some Pictures You've Been Waiting For...
DAY 2: Volcán Pacaya
On the way to Volcán Pacaya, we saw many vehicles with people riding causally in the back.
We got stopped by a bunch of cows crossing the road...twice :)
After walking for about 1 1/2-2 hours, we got to the top and were able to see the actual volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in Central America - and the red lava slowly flowing down the side. This is the Maranatha group crossing the initial section of lava that just goes on and on - it is very thick (of course it was hard) and very sharp. A number of us had cuts on our legs by the time our trip was over. These lava remnants are from an explosion that happened here about a year ago.
There I am (in the orange shirt) climbing through the lava - you can see it is EVERYWHERE. You can also see lots of people ahead of us who are weaving in and out through the rough path that had kind of been made for those wanting to get closer to the fresh lava. We ended up climbing a little past the place where you can see the smallest person at the top of the hill in this picture.
Here you can see the lava. It doesn't look that big to us here, but some people who we didn't know who got close to the lava and saw some pieces of it fall said those pieces looked like small cars. Needless to say, we stayed at a safe distance.
As we got closer to the lava, we definitely felt heat coming through the hardened lava - as Kent described it in one of his entries, it was like walking through a bunch of hot car hoods. We could even see steam coming through in some areas. We stopped at this point so we could make and eat "volcano dogs" (a.k.a. hot dogs cooked over hot spots in the hardened lava).
Volcano dogs. :)
(Joel is in the #87 jersey)
We did it!
DAY 4: La Limonada
The view we saw when we first got there. Imagine looking at this and smelling garbage...
The view from the 3rd story window of the mission we worked in. This goes on for miles in all directions. Notice all the garbage below the bridge - it was all over the place and all throughout the stream below. When we first walked up to this place (from the right side of the picture) to cross over the bridge, I saw a man take a huge cardboard box and just toss it over the side of the bridge into the water.
Me with 3 boys I met. The one in the middle ended up being a big handful throughout the morning session. It's so sad because the innocent kids who live here get stuck in the cross-fire of gangs, violence, drugs, etc and the hostility becomes a part of these kids and how they survive. Thanks to God for people like Tita who have made this mission a safe place for kids to come so they can know there is another and better way to live.
Opening time of singing.
Snack time (one of the 4 sessions). Liz - one of the translators for the day - is in the middle with the oldest group of kids leading a game of "Hot Potato" (Papa caliente). Sherry and I are standing off to the side listening and participating when we can (but Liz basically led this session).
An exciting game of Pato, pato, gonzo (Duck, Duck, Goose) with some of the younger kids.
After each session, small groups walked around (with a translator) to different homes to pray for/with the people who lived there and whatever specific needs they desired prayer for. Our first stop was to the pink and white house just beyond the person in this picture. The woman who we prayed for here is named Miriam. She and her children are all Christians. Her husband is unfaithful to her and abuses her. One of her daughters (who could not have been more than 4) attended the morning session and I had remembered her vividly because she had a very sweet smile and came up to me and gave me a big hug - when I saw her walk through the door with that winner smile on her face, it made my heart ache that this is the home in which she is growing up in.
Ok, now I am going to switch geers completely...be warned.
Inside of our little apartment, Kent is holding one of the pots from our first grocery shopping experience. Inside is rice. Those of you who have made rice know that you need to bring it to a boil and then turn down the oven to let it simmer for X amount of time. Well, in our case, we turned the knob down...but the flames didn't do likewise; SO, for the next 20 minutes, we ended up taking turns holding the pot in the air so it would simmer instead of boil.
Making the most of this memorable experience together. :)
Normally when Kent and I make rice and beans, we use black beans and diced or stewed tomatoes. This time, Kent said we should add corn. Great idea...however, we didn't have a can opener and the corn was the only vegetable we bought that didn't have a peel-the-lid-back kind of lid. Kent went next door to see if he could find one at the Liderazgo Juvenil. In the meantime, I open up the can of black beans - only to find that we had bought refried beans - and stewed tomatoes - only to find that we bought a kind of tomato sauce instead. At that time, Kent comes back with a half-mutilated can of corn that he (and about 3 other people from the Liderazgo) had attempted to open with a knife. He then discovered the mistake we had made with our other vegetable purchases and we decided to laugh about it and see what we could make of this meal. There was a very small opening in the corn can so Kent tried to get the corn out with a knife. It wasn't working very well so I tried shaking the can and more ended up coming out a lot quicker - which is what you see above.
FINALLY sitting down to enjoy our hard-earned meal with some tortilla chips and Sprite.
Presenting...the non-appealing, non-easy making, yet great tasting meal.
On the way to Volcán Pacaya, we saw many vehicles with people riding causally in the back.
We got stopped by a bunch of cows crossing the road...twice :)
After walking for about 1 1/2-2 hours, we got to the top and were able to see the actual volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in Central America - and the red lava slowly flowing down the side. This is the Maranatha group crossing the initial section of lava that just goes on and on - it is very thick (of course it was hard) and very sharp. A number of us had cuts on our legs by the time our trip was over. These lava remnants are from an explosion that happened here about a year ago.
There I am (in the orange shirt) climbing through the lava - you can see it is EVERYWHERE. You can also see lots of people ahead of us who are weaving in and out through the rough path that had kind of been made for those wanting to get closer to the fresh lava. We ended up climbing a little past the place where you can see the smallest person at the top of the hill in this picture.
Here you can see the lava. It doesn't look that big to us here, but some people who we didn't know who got close to the lava and saw some pieces of it fall said those pieces looked like small cars. Needless to say, we stayed at a safe distance.
As we got closer to the lava, we definitely felt heat coming through the hardened lava - as Kent described it in one of his entries, it was like walking through a bunch of hot car hoods. We could even see steam coming through in some areas. We stopped at this point so we could make and eat "volcano dogs" (a.k.a. hot dogs cooked over hot spots in the hardened lava).
Volcano dogs. :)(Joel is in the #87 jersey)
We did it!DAY 4: La Limonada
The view we saw when we first got there. Imagine looking at this and smelling garbage...
The view from the 3rd story window of the mission we worked in. This goes on for miles in all directions. Notice all the garbage below the bridge - it was all over the place and all throughout the stream below. When we first walked up to this place (from the right side of the picture) to cross over the bridge, I saw a man take a huge cardboard box and just toss it over the side of the bridge into the water.
Me with 3 boys I met. The one in the middle ended up being a big handful throughout the morning session. It's so sad because the innocent kids who live here get stuck in the cross-fire of gangs, violence, drugs, etc and the hostility becomes a part of these kids and how they survive. Thanks to God for people like Tita who have made this mission a safe place for kids to come so they can know there is another and better way to live.
Opening time of singing.
Snack time (one of the 4 sessions). Liz - one of the translators for the day - is in the middle with the oldest group of kids leading a game of "Hot Potato" (Papa caliente). Sherry and I are standing off to the side listening and participating when we can (but Liz basically led this session).
An exciting game of Pato, pato, gonzo (Duck, Duck, Goose) with some of the younger kids.
After each session, small groups walked around (with a translator) to different homes to pray for/with the people who lived there and whatever specific needs they desired prayer for. Our first stop was to the pink and white house just beyond the person in this picture. The woman who we prayed for here is named Miriam. She and her children are all Christians. Her husband is unfaithful to her and abuses her. One of her daughters (who could not have been more than 4) attended the morning session and I had remembered her vividly because she had a very sweet smile and came up to me and gave me a big hug - when I saw her walk through the door with that winner smile on her face, it made my heart ache that this is the home in which she is growing up in.Ok, now I am going to switch geers completely...be warned.
RANDOM YET MEMORABLE: First rice and beans-making experience abroad
Inside of our little apartment, Kent is holding one of the pots from our first grocery shopping experience. Inside is rice. Those of you who have made rice know that you need to bring it to a boil and then turn down the oven to let it simmer for X amount of time. Well, in our case, we turned the knob down...but the flames didn't do likewise; SO, for the next 20 minutes, we ended up taking turns holding the pot in the air so it would simmer instead of boil.
Making the most of this memorable experience together. :)
Normally when Kent and I make rice and beans, we use black beans and diced or stewed tomatoes. This time, Kent said we should add corn. Great idea...however, we didn't have a can opener and the corn was the only vegetable we bought that didn't have a peel-the-lid-back kind of lid. Kent went next door to see if he could find one at the Liderazgo Juvenil. In the meantime, I open up the can of black beans - only to find that we had bought refried beans - and stewed tomatoes - only to find that we bought a kind of tomato sauce instead. At that time, Kent comes back with a half-mutilated can of corn that he (and about 3 other people from the Liderazgo) had attempted to open with a knife. He then discovered the mistake we had made with our other vegetable purchases and we decided to laugh about it and see what we could make of this meal. There was a very small opening in the corn can so Kent tried to get the corn out with a knife. It wasn't working very well so I tried shaking the can and more ended up coming out a lot quicker - which is what you see above.
FINALLY sitting down to enjoy our hard-earned meal with some tortilla chips and Sprite.
Presenting...the non-appealing, non-easy making, yet great tasting meal.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 at 12:15 PM.
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your dinner looks interesting. i will just have to trust your judgment that it tasted better then what it looks!
lol :) yeah, you can trust me...Kent said (sorry - this is kinda gross), "It looks like someone ate corn and then threw up!" - but trust me, it was actually really tasty! It was a meal worth waiting for! :)
LOL....well i would agree with Kent and yeah....When you come back to visit sometime, you'll have to make it for me.
ok, can do! :)
Girl that stuff looks too crazy and I'm Mexican! LOL
Hope your having a great time! Sad about the wife you prayed for with her husband and all. Good to know you are all are praying for her and the family. I will say a prayer for them too.
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