For the second time in three years, Man Up and Go sent a team to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa. They also visited Man Up’s ministry partners in Uganda and our CEO was able to spend some time in Ethiopia with partners there as well. In all, the trip was a tremendous success!
Why Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
On the surface, climbing the world’s tallest free-standing mountain has nothing to do with orphan care. But when viewed holistically, it actually makes perfect sense.
One of the foundational verses Man Up hangs its hat on is found in John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” In God’s infinite wisdom and perhaps for reasons known only to Him (at least fully), He has put in the heart of man a desire to explore and subdue the world around him. We know this from the very first chapter of Genesis, where God said, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it!” (v. 28).
What does “fill the earth” mean if not GO explore it? What does “subdue it” mean if not to MAN UP over it and in some capacity, bring glory to God?
Lest you think that’s a stretch, remember what happened at the tower of Babel…man disobeyed God’s original command to “fill the earth” and instead chose to settle down and build a tower to the heavens (Genesis 11:4). In fact, their reasoning in part was because they didn’t want to be “scattered across the face of the entire earth” (v. 4).
Yet that’s exactly what God wanted. And since God always gets what He wants, he confused their language and “the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth” (Genesis 11:8).
While climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t a direct takeaway from God’s intent for mankind, the revelation of who He created us to be helps explain why we desire to explore; to create; to make; to name. All of this is from a Creator God who by the very essence of who He is, pioneers something new.
Why All the Theology?
Why do we lay the groundwork of theology? Because at Man Up and Go:
- We believe everything begins with, is sustained by, and ends with an almighty powerful Deity who created human beings as His highest and greatest achievement;
- We believe He personally loves that which He created;
- And we believe that when His created beings love Him back by doing things His way, everything in life aligns.
This is the bedrock of why we operate – without it, nothing else makes sense.
Abundant Life
Since we believe Jesus is this “almighty powerful Deity,” when He says He came to give His created beings “abundant life,” we at Man Up take His word for it. Since the mountain is there, why not climb it?
A 2019 Climbing Kili trip participant said during his experience, “Absence of challenge degrades a man’s soul.” The reality is – the challenge is found in trusting God when He says, “Spread out on the earth and subdue it,” versus settling down and playing it safe. The mountain is an opportunity in our 21st century world to experience what those first few humans must’ve experienced as they set out to explore the world and make their mark on it, just like God asked.
It’s an opportunity to live out John 10:10.
Fighting for the Fatherless
Theology continues to ground us in the second reason we climb, and for most folks, the more practical reason – to raise funds in our fight for the fatherless. Not only are we fighting for the fatherless (Isaiah 1:17), but we’re practicing biblical generosity by personally giving or raising dollars to fund the mission (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Although we only had 5 participants, the organization netted about $15,000 that will fund projects like those mentioned in this short video below:
We believe trips like these, when done in humility and reverence for our King, honor Him and help others. That’s why we’re doing it again in 2023. If you’ve ever wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, here’s your chance. Fill out the application now and start your fundraising – you won’t regret this decision!
Climbing Kili not your speed? What about taking a week to ride 500 miles across the state of Iowa on your bike? RAGBRAI is back for 2021, and if you’re a cycling enthusiast who wants to cycle for a purpose, make sure you log on to our trip interest Zoom on March 25 at 8:30 PM EST.
