Home.

He's back. He made it the whole way, and loved it. There are at least four short people (and one average-sized one) who are super-glad he did.

 

 

 

And...after 24 hours, he's gone again. (C'mon, kids! Six more days! We can make it...)

 

 

From the top of Africa

A text from my best friend: I am on top of Kili and feeling great. Love you all so much.

The whole team made it (statistically, two of them weren't supposed to!). My husband saw the sunrise from 19,341 ft. today.

Wow. Relieved; proud; thankful.

Tonight's the night! Kilimanjaro summit

John's team plans to wake in about half an hour--11 PM here in east Africa--to summit Kilimanjaro around sunrise! The highest point on the continent...wow. I'm pretty stinkin' proud, not to mention incredibly thankful and prayerful, too.

They will be climbing around 4000 feet tonight in an Arctic biozone--it's quite cold!--so the difficulty is certainly not over. But thus far, despite varying levels of altitude sickness and other small ailments, we've heard that the entire team is still climbing. I'm excited. We would love your prayers.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.

Psalm 95:1-4

A small life?

Two years ago, around my thirtieth birthday, I remember standing in our church parking lot with my dear friend Tamara. I'd divulged to her before about somewhat of an identity crisis I'd been having. Most of my life, I'd wanted to make a significant impact for God--doing something radical, probably in some cross-cultural situation that really got my motor running. But there I was, almost thirty, and smack in the middle of suburbia with four little kids and their sippy cups, a dog, and even the picket fence...which seemed to be steadily closing in on a daily basis. What Tamara said that day caused a marked change in thinking. She asked me if what I saw as success--as a big life--was really what God considered success. Or was a "big life" actually loving deeply? Was my significance in my accomplishments for God...or in Christ's?

God had a lot to teach me, over a meandering path of years, about blooming where I was planted, so to speak--in whatever capacity my King asked of me. He had a lot of work to do in lifting my gaze to what real success, a real "good and faithful servant" looked like.

Maybe that's why late one spring night, after I'd finally found contentment in God's story for me, I about fell out of bed when my husband started talking about going overseas. By that point, God had demonstrated to me that becoming a missionary was a lateral move.

If you'd like more of the story, I wanted to let you in on a piece I wrote recently for Boundless.org: I'm No Rock Star. I'm hoping it will encourage someone out there who identifies with a reality that feels smaller than their dreams--or, like my new reality, feels like what they're doing is painfully minute compared to the magnitude of problems they see.

Turns out it's not the size of my life that's big. It's the size of my God.

Update from Kilimanjaro!

Yesterday--while my son and 10 of his friends were bowling in honor of W.'s 7th birthday (!)--I received my first text from John from Tanzania. I was markedly relieved.

They hit 14,500 feet yesterday, so they've only got 4,500 to go until they summit at sunrise on Sunday morning. His face is tingling and he had a slight headache, but he is, and I quote, "having a blast"! John's done a great deal of climbing with his dad and others in the past throughout Colorado, so it's not hard for me to picture the guy up there having the time of his life up there. And that makes me one happy woman...despite the ensuing birthday sleepover going considerably more out of control than I pictured it in my head.

As for the rest of the Kili team, it sounds like two of them are having significant stomach issues (perhaps bad food), and some others are struggling against altitude sickness. Thanks for your continued prayers and God's work in all aspects of this climb to benefit eMi.

From John: Kilimanjaro prayers...and a last-minute match!

Hey, friends. It’s only a matter of days before I depart for Kilimanjaro.   Excited, expectant, a little anxious…   I am hoping you will offer up a prayer for us.  Here are a few requests but feel free to expand on them as you pray:

• ·         I am coordinating this climb of 14 climbers, so you can pray for me and all that entails in the remaining days.
• ·         At 19,000+ feet, altitude sickness is a major concern especially since I have a history with it.   I also have an ingrown toenail that has come about in a bad infection the last few days and praying I can extract it and let it heal before Monday.  So pray for health, summit success (annual stats are 50% make it), and a special time of meeting with God during our trip.
• ·         Janel will be at home caring for the kids during the ten days I am away--then for another week while I attend a member care conference--so pray for endurance and peace for her and the kids...and perhaps a few generous friends to help out at times.
• ·         I am still praying to make my goal of raising $3500 by the 20^th to go for Engineering Ministries International and supporting our efforts in designing and constructing facilities for the impoverished of east Africa.  

In addition to praying, if you are interested in donating toward my climb for this eMi fundraiser, good news… a donor has pledged a Kilimanjaro Donation Match to double gifts given between now and January 20^th – that’s Sunday!   If you are still considering making a donation toward our Kili fundraiser for the work of eMi and the ministry of the gospel to the impoverished of East Africa, follow this link to make a donation and select “Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb - 1528” in the drop box and insert “John Breitenstein” in the “other categories” comments section.

Janel and I remain humbled by each of you as you encourage us, send us Christmas cards and notes, pray for us, and support our work so generously!  Thank you!

Running buddies

Earlier this year, I posted a blog comparing our first few months to a marathon--and a marathon they were. The bonus? It's rewarding to look back at this last year and see the sinews God's been slowly shaping in my family, and in me. I love how faith grows leaner, longer, stronger as years pass, even as my body most certainly degenerates!

But another aspect I cherish about running the race here are my running buddies, so to speak. Visitors here would testify that the eMi "family" is remarkably close-knit--and I've got some outside of eMi, too. (Some of you have managed to jog with me despite the ocean between us!) In somewhat of a strenuous year, my need for friendships that tell the truth, and that step in when I'm lagging, has been more obvious than ever. I've definitely been more needy! But it turns out that's not as I might have braced myself for. Watch the savanna here and you'll see that loners get picked off pretty easily. And I am solidly convinced that's not just an Africa thing.

I posted on my gratitude--and desperate need, more than ever--for Relationships that Tell the Truth on MomLifeToday.

Here's to running buddies.