At the end of the week, the teams that come down are given a "free day". For the Tullahoma team's free day they wanted to go check out the Pulhapanzak waterfall (which is 150 ft.) and boy was it a sight! This was my first time to the waterfall and I can honestly say that when you go there, you are experiencing something that would be featured in the National Geographic magazines. It was unbelievable!
When we arrived to the waterfall, we all changed and prepared for a tour through, under, and behind the waterfall. This was INCREDIBLE! When we started the tour, we went down a path which lead to a bunch of rocks we had to climb over. Once over the rocks you just see the guide jump into a large pool of water. When I saw that pool of water and realized that we had to go through...I knew that this was not going to be as easy as I expected. One by one everybody jumped into the pool of water and made it to the next set of rocks. Once over the rocks we walked right under the waterfall. That was brutal! The guide informed us that we could not breath through our noses because the water was so constant that it would go right in our nostrils. He then told us that we would have to hold our heads down and breath through our mouths. That really wasn't so hard. The hard part was seeing where you were going. After we went under the waterfall there was another pool of water and you could barely see where to go. All you could see was a white mist everywhere. Everyone made it through to the next set of rocks which went behind the fall so we all had a brief break from the constant pounding that the waterfall was laying on us (imagine water constantly falling on your head from 150 feet above).
That was where the best moment of the entire week for me occurred. Fabiola was a little bit nervous before starting (which surprised me because this was her second trip to the waterfall) and was not sure if she wanted to go. I told her that I would stay with her no matter what she decided and that if she was to go I would stay right with her. She opted to go...so I followed. I did not let her leave my side. After the first pool of water she told me she was starting to get cold but she kept pushing. When we made it behind the waterfall, there was a point where a person could sit without a lot of water hitting them. Tim and I told Fabiola to sit there. When we were at that spot, I noticed she was shaking and there was still some water falling on her. I put my left arm around her shoulders and placed my back to the water that way it would land on me and not on her. We sat there for at least 5 minutes. For me...that was a tremendous moment. All my life, I have had a desire to protect people (I believe that is why I wanted a career in Law Enforcement so badly) especially those I love. God blessed me with a moment in which I could protect her and sacrifice my comfort for her comfort. THAT MOMENT WILL FOREVER BE BURNED IN MY MIND AND IN MY HEART. I love these kids, they have all of my heart...and I had the opportunity to show that to one of them that very day.
After some time passed, we got to go inside a small cave (and I mean small!). After the cave we headed back out to the path so that we could jump off a 35ft. cliff into the water. That's right mom....I jumped off a cliff! It was cool! I wish I had a pic of it but I didn't even think to have Bob take a picture (he didn't go) for me. It...Was...Awesome!!!
I have never seen such a beautiful site. After walking out from under the fall, you had to climb a specific rock on the way out. I looked up and could see EVERYTHING. I could see the entire waterfall from top to bottom. I thought to myself "God is SO AMAZING!!!" Just think. If you look at these pictures I've enclosed, God made all of that! I was so grateful to experience what I did that day. I learned a lesson that day too. Because of my obedience, I blessed me with the opportunity to take part in something that most people around the world will never see. When we serve Him, He blesses us in ways that we could never imagine. I never thought that at the age of 25 I would see what I did that day. BUT, because of His mercy and grace...I was blessed to take part in it. That is something that things of this world can NEVER buy. All He wants are our hearts! We make it so hard on ourselves. Imagine how much more He would bless us if we were obedient all the time! Yet...even when we are faithless...He is faithful.
Thank you all for your prayers! FBC Tellico, I can not wait to see you guys! 2 more days!
"Yep...that is what we were under."
"Once again..we were under ALL of that! Cool huh!?"
"Amber DaCosta zip-lining across the fall (Shows how big the waterfall is!)"
"Big waterfall=Small People"
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