No, You Can't Get There

One of the things I often hear in my travels is “no, you can’t get there”. Either the last bus for the day has left, or there are no buses, or there is no road anymore.

To me, “no, you can’t get there” sounds a little more like “I double-dog dare you to try and get there”, or “I’ll bet you can’t make it”.

And, through all my travels, every time someone tells me I can’t, I take it personally, and I always find a way to do it.

In Peru, they told us the mountain had collapsed onto the road, and so it was impossible to get to Cuzco. Maybe we’d have to wait a day or two, or maybe as long as several weeks. Of course this was entirely too long. So, I took a bus to the avalanche, and then hiked over it and onto the other side of the road. An hour later a bus coming the other way, who apparently hadn’t heard the news, came to the no longer existing road, and as he couldn’t continue, turned around and headed back towards Cuzco. I hopped on, and was on my way.

In Montevideo, Uruguay I went early in the morning to the bus station to catch a bus to Porto Alegre, Brazil, where our conference was starting the next day. But, they told me, I couldn’t get there- the only buses for Southern Brazil leave at night, and take over fourteen hours. If I waited in Montevideo for the next direct bus, I would be late.

So, I just took any bus that would get me a little closer to Porto Alegre. Every time we got to our destination, when I asked about getting to PA people told me it wasn’t possible. Little by little I got closer, and after four or five buses, and 16 hours, I arrived in Porto Alegre at midnight.

In Mbeya, Tanzania, I got to the bus station at about 3 pm and asked about the next bus to Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Many people told me it was impossible- I’d have to wait till the next morning. One man was very insistent on this point- but that’s probably because he had a bus going to Dar the next day.

After asking around at the bus station, I found out they were right. The next bus left in 17 hours! But I wanted to be in Arusha by the next day.

With some help, I went to the nearby junction, and by 4 pm I had found a truck driver going to Dar who agreed to take me with him- for less than a bus ticket would cost. It was even more comfy than the bus, as there was lots of space, and I got a good amount of sleep. Early in the morning we came to the road to Arusha, and in 15 minutes I was on the next bus.

Its funny how, in life, so many people tell us “no, you can’t”. They could help us or point us in the right direction, but instead they tell us no. Even our best friends do this, too! But sometimes when you feel called to do something (and, I’m not talking about buses anymore), you just won’t take no for an answer. In my experience, there are always obstacles to doing what you feel called to do. Some are bigger than others, and sometimes we let them block us from God’s Will. As for me, I always like the challenge. It wouldn’t be as fun without a couple of obstacles.