BWANA ASIFIWE!!! These were the words I yelled from on top of 19,298 foot high Mt. Kilimanjaro early Sunday morning. “Praise to the Lord!!!” By God’s grace, and through a ton of hard work, I made it to the top of the “roof of Africa!” As the sign proclaims, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, the longest climb from base to peak. It took us 3.5 days up, and 1.5 days down, and there were many experiences we had and lessons we learned along the way, which I will share more completely in future blog entries.

We went with a team of seven people (my brother in law Mike, five Tanzanians, and me), along with 19 others (porters, guides and cook). Of the seven, only Mike and I made it successfully to Uhuru Peak, which is another story in itself. Upon my return and a sweet reunion with the family, I was asked to preach at Buguruni Church about the event, and I quickly jotted down over a dozen “life lessons” that were impressed upon me during the experience which have biblical roots. I’ll try to share more of these in days to come.

For now, thank you for your prayers for protection (for me, Mike and my family), and PRAISE GOD for victory in conquering Kilimanjaro! Truly from sea level, where we live in Dar es Salaam, to the “roof of Africa,” God is worthy of all worship and praise!

Pressing on, Eric