Thank you to my sponsors and prayer partners

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for playing a vital role in this amazing mission trip called Climb for Rwanda 2010.  We accomplished all that we set out to do and much more.  We give all the glory to God for what He has done and will continue to do.  I pray that this adventure inspires you to answer God’s call on your life, whatever that may be.  If you are willing and open your heart, God will show you what to do.  Right now, I am glad that He has called me back to my precious family and friends in Wenatchee.  I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments.  Until we talk again, God Bless!

Kelly

Short videos on Kilimanjaro

Rough roads to Lemosho Trailhead

Lemosho Route – Day 1

Trail to Shira One Camp – Lemosho Route

Sunrise at Shira One Camp – Lemosho Route

Trail to Moir Camp – Lemosho Route

Breakfast on the mountain

Trail to Lava Tower

Sunrise at 19,000 ft – The Roof of Africa

Lunch with Marie and Vumilia, our World Vision girls

Building a mud house

We assisted a family in the construction of their new home…a mud home!

Visiting Vumilia, one of our World Vision girls

I am going to let Dave Solomon tell this story.  It appears on Ryan Bailer’s blog.  Click on this link to check it out.

Worship in Rwanda

Our first Sunday in Rwanda included worship at an Anglican church.  The protocol for Western visitors to an African church is for one of the guests to preach the sermon.  Dave was the chosen one!  With less than a few hours to prepare, Dave got up and preached a spirit-filled message about Jesus being the only solution for our sin.  The Rwandans loved it!  Ryan tells this story in great detail.  Click here to read his version from his blog.

Journey to Rwanda

Once we finished the climb and enjoyed a 2 day safari, we headed to the airport for our flight to Rwanda.  We were about to learn a lesson on Africa.   We were dropped off at the airport by our shuttle only to find out our flight had been cancelled!  Rwandair had sent an e-mail to James the day before but he didn’t have access to his account…we didn’t get the message.  The airline was “kind enough” to take us to a hotel in Arusha (1 hour drive from the airport) and arrange for us to return for a flight at 6:00 a.m. the following morning.  We had to fly to Nairobi and then to Kigali.  We arrived in the afternoon and safely made it to our destination by early evening.  Our big disappointment was we missed the Holy Spirit conference.

Safari

We finished the climb a day early so that allowed us to take advantage of an opportunity to visit 2 of Tanzania’s most famous parks – Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.  Viewing these animals out in the wild is thrilling.

Summit Day

Mount Kilimanjaro

I wish I could share thoughts about each day on the mountain (and may eventually do that) but for the sake of time I will limit my writing to general observations.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is much more than a hike.  It is an experience that engages your body, soul, mind and spirit!

Body:  The physical demands of the climb were tiring but not as hard as previous climbs of Rainier.  I had prepared well and was able to enjoy each day without too much fatigue.  The toughest part was the hike to the final camp and then the push for the summit at midnight.  The effect of the altitude was mitigated by the Diamox.

Soul:  Kilimanjaro revived my soul.  The mountains have a way of doing that for me.  My mind lets go of all the worries and cares of the “real” world.  This may sound weird but as I am hiking, it feels like I am dancing with God, each step bringing us closer together.  The rhythm of -step/step/breathe/step/step/breathe- calms me and allows me to meditate on the deeper meaning of life.  The older I get, the more I want to go to the mountains.  I meet God there and He meets me.

Mind:  24/7 with James, Dave, and Ryan was intellectually stimulating as well as a comic relief.  These guys are filled with more opinions and one-liners than you could ever imagine.  We laughed so hard it hurt.  We tried to figure out all the world’s problems.  Not quite, but close!

Spirit:  I was fascinated at the creative genius of our God and how He made the mountain for our pleasure and enjoyment.  My verse for the climb was from Psalm 18:  “He makes our feet like the feet of a deer, He enables us to go up on the heights.”

The Lord was faithful in so many ways on this adventure.  Yes, He enabled us to make it to the top but more than that He opened our hearts to hear from Him.  He inspired us to worship Him.  He helped cultural and language barriers to fall between our Tanzanian guides and porters (Ryan’s Frisbee played an important role).    He helped us to bond with each other at a deep heart level (which prepared us for our ministry time in Rwanda).  For all of this I am grateful.