Eliason Misha is a porter, not a pastor by trade. But when he heard his pastor preaching a message in church, he started asking questions. The pastor requested a moment alone and Eliason used the opportunity to suggest the preacher “make (his message) more understandable.”
“Marveled by this, he asked Eliason, ‘How did you get this way?’” Kingdom worker Damson Samson relayed. “He told him, ‘This is from Climbing For Christ.’
“The next day the pastor sent him five church leaders to be learning from him.”
Climbing For Christ has been teaching guides and porters in the Kilimanjaro Chapter how to evangelize since we organized them in 2008. In 2017, we began using resources from The Timothy Initiative (TTI) – teaching disciples how to make disciples.
This has led to a disciple-making movement around Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and the birthplace of Climbing For Christ.
DMD training began as a way to reach the tens of thousands of trekkers who visit Kilimanjaro from around the world through their Christian guides and porters. But these brothers in Christ took it a step farther, applying what they are learning about making disciples and planting churches to relationships in their families and communities.
Bible studies blossomed and new believers emerged. As Damson said, “It might be (we do) two days of training or three days of training (four times a year), but we have thousands of people being impacted through all these trainings.”
In 2022, 28 guides and porters will complete their second DMD training (an advanced class) and begin a third TTI study, “Discovering the Bible,” to further equip them for God’s work. Another 35 guides and porters are in the second (advanced) DMD study.
PROVERBS 16:9 MOMENTS: Lord willing, our plan is to return to Tanzania March 24-April 8 for Mission: Kilimanjaro 2022. This will be our 14th expedition since 2007. We will finish our advanced DMD training and graduate that class before beginning the “Discovering the Bible” study. Our team will also climb Kilimanjaro. Tanzania is currently Level 4: Do Not Travel because of COVID-19.