Dispatches: Tanzania 2026
Mission: Kilimanjaro 2026
By GARY FALLESEN, founding president, Climbing For Christ
Sunday, Aug. 9
Gary, Elaine, John, and Damson at the start of the Lemosho Route on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Thirty-eight hours after leaving our hotel in Moshi, Tanzania, we landed at our home airport. Damson, who flew out of Kilimanjaro International Airport about an hour after our departure, also made it to his home today. His family eagerly awaited his arrival.
Another fruitful mission was our blessed reward for long travel and a busy time together. We praise God for all He has accomplished.
Damson at home with his family.
Saturday, Aug. 8
John dropped Elaine and me at the Kilimanjaro airport to start our 35 hours of flying back to the home base. “This trip was wonderful and the Spirit of the Lord guided us throughout,” John said. “By His grace we were able to reach a good number of people and through His power many people received Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives.”
There’s nothing better than that!
We also enjoyed fellowship and teaching 120 guides and porters who are now part of Climbing For Christ.
We left Tanzania content and feeling good about the work the Lord has had us do on and around Mount Kilimanjaro. We give thanks to our Baba (Father) in heaven.
Friday, Aug. 7
Meeting with John, Pastor Mosha, and Damson. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
Pastor Winford Mosha made a surprise visit at our hotel to say hello (jambo) and goodbye on our last full day in Tanzania. Pastor Mosha has been with us since the beginning, meeting us on our inaugural Mission: Kilimanjaro in 2007. We shared a vision to reach guides and porters with the Gospel. He said today he could not have imagined it growing so big and so impactful, not only on guides and porters formerly considered unreachable, but also their families, their villages, and now tourists coming to climb Mount Kilimanjaro from all over the world.
After Pastor Mosha left, we met with Damson and John to discuss planning for the next 18 months. Elaine and I had just read this verse in our daily Bible study: “The very steps we take come from GOD; otherwise how would we know where we’re going?” (Proverbs 20:24, The Message).
As evidenced by the exponential growth of the Kilimanjaro Chapter and our training of guides and porters not only on Kilimanjaro but in neighboring Malawi on Mulanje Massif, we can only take steps led by our Lord.
We put together a tentative schedule for disciples-making-disciples training in Tanzania and Malawi between this mission and Mission: Kilimanjaro 2028 in January of that year. We will continue to pray over the planning – and funding for said plans – and allow the Lord to direct our steps.
Dinner with the family. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
We concluded our meeting and headed to John’s house for dinner with the Mollel family. Food was eaten, gifts were exchanged, and prayers were offered – for John’s mother and healing for her bad back (operated on four times) and for the two oldest of John’s three daughters. The middle child, Gwyneth, asked her baba for prayer “after she saw something,” John said, not knowing what it might have been. Gwyneth is four years old.
We pray for protection over this beautiful family who open their home to us and invite us in. May God’s gracious hand be upon them.
Damson thanked us for making the time to fellowship with John’s family. “You have no idea what it means to these people,” he said, adding that he is praying for funds to make it possible for us to continue traveling around the Climbing For Christ world to encourage our Kingdom workers and ministry partners.
Thursday, Aug. 6
Damson teaching a new Climbing For Christ class. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
We welcomed a new group of disciple-making students to Climbing For Christ and the Kilimanjaro Chapter. I introduced myself and C4C to 75 guides and porters, talked about what a disciple of Christ is, and shared about Jesus calling His first disciples in Matthew 4:18-22.
I told them that people who are truly called by God do not waste their time looking at what is left behind, what happened in the past. They GO! And they teach others to do the same.
Gary with John translating from the front of a Pentecostal church that hosted our chapter meeting with more than 110 in attendance. (Photos by Damson Samson)
When Damson began teaching our “Introduction to Disciples Making Disciples (DMD)” study, he told them: “I am always asked, ‘Why do you spend time with fornicators, with chain smokers, and drunkards? They will never change.’ We have stories to tell.”
He asked three of the 20 or so members from our original and second class also in attendance to speak.
Jonas Minja talked about coming from a beer-making family and being a drunkard until he joined Climbing For Christ when we started the Kilimanjaro Chapter in 2008. Then his life changed.
Elia Yona came from a Muslim background and his life was threatened when he converted. “But God protected me,” he told the audience. After joining C4C, he went from being a porter on the mountain to a preacher in the local church.
Joshua Mrutu came from a family that practiced witchcraft and worshiped evil spirits. He has seen and experienced things that people outside Africa think only happen in horror movies. He was being trained to be a “traditional doctor” or witch doctor when God interceded, and he became a believer in the Kilimanjaro Chapter.
The testimonies continued with three of the 20 or so leaders of Bible study groups started by our original and second class members sharing what they have observed through Climbing For Christ’s presence in their lives. One told of a witch that kept a plot of land from producing being driven away by Damson’s prayers, and the field came back to life. Another talked about Elaine and my visit to her house and our prayers for her family being answered. “Because of Climbing For Christ,” she said, “God has been using me to do more things.”
With this introduction, our third class of students began Chapter 1 of the first study: “Understanding & Interpreting the Bible.”
The Bible, authored by God, is our weapon against the evil of this world.
We closed with some words of encouragement – read your Bible! – and prayers for a blessing to be upon this new group and the entire Kilimanjaro Chapter as they learn to be disciples who make more disciples.
“Many witnessed to say, ‘This is the beginning of our great transformation,’” Damson relayed after talking to many of the new members as they ate the meal C4C provided when the teaching concluded. “The day blessed many.”
NOTE: The addition of these 75 guides and porters to Climbing For Christ’s roster brings our international membership to 3,039.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
Damson, in beige shirt, and John, left, share with two men this morning at our campsite on Kilimanjaro. One of the men was in a group of 16 that heard the Gospel in Shira 1 Camp on Tuesday. He accepted Christ and asked for prayer for a leg injury. He came to our campsite with a friend to tell Damson that his injury was healed. Praise God! (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
What started as a group of three people outside a tent in the Shira 1 Camp on Mount Kilimanjaro’s Lemosho Route grew and grew. “What is happening here?” Godlove Kowero asked himself.
“The people are willing to listen. Keep preaching!”
Godlove and Living Akyo were roaming the camp with 17 other members of the Kilimanjaro Chapter on our second outreach training of this mission trip. Africa coordinator Damson Samson observed Godlove and Living talking to a group of porters and guides from other companies, so he joined them.
“The Holy Spirit was there!” Godlove declared.
Damson started preaching. He focused on the mighty powers in this dark world and the evil spirits that keep us chained to our sins. “It’s a vicious circle,” he told them. “You want to change, but you can’t. You keep doing the things that are wrong.
“You need Jesus. He is able to change you – you won’t go to the bar, you won’t go after women.”
Two people in the crowd of 16 declared, “You are talking to me. How did you know these things?”
Four people asked for prayer.
Eight people accepted Jesus.
“God opened the heavens today,” Damson said Tuesday evening as each of our team members reported what had happened on the way to and in Shira 1 Camp at 11,900 feet (3,610 meters).
God answered our prayers for open hearts. “It was different from Marangu,” said Gift Mbuyo, who also was with us Saturday on that route when no one responded to the Good News. Gift and Denis Makule shared with 30 clients from several different countries. “These people were so welcoming.”
In all, 159 people heard the Gospel message and 64 confessed believing in Jesus.
The numbers were staggering. So much so that I asked several of our members to repeat stories despite temperatures plunging toward freezing in the mess tent where we were huddled shivering and at the same time rejoicing with all the angels in heaven.
Living Akyo, above right, shares the C4C brochure, “If you die tonight, do you know where you’re going?” with some in the group of 16. (Photo by Damson Samson) Below, our team photo as we exited the Lemosho Trail today. (Photo by our bus driver)
Today, before breaking camp and descending off the mountain, I praised God and these disciples who so eagerly went with us to share the Gospel truth to complete strangers. Guides, porters, and clients from all different backgrounds.
I read them a devotional about Timothy. Part of our DMD training has been a model in which we play the roles of Paul, Timothy, and Titus. Originally, I was Paul to Damson’s Timothy and our chapter members were Titus’s. Those roles have evolved with them growing into Timothys (to Damson’s Paul) while leading small groups in their homes and villages. The students are becoming the teachers as disciples making disciples.
Talking to Timothys. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
The devotional ended with the question: “Who is your example in the faith? Who is responsible for teaching you how to live for Christ?” The answers were mothers, fathers, pastors, and Climbing For Christ. It was humbling to hear the stories from these men about how God has used C4C to change their lives. We praise God for the work He has empowered us to do on and off Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
Shy mountain: Even though we’ve been on Kilimanjaro and nearby for the past week, views of Kibo (the highpoint of Africa’s rooftop) have been rare because of weather. This was last Friday on the road from Himo to Moshi. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
We return to the mountain today for our next outreach training. We are taking 19 guides and porters from the Kilimanjaro Chapter (12 from the original class and seven from the second class) for a two-day training on the Lemosho Route. We will report about the outreach tomorrow. Pray on!
Monday, Aug. 3
Damson, left, paints a rock for Prosper Njau. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
The man in the front row handed back the plate with five paints, the palette for Elaine’s art lesson and teaching on “Jesus, Our Rock.” He couldn’t see well enough to use the paint or the brushes we were distributing to our second Kilimanjaro Chapter disciples-making-disciples (DMD) class.
Prosper Njau has diabetes and in the past few years his vision has deteriorated to the point of near blindness, especially without a pair of eyeglasses, which cost about $50 USD. Money he just doesn’t have.
First, I told him we would take care of the glasses. John, our chapter coordinator and Kingdom worker here, will help him. Then Damson sat down next to Prosper and asked what he would like to paint on his rock to represent the word he most associates with Jesus – “Love,” “Way,” and “Redeemer” were a few of the suggestions by members of the class. I told this group of guides and porters they’d missed an obvious one: Guide.
Prosper said, “Jesus is my rock,” and Damson proceeded to paint the biggest rock in Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro.
Rock on: Members of the second class, above. Below, Eliakim Mwanyika proudly shows off his dove rock.
Today’s training was a repeat of Friday, when we met with 20 of the 24 members in our original class to hand out certificates of graduation from our fourth DMD study, “Communicating the Bible,” and started our fifth study, “Church Planting & Book of Acts.” Seventeen of the 21 members in the second class attended.
The Kilimanjaro Chapter dates back to 2008, one year after our inaugural Mission: Kilimanjaro. But we began DMD training in November 2017, and the second class started with us in March 2019. A third class will begin on Thursday.
After an ear-busting worship concert, led by chapter member Godlisten Makundi, and Elaine’s art class, I shared from 2 Kings 7:3-11 and our Spirit-driven conviction to share the Good News with others. We then awarded certificates for “Communicating the Bible.”
Among those being recognized was porter Paul Shayo, who lost his leg to cancer in June. Damson, who prayed for Paul during his last visit here in March, reported that chapter leaders Jonas Minja and Elia Yona spent time with him after the surgery. At the time, Damson wrote: “As C4C Kilimanjaro Chapter, we extend our heartfelt sympathy to our brother Paul Shayo. We will continue to stand with him, encourage him, and support him in our prayers during this challenging time. May God grant him strength, comfort, and healing.”
We will support our brother, too. If we can’t help those in need closest to us what good are we to the rest of the world? As Paul wrote in Romans 12:13: “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
Paul Shayo receives his certificate from Gary. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
We were blessed to hear several testimonies from our members, including Prosper, who said: “Some of us were very hard (hearted) like stones. We couldn’t even open our Bibles to read.”
But through DMD training several others said they are able to understand Scripture and translate it so others can learn as well. They have become disciples who are making disciples.
“More than 75 percent of these people have (small) groups in their homes,” said Eliakim Mwanyika, a leader of the second class. “You can see how seeds are being planted. We promise to spread the Good News – in our homes and on the mountain.”
Sunday, Aug. 2
Ariel with her Ariel doll from the States. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
Damson was discussing the plan for the day on Saturday as the rain fell and mist made for poor visibility at the Marangu Gate of Mount Kilimanjaro. We were adjusting our hike because of weather conditions, not going as far up the trail as planned. “It’s mission, not mountain,” Damson reminded those around him.
The mantra of Climbing For Christ has for years been “mission, not mountain; people, not peak; service, not summit.”
We meet many people on our travels and develop many relationships. Years ago, we got to know Joyce, who worked at a hotel where we stayed in Moshi, Tanzania. On one visit she wasn’t working; we found out she had a baby. We asked if we could go see her and we met her one-month-old daughter Ariel. Today, she is 2 years old. No longer a baby, now a toddler.
Elaine brought gifts for Ariel, whose mama and baba (dad in Swahili) brought her to the hotel to see us. Joyce changed hotels last year to a newly opened place where we are currently staying. Ariel opened a package (with help from Joyce) with some clothes and another with her namesake doll Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She started dancing with the doll. A precious moment.
Coffee made with love.
Later, we met up with John and Damson at our favorite local coffee shop. They ate pizza and drank mocha shakes, while Elaine and I enjoyed a coffee break.
We discussed the coming week: classroom training tomorrow with the second group of Kilimanjaro Chapter members, followed by outreach training back on the mountain on the Lemosho Route on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then our first DMD training with our third class of students on Thursday. The chapter and service to others continues to grow.
Saturday, Aug. 1
Our outreach team ready to set out on muddy trails through the Kilimanjaro rain forest.
As if the rainy and cold weather wasn’t bad enough. We also experienced cold shoulders from many of the hikers, guides, and porters on the Marangu Route of Mount Kilimanjaro.
“Clients were in a hurry. No one wanted to talk,” said Gift Mbayu, one of 10 members of the Kilimanjaro Chapter participating in today’s outreach training. “There were more challenges today than ever before. But we kept doing it because Jesus wants us to do it. We are not ashamed.”
Discouraged perhaps?
After listening to reports from the trail at the end of a 7 ½-mile (12-kilometer) hike up about 1,800 vertical feet (550 meters), I asked our brothers in Christ if they were feeling down. All 10 heads shook – almost in unison – from side to side. No! Then several spoke up in Swahili.
“They are still feeling strong,” Damson said, translating. “Even if they were rejected at least the message has been heard.”
In past outreach outings, so many people received the Gospel message and a high percentage accepted Jesus for Who He is – our Savior and Lord – it almost seemed unreal. But I have witnessed it time and time again. And then rejoiced with all of heaven.
Today, there were no sinner’s prayers. No repentance. No angel parties in heaven celebrating salvation on Africa’s tallest mountain.
“We started meeting with the porters (coming down the mountain) but because they are carrying luggage it is so hard to stop them,” Ashery Tibu said.
“We welcomed some porters who were coming down – ‘karibu’ (welcome in Swahili),” said Julius Kinariki. “We gave out brochures and said, ‘Read this when you’re down.’”
Some phone numbers were exchanged. Words of encouragement for people in a hurry – those going up on the first day of a trek thinking only of the work ahead and those coming off the mountain on Day 6, 7 or 8 and thinking only of finishing. Oblivious to their need for a Savior.
Misael Minja tried to tell a few. “The work we are doing here (as porters and guides) is nothing without God.”
Elaine follows guide John, above right, and two of our porters along the rainy Rain Forest trail. Below, Damson gives instructions before sending out the disciples to make disciples. He distributed bracelets that tell the Gospel story and brochures asking, “If you die tonight, do you know where you’re going?” These are two of the tools used in our outreach on the mountain. The chapter members also received a new C4C beanie to go with the baseball caps we gave in the past. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
Daudi Shayo, a chapter member in our second DMD class, was making his first outreach climb. He said he was wondering “what it would be like taking what we’ve learned in the classroom to the mountain.” It was a tough day to find out.
“At least those who stopped and listened had seeds planted,” he said, smiling. “I thank God for today’s class (on the mountain). I learned more.”
Daudi, standing, reports on his first day of outreach on the mountain while Eliakimu listens. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
Each man gave thanks to God for the opportunity, unswayed by the lack of interest or in the case of a few self-proclaimed atheists rudeness.
“I thank God for today,” said Eliakimu Myanyika, whose sentiment was echoed by others. “It was a special day.”
Friday, July 31
Elaine, above, talks about “Jesus, Our Rock” as paint supplies await the DMD-turned-art class. Below, Jonas Minja paints his rock with three crosses. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
Art met evangelism today as we gathered 19 original members of our Kilimanjaro Chapter for another round of training in disciples making disciples (DMD).
Elaine, who studied studio art in college, gave our guides and porters – and many of their wives – a primer in painting. With the lesson “Jesus, Our Rock,” she put the class’s artistic talent to the test as they painted what Jesus meant to them on rocks. It was a fitting study for this group that works on Africa’s largest rock, Mount Kilimanjaro.
Matthew 7:24-27 guided the discussion of what it means to build your life on the solid foundation and cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Then each painter chose one word for what Jesus means to them – from “Friend” to “Light” to “Restorer” and more – and painted it on their rock. Pat Barrett’s song, “Build My Life,” played while the creativity flowed. “The results were fantastic,” Elaine said.
Everyone was encouraged to display their artwork prominently in their home as both a reminder of Who holds them tight throughout life’s storms, and as a conversation piece to share the Good News with guests.
Sharing the Gospel has been the focus of years of teaching with this class and a second class of guides and porters, who we will meet with on Monday. We celebrated the graduation of our original class from their fourth DMD study, “Communicating the Bible,” and then launched the next book, “Church Planting & Book of Acts.”
Godlisten Mosha, above right, receives his certificate for completing “Communicating the Bible” from Gary and Pastor Winford Mosha. Below, Gary begins lessons from a new DMD study. Pastor Mosha, who Gary met in a divine appointment during the inaugural Mission: Kilimanjaro in 2007 and shared in our ministry vision, told the class: “I never had dreamed this work with guides and porters would bring a change like we have seen.” (Photos by Elaine Fallesen)
One word for Jesus that didn’t come up during the art exercise was “partner.” Jesus is our partner in the Great Commission, which was the subject in Chapter 1 of our new study. We call it the Great GO-mission since Jesus didn’t teach His disciples to wait for people to come to them. We are called to find the lost, reach the unreached, and deliver the Good News of Jesus.
Our first chapter in “Church Planting & Book of Acts” talked about five instances in Scripture where Jesus commands us to GO into all the world and proclaim the Gospel: John 20:21 (“we are sent”), Mark 16:15 (“to everyone everywhere”), Matthew 28:18-20 (“with a strategy”), Luke 24:44-49 (“telling a message”), and Acts 1:8 (“empowered for the task”).
After I shared this lesson – with John translating – I prayed for the 10 members who will be GO-ing with us tomorrow for a day hike outreach on the Marangu Route of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The men and their wives were excited about this latest opportunity. In eight testimonies, they shared what Climbing For Christ means to them and how lives have been transformed.
“When I was coming here a man was crying by the roadside,” said Elham Mosha, a porter, who told about stopping to help him. It turned out the man has a drinking problem. “He said, ‘Man of God, pray for me.’ I prayed for him and led him to Christ. Before C4C I would not have had the courage to do that.”
Hosea Ngomuwo, another porter, said: “I was brought up in a family of believers, but I didn’t have any feeling to share Jesus with someone else. Now it is possible for me to GO and share the Word of God with someone. Before Climbing For Christ, I never felt I could lead someone to Christ. I would tell them to go and see a pastor. Now I feel I can lead them to Christ.”
This is because our chapter members have been taught how to make disciples, they have learned about “Discovering the Bible” and “Communicating the Bible.” They are growing in the knowledge that the Church – the body of Christ – is called to act.
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.
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