by Yvonne Wafula

THE PRELIMINARIES

Due to the season we are in, there have been a lot of uncertainties. Despite all these uncertainties, there were several instances where we could clearly see God’s hand and favour upon us and in our plans.

1. I must admit that in the weeks leading to the expedition, I had my doubts if the trip was going to happen at all. The Kenyan borders were still closed. There was news of opening of the airspace sometime in July but there had been no mention about the opening of the terrestrial borders for normal passage other than the transportation of goods. Two weeks to the trip, we made enquiries and were informed that though the borders remain officially closed, it would be possible to allow us through provided we had a valid Covid certificate.  Right there I knew that God has already made a way we received confirmation from a contact at the border that we would be allowed to go through.
2. About three weeks to the date, one of my colleagues at work tested positive for Covid-19. As a precaution, the rest of us were encouraged to take the test since we worked in close proximity with the individual. As a church, we had been praying Psalm 91 over ourselves and families during this pandemic. Therefore, I was convinced that despite the possible exposure to Covid 19, I was not infected. I therefore did not go for the test until the week before the trip because I needed the test to be done just before our departure. Despite the possible exposure, my result was negative. Another sign of God’s favour- all 10 of us tested negative.
3. We experienced nothing short of the supernatural on the 1^st of September as were crossing the border. When we arrived and presented ourselves at the immigration, I was first at the counter since the organization I work for has presence at the border. The officer at the counter pointedly informed me that the borders were closed due to the cessation of movement order that was in force. The only exception would be if we got clearance from Nairobi. He referred to us to his superior who reiterated the same. I asked him to enquire from his superior and he asked us to wait. I was convinced that the Lord had already made a way for us more than 2 weeks prior as we had prayed about it. I made one phone call to my colleague, who was in charge of the customs office at the border. My colleague, who was not even at work on that day. She called back after a few minutes and informed me that someone was on their way to the counter and that we would be cleared. That person never showed up but the person at the counter called us and within 10 minutes we were cleared. I have no idea who gave the go ahead to have us cleared, but we were cleared and with such ease and speed. Being cleared to cross a closed border under such circumstances and within such a short time was nothing short of supernatural. That was yet another confirmation that the Lord had indeed given us that mountain.

THE EXPEDITION

After having experienced God prior to the climb, I was convinced that God was with us in this. The climb started well, with much excitement among the team – Kilimanjaro was finally a reality.

Day 1&2: Near perfect

For me, the first two days were fairly easy, I had lots of energy and did not experience any challenges. The trail was long, and we had to climb quite a few steep places but it was not difficult. After all, this is what we had been doing for the past few months. We really enjoyed the views and the experience those first two days.

Other than the shocker of sleeping on hard ground with nothing more than a mat and a sleeping bag, which we quickly adjusted to, all was near perfect.

On our second evening, we began experiencing the harsh mountain climate. There was so much wind and with-it tonnes of fine dust that seemed to permeate every crevice. We tried dusting our sleeping area as best as we would but within 10 minutes the place was as dusty as if we had done nothing. In the end, we slept with the dust and the wind howling the whole night. Still that did not seem that bad.

Day 3: The battle in my mind

I would say that I finally ‘met’ the mountain on Day 3 of the expedition. After the very windy and dusty night at the second camp we were eager to get moving to a more sheltered camp. The guides assured us that the next camp was sheltered, and we would not experience similar wind.

However, as we walked to our next camp, the wind persisted and although the terrain was fairly flat, I found that leg of the journey very very difficult. We were struggling to walk with the wind blowing hard from our left and it felt as if I was physically pushing against something as I walked.

As we went along, I started experiencing some symptoms. We had been briefed more than once about signs of altitude sickness and I was experiencing some of it. I was running out of breath and started experiencing headaches. Although, these were common symptoms of altitude sickness, my mind was filled with thoughts of the possibility of a more serious condition.

I have a genetic condition that results in smaller than normal red blood cells. Meaning that even in normal circumstances, my red blood cells generally carry less oxygen compared to normal people. Since I only have the recessive gene, this condition has never affected the quality of my life. I have known about the condition for several years but it had never been an issue.

As I started experiencing the physical discomfort, a conversation I had had with a doctor during my medical exam 3 weeks prior to the trip started to replay in my mind. The results of my medical check-up were all good. But when I mentioned to the doctor that I needed to be cleared for a mountain climb, he pointed out the red blood cell anomaly. The doctor had been concerned about my ability to withstand the extreme mountain conditions especially the reduced oxygen. I told him that I could, since I had ascended to 3900m a few weeks before and I experienced  no symptoms at all.

He however cautioned me that even if I was ordinarily asymptomatic, extreme conditions – such as mountain climbing could result in me developing severe symptoms.

So as I was walking to camp 3 and struggling with the wind, thoughts were screaming in my head- Have I developed serious symptoms? Should I be evacuated? Would I really make it to the top?

The Chief guide seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with me and asked how I was feeling. I informed him how I was feeling and he asked me to take a break and asked one of the other guides to carry my back pack. He was aware of my condition as he had access to my medical report. (He later confessed, at the end of our trip, that that incident caused him to doubt my ability to finish the expedition since I seemed to be already struggling on day 3).

I recall Pastor Davies asking me how I was feeling and I just told him I had headache. The truth is that I was battling fear and thoughts of helplessness more than the headache.

We stopped for lunch and Pastor Davies asked me again how I was really feeling. I told him, yes, I had a mild headache, but I was more afraid about what the doctor had told me 3 weeks earlier.  That I was sick and was never going to make it.

As we were walking, the Holy Spirit had led Pastor Davies to pray for me against negative thoughts. This was so accurate as I was having the conversation with the doctor cautioning me over and over again as we walked on that day.

In retrospect, this really was an attack of the enemy because I had forgotten all about that conversation as soon as I left the doctor’s office only for it to resurface 3 weeks later and on Mt. Kilimanjaro!  Pastor Davies and the team prayed for me and though I did not feel better right away, I had the strength to fight the negative thoughts. I instead started meditating on Isaiah 40:28-31 which was one of our theme scriptures. I decided that I did not want to hear the doctor’s voice again and instead, fill my mind with the word of God.

As I meditated on this scripture, I heard the Lord clearly tell me that He has promised me strength for the journey to the summit. However, He would give me the strength to take just one step at a time, I only needed to trust Him. I realized that I didn’t have to fear anymore about making it to the summit, all I had to do was believe for the strength for the next step. And God really did help me – one step at a time. I felt exhausted, but He gave me the ability to take one step at a time until we got to the camp. That gave me the reassurance that God was with me in this. I received my promise for the journey on that day, despite all the wind and hardship, I felt His reassurance that I would make it.

I hardly ate that night, I did not even have the strength to eat. I felt tired and worn out but I was no longer afraid! Despite what I was feeling, I knew He had promised to see me to the end. Any thoughts of giving up or quitting were eliminated on that day- when I was at my lowest – physically but spiritually, I was energized.

As we got to the camp, we noticed that the wind we had experienced the previous night still persisted. The wind made it difficult to enjoy a good night’s rest as it was noisy and brought a lot of dust. Pastor Davies sensed that we needed to have Holy Communion and he rebuked the wind. After the Holy communion we retired to bed and I recall waking up briefly at 11:58 PM and it was all quiet. The howling of the wind had totally been silenced! God had brought us peace and calm in the night And that was the last that we experienced of that wind!

Day 4 – The right mindset

On the 4^th day, I woke up with renewed energy and my body felt refreshed.  After the events of the previous day, I was very conscious of my thoughts and I constantly meditated on the passage in Isaiah 40. In fact, most of the time, I was muttering under my breath – “My strength is renewed like the eagles”. This was my mantra 😊. Once I filled my mind with the word of God, the doctor’s report and the fear that it brought were a distant memory.

Day 4 was really long as we walked for over 8 hours. We experienced one of the steepest climbs on that day. Since the first day, as we walked from camp to camp, the porters who were carrying our luggage and supplies would pass us along the way, and quickly disappear. On this particular day, the porters seemed to be moving slower than usual. When we saw the hill that stared at us across the gorge, we understood why 😊. That hill was practically vertical! We refused to be intimidated. As we approached it, Esther Wanjala just declared – we are well able and that gave us the courage to take the next step. I am not sure how I tackled that hill but one step at a time, we made it to the top and on to the camp.

Our summit bid was scheduled to commence on the 4^th night. We had had a long trek to the base camp and hardly had time to rest. We had only 3 hours to sleep before we began the summit bid. As I got to bed to sleep for the few hours, I prayed for supernatural rest as we had a long and hard trek ahead of us. I actually managed to sleep for about 2 hours. I later learnt that most of the team members hardly slept but I am thankful that I was able to take that nap.

The Summit Bid

The summit bid was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Most of us were practically asleep on our feet as we walked in the dark. Even in my state of semi sleep- there was one thing that I kept muttering – My strength is renewed like the eagles. I had strength for just one step at a time. The climb seemed endless. The guides sang for us, encouraged us on but I could only draw from within- His promise to me on Day 3 – to get me to the summit one step at a time. I didn’t even have the energy to look behind. I just took one step at a time, stopped for rest when the guide told us to and moved on when he said to move. All the while muttering beneath my breath – “My strength is renewed like the eagle’s”. All through the trek Pastor Davies kept shouting “Hallelujah!” I honestly did not have the strength to audibly say “Amen” but   faithfully responded under my breath. Such was the extent of the physical strain I was experiencing. I only had strength to think of God’s promise for the next step and lift one leg at a time. As I trudged along, I was also reminded on the many back at home who were praying for me. I remembered Andrew, my husband who had been so supportive and one of the things he had told me before the trip was that he was sending me to Uhuru- the summit. I knew he was praying for me. I also remembered another member of our team, Mary Nduiga who could not come for the actual climb but was praying and fasting for us. I had my very own “cloud of witnesses cheering” me on and I know that theirs and others’ prayers made a big difference for me through this very difficult leg.

Sunrise came- we were still walking. At some point we noticed that we were above the clouds- we were still walking. After about 10 hours- we were still walking but finally, we got to Stella Point which is the last milestone before the summit. Getting to that point really energized us- we could actually see the summit and the hardest part was behind us. Having experienced God in the last 10 hours of the climb, what was left seemed quite easy and we were filled with joy.

My strength was literally renewed for the last leg- I no longer felt the fatigue that I was experiencing prior to Stella. I had the strength to talk and have conversation as we covered the remaining 700m to the summit.

The view from the top

The scenery at the top of the mountain is breath taking. I had never in my life seen glaciers – and they were huge. They had colour that I cannot even describe. The sight was just heavenly. Getting to the top felt surreal, almost like an out of body experience. At some point I thought I was dreaming. We were above the clouds with all these glaciers and snow. It just didn’t feel real. I think some people would scream in glee. I was awed to silence. I did not shout or scream.

There was such tranquillity and peace at that point.

As I write this, I sense the Lord telling me that he desires to take me higher – away from the distractions and cares below – to experience his peace. The path to reach that level will not always be easy but the experience of being there in His presence is out of this world. That was what I felt at the summit- literally out of this world. The snow and ice was so white and everything about the summit exuded peace and God’s glory. I want to experience that in my life after the mountain.

We had a wonderful time of prayer over Africa. I felt that we were in the very presence of God as we prayed and had Holy communion. One of the guides- Patrick- gave his life to the Lord at the summit. Something extraordinary happened even as we got to the summit. As we approached the summit, a few people passed us and got to the summit way before us, had their time, took photos and left. We met the last team leaving just as we were about to reach point Uhuru. For the remaining time that we were at the summit, we were completely uninterrupted. God orchestrated it at that we got there at just the right time. There were no other climbers who came to the summit. We were thus able to freely pray, have holy communion and declare over Africa without any interruptions. One of the guides stated  that when the earth was established, God had set apart this day as that we would be at the summit to pray over the continent of Africa and break the enemy’s hold on our nations. This was thus a divine trip and I am expecting to see change in Africa. I believe that the curse of Africa being the dark continent is broken and that we are freed from the stronghold of corruption and other iniquities.   That God had ordained this trip was even more evident in those moments at the summit.

We eventually left the summit feeling fulfilled and energized. We descended to the camp and got there at about 4 PM, had a meal and had to walk a further 6 hours to get to the next camp. That was a tough walk as we had been up for over 24 hours. We finally got to the camp and retired for the night. For the first time since we came up the mountain, it rained a little that night at the last camp. When we settled on the route for the expedition, we had been warned that we would be using the windward side of the mountain and so it is likely that we’d experience lots of rainfall. Well, not even once were we rained on – which made our journey much easier. As I listened to the drizzle that night, I was so grateful to God for giving us favourable weather throughout the trek- another mark of His favour upon us.  

Blessed to be a blessing

One of the highlights of the trip was on the very last day of our expedition. We had set aside about 800USD to bless the team of guides and porters on our last day. However, after the days we spent with them and the hospitality and help that they had accorded us during the climb, the whole team felt that we needed to increase our gift to them. Pastor Davies gave the approval and we organized for an additional 1400USD to be made available.

As per the Tanzanian tradition, and for transparency, we needed to publicly state the amount we were tipping the guides, cooks and porters. We had a brief ceremony after lunch to do this. When Pastor Davies made the announcement of the amount each of them would take home, the crew (of about 45 people) broke out in song and dance. We were informed that for the majority of them (who were porters) the tip was equivalent to their pay for the 6 days! This meant that they had a double pay day. We knew that for most of them, due to the Covid pandemic, this was the first job they had had for months. Many had lost jobs and were desperate.

Just giving them such a good tip made them experience God’s love and they broke out in praise songs to the Lord. As we sang and danced with them I recalled the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:11 “You will be abundantly enriched in every way as you give generously on every occasion, for when we take your gifts to those in need, it causes many to give thanks to God”

Our generosity resulted in thanksgiving and much praise to God. This was another confirmation that God had ordained this trip and that He received the glory.

I am thankful that the crew felt the love of God through us and that we were a blessing to them. We may not have had the opportunity to interact individually with each one of them, but I am thankful that we were a blessing to each and every one of them.

One of the porters- a particularly jolly fellow whom we christened “Happy Happy” because he was always full of joy and kept saying Happy happy as he passed us with his load each day – came to see us off at the Hotel. When I arrived home, I received a text from one of the guides, who was of great help to me. She said that we have blessed their families by what we gave. She referred to me as ‘Mtu wa Mungu’ which literally means “God’s person”. I am glad that they got to experience God’s love and that Christ was evident in the team.

One step at a time…

As I recover from what was an experience of a lifetime. I know that my life was changed through that experience.

I experienced and lived through trusting God a step at a time. He has promised to see me through life, but I need to trust him a step at a time. I know that that no matter how insignificant a step may seem, each step in God’s will counts in helping me accomplish what He has destined for me. As  I take one step in obedience, He gives me strength for the next.

I have also proved that God works with us even through our weakness. My red blood cells may be limited but God is not. He supernaturally enabled me through this in spite of it. It doesn’t matter what kind of limits I may have, God is still able to accomplish His purpose for my life.

I will never forget the peace that I experienced at the summit- the peace that I can experience every day if I only come up higher to the Lord.

Glory to God!