Volcanoes and Visitors

This past Saturday I took part in an excursion with group of about sixty of the older kids to climb to the top of a nearby volcano. Here at the NPH, two large volcanoes loom over the landscape: Volcán de Agua and Volcán de Acatenango. Behind Acatenango is the Vulcán de Fuego, which is still active and whose plumes of smoke can often be seen rising in the distance. Led by two experienced guides, we journeyed to the top of Acatenango, a trip that ended up being much more of an ordeal than I had envisioned.

 

We arrived at the base at 6am and began our 1800 meter climb to the crater, which is at about 13,000 feet (almost 4000 meters). It was almost a completely vertical ascent, and as we approached the top, we had to plow through thick volcanic sand that made progress extremely slow. I was amazed at the ability of the kid to trek up this volcano’s side, as many had old shoes with holes in them or otherwise inappropriate footwear. We were warned to bring jackets, and I am glad that I did as the wind-chill at the top, where we experienced what I’m sure were 40 mph winds, was numbing. I have done a fair amount of hiking in the Austrian Alps, and have really pushed myself to the limit- and this climb was as difficult as any I have made in the past. Yet what a reward once we reached the top! The breathtaking view of the Guatemalan highlands made it all worthwhile. And the moonscape that was the crater was like something out of a science fiction movie. We could walk along the rim and down into it, a bowl of black sand. When we dug down into the sand, we could feel the heat, and smoke (or was it steam?) drifted upwards.

 

After the exhausting climb to the crater just about everyone lay down (partly to escape the wind) and took a little nap. Lying in the warm sand, the clouds drifted above us overhead, as well as between us, settling at times into the basin. We had the volcano to ourselves; there was no one else there. (The only other people we saw all day was a group of 8 on the path that were with an excursion company out of Antigua.) This particular volcano has not erupted since 1972, but looking across to the Volcán de Fuego right next door, we could see plumes of smoke venting out of the top- an eerie sight.

 

Before heading back down, we spent some time in conversation with the kids, inviting them to compare the challenge of this climb with some of the challenges they have faced in their own lives. The idea was that the successful achieving of a goal like the climbing of a volcano can help us to develop confidence when confronted by other challenges that intimidate or even scare us. 

 

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Here at NPH we are blessed to have both volunteers who commit a year of their lives to serve the kids here, and short-term visitors who come for a week or so to learn about NPH and to volunteer doing manual labor in construction or the farm. The groups who come for the week or so are led by members of the fundraising offices, mostly those in the US and Canada. (We occasionally have small groups from Europe.) These groups are made up mostly of high school and college students.

The interactions that our kids have with the visitors can be very positive. The visitors provide a break in the monotony of our children’s lives. Sometimes the kids do develop lasting relationships, and can maintain contact via mail.

To be honest, I think that we also provide a particular ministry to those who come to visit the kids: by making this experience available to them, they are drawn into a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the challenges that others experience. They participate actively in helping to make life better for those who live here. Things are much different here than in the US or Canada, and the week that North American youth spend at NPH can be a life-changer for them. They return to their homes as good will ambassadors for NPH, and this can help to draw other potential donors into the fold.

And the visitors actually do get work done. We definitely benefit from the results of their labor.

 

In essence, I think I would call the relationship that we have with the visiting groups “symbiotic.” There is definitely a give-and-take in the relationship, a mutual benefit; it is part of the ministry of NPH to the world “out there.”  From what I see, the gracious welcome that we try to give the visiting groups comes from the heart. I think that those here feel truly privileged that others from far away are willing to make personal sacrifices so that they can come and spend a week with us.