Joshua’s Mountains

WE HAVE MADE IT TO ZACAPA! After a veeeeery long day we have finally landed in the sweet town of Zacapa Guatemala. After a 6 hour plane ride we took a 6 hour bus ride to the rural village. Although we were all starving and exhausted, the experience was like none other. Guatemala is more beautiful than I ever imagined. The mountains are a combination of the Rockies and a jungle. As we swerved through the peaks and valleys I couldn’t believe how Jurassic it felt. The mountains were pure rocks with giant trees that sprung out randomly. In the evening, the sun set over the rows and rows of hills and valleys and I couldn’t help but stare in awe. The picture does not give this scene justice, but as I stared at it, I felt overwhelmingly warm and full. The entire sky engulfed me and I was blown away by the moment. At the airport, we had wonderful Hearts In Motion helpers that directed us to the school buses (Yes. We rode 6 hours on a school bus). Although all the workers were extremely diligent and friendly, one in particular stood out to me. Joshua was probably 7 or 8 years old and he threw luggage around like it was nobody’s business! He refused to let us help as he was so proud to be our Guatemalan leader. Throughout the ride, Joshua ran up and down the isles stealing gummy bears from us and yelling Spanish we didn’t understand. His favorite activity was hanging out of the school bus door as we rode through Guatemala City. Although he came close to death from this trick MULTIPLE times, he yelled and shouted with joy and without an ounce of fear.  

As we pulled up to our little town-like “hotel”, I decided to utilize my (terrible) Spanish and ask “commo te yamas?” Or “what is your name?”. “Joshua.” He responded with a big smile and shook my hand vigorously. As I stared into this boy’s eyes I felt the same warm and deep feeling that I did in the depths of the mountains. This was his village, his home, his life. I was just a passenger of this beautiful place and so much was unknown to me. These were his mountains and I couldn’t wait to dive deeper.