Parents Visit

After Panama and Christmas my parents were able to visit! Hurray! Matthew had a 3 week break, so we literally had a week for each. Panama. Christmas. Parents. 

While my parents were here we enjoyed the Saba “beach” [manmade cove], snorkeling, playgrounds, museum and hiking!

Grandpa loved watching the power of the waves! Especially at the tidepools. 

On the hike to the tidepools we were able to see an old indigo boiling house

My parents got a taste of what it is like to really conserve water, and reuse water when possible. They discovered that they had to throw toilet paper in the trash, not the toilet… yes, even the “smudgy ones”. They witnessed no boat coming in and the island being out of eggs (we were without eggs for 3 weeks! And pretty much no produce either). They saw the tiny single gas station, and the incredibly short airport runway. They got to witness the power of the ocean while visiting the tidepools, and experiences the whindy skinny hilly roads 

(see this https://youtu.be/kC5jVbkv4og for a good display of our roads. Goes from one end of the island to the other, Nice little "Roller Coaster!").

Here Grandma is helping the grandkids bake

One day we hiked a very difficult trail, that we had never been on. It took us 5 hours, and the kids hiked the whole way! It was an incredible experience and we each took away some insight, spiritual promptings, or lesson from that challenge. I won’t do it again, at least not with the kiddos, but I wouldn’t go back and not do it either. It was a bonding and strengthening experience. 

 Looking into Windward Side from the top... Doesn't look very high, but it was! We had climbed over 1,200 feet. The distance from bottom of the trail to the top of the trail (if you could draw a straight line) was not even a half mile.... but there were lots of switch backs!

 Fairly early on the hike, before the trail got step, muddy and rugged

It had rained very heavily the day before. The entire trail was muddy, slippery and over grown. But going down was far worse then going up. So we just had to keep going. We knew there was an alternate way down, with a maintained/paved trail, and stairs. But we had to get to the top first. 

The kids were amazing troopers! It took us from 9:30am, until 2:30pm and they hiked the whole way! At one point Thomas was hungry, and tired, plus it was past nap time. He started whining, so we played the gratitude game. I know it was a prompting from the Lord, as He lifted our burdens and made them lighter. We were able to accomplish something that seemed insurmountable. I had been praying that the Lord would make it possible for us to get over the mountain, and for the trail to seem shorter. By following the prompting to express gratitude, we were able to have our burdens made light. The hike from there seemed easier, more attainable, and not so worrisome. Pretty soon the kids, on their own, had started singing any sort of words they could think of as we hiked along. Felt a little bit like the Pioneers. 

Mosiah 24:

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.