I have been spending as much spare time as possible, little that I have, not only reading but studying the New Testament. I have found such inspiration from Jesus and His time praying to His Heavenly Father while atop of a mountain…especially while He grieves. With my grief overwhelming me at times, the idea of praying to God above all of the commotion and in utter peace sounds very appealing…my heart and soul have whispered to me that I should pursue my mountain top prayer…and for good reason.
We have very little time, our ride to the airport arrives in 2.5 hours, so we have just enough time to pack, shower and make breakfast…all of course after a good 1.5 hour hike up a mountain and back. We appreciate a good challenge so why not add a little time crunch into the mix? We heard that with an aggressive pace the summit could be reached in 35 minutes without stops for photos and numerous breaks, we planned to include both of these things. We also heard that this particular hike was quite steep and without switchbacks…we heard correctly. Our mistake for the morning was attempting this hike on an empty stomach…but time was of the essence and we didn’t take a moment to contemplate any further. We were out the door 15 minutes after rising from our beds.
We started off strong and the adventure was fun yet difficult, it was a very steep ascension with loose gravel and puffy dirt. The air was of no help either, Huaycan, the city we were volunteering in, was a dustbowl. There was so much dirt and dust in the air that leaving your window open for an hour would leave a nice little coat on all of your belongings…enough to draw a picture or sign your name. As we climbed, the city below faded away below the thick dust blanket. We took many breaks as the slight elevation, thick dirty air, steep ladder like climb and lack of substance in our tummies took their effect. We were about ¾ of the way up when I noticed Ryan was having a bit of trouble…but the summit was in our sights…so we discussed the possibility of him waiting as I continued my ascension to the top or if he would join me. Our conversation was cut short by a single butterfly fluttering it’s way around us. I pointed it out and we both stopped dead with disbelief. We were at least 1500 feet up and there were absolutely no signs of life anywhere. We couldn’t even make out the children playing on the soccer fields below. No vegetation, no birds, no insects…nothing…just the two of us and a solitaire butterfly. We knew our next steps were clear, continue on with our journey to the peak. Both of our energy levels skyrocketed with this very clear sign from my beautiful wife and our wonderful Father. This amazing butterfly continued to guide us up the mountain side through the trail. We stopped for one last rest before the final push. I looked around but didn’t see our newfound friend anywhere.
As we grew closer to our destination we began to notice the neighboring peaks punching through the dust screen blanketing the city below. Our skin began to warm as it baked from the sun’s unhindered glow. We broke free from the dusty barrier and laid witness to our first breathtaking view of the sky’s blue radiance in over a week. This is what the people of South America mean when they call Heaven “El Cielo”. It was an overwhelming experience as our ascent leveled out and we arrived at our final destination. And what of course was waiting for us? Our old friend fluttering around in what seemed to be delight. I felt my knees begin to weaken not due to the exertion but to the wondrous beauty and love I was witnessing from my Father above. I became overwhelmed with emotion as my heart began to burst with joy. My prayers had once again been answered, my beloved was waiting for me and guiding me as always, and the signs could not have been more clear to myself and Ryan alike. We both took our moment to process this magnificent gift. As I prayed to God with complete gratitude, the gentle breeze cooled my body and trail of tears. The prayer and the moment was so very powerful, very enriching, healing and blissful for my heart & soul.
I looked around at all of the wonder below…not a sound except the wind in my ears. I spoke to Jessica and thanked her for this very clear sign, her guidance and her love. Her generosity didn’t stop there as we were joined by another butterfly, then a third, then a couple joined in the fun as they fluttered and chased each other as a courtship unfolded…two more after that…beaming and buzzing around our desolate mountain top. There was no mistake, we had been blessed beyond our own understanding and both laid testament to the tiny miracle we witnessed. We took our time, enjoyed the moment and then prayed together thanking our Lord for all that we have been blessed with thus far. We humbly requested for our journey to continue to be guided by my love and our Heavenly Father. We made our flight with time to spare and a story we’ll never forget.
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