It’s been so long since I have written, I got caught up with a new business venture, work, family gatherings and many other things, but lately I was reminded of how important rest is. That it should not be ignored and that we should stop and pause, not just if we find the time, but regularly, really MAKING time to rest and just pause for moment. Buuuuut rest is not what I will be writing about in this entry (but it most probably will be on the next one, teehee).

Last Saturday, I had the awesome awesome opportunity to be invited by my friend Dana, to one of her friend’s climbs. I climbed the beautiful and breathtaking (literaly and figuratively 😂😂) Paminahawa Ridge in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. That was my second time reaching the peak of the ridge and I remembered the things that I learned on my climb prior to this one. I so badly wanted to write about it right after we got down from the ridge, but I never got the time. But, its better late than never, right? Ahihi.

I am not exactly a Mountaineer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy trekking, teehee~ 😉

“Motion before emotion“

The first time I climbed, I was with my D12, church friends and friends of friends, our guide was also a friend from CCF CDO. I was really happy when Ate Kri invited me, but when the day of the climb was approaching, I had second thoughts on going with them because I was thinking about the responsibilities that  I would be leaving behind, mainly the new business that my friends and I just started (will be writing about it also on the next posts, soon 😏😏), my job, etc. . I also felt tired and thought that I could better use my time with something else, or anything else. So I prayed about it and then God reminded me of what Deonna Tan-Chi said in one of her talks, “Motion before emotion“. I didn’t feel like going but I went anyway, thinking that it would be great opportunity to travel and also to bond with my D12 and friends.

We agreed to meet at a fastfood at the Agora Terminal in CDO. I was so early because the day before, I slept at my aunt’s house with Nanay at Opol, Misasmis Oriental. I arrived a couple hours earlier so I ate my lunch (there were a loooot of people in this fastfood, like supeeer. 😳😳), listened to some music while waiting and after I ate, used the time to pause and think and pray. It has actually been a long time since I was able to do that. Not hurrying to the next schedule, just thinking and watching other people pass by. I also was able to smile and say “Hi” to strangers just because I feel like it! I prayed and after that I was getting hopeful that this was gonna be an awesome time and that I am gonna have a lot of fun. (Woot woot!) But here’s one tip for everyone when traveling, always prepare yourself for what God wants you to learn in every circumstance. How? By always putting in mind that everything that happens, good or bad, is an opportunity to learn, to be more dependent on Him and to practice Christ-likeness. 😍 Yay!

When they arrived, I was feeling great and ready to climb! haha. Our guide was awesome enough to bring food for our breakfast and lunch for the next day (Thanks Kuya Oww, stay awesome!) and he even brought durian for us from their farm! I was having the time of my life (because Durian is life. mehehe) when a crew said they don’t allow customers to eat durian inside because of the smell, so we had to stop eating durian… for now. XD (sorry kuya crew, 🙊🙊)

To go to Bukidnon, we had to ride a bus from the Agora Terminal, our bus was so techie, haha! They have a tablet for every seat, equipped with wifi, movies, music and games! How cool is that? 😱😱 It was sooooo worth the 130php that I paid, sooo soooo much worth it!

“The enemy of the best is the good, If you’re always settling with what’s good, you’ll never be the best.”. 

Our initial plan was to climb and camp at the Ridge, eat dinner there, do some stargazing and in the morning enjoy the beautiful sunrise. So we were all hoping that it wouldn’t rain. On our way to Bukidnon, it was sunny, but when we arrived at Impasug-ong, the rain poured! 😧 Since it was my first time climbing a ridge in Bukidnon, I wasn’t that prepared at all for the pouring rain. All my things were wet, I was able to put my phone in a ziplock before I went down the bus so it was secured and my friend, Shera, offered to put my camera in one of her dry bags so that’s also safe, buuuut myclothes, wallet and everything else was soaked. Well not all my clothes, because amazingly, my PJs for that night was still dry (yay!). When we arrived at the Ant Farm, (nope, they aren’t breeding ants or something, haha, and I still don’t even know why it’s called Ant Farm. HAHA.) we settled in an open shed along with all the other hikers who were hoping to climb up the ridge. The guides won’t allow people to climb up to the ridge anymore because the water in the river is so high and people won’t be able to pass through. So our plan had to change, so instead of climbing at the top that afternoon, we had to climb up to the ridge, early morning (like 2am. 😮) just to catch the sunrise. And so goes the first lesson God is teaching me during the climb.

It’s always good to plan, but God can adjust our plans to give us the best experience!

We, (most of the time) think that we know what is good for us. But that actually is not always true. Jerry Rice once said, “The enemy of the best is the good, If you’re always settling with what’s good, you’ll never be the best.”. Sometimes we think that our plans- not only our travel plans but life plans as well- are the best for us, but actually its not. We should allow God to override our plans and embrace His plan for our lives. ❤

But, here’s the catch, you should know that I didn’t think about it that way at that time (teehee) it took a lot of climbing, sweating and panting until I got to that thought. 😅😅😅 I was a actually a bit annoyed at first when the plan changed and because there was mud everywhere and we were all wet but then I remembered my fast food moment and my prayer and that this is going to be an awesome climb.

 

Going back to the trek, we had to stay the night at the Ant Farm, we ate the packed dinner we brought and amazingly, there was a Sari-sari store in the Ant Farm so some of us got to drink some coffee while drying off our clothes (and ourselves, ha!) and looking for places to pitch our tents. We finally found a place to pitch our tent so we did and then we tried to settle in the best way we can think of. Eventually, we started conversations while eating, we laughed and eventually, no one noticed our muddy feet anymore, or how wet we were earlier, we were having fun with the pleasure of each other’s company. 😊😊 I had conversations with church friends that I don’t usually have in a regular basis and it was really nice. We were able to talk about life, work, family and lot of other stuff. But eventually, we had to sleep so that we will be able to wake up early in the morning to start climbing and get to the ridge in time for the sunrise.

Hebrews 6:11 says, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.”

1am, I got up, hoping to see a clear sky so I can take pictures of the stars but instead the sky was so much covered with clouds that I can’t even see a single star in the sky, I was a bit disappointed but eventually decided to help prepare for the early morning climb instead of drowning myself with grief… and sadness… and remorse (okay I’m exaggerating, Bahahahha). So I helped prep the food that will be cooked for our breakfast at the top of the ridge and all the other things that needed to be prepared.

When everyone was awake and ready to climb, we then prayed together for safety and so could start the climb right. 🙏

Trekking to the top of the ridge was not easy. The trail was to go down to the river and then go up again and then at some point a flat terrain and then the last one is the steepest. The trail was muddy from the rain the day before, and it was dark so we had to use flashlights to light the trail. Some of us slipped because the trail was so slippery, but surprisingly, we just laughed, tried helping each other and had a great time! There were a lot of moments where I tried catching my breath because it was not an easy trail but, we have to push through and try to get to the top!

Although it was not an easy climb, I had scratches along the way, some parts of the body did hurt, plans were changed but, all that didn’t matter when I got to the top. It is one of the most majestic and wonderful things I have ever seen in my life (was char).

So here’s another important lesson that I learned, persevere and look towards the goal. Even though sometimes (or most of the time) it’s really hard and painful and we still don’t know what is waiting for us at the end of our journey, but one thing we know for sure is that what God has prepared for us will be awesome (or way awesomer!!) ! ⛰⛰

Hebrews 6:11 says, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.”

We can never see what’s in store for us at the end of the tunnel if we don’t persevere despite the darkness along the way. We can never appreciate the beauty of the butterfly if it doesn’t undergo the metamorphosis that it needs. We can never know what God’s Best is if we don’t obey God and follow His will all the way, even though it is an impossible path. The best things in life will only be experienced if we persevere in doing what God wants us to do in our lives. 🌄

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

And the awesome thing is, doing that God wants us to do is impossible without His Grace.  The hard part is surrendering to God and saying, “Lord, I can’t do it.”. We, myself included, think (most of the time, ehe) that we can do it on our own. That we can be independent, but here’s the truth, you can’t do it, you won’t be able to reach the top, you can’t be the daughter or the son your parents wanted you to be, you can’t be great at your job, apart from God. But with God’s grace, He can do amazing things through your life. What we have to do is surrender and be dependent fully on Him.

Pastor Ricky Sarthou said in one of his messages, “In surrendering, we win.” The more we are dependent on God, the more we will be victorious in our school, in our careers, in our ministries, in our families, in our businesses, in our life.

I had a great time with my D12 my dgroup member, Eunice and my fellow churchmates, it was not easy but we persevered!

Life is like climbing a mountain, (or ridge XD) we need strength from the Lord, we need to persevere to get to the top, we shouldn’t let hardship or pain stop us, we learn from our bruises and we also need awesome friends to share the experience with.

We exist for relationships. ❤️

 

Toodles!

Love,

Nenen 💃🏼

 

Ps. You might be wondering about my experience in Paminahawa Ridge climb no. 2, so stay tuned! 😉