"Break for 30." Team leader said.

With a toss, i threw my rucksack on the ground. 40 pounds of load on my shoulder for the last 20 hours made me slouch like an 80 year old man with severe back problems coupled with stiff knees that would break anytime you try bending them.

Flopped, i threw myself on the sandy ground. Faster than anyone could shout "UNO!", i dozed off. Only to be woken up the very next minute by my teammate. 3 days of walking through hilly terrain and stormy weather, Finally for once, we saw the sun.

I dragged myself to my rucksack and with what remaining strength i had, i reached for my ruck sack and pulled it towards me. Took out my map and some chow. Two other teammates came over and sat with me. We began to discuss our next course of movement and we found ourselves with two news, one steep road and no alternative. First, a good news - our last leg of distance to cover. Second, bad news - It's an infamous hill, our predecessors called "The Mountain". Steep road? An average of 60-70 degree inclined uphill walk. Alternative - none.

As they called this "Wanderer", we truely lived up to it. Suddenly, i remember something pastor mentioned before. Wander and Wonder... i smile to myself. One of my teammates saw me smiling and he asked me what's on my mind. Then i told him about what i suddenly remembered and he mentioned, "how true... we wandered around for a good 3 days and wondered why we signed up for this crazy course anyway.."

One of them who sat quietly burst out quoting bible verse almost immediately "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." "Mark11:23", i said.

I smiled, stood up and walked away from the group. Looking across, sitting quietly some 500m away is this "mountain" i have to cross in order to get to the other side. With heaviness of breath and thoughts of weariness i thought "where do i go from here?" *pause* "Be removed and be cast into the sea" i muttered under my breath and I thought to myself, why remove the mountain? Definitely, this "mountain" looks determined to stay in the way between me and my destination... Why can't we leave it there and walk around it? take another route? I turned to look at us, and realised... we have no other alternatives..

"Why do you want to cross this mountain?" i heard the Lord asked. "Because i want to get to the other side?" "What's on the other side of the mountain? HE asked. "My destination for this exercise.. rest place.. end of all tiredness and walking..." "Now, would you want to move this mountain if you know what's waiting for you on the other side?" I sighed a breath of relief... and the weight, a weight heavier than my rucksack, a weight that caused more than just my knees to creak and crack, a weight bigger than one i carried on my shoulder.. The weight left my heart as i looked up and groaned.

Definitely and surely it was the Lord... it began to drizzle.. not one that's overcast with dark and stormy clouds.. but one with light breeze and rays of sun peering thru... This was my perfect moment... And quite literally, i said what Caleb said thousands of years ago.. "Give me this mountain." Stories of old by our predecessors grew old with them but faith and strenght was renewed in me by the grace of God. "How does the world look to you now?" HE asked. "Light and bright." I said...

Thou the mountain did not move physically, it moved in my heart. And the strenght that rushes thru me is beyond words or description. I felt i could walked this mountain anytime anyway possible, as if it's not there anymore..

Mountain moving faith... definitely wasn't mine but HIS... HIS faithfulness that moved my mountain. How he reminds me that HE is always here thou i so often forgot.. HE IS... Not HE was or HE will be.. but HE IS... even at this very moment when i'm writing this.. HE IS with me..
I walked back and picked up my rucksack and flipped it on my back, slinged it on my shoulder and signal to my teammates, "Follow me". I walked.. Surprised by my choice of words (which is what Jesus told his disciple) and amused by my teammates' look.. One liner to describe their priceless expressions, in the words of my instructor.. Kangaroos spotlight"ed". Words of one of my teammates, "when you said 'follow me', you confirmed our usual conclusion about you... You are one crazy man.."

*Smiled* I'm getting to the other side and no one's stopping me now..
"Give me this mountain.."