My song of Ascent

“God loves long shots,” was a quote from Mark Batterson’s book, Chase the Lion, that echoed in my wandering mind the day I found out I was a finalist for Chip Gaine’s Chipstarter contest. I was just a girl, who had moved to Dallas for her dream job that went downhill as fast as it came. I had no money and I worked 6 hours a week at a paint-and-sip studio for a manager who who made fun of Christianity. I would fly back and forth to Tampa to schedule photo sessions just so I could go back to Dallas and pay my rent. I wanted so badly to flourish in Dallas. I loved that city, but to no avail, nothing worked. In the middle of that pain and heartache, I read the book, Shaken by my favorite athlete, Tim Tebow, about his own mountains and valleys. If someone like Tim could experience such highs and lows in his dreams and still make it out on the other side, then so could I. The concept of highs and lows, mountains and valleys, peaks and prisons, rang in my ears endlessly, so much so, I wrote an email devotional titled, Ascend. But even once that project was completed, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I decided that in order to really grasp the meaning behind life’s hills and valleys, I needed to make the experience literal for me.

I decided I wanted to summit the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro, while fundraising for the Tim Tebow Foundation, all while inspiring others to conquer the mountains in their own lives. I applied for sponsorships anywhere and everywhere. Nothing. I sold jewelry through a company called Go Rings which helps sponsor travel with a cause. I designed t-shirts and hosted Facebook LIVE’s to get people invested in my adventure, but I fell short and was on the verge of giving up. Climbing a mountain isn’t cheap. Fundraising for any cause is hard. I had no stable source of income. And because I had no experience being in the great outdoors, I didn’t even have the materials I needed to properly hike a mountain. A $350 sleeping bag for subzero temperatures? No way. I cried out to God, feeling quite stupid about the whole dream. “Did you really call me to this God? Was this all just my stupid idea?” In the midst of these questions came two major hurricanes in Texas and Florida, my two home bases. Thank you Harvey and Irma. At that point, I felt extra awkward about fundraising. In one final attempt, a friend had reached out to me to ask if I had seen an email from Magnolia, inviting dreamers to submit their dreams to Chip Gaines to see if he’d sponsor them. I had two days to submit a video explaining why he should sponsor my crazy dream. You can watch that video here.

I was hesitant, yet hopeful. A week went by before the official announcement of finalists was made. I waited an entire day to get the call from Magnolia and was in disbelief when I saw a Waco area code on my phone. Two days later, me and my mom we’re on flight to Waco and the rest…is history…A forever memorial stone in my life. God used the most unlikely people to bless my life in the most abundant way…and Chip gave me double of what I originally asked.

I have shared this story multiple times, but I repeat it over and over again because still I forget…in the ever-changing terrains of life, in the alternating climates, in the highlands and in the heartache- God is with me wherever I go. I could write a book on this whole experience, because God continues to demonstrate to me what it means to ascend. But for the purposes of this blog, I will give you these main points…

Ascending can look like descending at times. In order to acclimatize, we had to go down in order to go up. It’s for your protection and strength. Don’t despise the long way up. Slow and stead wins the race.

2. God will connect you to the right people along the way. We are not meant to conquer our mountains alone. Kefas, my main guide, was like the mouthpiece of God, reminding me that I needed to conquer my mind, not the mountain. Chip and Joanna were angels. There’s a reason they are loved by so many. They are blessed because they bless others. Simple as that. God can and will use anybody and He will surprise you in the best way.

3. Life is both mountain tops and valleys. Learn to embrace both because they are an inevitable part of the human experience. Be flexible. Wear layers because the climate and terrain on the mountain are forever changing. But there is beauty in all of it.

4. Going back to point number #2, the biggest mountain to conquer is your mind. I have spent so much of my life living in fear, trying to be brave. You don’t have to climb Kilimanjaro to conquer your fears, but I would suggest that you live life abundantly. God loves long shots, so go after your dreams ferociously. My biggest fear is to get to the end of my life and wonder if I lived enough.

5. I lift my eyes to the mountains. Does my help come from the mountains? No. My help comes from God, who made Heaven and Earth and the mountains. (Psalm 121, a Song of Ascent). Keep looking up.

The following photos are from the rest of my time in Tanzania from ascent, descent, and safari. My entire trip was 10 days, 6 on the mountain, 2 on safari, and the rest was travel time. The trekking and safari company is called Majestic Kilimanjaro and I highly recommend them. There’s so much I could say about their hospitality and care, but I’ll just say this- I felt like I traveled with family. They took care of me. If you have any questions about my experience, send me a message. I’d be happy to help anyone experience this glorious ascent…