Saturday, July 12, 2014

Three Cross Hike

On July 5, we went with some other students on a fun and challenging hike.  It's called the "Three Cross Hike" because there are 3 crosses to hike to as you go up the mountain.  We could not have asked for a better day weather-wise - it was a clear blue sky with a lot of sun.

We took two buses to get there.  We got on the first bus at 7 AM and before 8:00 we were getting started on the hike.   One of the guys that went with us had done the hike before so he helped guide us on the right trails.

The hike started on a paved road (which was actually quite steep!)...



...but soon enough we were on the trail.






 


This is the first cross, it took about 45 minutes to get here from the start of the hike:




This is the second cross - it was really windy at the top of the steps - from the first cross to the second was 30-40 minutes:





As we left the second cross, we saw 5 guys on dirt bikes come up the other side of the mountain (not the same way we had just hiked).  They went up to the third cross on the same trail that we would go.


This is the third cross - up at the cross are the 5 guys that went up on dirt bikes - from the second cross to the third was about 30-40 minutes:



Behind the third cross is a short path to an open area with some great views:







As we walked down the mountain back to the bus stop, Hannah and I were asking each other if we would do the hike again.  Considering we felt exhausted and our bodies were sore we decided it would be better to answer that question after a few days.  Now it's been a few days, and the verdict is...Yes! we would do it again.


We got back to our apartment at 1:30 PM, which made it a total trip time of 6 1/2 hours.  It was time well spent.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Spiritual illustration from a bottle of water

Before we started language school in May, we had a 3 day orientation with the other new students.  We had devotions at the beginning of each day, led by one of the staff members, who serves as a counselor.  One illustration in particular was really convicting.  The speaker held up a bottle of water, took the top off, and started squeezing and shaking it.  Of course, water came out.

He asked us, "Why did water come out of the bottle?" One person said, "Because you took the top off"; another person said, "Because you shook the bottle". 

Then he asked again, "Why did water come out of the bottle?".  The answer of course is, "Because water is in the bottle". 

When we deal with tough circumstances in life, when we are squeezed and shaken, when others treat us unfairly, when we are under stress, when we are wronged, when we have disagreements, and on and on - what comes out of us?  Is it anger? Selfishness? Bitterness? Hate?

Like the water coming out of the bottle, what comes out of us is really what's inside.  Ouch! It's tough to hear truth like that.  Jesus said, "But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart..." (Matthew 15:18), and "...for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Matthew 12:34).

Similarly, in regards to temptation, James 1:13-14 says "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

The point in the illustration and in these verses is that we can't blame others or external circumstances for our behavior and reactions - what we do and say reflects what is really in our heart.