By GARY FALLESEN, founding president, Climbing For Christ
Thursday, July 30
Elaine explains to Damson, center, and John the lesson and craft she will teach chapter members. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
Early morning (very early) coffee followed by more coffee and, yes, another cup in the afternoon helped us start to get our feet (and heads) into this time zone. We prepared for the training to take place over the next week.
We met with Damson and John at the Union Café for coffee and planning. We will start tomorrow with our original class from the Kilimanjaro Chapter, handing out graduation certificates for the fourth book in our DMD studies (“Communicating the Bible”) and then continue with new lessons.
The following day (Saturday), several of those original members and some from the second class will go with us on a day hike on the Marangu Route of Mount Kilimanjaro. This will be another opportunity for them to learn how to evangelize on the mountain.
We gave Damson and John some gifts for the work on the mountain. New boots and a jacket for Damson’s trekking and some backpacks and bags for John’s trekking company, C4C Maasai Brothers & Grand Tours. John will be guiding our outreach hikes this week and next.
Wednesday, July 29
We arrived in Tanzania safely and uneventfully, which is how we like it. It took some time to clear customs because three planes landed around the same time, making for long lines at the visa counters. Our luggage also arrived with us, another praise moment at the end of 27 hours of flying.
Damson and John were waiting outside the terminal to drive us to our hotel in Moshi, where we met old friends who work in the tourist business. Now we are about our Father’s business and getting adjusted to a clock that is many hours ahead of where we live back in the States.
Tuesday, July 28
A time of prayer on Sango Mountain. (Photo by Damson Samson)
We flew in over the Persian Gulf – a stone’s throw from the Strait of Hormuz, which gave us pause – to land in Doha. Crossing eight time zones on a 15-hour flight from Dallas pretty much ate up our Tuesday. While Elaine and I were flying, Damson and John were fasting and hiking up little Sango Mountain to pray for this mission and our work for the Lord.
“Since morning, I felt different and was hurried to read from the book of Romans (chapter) 10, verse 9,” Damson said. “I was wondering why this verse, but I was able to see more than what I was expecting.”
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (NLT)
“As it is saying, you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, you shall be saved,” Damson continued. “I felt it necessary to share with my brothers at the mountain.
“Every believer has the responsibility to confess Jesus Christ in all his (or her) daily undertakings. It is vital to understand the story of confessing Jesus so that even non-believers can see the Light of Christ shining all day. In our homes, we shall confess this Jesus, and our children shall be able to see Him working in us. In our workplaces we shall confess with our mouth.”
Damson used the example of the breath prayer that we have taught on past missions. Breathing in and out the very Word of God.
After this time of sharing, the group prayed – for our safe arrival in Tanzania, for the teaching that will take place, and for the outreach training on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Monday, July 27
Kilimanjaro Chapter leaders meeting. (Photo by Damson Samson)
As Elaine and I prepared to fly for the next day and a half, Damson and John met with fellow leaders of the Kilimanjaro Chapter to discuss planning. That includes the start of a third class of DMD (disciples making disciples) students. These are people our chapter members have encountered on Mount Kilimanjaro, in some cases sharing the Gospel with them and leading them to the Lord. We are anticipating at least 90 new members for this training, which will return to intro-to-DMD, the first of the five studies our chapter members have been taught so far.
Additionally, we’ll be graduating the original class and the second class of students from our fourth study, “Communicating the Bible,” before starting them on the fifth study, “Church Planting & Book of Acts.”
Two outreach training exercises will be conducted on the mountain. John discussed with our leadership team who will GO on which route as we are doing both the Marangu and Lemosho.
These leaders and other members will join Damson and John tomorrow as they fast and pray on Sango Mountain, an activity that precedes every Kilimanjaro Chapter training. They also will be praying for our travel as we are scheduled to fly for more than 28 hours, Lord willing arriving Wednesday morning Tanzania time.
Sunday, July 26
A day of rest for Damson, who said he was “very sleepy this morning.” He met with John Mollel, the Kilimanjaro Chapter coordinator and our Kingdom worker in Tanzania, to discuss the coming week. “We just had a good time together,” Damson said.
Damson and John will meet with chapter leaders tomorrow when Elaine and I will begin our flights to Tanzania.
Saturday, July 25
After overnighting in Dar es Salaam, Damson’s morning flight to Kilimanjaro was cancelled without any notice. He was rebooked on a late morning flight from Dar to Arusha, which then required a long bus ride to Moshi.
“But thank God I arrived safely,” Damson reported, adding he had some divine appointments on his flights. “During my flight from Malawi, I had an opportunity of sharing the Word with a lady from USA who came also for a mission of training pastors. She was very happy to learn about the mission Climbing For Christ is doing. We encouraged one another up to Dar.
“On my flight to Arusha, I shared also about our mission with two ladies from USA who came for safari. They were happy to learn what the Lord is doing within the community of porters and guides around Kilimanjaro.”
Friday, July 24
Damson underway.
Damson Samson, our Malawi-based Africa coordinator, set out from his home airport in Blantyre today. “We started with family prayer where (daughter) Elaine prayed for protection for me as I am going out and for the family,” Damson said. “While (son) Koinonia was in tears when praying, wanting to come with me as he felt it will be long (time away).
“I remember when I was praying that I said no one is wealthy if he doesn’t leave his family, relatives, and children for His sake.”
Damson flew from Blantyre to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he must overnight before flying the rest of the way to Kilimanjaro airport.
We will be joining him in Tanzania in a few days.
INTRODUCTION
The great missionary Paul made numerous trips, GO-ing thousands of miles to plant and visit churches. “As Apostle Paul traveled to many places many times he went to strengthen the body of Christ,” said Africa coordinator Damson Samson on the eve of Mission: Kilimanjaro 2026. “I can see that this trip has the very same (goal) to strengthen those whom we preached to and they need more water to grow for His glory.”
We continue to train guides and porters in our Kilimanjaro Chapter to be disciples who make disciples. The chapter was formed in 2008 on our second expedition to Tanzania. The goal from the start was to equip those working on the mountain – Africa’s tallest and most popular trekking peak – to share the Gospel with co-workers and the tens of thousands of tourists who visit from all over the world.
In 2017, we began a concentrated study on disciples making disciples (DMD). Nearly 100 guides and porters have received training from introduction-to-DMD and a more advanced DMD class to “Discovering the Bible” and “Communicating the Bible.”
In 2022, after months of classroom teaching, which included theory-to-practice in the lives, homes, and villages of students, we began outreach training on Mount Kilimanjaro. The fruit from all this training has been incredible, praise be to God.
“My goals (on Mission: Kilimanjaro 2026) are to see lives transformed by the power of God,” said John Mollel, the chapter coordinator and C4C’s Kingdom worker in Tanzania. “Our team serving together in unity and see every team member growing spiritually through this mission.”
Damson said: “I am still feeling God's calling for us to see His will come to pass as we reach hundreds who will reach others throughout the nations. I am seeing the possibility of touching nations through those few people we will reach through this trip.”
He pointed to Isaiah 60:22, a verse given to John in a dream more than a month before this mission on June 19.
“In the dream, someone I could not recognize gave me a Bible verse from Isaiah 60:22 and told me to share it with both Damson and Gary Fallesen,” John shared. “When I woke up, I ignored the dream.”
But the night of July 9, “surprisingly,” John said, “I had the same dream again. It was the same person in the same setting. This time, he asked me, ‘Have you delivered my message?’ I replied, ‘No, I forgot.’ He then repeated the same Bible verse and said, ‘I hope this time you will not forget again.’”
With that, John told us this message about the dreams – “in obedience” – and gave us this guiding verse:
“The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen” (Isaiah 60:22, NLT).
We have witnessed firsthand the growth God has produced through the small seeds we have planted and watered throughout the Climbing For Christ world. Elaine and I return to Tanzania on July 29, Lord willing. We again will be teaching the guides and porters in our Kilimanjaro Chapter and taking them on Mount Kilimanjaro for outreach training.
We have watched God grow this chapter from fewer than two dozen members to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people in small groups and Bible studies around Kilimanjaro. The same has happened in Malawi with our Mulanje Massif Chapter. There is so much fruit there, in fact, that Damson encouraged us to plan Mission: Malawi 2026 in December so he can hold a meeting he is calling, “The Gathering of the Great Harvest.” He said it will be a time “to appreciate the small beginning which has grown into a big family.”
We praise God for this and for all the fruit in other C4C locations. What we have accomplished is all through God’s grace, power, and direction, and through the prayers and giving from His beloved saints.
“My thoughts on our upcoming mission trip are that God has already gone before us,” John said. “I believe this mission is not going to be an ordinary journey, but a divine opportunity to reach many people and bring them into the Kingdom of God.” 
This is Climbing For Christ’s 19th Mission: Kilimanjaro. Gary has made 19 trips to Tanzania, including the 1998 trek from which C4C was birthed. Elaine has been to Tanzania nine times. This is Damson’s 41st trip to Tanzania from neighboring Malawi. John has served with C4C since 2024.