By GARY FALLESEN, Climbing For Christ

Thursday, Dec. 11

Misael Minja, center, explaining how he led one man to the Lord in Shira 1 camp on Dec. 4. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

John spent most of the day with Tanzania’s immigration department tracking down his new passport so he can GO with Damson and me to Malawi on Saturday. Praise God he succeeded! Appropriately, the picture page has Mount Kilimanjaro behind John’s headshot and passport information. Very cool.

Damson and John met with our team members late Wednesday to distribute “tips” (for lack of a better word) to the 21 guides and porters on our outreach expedition. It was a small gesture of gratitude from Climbing For Christ to hard-working men who sacrificed six days on the mountain with no pay. Damson called it “another blessed moment. They were happy to get the support.” It will help most of them get through this month.

Still, they asked for prayer “as they are struggling to get food,” Damson added. “What you have given them will help support their families” between jobs on the mountain. All have expressed desire to return to higher elevation to share the Gospel with others.

Misael Minja, an older porter, said he is ready to GO again in the near future if the Lord wills it. He said, “It was a good time all together.”

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Fadhil Ally and Benson Mbayu size up a rental backpack. (Photo by Damson Samson)

A week ago, we were heading for the Lemosho Gate and a six-day outreach trek on Mount Kilimanjaro. But first a few of our Kilimanjaro Chapter members needed some gear. A quick stop at a rental shop inspired us to discuss acquiring gear which can be maintained and stored by chapter coordinator John Mollel and used by our membership when they need to GO to the mountain.

“That’s the most important thing – to have the right gear,” Damson said today during our planning meeting. “A couple of guys had to have boots repaired on the mountain.”

One paid someone from another company to cobble his shoes, and another ended up making the long descent in sneakers that were too small and left him with blisters on his feet.

The cost of renting backpacks, boots, and sleeping bags was steep. “It was almost like you’re buying it,” Damson said. Which is exactly what we’ll do moving forward.

John, whose C4C Maasai Brothers & Grand Tours company we helped start, will be tithing his guiding profits to the Kilimanjaro Chapter (and Climbing For Christ will match that amount) to purchase gear for use by our guides and porters.

I was having a flashback to our inaugural Mission: Kilimanjaro 2007, when we delivered 10 duffel bags full of gear to the Kilimanjaro Porters’ Assistance Project in Moshi.

A much younger me delivering gear in 2007. (Photo by Shawn Dowd)

The next outreach opportunity will occur during Mission: Kilimanjaro 2026. Today we decided to change the dates for that expedition from March to late July-early August. The crowds and the weather will both be better for evangelism. In March, we will meet to check out and encourage small groups, graduate members from our fourth study (“Communicating the Bible”) and start the fifth (“The Book of Acts & Church Planting”), and welcome new members to the chapter and intro-to-DMD training.

Anyone interested in GO-ing on Mission: Kilimanjaro 2026 in late July-early August should email info@ClimbingForChrist.org and request a mission application. We are asking the Lord of the harvest to send workers.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Happy 64^th birthday, Tanzania! Today is Independence Day and more political unrest was called for and expected in opposition to the disputed election of the country’s president in late October. Hundreds were killed in the aftermath of the audacious claim by the president elect that she had won 97 percent of the vote. (The actual number of dead is unknown because many were allegedly put in mass graves.)

Independence Day celebrations were cancelled and police and military, who roughed up protesters nearly six weeks ago, patrolled mostly empty streets in the bigger cities. When asked what people would do for Independence Day, a worker at our Moshi hotel said, “There will be no celebration.”

We thought that perhaps the Spirit brought us off the mountain early because of the threatened demonstrations and potential violence. But all’s quiet on the East Africa front.

“It was cool, no demonstrations (in Moshi),” Kingdom worker John Mollel said tonight, “though some police were seen patrolling around until now. No bad news. We thank God for that.”

We celebrate a Sovereign King who puts people in power – whether they are good or evil – for His purposes. As Jesus told Pilate, who thought he had “authority” to release the Son of Man, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above” (John 19:11). It has been this way throughout HIStory and will continue until the return of Christ the King.

We had the blessed opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with nearly 200 people on Mount Kilimanjaro. We were honored to pray with and for 68 who recognized Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of their lives.

Damson and me with Gift Mbayu in the clouds and cold at the top of the Barranco Wall on Monday. (Photo by John Mollel)

Today was a day of recuperation after six days on the mountain hiking more than 32 miles (51 kilometers), ascending 9,000 feet (2,750 meters) from the Lesmosho Gate and descending 12,000 feet (3,650 meters) to the Mweka Gate. Damson shared with me a list of people our team met and their phone numbers. The guides and porters in the Kilimanjaro Chapter will do follow-up discipleship, invite new believers into their small groups, and possibly get some to join our third class of Intro to DMD (disciples making disciples).

We were surprised by the smaller number of trekkers on the mountain. Perhaps the news of late October – and heightened warnings by bodies such as the U.S. Department of State, which elevated its travel advisory for Tanzania to Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) – kept some people away. Too bad. Other than some cold weather on the mountain, everything is cool here.

Monday, Dec. 8

Damson maneuvers his way around “The Kissing Rock” during the 800-vertical-foot scramble up the Barranco Wall. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)

I was under spiritual attack last night as I slept. Damson woke up at 3 a.m. and felt a disturbance and restlessness in the camp. He prayed just as I had and there was peace.

God’s timing, our daily Bible reading had us in Ephesians 6 and putting on “The Whole Armor of God.” The Word told me to hold up my “shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil” (Ephesians 6:16). I shared this with our team during morning prayer. We rejoiced that the enemy was attacking because his stronghold was being infiltrated by the Light.

I also had a Word for the Kilimanjaro Chapter members with us: “We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better” (Colossians 1:9b-10).

Then we prayed and started a day we could not see coming. The original plan was to move to Karanga camp, but the few teams at Barranco were bypassing Karanga to go directly to Barafu and summit attempts tonight. That meant there would be little opportunity to evangelize. This combined with the bitter cold weather our team had endured each night and my constant cough led John and Damson to decide we should descend after reaching Karanga.

(I came to Tanzania with a chest cold but improved during the first three days of what became a six-day trek. Then we hit days of rain, snow, and cold.)

“The weather did not do us a favor,” Damson summarized after what he understatedly dubbed “a challenging day.”

Gift Mbayu guides us through the clouds on the way to Karanga.

It was a 13.5-mile (22-kilometer) day that began with a scramble up the 800-foot Barranco Wall in the worst weather I’ve seen  in my eight trips up that Wall. After topping out at 13,900 feet (4,235 meters), we continued to Karanga, which requires a descent to near the source of the Karanga River (Karanga means peanut in Swahili) and a climb up the other side.

We stopped for lunch before pressing on in an unrelenting wind, descending more than 7,000 feet (2,130 meters) over the next 10 miles (16K) to reach the Mweka Gate in the dark. We spent most of the day walking in the clouds. If you’ve never experienced that, it’s cold and wet.

Sunday, Dec. 7

Hosea Ngomuwo, standing center, reads from Acts 4:1-21 as part of our lesson on “Action” at Barranco Camp. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

When I looked at the 20 guides and porters sitting in front of me on Mount Kilimanjaro, I could imagine what Jesus must have seen in His first disciples. Ordinary guys who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, would be able to turn the world upside down.

My lesson for them, called “Action,” was based on the early Acts Church. The key passage of this study at 13,044 feet (3,976 meters) was Acts 4:1-21. I told them they are “hot coals” and wherever they go God can use them to ignite a fire.

Peter and John, in the Scripture that was shared, said they could not stop telling “about everything we have seen and heard” (verse 20) despite the threats from authorities. My prayer for these Kilimanjaro Chapter members is they will not be able to stop telling others about the wonderful things Jesus has done – for them and for everyone in the world.

I am honored to walk the high trails of Kilimanjaro with these men. Repeatedly, I have thanked God for this opportunity; grateful that He chose a regular guy like me with no formal training in the Scriptures to be a part of what He is doing here through Climbing For Christ’s Kilimanjaro Chapter. Like the first disciples, we have learned from Jesus’ teachings, and now are teaching others. Disciples making disciples.

Our morning lesson closed in Ephesians 3:16-21 with the hope that God will accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. All to His glory. And then, prepped in the Word, we sent them back out for a second day of evangelism in Barranco Camp and the fifth day of outreach on Mission: Kilimanjaro 2025.

Gift and Denis greeted Americans at the Barranco Camp ranger station, where tourists must sign in. (Photos provided by Damson Samson)

Gift Mbayu and Denis Makule were sent to be greeters where the trail reaches the camp. They were assigned to share with clients, which is the next hurdle in the teaching of outreach on the mountain. Porters generally stay clear of contact with clients, and some don’t have the language skill to communicate.

“The first group gave us courage,” said Gift, who is a guide, about the two American trekkers who were willing to listen to them. “We realized we could do it.

“When the next one came, I said, ‘My name is Gift and I have a gift for you.’ He said, ‘My name is Dennis.’ Denis said, ‘That’s my name.’ He said, ‘Wait, if I said my name was Jeremy, would you be Jeremy?’”

The American Dennis was happy to receive the Kilimanjaro Chapter’s What-if-you-die-tonight? brochure. In all, Gift and Denis said “karibu” (welcome) to 12 clients, including two Americans who said they were “non-religious” and didn’t want to talk about anything religious. Gift explained that that’s why we’re here. “If this camp disappears tonight – BOOM! – it’s not going to matter if you say you’re ‘non-religious’ or ‘religious,’” Gift said. “You need the Gospel.”

Twelve people (of the 42 who heard the Good News from our 20 members) did receive Jesus, including a tent with two guides and six porters. MacDonald Seka opened their ears by suggesting that he and the three brothers in Christ who were with him had walked in their shoes.

“You’re thinking, ‘We are porters and guides and we work hard,’ but you’re already thinking of parties, women, (houkas),” Mac said. “But we’re here to preach about Jesus Christ, Who will change your life. So what little you make on the mountain, you will use wisely.”

MacDonald Seka, right, who is a porter and a pastor, and Ashery Tibu, second from right, reporting the day’s outreach results with other chapter members. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

The group shared more about Jesus, seeds having already been planted as one of the guide’s clients was wearing a New Testament bracelet given to her by one of our guys. He asked to know more about the symbols on it and Ashery Tibu explained the story of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and imminent return.

Saturday, Dec. 6

Stormy weather on the southern face of Kibo. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)

We lost another today, but we knew where he went and it wasn’t a wrong turn on the trail. Erick Mushi, who hiked with me yesterday, had to descend to take care of his ailing hospitalized mother. It was a loss to our team; not only was he bold in his witness but two days ago when a ranger asked one of our team for a Bible, he produced one from his gear and it was delivered.

I could tell he was sad to say goodbye as he went in one direction and the team went in another.

Erick Mushi.

We climbed out of Shira 2 camp going nowhere but up for more than two miles (3K) to reach 14,400 feet (4,390 meters). After a short descent, we climbed again – this time topping out at 15,000 feet (4,572 meters), which is higher than any mountain in the Lower 48 of the United States.

John Mollel was walking on sunshine early in the day as we ascended the Lemosho route to its intersection with the Machame route, which C4C and I have used numerous times.

We were cruising along when the weather did what mountain weather does: turned ugly. It snowed and rained as we descended into the normally picturesque Barranco Valley with its unique flora and fauna. The last two miles of the six-mile (10K) hike were on muddy trails with slick rocks under every step.

Giant groundsels (Dendrosenecio) line the trail coming into Barranco Camp.

After arriving at Barranco (13,044 feet/3,976 meters), the weather worsened. John worried that the team would not be able to go around the camp and evangelize. “Please, Father, let us go out,” he prayed, and the rain stopped.

We sent them in groups of four to designated parts of the camp. They had to go tent door to tent door because most people in the camp were inside. The result? Forty-five people heard the Good News and 26 asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.

One of the most powerful stories came from the group of Benson, Gasper, Elinami, and Denis. A tent of 13 porters were sleeping when they knocked. They introduced themselves as being from Climbing For Christ and asked if they could share about Jesus. They were invited in.

Denis prayed for them and taught them from the Kilimanjaro Chapter brochure (“If you die tonight, do you know where you’re going?”). Elinami then took over and asked if they understood what Denis had taught. He proceeded to take them through the New Testament on his bracelet.

As he was speaking, he felt the Holy Spirit tell him to pray for Tanzania. All 13 porters and the four C4C members placed their hands on the ground and lifted their country, which is facing political strife. After all this, eight of the porters accepted Jesus. Glory to God!

Friday, Dec. 5

Erick Mushi, left, gives a tract to a guide from another company on the Lemosho trail. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)

Erick Mushi apologized for the fast pace as we approached Shira 2, our third camp on the mountain. We weren’t going pole-pole (Swahili for “slowly-slowly”), the standard pace for Kilimanjaro ascents. But the group far ahead of us needed to hear the Gospel, so Erick made a brisk beeline for them.

Erick is part of our original Kilimanjaro Chapter DMD class but this is his first outreach expedition with us. He passed his guide exam this year and he has recruited more than 10 other guides and porters to his small group. We are planning to start a third intro-to-DMD class in 2026.

Another guide was teasing him about his “uniform,” a green polo shirt with the Climbing For Christ logo on the front and a Kilimanjaro map on the back. His enthusiasm to share about C4C and the reason we’re here wasn’t dampened. He shared a Gospel tract and got himself invited to share the Good News with that guide’s company.

It all made a little heavy breathing - as we ascended from 11,500 feet (3,505 meters) to 12,705 feet (3,850 meters) - more than worth the effort. Besides, the pace wasn’t really that fast as we were on the relatively flat expanses of the Shira Plateau, one of the world’s highest plateaus.

Hiking across the Shira Plateau, above. Below, Damson giving instructions in the morning before the team prayed together and set out for the next camp.

The goal today was to follow up with those our guys met yesterday. Start disciplining the ones who accepted Jesus and revisit those who weren’t ready. After hiking about five miles (eight kilometers) and setting up camp, rain began and clouds shrouded Shira 2. To make matters worse, one of our members was missing.

Two rescue teams were formed and started searching. Lazaro Moshi was found at the Moir Hut higher up the mountain. He was alone when he came to a trail junction and he saw the group he shared the Gospel with yesterday heading to the left where he should have turned right. “I wasn’t thinking,” he explained later, no worse for wear.

With everyone accounted for and a break in the weather, our two-man teams went out again. In addition to revisiting about three dozen people, 20 new people were reached with God’s Word and by nightfall nine more had accepted Jesus. More follow-ups will be done tomorrow at the next camp and there will be many new people to reach as the Lemosho and Machame Routes merge on the way to Barranco Camp.

Lazaro has already been warned to take the trail to the right.

Thursday, Dec. 4

Damson prays for a tent full of new believers with MacDonald Seka to his right. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)

Damson and I were circling around Shira 1 camp checking on our team members, who had been sent out two by two to preach the Word of God. As we passed a porters’ tent, MacDonald Seka called for us to come inside. MacDonald is a long-time Kilimanjaro Chapter member who God led into ministry – one of our four porter-to-pastor success stories here.

As we entered, the group of nine – one guide and eight porters – sitting in front of MacDonald and teammate Ashery Tibu were declaring, “Amen!”

“Sounds like a tent of believers,” I said. “Yes,” MacDonald answered. But moments before it had not been so.

Nine Muslim background believers had just been led to the Lord in this big tent revival on the mountain.

Damson proceeded to pray for them – and for breakthroughs in all the baggage they brought to the mountain – and explained what it means to be a Christian. In this culture that means no more drinking, no more womanizing, no more fighting, no more ignoring their families. There were smiles, nervous laughter, and several more amens. We had nine new brothers in Christ.

Damson sharing a “New Testament” bracelet amid the story of Jesus with a guide from another group along the trail.

The team awoke at sunrise and climbed steadily out of our first camp for 2 ½ miles, then made a short descent before a long, steep ascent on the “elephant’s backbone” (a big temba) up to 11,700 feet. Then it was mostly level for the last hour until we arrived at our second camp, Shira 1.

We’d hiked 5.1 miles (8.2 kilometers) from Mti Mkbuwa at 9,498 feet (2,895 meters) to Shira 1 at 11,500 feet (3,505 meters) in 4-5 hours. After setting up our campsite and eating lunch, our group eagerly split up and went tent to tent throughout the camp area. Or, as Fadhil Ally said, “time to do the work God brought us here to do.”

Within two hours, more than 80 people were reached with the Gospel and 21 accepted Jesus.

Gasper Lyimo, standing at right above, and Benson Mbaya tell about sharing with a porter who confessed to smoking dope for five years (“It hasn’t done anything for me. Nobody has ever told me about Jesus”) before doing the sinner’s prayer. He, like others reached today, will be followed up with by our chapter members. Below, beautiful Kibo – the main summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – emerges from the clouds.

We sat outside in the wind and cold listening to each pair’s report, applauding to celebrate what God had done, and then giving thanks for His grace and His goodness.

New Testament bracelets, sparking interest, and brochures asking, “If you die tonight, do you know where you’re going?” led to bold witnessing by our team members, who answered questions and even felt shunned by a few people.

But as one young man told Dives Mamuya, “Most people you hear on the mountain are speaking evil. Thank you for bringing peace to this mountain.”

Wednesday, Dec. 3

John walking through the rain forest. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

On our way to the first camp on our eight-day trek a porter from another group was descending. He stopped to greet us. John asked if our team had arrived at the Mti Mkbuwa camp. “The church people are already there,” the porter answered, smiling broadly and offering a fist pump.

The Church is on Mount Kilimanjaro again!

Before we’d even entered the Lemosho Gate on the western side of Kili, Damson was inside the rangers’ office handing out tracts and sharing New Testament bracelets. Workers emerged smiling, welcoming us, and blessing our time on the mountain.

Elaine praying for the team of willing servants. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

The day began with Elaine blessing the team – 24 strong – with a prayer and sending us on our way. We loaded onto the bus like a group going to summer camp, with Damson immediately prompting songs about Jesus.

On the three-hour drive to Lemosho Gate, Damson and John gave each member a little money ($10 US) to send home. It was taken from food money C4C provided. Rather than eating spaghetti and meat every day on the mountain while their families have little, the men will eat less expensive food during the trek. We’ll also be providing each man with $50 at the end of the trek. That’s equivalent to an average month cost of living for this group of men.

John, who has a wife and three children, survives on about $1,000 US per year. Yet there he was in the front of the bus scrambling to throw water bottles out the window as we passed children by the side of the road begging for water. There is little water in this area.

The drive was longer than our first day’s hike: 5K (3.1 miles) up 1,850 feet (564 meters) to Mti Mkbuwa, which means “big tree” in Swahili – except the big tree is gone. You do camp in the trees, though. We are currently in the rain forest, which did not disappoint. It rained.

We only hiked for about two hours. Damson and I played the role of clients, with our guide John and assistant guide Gift Mbuya, while the other 20 guides and porters on this outreach expedition sprinted ahead to set up camp. Each man was wearing his Climbing For Christ polo shirt, C4C Kilimanjaro hat, New Testament bracelets, and shining the light of Jesus. The body of Christ is on the mountain.

Team Kili 2025 includes Gary, Damson Samson on Gary’s left, and John Mollel standing third from right. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)

Tuesday, Dec.2

Anyeruse Mwembegere practices preaching in front of the class. (Photos by Damson Samson)

Four of the two dozen participants on Day 2 of our Kilimanjaro Chapter classroom training got to play show-and-tell. Everyone went home Monday night with homework: Write a message using the lesson in Chapter 8 of our “Communicating the Bible” text called “The Big Idea.”

The Big Idea is the central trust of a text which is both easy to remember and an accurate summary of the main point the speaker (or preacher) wants people to know, apply, and teach others.

Anyeruse Mwembegere called his message, based on Daniel 3:14 (“Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?’”), “Depending Upon the Lord.” Anyeruse, a member of our original class dating back to 2017, cannot read but listens intently to our teachings, memorizes verses, and is able to share God’s Word powerfully.

Emanuel Makule, another original member, shared from Jeremiah 23:23. Damson, who was teaching today, said Emanuel needs more practice “but the goodness I saw in was that he had the whole (message) memorized.”

Damson interrupted the speakers to take the class to Chapter 9 of the textbook, “Introduction, Outline, Illustrations, & Conclusion.” After explaining each step and its importance, the speakers resumed.

x

Aman Minga.

Aman Minga, sharing Ephesians 6:10 (“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”), focused on wearing the armor of God. He incorporated Damson’s lesson from Chapter 9 into the way he delivered his message.

Misael Minja.

Misael Minja then took the group to Genesis 4:1 (“Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, ‘With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!’”) to preach a message he called “Do not follow the evil way.”  He, too, followed all the steps in Chapter 9.

Damson completed the classroom work by guiding the group through Chapter 10 (“The Communication Process” and 11 (“Communication Skills”). That leaves us with only the final section of the textbook to cover, some of which we may do during our next seven days on the mountain.

John met with those who will join us on Mount Kilimanjaro starting tomorrow to organize the trek.

Today’s class in “Communicating the Bible” with chapter coordinator John Mollel front and center.

There will be 22 guides and porters plus Damson and me. Included in the group are two of our show-and-tell speakers from today: Aman Minja and Misael Minja. At least five of the participants will be making their first training expedition climb with us. This is the third time we are taking our chapter guides and porters on Kilimanjaro to be taught and to evangelize. We are praying for more fruit from this outreach.

Monday, Dec. 1

Teaching about being a house of God with John translating. (Photo by Elaine)

After the usual songs and dancing, I took about three dozen Kilimanjaro Chapter members to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and prayed that God’s Word would shine as a guiding light, and lead many to believe, follow Jesus, obey, and worship. Then I taught a lesson I adapted from The One Year Chronological Study Bible, called “The Church: The People in Whom God Dwells.”

We are the Church, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) – a fertile field (1 Corinthians 3:6-9), a building designed to house God’s glory and presence (Ephesians 2:20-22), a bride (2 Corinthians 11:2), and – the most beautiful metaphor describing the unity of the Church – a family (Matthew 12:48-50). I told them God has gifted them and built them up for such a time as this: an opportunity to go on the mountain to share Jesus with a lost world.

Another song and dance (these are like the Interlude or “Selah” found in Psalms) and then Elaine handed out and taught our guides and porters how to use another form of the Gospel bracelet, “the whole New Testament on your wrist.” She called it “a new tool for you to use on the mountain to tell the story of Jesus and how He saved us.” We were introduced to these in our home church several years ago.

Instead of colors, these have an arrow down (Jesus coming to earth as a baby to fulfill God’s restoration project for sin-sick humankind –  merry CHRISTmas!), a cross (the perfect Jesus died in our place), tomb (Jesus was buried), an arrow up (the resurrection and ascension when He goes to prepare a place for those who believe in Him), and another arrow down (He’s coming back!). All designed in Tanzania’s national colors: green, yellow, and black (missing the blue).

The group paired up and practiced using their bracelets and then several were called forward to demonstrate.

Elaine teaching how to use the New Testament bracelets we brought for our guides and porters to use, above. Below, Anyeruse Mwembegere tells Godlisten Mosha the story of Jesus using his bracelet while Damson, John, and the class look on. (Photos by Gary and Elaine)

After a coffee, tea, and soup break there was another song and dance (Selah) and then one brother after another shared testimonies about how God has used Climbing For Christ to change lives. Our training has grown their faith, taught them the power of prayer (with one healing after another witnessed), and built communities into small church bodies.

Aman Minja, a member of our original DMD class dating back to 2017, talked about the “energy in our neighborhood” because of the small group he started through our training. “Some young men, three guys, came to me and asked about how I was living,” Aman said. “They said, ‘We want to have a life like you.’ I told them, the Bible says, ‘Even if your sins are like scarlet you can be as white as snow. Believe in Jesus.’ They received Jesus and joined our group!”

Following the many testimonies, we presented certificates to 18 members who had completed our “Discovering the Bible” study. All of them are in “Communicating the Bible” now, more than 40 members. We’ll be taking 20 up Mount Kilimanjaro starting Wednesday for a seven-day outreach expedition, using years of teaching, New Testament bracelets, and the Holy Spirit to reach many with the Good News.

Damson concluded the day in Chapter 8 of our “Communicating the Bible” text from The Timothy Initiative. The chapter, called “The Big Idea & Application,” taught how to communicate God’s Word with clarity. A second day of classroom teaching tomorrow will cover Chapters 9-11 in “Communicating the Bible.”

Damson asked Elaine and me to close the six-hour training, so I shared about my encounter with an angel (see Hebrews 13:2) in Talkeetna, Alaska after a 2003 (pre-C4C) expedition into the Alaska Range. Elaine then blessed the group and closed us in prayer.

Selah.

Sunday, Nov. 30

Damson, left, and John with T-shirts from America. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)

Damson and John joined us for our daily Bible study as we read 2 Corinthians 8-11 together and discussed the blessing of giving. We have been praying for funding as the month of November ends as the worst month of the year for giving for the fourth time in the past five years. We are in great need – to pay salaries (including our own), ministry work in several nations around the C4C world, and expenses for Mission: Malawi 2025 which starts (Dec. 13) when Mission: Kilimanjaro ends.

We then did two of our devotional studies, Whom Shall I Fear from The Voice of the Martyrs (today focusing on Matthew 19:26-28) and Disciple Keys’ Global Church Planting Movement Prayer Guide (“Develop Outsider-Insider Partnerships,” which is what we do, including our relationship as outsiders with Damson and John as insiders growing disciple-makers and church-planters in Tanzania and Malawi).

We discussed tomorrow’s first day of DMD training: a message I have to share, certificates to be presented to our second class of guides and porters who have completed “Discovering the Bible,” bracelets to be given to Kilimanjaro Chapter members by Elaine to be used as a tool during outreach, and two chapters of our “Communicating the Bible” study to be taught by Damson. God things.

I then gave Damson and John the last five issues of The Climbing Way – since we last were here in July 2024 – including the most recent issue which features John on the cover and a story about him and fellow guides/Kingdom workers Megh Gurung (Nepal) and Edwin Milla (Peru). And as we had discussed giving, Elaine gave them T-shirts from Whittier Café, which prides itself as “Denver’s only African espresso bar.” The shirt features an outline of Africa containing the Colorado “C” and state colors. Our daughter bought me one last year when we first went to Whittier and we felt it was an excellent gift to share with our brothers.

Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29

Elaine and I landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport late Saturday evening after more than 26 hours of flying: Denver-Atlanta-Amsterdam-Dar-Kilimanjaro. Damson and John were waiting for us after we obtained our visas in person (having not received the e-visas we applied for). Our brothers were wearing their green Climbing For Christ shirts and Kilimanjaro hats that we handed out before the first outreach expedition in January 2024.

Damson spent the day studying and preparing for Monday and Tuesday’s classroom training from our “Communicating the Bible” study. On Friday, he and at least 18 other members of the Kilimanjaro Chapter met to fast and pray for our time here. Normally this occurs on Sango Mountain, but a rainy day moved the meeting indoors at a church in Moshi.

Our Kilimanjaro Chapter prayer warriors.

The group worshiped together. Jonus Minja spoke from Ezekiel 18:4 (“…The person who sins is the one who will die”), and they did a dramatic demonstration on how sin leads a man to death. There was a sharing from Acts 13:34 on the power that revives the dead. Damson took the group further to Romans 6:9 and 8:11.

“Then we continued praying for your travels coming here to Tanzania and prayed for the coming trainings,” Damson said. “We added the trip to the mountains – that heaven should give us people on our way that we can reach with the Word of God, for good weather, and for protections against evil spirits.”

Damson leading the group in prayer.

They also prayed for their families. Pastor Joshua, whose church they used for this meeting, did the closing prayer and encouraged the team to keep GO-ing.

Thursday, Nov. 27

Kilimanjaro Chapter leaders, above. Below, Pastor Mosha (left) with chapter coordinator John Mollel. (Photos by Damson Samson)

Damson, John, and the leaders of the Kilimanjaro Chapter met today to review (or preview) what will be happening in the next two weeks. “A team of 14 leaders appeared, including Pastor (Winford) Mosha, who graced this meeting in the morning by appreciating the leaders in their commitment and encouraged them to keep on going,” Damson said.

Pastor Mosha and I met for the first time on our inaugural mission to Kilimanjaro in 2007. He was introduced to us by an American who was working at the Kilimanjaro Porters Project, where our team delivered a dozen duffels of gear and clothing for those working on the mountain. She asked, “Would you like to meet a Lutheran pastor?” Being a member of a Lutheran church, I said I would.

Pastor Mosha and I had a similar vision from God for working with Kilimanjaro guides and porters. That led us to form the Kilimanjaro Chapter in 2008 and we began teaching our members about evangelism. In 2017, this training became more focused as we started using resources from The Timothy Initiative to teach disciples to make disciples. The fruit has been evident in deepening relationships between our members and the Lord, and families and communities growing closer.

Three porters have become pastors. Others are leading small groups, although that is an area that still needs work. (Similarly, four porters have become pastors in the Mulanje Massif Chapter in Malawi, and those small groups are alive and active in their villages.)

When Damson asked the Kilimanjaro Chapter leaders about their groups “a few” responded that they “are maintaining their groups. While the rest only seem active when I am around.” To which Damson pointed the group to the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man on the other side of the lake in Mark 5 and Luke 8.

“I was sharing the idea that it takes a leader who has a vision to lead a team as far as he is able to see,” Damson said, explaining that Jesus knew there was a man in need of healing across the lake, while His disciples were blind to this need. Jesus needed to show them the way.

“It depends on you having a wide spreading sight to bring your people far,” Damson told them. “If leaders are blind, nothing happens as there is no directive to where the team should go.”

Tomorrow, the team will go to Sango Mountain for a day of prayer and fasting – something that is done before every Kilimanjaro Chapter training.

Wednesday, Nov. 26

Damson flew to Kilimanjaro International Airport early this morning and started to get settled in at Moshi town, where he is meeting up with Tanzania Kingdom worker and Kilimanjaro Chapter coordinator John Mollel. The plan is for a meeting of chapter leaders on Thursday, fasting and praying on Sango Mountain on Friday, and greeting Elaine and me when we arrive on Saturday.

Tuesday, Nov. 25

Africa coordinator Damson Samson flew from Blantyre, Malawi, near his home, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on the first leg of his trip back to the Kilimanjaro region. After overnighting, he will fly the rest of the way on Wednesday and begin preparations for our 18th Mission: Kilimanjaro.

Introduction: Making fishers of men

Teaching at Barranco Camp (13,044 feet/3,976 meters) on Mount Kilimanjaro during Mission: Kilimanjaro 2024, Part 2. (Photo by Damson Samson)

Win a soul!

That’s the “main goal,” as Africa coordinator Damson Samson said while we were preparing to GO again to Tanzania and Malawi. The approach is the same to Mission: Kilimanjaro and Mission: Malawi (aka Mulanje Massif): continue teaching in the classroom how to be disciples who make more disciples and then train how to evangelize on the mountain.

“I see God is using us in mighty ways as we guides and porters are given opportunities by God to evangelize on the mountain and keep gaining experience on how to approach the unreached both local residents and well as foreigners,” said John Mollel, our Kingdom worker in Tanzania and the coordinator of C4C’s Kilimanjaro Chapter.

“It’s my prayer that in the future more people will be reached and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through this mission.”

Praying with new believers at the Karanga Camp (13,000 feet/3,963 meters) with the summit of Kibo (19,341 feet/5,895 meters) in the background. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Members of the Kilimanjaro Chapter, about 40 guides and porters, will continue in their study on “Communicating the Bible.” We will then take 20 members on the Lemosho Route of Mount Kilimanjaro for more teaching and practical outreach experience. Last year, in two expeditions on Africa’s tallest (and most popular) mountain, our guides and porters delivered the Good News to 473 people on the Marangu and Machame routes and we witnessed 170 recipients coming to Christ. Bwana Yesu asifiwe (“Praise be to the Lord!” in Swahili).

After Mission: Kilimanjaro 2025, Damson, John, and I are scheduled to fly to neighboring Malawi on Dec. 13 for that expedition. Members of the Mulanje Massif Chapter, about 75 guides and porters, will be graduating from two studies, “Discovering the Bible” and “Communicating the Bible,” and starting their next courses with us. We will then take 20 members up Mulanje mountain for three days of teaching and outreach. During Mission: Malawi 2024, 59 people heard the Gospel and 21  people committed their lives to Jesus as their Savior. (The number of foreigners who climb Mulanje Massif is vastly smaller than the number who annually trek Mount Kilimanjaro.)

Damson is praying “for heavenly direction” both in his home country of Malawi and in his home away from home in Tanzania. A cloud-by-day, fire-by-night sort of thing.

“I am very optimistic that with His direction as to where we are to cast our nets, we are expecting more harvest with this trip,” Damson said, mixing Bible stories.

“May the Lord consider saving a life in Tanzania and Malawi during this season. We stand to see more coming to the Lord, and it will happen!” 

YOU CAN GO, TOO! MISSION: KILIMANJARO 2026 IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH. EMAIL INFO@CLIMBINGFORCHRIST.ORG FOR INFORMATION.