Stories That I Can't Explain: Mt. Apo

During my time in Davao City, Philippines, there was one thing I really wanted to do...

Climb Mt. Apo!

Not only was it the tallest mountain in the country, but it required a 3-day trek through jungle and volcanic terrain.  It was my kind of adventure.  But there was one problem.  My contacts were hesitant about taking me on the journey (both me and my friend, Dan).

 This is him

You see, not only did the trek come with the risks you might expect, but there were also radical Muslims in the mountains and they were known to kidnap foreigners.  But I didn't care!  If anything, I was only more interested now.

What fun is it living in fear of everything??

So after many failed attempts with my Filipino friends, it became clear we weren't going to climb Mt. Apo.  And now it was too late to schedule a guide to take us.  I was bummed out.  But hey, complaining wasn't going to get me anywhere, was it?

And little did I know that something incredible was in the works...

Mt. Apo

One morning, I was on my way to catch a ferry in to Davao from Samal Island, a small island we spent 2-weeks on.  And as I approached the boat, it departed right in front of me!  I was literally less than a minute late and that meant I needed to wait another thirty minutes for another boat to arrive.

But in that moment, I remember making a conscious decision to not be frustrated about it.  Instead, I looked for the good in the situation.

I intentionally opened myself up to the realm of possibilities and what ifs.  And as I did this, I noticed a complete shift in my attitude.  Instead of being frustrated, I was happy.  And instead of being irritable, I became hopeful.  But really, there was no apparent reason for my sudden change in attitude.  I had just missed my boat on a hot, hot day.  I was tired and most-likely hungry.

And that's when I saw them!

The next ferry had arrived and as the passengers began to unload, I realized that I recognized two of them!  It was Ken and Carol, a young, married couple from the university I taught at!  I couldn't believe it!  I had no idea they were in the Philippines and, while we didn't know each other too well at the time, I had always wanted to get to know them better.  And now here they were!

But it gets better...

We only had a minute to talk because I didn't want to miss another ferry.  But what came out of their mouth next astounded me.  They had just arrived in Davao for the sole purpose of climbing Mt. Apo!  And the trek was in a couple days.  This was something they had researched, planned for, and scheduled well in advance and now I had an opportunity to go with them!

How incredible is that??

So think about this.

I really wanted to climb this mountain in Davao but my contacts wouldn't take me.  And then, out of the blue, I bump in to some friends who teach at the same university in China and happen to be doing the very thing I so desperately wanted to do... two days later!  And now I was able to join the adventure!

   

And know this: not only did I not know they'd be in the Philippines, but the Philippines is a country made up of 7,107 islands & close to 100 million people.

So how did all this so beautifully come together?
And as you can see, we went on to have an absolute wonderful time!

This is some amazing stuff, friend.  Seriously.  Has anything like this ever happened to you?  This is the kind of stuff that makes you want to wake up in the morning... the kind of stuff that makes life seem rather interesting, don't you think?

  

And Remember!

When one door seems to be closing, don't let it ruin your day (or week or month or year)!  Maybe something better is coming.  Keep your eyes open and be intentional.  Live in state of expectancy and don't be a drag.

We really don't know what may be around the next corner!

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Fun Fact: During the same trip, I ran in to another couple from my university and the guy was a writer.  A new friendship emerged.  We played lots of ping-pong together and talked about creative writing.  And it was because of him that I began writing short stories, plugging away at some books, and honing in on my writing skills.  

And that one man has encouraged my writing more than any other person I know.  His name is Mike and he's a great guy!

If you'd like to read one of his (hilarious) stories, click here!

This is us in Cebu