July 10: Izalco, Ataco

On July 10, we went to breakfast with Jenny, Mario and Mario Jr.  Mario Sr. is such a friendly and loving guy.  And Mario speaks a fair amount of English so the girls could communicate with him better than some of the family, though they tried to communicate with others.

The girls really loved their breakfast.  Their pancakes were a favorite.

 I had an experience while I was in El Salvador that reminded me of how we can access the power of Christ's Atonement. When I was younger, I thought the Atonement really just related to being able to be forgiven for our sins--which is such a tremendously beautiful blessing! But I love what we have been taught about the Atonement also being an enabling power...a power that helps us to do more and be more than we are on our own. That is an aspect of the Atonement that I rely on often. 

 While in El Salvador, we decided to hike a volcano. You start on one mountain (Cerro Verde), climb down 1500 stairs to the bottom and then hike up the volcano, scrambling over loose rocks in some places, then hike down the volcano and climb back up the 1500 stairs to finish.  The mountain with the 1500 steps is lush and green and really pretty.  The active volcano (Izalco) is covered in black volcanic rock and while there is a trail, there's also a lot of climbing over rocks and you have to watch your footing because many of the rocks are slippery and not stable.  There's no shade.  It was hot. I wasn't feeling well.  I had been having severe diarrhea for three or four days.   And while I typically enjoy hiking, this particular hike felt really, really difficult for me. At several points I literally wasn't sure I could climb/descend the mountain. It loomed over me and felt impossible--much like our challenges in life can sometimes feel.  I wanted to give up, but my sweet 16 year old kept encouraging me and reminding me to have a positive attitude and believe I could do it.  I wasn't having the best attitude for a good portion of it. I was pretty miserable and pretty discouraged.  I listened to my sweet Ella and tried to change my mindset...thinking "I am strong.  I can do this."  But I wasn't very convincing.  So I did what I often do when I'm hiking or when I'm facing challenges.  I sang Walk Tall because that song gives me strength and courage and reminds me who I am.  Isaiah 40: 28-31 are some of my favorite verses, so I thought about those verses because my strength WAS failing and I was weary and I felt faint. But it promises that God never grows weary or faints and that He can give some of His power to those who need it. And I needed it, just as I have on many other occasions (usually in less physical ways but needed still the same). So I prayed for Him to help me and grant me a bit of His strength. And I reminded myself of some other hard things I have done. And it never got easy. It felt like one of the hardest hikes I have ever done. But I completed it and my strength never completely failed...or rather...MY strength did, but His did not. I have seen over and over in my life, when I feel like enduring to the end is too hard or when I feel discouraged or overwhelmed, if I ask for His help He leads me along (as it says in D&C 78). What a blessing!

While overall, I didn't enjoy the hike I must admit that the views from the top of Izalco were pretty spectacular.

Izalco is covered in volcanic but there are little spots where flowers are beginning to grow.  Even in adverse conditions, we can grow and find beauty if we look for it.  I'm not always very good at that...but I'm trying.

Jenny, Mario and Mario came with us.  Jenny and Mario decided it was too hard and ended up turning back.  But Mario Jr. did the hike.  Gabby made the hike look like a breeze, even running up part of the stairs.  But everyone agreed that it was a challenging hike.  I definitely struggled the most of all though.  That was humbling but I did it.  And I'm so grateful that Ella helped me down Izalco and then Alfredo stayed right with me as I slowly and painstakingly climbed back up Cerro Verde.

Views of Izalco from the top of Cerro Verde after the hike was complete.

Then we headed to Ataco for dinner.