"Why would anyone come down from the mountain...?"

Quote of the day:
He’s got a body of steel and a heart of… a pillow?
~Cortlin (Referring to Joe)

As the day comes to a close, it is hard to believe that it is only day 2. So many wonderful things are happening in the lives and hearts of everyone involved in this mission, regardless of the country they claim as home. The team is becoming one, standing “shoulder-to-shoulder”, not only amongst ourselves, but with our Salvadoran brothers as well. Together, we are fighting for one cause, to serve one purpose. United. I wish all of you were here to experience it firsthand. It is truly amazing to see.

Our day started with the group’s first experience of a real Salvadoran breakfast as we awaited the arrival of Melvin and his team from the International Sports Coalition (ISC). Melvin is a man of great passion, that is the best way I can think of to describe him. Tyler calls him a dreamer. Whatever words one chooses to use, it is clear he is a man of great influence, and one who uses that influence in every moment to the glory of God. Our team is blessed to be partnered with him and his team as we run 3 programs together over the next two weeks.

We spent most of the morning hashing out the logistics and details regarding the activities for the coming weeks (with a few breaks for a game of hacky sack, or to grab a quick nap). Then the team piled into 2 microbuses which drove us to Puerta del Diablo, a mountain that both teams would climb together.

The climb was wonderful. We are in El Salvador during the rainy season so while it means everything was wet and somewhat slippery to climb on, it also means that everything is beautiful and green. However, the breathtaking scene came at the end of the climb. At the peak of the mountain, looking over the beauty surrounding us… it almost leaves you breathless. Clouds rolled in and out, surrounding us and then disappearing (you can see in the pictures, some are very clear views of the scenery, some have a white-ish background. We were literally in the middle of the clouds.)

We gathered together as brothers and sisters separated, some might say, by culture and language, but united in a way that abolishes such barriers. We listened to Tyler and Melvin as they shared their hearts and called everyone to step forward as warriors. We talked together and prayed together, beginning our prayer in the midst of clouds and mist, and ending with the sun shining brightly on our backs.

During our debrief at the end of the day, Tanner had a wonderful insight. He said that sitting on the top of the mountain, he wondered to himself, why would anyone want to come down from a mountaintop experience? And the realization… The only reason we go back down is to show others how to climb.