I have to admit mountaineering may not have qualified as a true passion at the time – let alone my life’s purpose.  If it were, I would have prioritized climbing 14ers in my spare time, wracked up tons of experience, and built an impressive resume of summits.  Perhaps I might even have pursued it as a way to earn a living.  Instead it remained my favorite daydream, and felt like a promise waiting to be filled. 

At that point, I already knew that I was moving the following autumn to Washington DC to finish college at American University.  Nonetheless, I began to research the Seven Summits task and started attempting to recruit friends to join me in the quest.  I priced permits and gear for McKinley, evaluated the possibility of every summer, and took a spring break in Chile to visit Aconcagua’s Andes.  My planning was going nowhere.  Worse still, I had sharply departed from Christ and his teachings over the course of those years. 

By the time late 2005 rolled around, I finally realized that I needed a serious course correction.  I joined a Bible Study and recommitted myself to following my Savior.  Late last year, I went on my first mission trip since high school, to India.  Every step of the way, God flawlessly illuminates more of His truth – and then patiently renews my heart to implement it.  Just as He was revealing that I could do more to meet the material and spiritual needs around me, the Elbrus Expedition presented itself as the opportunity.

When I say I cannot recall ever thinking about Mt. Elbrus, much less planning for it, I am quite serious.  But God has given me a direction and then provided a completely unforeseen path of His own in my life before.  The challenge is usually to remember his abiding faithfulness and take heart from it.  I’m sure I’ll be reminding myself of these words soon enough.

And so I found myself at 13,000′ with a team of men that I didn’t know a year prior, preparing for a summit more than 4,000′ higher than I’d ever been.  The night before our summit attempt, I woke up and could not nod off again.  A couple of hours went by and I turned to God to find comfort in conversation.  My prayer was a simple question for confirmation of what lay ahead.  “Lord, is this my idea – or Yours?  Because if it’s Yours, I need Your strength and faithfulness to carry it out.”  Of course, I also asked for a bit of rest – “please, just two hours.”  The plan was to wake up at 1:30am, gear up, and be heading up the mountain by 3am.  I only had been sleeping for 1.5 hours when I awoke in the first place.  11:30 came and anxiety began to rise.  11:32 and my spirits began to fall.  I peeked again at 11:36, made a mental comment about how encouraging it would have been to get that two hours, and within minutes I was asleep at last.  Our wake-up call came late… at 1:40.

My usually overactive brain was placid - literally fixated only on the next step, and the next breath.  As our guide, Tap, explained: mountaineering is about being as efficient as possible.  Oh, that we were so dedicated with the rest of our efforts in life! 

I find it hard to define or explain the profound affection I have for these other guys who I was roped to on that mountain, but I feel it is important to try.  The fellowship that gives God glory is the one that hopes in Him, and remains committed to each other.  So I am not surprised that it was right to push on in camaraderie and entrust the top to each other.  In this way, every exhausted step taken by your brother in front of you – from the saddle to the summit – was a step just as much for you as for himself. 

That unbounded thankfulness expressed itself in euphoric tears as we approached the final few yards.  By that time, my focus was no longer the apex – but turning around to share my excitement with Zach behind me.  My smile sought to explode through my weeping as we scurried up to sprawl out together on top of Europe, and unrolled our banner reason for being there…  THE LAST WELL.

I am exuberant about the future.  The future of providing water and the Word to Liberia.  The future time spent with you and others who will hear of this movement and be stirred.  Yes, future mountains, too.  The point is not that God promised me the summits of seven peaks, but that His salvation and faithfulness are perfect even when I am unfaithful and heartless.  He is ceaselessly reminding me of His desire to be relied on in our relationship.  And a list is the least of the ways that He will work through our lives and show His Glory.