Carry the Cross

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ~ Matthew 16:24-25

This past weekend the entire Highlands faculty journeyed together for a spiritual retreat, which was my first time outside the city limits since I arrived in Bolivia.  Our trip began with a breathtaking, 3-hour drive on the Yungas Road, more commonly known as "Death Road."  Courtesy of Wikipedia:  "It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the world's most dangerous road. One estimate is that 200 to 300 travelers are killed yearly along the road."  (Ironically, it's become a huge tourist attraction.)  This is the main route between the capital city and the Yungas, the Amazon rainforest region that stretches along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains.  In the photos below, you can see the transformation of the landscape from high to low altitudes.  

Welcome to the jungle!  

Our faithful bus with all of our precious cargo!

When we arrived at El Puente, the Christian camp that hosted our retreat, the bus had to drop us off at a certain point because the road turned into a narrow dirt path.  We carried all of our luggage, equipment, and food down the path and across this picturesque rope bridge.  (Trust me, it's a lot safer than it looks.)

My beautiful roommates and I

The weekend was led by a group from the Kairos church in La Paz.  My favorite moments were the times when we worshiped together in both English and Spanish.  During each session, speakers shared a message about something that God had been laying on their hearts, including our identity as sons and daughters of a loving Father, the challenge to know God more each day, and Jesus's invitation to commune with him.  

The one message that really shook me was this command to "carry the cross."  Throughout the weekend, each person on the retreat was asked to carry this physical cross (pictured below) for a period of time.  Sometimes it seemed strange or a bit awkward to haul around this heavy wooden frame, but it painted a beautiful picture of the church.  This call to carry the cross is intended for both the individual believer and for his community.  We daily lose our lives and deny ourselves as Christ did for others so that we can bear His light and easy yoke.  The cross connects us with our Heavenly Father, but it also stretches out to connect with our fellow man.

  

Before we left El Puente, we stopped to pick some fresh mangoes!  The ground was scattered with them after a storm from the night before.  It was a great way to end the weekend, say goodbye to mosquitoes and humidity, and return to La Paz!