We spent week 2 on the 300 acre organic coffee plantation, Spirit Mountain, nestled in the mountains of Jarabacoa. If that did not sound pretty enough let me just assure you it was gorgeous there! We slept under pavilions, and I hung my hammock up and had a wonderful, restful week sleeping in it. We rode up in a truck with seats that gave us a panoramic view so besides the many bumps here and there it was a great trip up the mountain!
The days were set up quite the same as the first week with testimonies and devotions in the morning followed by an afternoon of adventure and games! This week was focused on the parables of the bible. These were great because each of the campers can relate to them in one way or another and it provides a visual for them of certain aspects of the bible. I put a couple of my favorite ones below because they are always good to be reminded of no matter how many times you have or have not heard them.
Mark 4:1-20 The Parable of the Sower
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
This was a good reminder that you can listen all you want, sing all you want, but that does not mean anything. It's what you go and do with it that really matters in your life and how you grow and spread that knowledge to others.
Luke 13:6-9 The Parable of the Fig Tree
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
This parable is showing that you can not expect to grow have all the answers right away. Just like it takes a while for you to grow when you are younger it takes time for you to grow in your faith. You have to 'fertilize' it and tend it which slowly builds your knowledge and faith in Him. And do not give up. No matter how long it takes there will always be people there rooting for you to bear your fruit and see the amazing things that can be done when this happens!
We had a couple more parables but these were some that hit home and that are good to be reminded of. After devotions in the morning in was time to begin our adventure activity for the day. The week was also full of cooking and baking! Rebecca (the other American girl leader) and I spent more time in the kitchen than I ever had but we learned many new, delicious recipes from Krista (the owner of Spirit Mountain). We made Moro, a Latin American dish of rice and beans, grilled vegetables, cookies, Italian flatbread, egg dishes, and much more! We also made Naan, a flattened bread, from scratch which I could go for a while without seeing! From the bread dough we made about 80 small circles and then had to grill each one of them. At dinner everyone said they were delicious so I guess they were worth it but by that time I did not want to taste one!
Mark 4:1-20 The Parable of the Sower
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
This was a good reminder that you can listen all you want, sing all you want, but that does not mean anything. It's what you go and do with it that really matters in your life and how you grow and spread that knowledge to others.
Luke 13:6-9 The Parable of the Fig Tree
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
This parable is showing that you can not expect to grow have all the answers right away. Just like it takes a while for you to grow when you are younger it takes time for you to grow in your faith. You have to 'fertilize' it and tend it which slowly builds your knowledge and faith in Him. And do not give up. No matter how long it takes there will always be people there rooting for you to bear your fruit and see the amazing things that can be done when this happens!
We had a couple more parables but these were some that hit home and that are good to be reminded of. After devotions in the morning in was time to begin our adventure activity for the day. The week was also full of cooking and baking! Rebecca (the other American girl leader) and I spent more time in the kitchen than I ever had but we learned many new, delicious recipes from Krista (the owner of Spirit Mountain). We made Moro, a Latin American dish of rice and beans, grilled vegetables, cookies, Italian flatbread, egg dishes, and much more! We also made Naan, a flattened bread, from scratch which I could go for a while without seeing! From the bread dough we made about 80 small circles and then had to grill each one of them. At dinner everyone said they were delicious so I guess they were worth it but by that time I did not want to taste one!
Our first adventure activity was rappelling! I had never been before so it was an exhilarating experience dangling off the cliff all the way down! The worst part was at the beginning having to step over the cliff but after that you just sit back like in a chair, relax (if you can call it that), and climb your feet down!
Our next activity was hiking to a beautiful waterfall! This is the hike that got me truly worried for the third week which was all hiking because I was out of breath in no time. However, we finally made it to the waterfall and spent a beautiful afternoon there splashing in the water, eating lunch on the bank, and getting lots of sun!
One of my favorite days was coffee picking! The whole coffee picking process was not my favorite..I never realized how much work it is to pick all the beans needed for coffee. The coffee plants are spread out on the plantation and during harvesting each worker is given a sack and told to spread out and go in a specific direction. The worker then carries a sack and works all day picking only the brightest red cherries off the plant for harvesting in the direction he is assigned. The plants can be a mere couple feet tall to 10-12 feet tall so the workers are constantly moving. Once their sack is full or the day is over they bring their cherries to the boss, and he checks to be sure all the cherries that were picked are red. If a green cherry is found the boss takes out that cherry as well as a red one. Because the worker is paid based on the weight of the sack, it is motivation to pick only the ripe berries. Call it laziness but after an hour of picking cherries I was plum tired of it and ready for the next thing..it makes me appreciate every cup of coffee I drink now!
Although the coffee process was extremely interesting my favorite part of the day was getting slightly misplaced..not lost...but just not sure where I was. I walked with a girl who had asthma back to the top of the hill while everyone was picking coffee still, and she ended up going back to camp, but of course I wanted to continue! I walked back down through all the coffee plants thinking I was going exactly the way I came up..but apparently not! All of a sudden a creek was on the right side of me that I had not seen the whole morning. As I tried to meander through the thick bushes I eventually tripped and fell in the creek. Of course I was wearing a white shirt that day so it was covered it mud and my legs in battle scar scratches! However, once I turned around I saw the prettiest sky I have ever seen. The sky was so blue and clouds so plump and white it was perfect! It took me a lot of trying and guessing to find the path to eventually make it back to camp, but exploring the plantation and seeing the gorgeous scenery made every 'almost lost' moment worth it. I finally did make it back to camp and the best part was it was right in time for lunch!
Our last day at Spirit Mountain we did a scavenger hunt all across the land! We split into groups and had to take pictures of various things such as ripe coffee, the bee containers, a high-five with a coffee worker, a bird, the red bridge, on a horse, and many many more! The team I was on just barely finished first and made it up to the mountain slightly before the next group!
With the beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, enlightening worship, and wonderful fellowship how could we not of had a great week 2 at Spirit Mountain! I was blessed to get the opportunity to spend the week there and nervous for the start of week 3!