Magic gates

        "The Man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, Whither must I fly? Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, Do you see yonder Wicket Gate? The man said, No: The said the other, Do you see yonder Shining Light? He said, I think I do. Then said Evangelist, Keep that Light in your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou see the Gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do...the Man began to run...and ran on crying, Life! Life! Eternal Life!"      --The Pilgrim's Progress

We had a last minute experience this past weekend where we hopped in the car with some friends and took ourselves to the small village of Canchaque. This place is tucked away in the beginnings of the Andes two hours away from Piura.

On a hike Saturday morning, coming up on the ridge, we came upon this gate. Instantly this book came to mind. The "Man" is a character called Christian in the book, and at the start of it all, he is perplexed and in anguish due to conviction found in reading the Bible. He meets a man named Evangelist, who points him to the wicket gate, which symbolizes the door that is talked of in scripture, and tells him to knock upon it. There he will find what he is looking for, what his heart is wanting, what his heart needs.

What's next may have nothing to do with the above quote, but I don't care. I just thought it was cool and went along with the book I was reading.

Remember when we were considered children, and the times that we were playing and imagining things that were outlandish and only made any kind of sense to us. It was the stuff that when we talked of it to someone else, probably older, they would give an odd grin, pat our back and say, "That's nice." But we didn't care, actually we didn't even know- it was fantastic to us.

I see these gates or doors like this, that are old, with rust along the edges and nails jutting out from the wood, and think. I think about that above quote and book, and other books that I've grown up reading. And then my imagination kicks in and this intrigue and interest comes over me, and I feel like a kid again. I end up taking my time just a little slower than I normally would as I pass. What I really want to do, and have done a few times, is quickly sneak up to the gate/door and slowly fold my hand around the handle, and with a few creaks just take a peak past, like the biggest discovery lay beyond.

I want to see something magical beyond, like the door is a gateway. I want there to be a whole different world, that is but steps away. One that no other eye has ever seen, full of life and beauty and vivid colors that just seems full, feels real compared to our world. Maybe my deepest dreams would come true and the lands of Narnia would be awaiting me. Or maybe the one place I've been looking for my whole life would be there. My real home.

You can pat my back next time you see me and give me that grin.

But, what lay just past this gate wasn't Narnia, but was probably the next best thing. We stepped into a whole new world, that sucked the breath out of my lungs. I felt like Jesus was walking next to me, giving me a tour of this part of his creation, and just telling and whispering the whole time--I love you. 

These guys were the best guides we could have asked for to take us up to the 360 view, where we could see the village of Canchaque tucked away on one side, and the Andes growing on the other. 

Sorry for the repetitive photo-dump. I have so many more and know I'm leaving out some that I will want to share later, so be ready to see others. Thank you for reading and keeping up. I don't know why He would show me something like this, I really don't know why He loves me the way He does. I do know I love Him more because of this day. Eucharisto. 

Thanks Dad.