2020 Mission

Trekking in Turkey’s Aladaglar Mountains. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Seeing 2020 on mission

By Gary Fallesen, founding president, Climbing For Christ

When I first climbed into the mostly non-Christian world of mountaineering, I could not see how anyone could stand on a summit and breathe in the beauty all around them and not believe something bigger than them had created their breathtaking surroundings.

The majesty, God’s magnificence is revealed in His mountains.

It is through creation that we can see the Creator – be it in those marvelous mountains or through those of us who were made in His image.

Yet billions stumble blindly through life.

In his soon-to-be published book Something Needs to Change, Pastor David Platt talks about having his vision altered. It is a common occurrence for those who GO on mission. Our myopic view of the world, often centered around self, is turned into a panoramic of a lost and suffering world.

We gain 20/20 vision. We see life and the world as our God sees it. He gives us His eyes.

Platt was wrecked during a seven-day trek in Nepal – the subject of his book (to be published Sept. 16 by Multnomah). He shares candidly what we have seen – time and time again – in the mountains of physically and spiritually poor countries. He shares his prayer journal and his prayers as he walks. In many cases, I feel as if I am reading from my own journal or hearing my own prayers shared out loud.

“God has revealed His greatness to every person in these villages, but hardly any of them have ever heard about His grace. Why is that?” he wrote in Something Needs to Change.

As I have climbed, I have learned that many do believe in some sort of creator. But few believe in The Creator – or in His Son, Jesus. In fact, many of those in the dark have yet to hear about Jesus. That is the urgent need for those in this world.

Serving the physical needs of the impoverished, hungry, and sick is important. But serving the spiritual needs of the lost and hurting is VITAL.

That is why we GO!

In 2020, our vision is clear and focused on Evangelic Expeditions to the following places (you can click on each mission to learn more about the places where God has us working):

• Malawi, March
• Indonesia, scheduled for April, but postponed until 2021
• Turkey, June
• Nepal, originally scheduled for May and October; rescheduled several times before being postponed until 2021
• Pakistan, postponed until 2021
• Peru, scheduled for July, rescheduled for October, and postponed until 2021
• Kilimanjaro, rescheduled from March to December

In addition to these, our God-directed ministry continues through the “Next Generation” in Haiti and ministry partners in Indonesia and Pakistan. We also have places to GO in other hard-to-reach corners of this mountainous world.

We GO with this prayer, shared by Platt on his eye-opening trek in Nepal:

“It has been too long – far too long, O Lord – that the love and power and compassion and authority and name of Jesus have not been known here. Please, please, please show your salvation here! And please, O God, use my life however You want, spreading this Gospel as the answer to every person in the world’s most urgent need: eternal life with You.”

Amen! May this be your prayer through 2020.