God also has other plans for me, and certainly not to sleep in on this Sat. I am glad I went, not for the fact that I was the last one to make it up the hill (yes, it's time to get started on the gym... one of the frequent thought has crossed my mind), but the opportunity to get out of the city for a breath of fresh oxygen, and yes(!) to enjoy the blue sky and white clouds(!) which is a very rare sight in the polluted Beijing! And I believe, it is God's plan for Cat n I to finally meet each other, though I have heard about this friend of Adel's who have just arrived in BJ! Cat is now my best buddy in Beijing!
Packed into 2 cars, we took a 3-hr drive out of Beijing city. We stopped by a local eatery for lunch - better known as Nong(2) Jia(1) Cai(4) - translated as "farmers' dishes". We had "wild vegetables" - Ye(3) Cai(4) - which is not as tasty as the salty, oily dishes that we have gotten used to eating in Beijing, but certainly one up for health!
We finally started the climb up Wu Ling Shan at about 3pm. It was a rough climb up, and very soon, Alan n the rest were far ahead of us. But surely and slowly we got to the top! Thanks to WL n Cat for pacing me! :) The view from the top was breath-taking!
Other thoughts:
Have you ever faced a mountain that seemed impossible to overcome?
We face various mountains - work challenges, difficult relationships, stresses, and these don't seem to go away, reinforcing the fact that we are only human. I once read a book "Prayers to Move Your Mountains", and it reminded me that mountains are beneficial because they serve as reminders of our inability and God's ability. What kind of faith would we have if we never faced any challenges?
"God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20)
"For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I (Jesus) say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:22-24)
Sometimes I stumble upon the mountains in my life, but I know God directs my path :)
Here are some pics I managed to grab while taking breaks along the climb up Wu Ling Shan!
