Dear Family and Friends:
Before I tell you all about our trip to the Volcano Pacaya, we need to brag once more. We have our first new generation Eagle Scout in our family. He joins his Grandfather and his Uncle Tracy. We are so proud of Nathan and all the work that he did to accomplish this.
Nathan Andrew Parker with his Dad, Justin, and his Mom, Mindi
Daniel and Kelly Fisher came back from Atitlan on Sunday, the 3rd. They were so tired but had enjoyed their trip there. We headed out to visit the Volcano Pacaya on Monday morning, the 4th. Pacaya had erupted in March of 2014. It usually erupts about every 4 years. It is only 19 miles southwest of Guatemala City but took us about an hour to drive there.
Daniel and Kelly Fisher came back from Atitlan on Sunday, the 3rd. They were so tired but had enjoyed their trip there. We headed out to visit the Volcano Pacaya on Monday morning, the 4th. Pacaya had erupted in March of 2014. It usually erupts about every 4 years. It is only 19 miles southwest of Guatemala City but took us about an hour to drive there.
We again went with Andrea, the taxi driver, cause he is so knowledgeable and had everything organized for our visit. We told him that we needed at least one horse to get us to the volcano. But they had 3 horses ready for us and took some real steep narrow paths for the first 15 minutes of the walk, trying to convince us that none of us would make the hike. The kids, of course were fine, and I could have made the hike easily before these broken legs. President Thompson decided to ride because they agreed to give him the reins, my horse was led, and Lon enjoyed riding once again.
This is Baltazar. He is 13 and has been guiding horses up this mountain for 4 years.
Our guide is in the green. Lydia was in her 30's and I was on her husband's horse.
Baltamar owned the horse Lon is on and after about 15 minutes, he sent the horse he is on back with the young Baltazar to pick up another tourist. The kids, Daniel and Kelly were determined to walk.
The scenery was beautiful. The rains have greened everything up.
As we looked across this valley, we could see the Volcan Agua. It is not active right now.
You can see the top just above the clouds. As we turned a corner, I saw the path we were to take and I wondered if these horses would fit on the trail. But Baltamar assured me that all would be well.
We made it in just over an hour. We dismounted and had to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the Lava Store and the hot coals to roast marshmallows on.
Walking down to the store. We were starting to feel the heat already.
Our guide provided the marshmellows. She moved a couple of rocks and the lava was hot enough to roast the marshmellows. Others were cooking eggs and tortillas. If you stood still for too long, you really had hot feet.
I tried to get some pictures of the ride home, but the horse ride was so bumpy that the pictures didn't turn out too good.
Daniel and Kelly were out in front the whole way. Boy, the energy of youth!! They skipped, ran, and just enjoyed themselves. It was a fun day. It took us about an hour and a half to get back down. I have a picture of Lon and I to insert here but I can't get it to download right now. After almost 3 hours astride a horse, we were sore for a week. But it was a fun adventure and we enjoyed sharing it with Daniel and Kelly. They left that evening on the 10:00 PM bus to Tikal and then on to Belize.
The weather was beautiful all weekend and on Tuesday the rains returned. We have had a good thunderstorm every day.
We enjoy these trips to visit this beautiful country, but our service in the temple continues to be the crowning jewel of our time here. We have enjoyed getting to know so many more of the obrera's as we rotate from one shift to another. We had another crazy Saturday afternoon: 6 young women in the temple for the first time and 3 young men; two sealings; a huge baptism group; 3 sessions with more than 30 in each; and only 10 obreras and 11 obreros. We can testify that we couldn't have gotten the work done without special help from our Heavenly Father. It is His House and He is always there to help us.
I am busy getting a couple of talks ready for Stake Conferences and President Thompson continues to cook for us. Today he made us 3 loaves of whole wheat bread and a carrot cake. We send our love to all. You are in our prayers always. Life is wonderful. Have a great week. Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Lon and Nancy
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