The purpose of this blog is to document the effort of 4 men to raise money for the ongoing mission ministry of Trinity Baptist Church in the east African country of Rwanda.
The team consists of Kelly Boyle (me), David Solomon, James Leonard, and Ryan Bailey.
This journey began several years ago when my brother-in-law James Leonard (Associate Pastor at Trinity Baptist) and his wife Elizabeth made their first journey to Rwanda. It was then that they fell in love with the Rwandan people and were inspired to find a way to help. Elizabeth spent time filming a documentary on the effects of the 1994 genocide. James built homes made of mud bricks. As believers in Jesus Christ, they prayed for the people to grow in their faith.
Whenever James went to Rwanda, he would marvel at the magnificence of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He often wondered if he could combine a climb with a mission trip. In 2007 and 2008, James and I climbed Mt Rainier. It was on these two trips that James insisted I someday join him for a trip to Africa.
In the summer of 2009, the trip began to be a reality. James investigated the costs and feasibility. My wife Heidi and I spent significant time in prayer to see if this was the Lord’s will for us. I finally committed to joining the team in September and began to make preparations.
Ryan Bailey is a close friend of James and Elizabeth and lives in the New York area. David Solomon is one of my close friends and we live in the same small town in North Central Washington, Wenatchee.
March 17th, 2010: We successfully completed the climb of Mt Kilimanjaro and ministry in Rwanda. Our lives have been forever changed. Thank you to all my friends and family that prayed and contributed financially to this effort. It was truly amazing!
