Bob Goff talks about saying YES more often, because when you say YES amazing things happen.
During one of our weekends in Swaziland, I gave a big YES to adventure, opting to forgo the lazy Sunday afternoon plans and instead jump in on a quest for a burger and some wifi.
Have you ever hiked four hours for a burger? I am not the type of person who goes out of her way to eat a burger, but the prospect of a hike down the beautiful Swaziland countryside mountains seemed appealing enough. I was in for the adventure, despite the clouds and thunders announcing themselves off in the distance.
Two local boys said they knew a shortcut and led the way. About an hour into our hike they said they were lost. They tend to be jokesters, so we laughed it off and kept walking. Shortly after, we got to the top of a mountain and to the end of a road. The two options ahead of us were to turn back and hike an hour back the way we came and then reroute, or hike down the steep and rocky mountain slope to our destination. We chose the latter.
Up and down the rocks we went, through the bushes, the trees, the boulders, the tall grass, the thorny branches. Muddy and exhausted, we finally made it to the restaurant as it started to sprinkle –two-and-a-half hours later.
As we were enjoying our nice meal and whatever wifi we could get, the weather kept getting bad. The dirt road back to our ministry site is steep and gets extremely slippery when it rains. We called a taxi and asked him to drive us as far as he safely could. A few minutes into the drive, his vehicle started slipping along the dirt road. When he hit a 45º angle in an attempt to go straight, we asked him to drop us off and turn around so that it would be safer for all of us. The sun was setting and the hike up the mountain would be hard. About 30 minutes into our hike it was already dark. The fog was thick and it was raining on-and-off. We had a few phones on us that had flashlights, but we waited until it was pitch black to turn them on –to conserve battery in case we needed to call for help. It was steep and we had to take each step slowly. We had to wait for each other and occasionally reach out in a reflex attempt to prevent us from falling.
We walked by faith. We had little to no visibility. It was raining. The road was steep and extremely slippery. Our shoes were heavy with mud. It was all uphill. We were tired. It was dark. We knew the trip up to the ministry site takes about half an hour by car, and we were walking. After an hour-and-a-half of hiking up the road, there was JOY in us when we saw the familiar lights and finally recognized the road we were on. We had made it safely. We had kept a positive attitude and our faith had brought us home.
Community is having someone catch you as you start to slip down the muddy hill. It’s carrying someone’s backpack or purse or take-away box of food. It’s holding someone’s hand when they feel faint and can’t do it alone; going fast, going slow, stopping when they need to catch their breath. It’s never leaving anyone behind, encouraging one another along the way until we all safely make it home.
Saying YES is always a risk, but it is a risk worth taking. When you say YES, unbelievable things happen.
