Guatemala Mission Trip: Day Seven

Today was our day off of work with Safe Passage.  The staff schedules their meetings for Friday so they are tied up with their work – giving support teams a day of rest and time to enjoy Guatemala.  Our team decided that we wanted to hike and enjoy nature, and we certainly did!  We hiked the Volcan de Pacaya (Pacaya Volcano) about an hour outside of Antigua.  We left our hotel at 5:45am to get a head start on the many other groups that do the hike and to avoid any weather that might come up in the afternoon.  We were certainly dreary this morning but our day made it totally worth it.

5:45 in the morning on the streets of Antigua.  Volcan de Agua is in the background.

Under the famous arch in Antigua.  You can see the entrance to our hotel on the left!

Pacaya is one of three active volcanoes in Guatemala.  We had heard that it was a relatively easy hike…the internet lied.  It was a short but strenuous climb.   Even though it was difficult, we were struck with the immense beauty that surrounded us.  We have realized this week that Guatemala is a beautiful county – beauty in nature, beauty in culture, and, most importantly, beauty in the people who call this place home.

One of the many lookout points on the hike gave us amazing views of three other nearby volcanoes: Agua, Acatenengo, and Fuego.  Fuego is one of the other active volcanoes and erupts with ash and steam about every 20 minutes.  We saw an eruption with lava on Sunday night at dinner and saw eruptions today in the daytime.  It is spectacular to see!

At the spectacular lookout with Volcan de Agua in the center, Acatenango is the peak in the middle, and fuego is on the left.

When we reached the main crater of Pacaya (short of the summit which is not open to the public due to gases and other volcanic activity), we got a special Guatemalan treat: marshmallows roasted in volcanic vents!  It was amazing to stand in a crater that was filled by volcanic rock in 2012 and roast ‘mallows in little holes in the ground.

We made it to the top (or at least to the top of our hike)!

The eerie volcanic landscape near the top of Pacaya

Walking around the lava field looking for a good marshmallow roasting vent

Getting ready to roast!

This afternoon we went out and explored the main market in Antigua.  We got our shopping fix and even bought some things for our loved ones at home.  After dinner, we ended our day with Compline as we always do just as a spectacular thunderstorm rolled in.  Just as we prayed for God to “illumine this night with God’s celestial brightness, a large bolt of lightning streaked across the sky!

Tomorrow is our last day in Guatemala and we’ll be going to a water park with the 7^th grade class from Safe Passage we worked with during the week.  Every class gets to enjoy this outing with support team once a year so it will be special for us and for them.