Zachary Wiegert
Zach in Peru in 2022.
Nationality: U.S.A. Occupation: Parkour coach and photographer/filmmaker. Missions with C4C: Peru 2023.
How long have you climbed? Seven years. Type of climbing you do: Classic mountaineering, winter mountaineering, alpine trad climbing, alpine scrambling, backpacking/trekking, ski mountaineering. Highlight of climbing career: Upper Exum on the Grand Teton in a single day push.
How long have you been a Christian? Technically 18 years, though my faith has really taken shape over the past seven years. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: I work somewhat regularly with Denver’s homeless population.
Favorite Scripture verse (and why): So hard to choose! Probably John 17:20-23. It just blows my mind that Jesus asked the Father that each of us would experience the exact same unity with the Father that Jesus himself had. Jesus’s desire for us is complete unity with the Father, and we have access to that unity through the Holy Spirit. It’s just incredible.
Special “God moment” you’d like to share: I was on a solo trip in the Faroe Islands, and while hiking to a viewpoint, I got hopelessly lost. I couldn’t figure out where I was meant to go. Then, the biggest rabbit I’ve ever seen (like, Lord of the Rings-sized bunny), hopped out from behind a rock and stared me in the eyes for five seconds before running back around the other side. Obviously, I had to follow this exceptional creature. I walked around the corner and the rabbit was gone, but I was at the exact viewpoint I’d been trying to reach, and unable to find. I firmly believe God sent that rabbit. Haha.
The day this happened was at the very end of a deeply transformative journey I took directly after high school, and this story was a fitting and hilarious conclusion. God had been teaching me so much about trusting and following Him, lessons I’m still learning today, and the gigantic sea cliff rabbit was a not-so-subtle reminder that when we walk in the direction He intends for our lives, He’ll send the right people (or creatures) to help us get where we’re supposed to be.
What does Climbing For Christ mean to you? Climbing For Christ represents an intersection between much of what I love most in this world, the staggering beauty of the mountains, the powerful Creator of it all, and the story God is weaving through those He’s sending. It’s also an opportunity to reach people who live in places where few people are willing or able to go, who may have never heard the Truth of the Gospel, that they were meant to have life, and have it to the full. Starting right here, right now (John 10:10).
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