I hate climbing mountains!

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I truly hate to climb mountains. There is no part of it that I enjoy. Except the view at the top, but honestly, if I didn't have someone cheering me on the whole time, I would quit every single time.

As I was sending a thank you note today, a visual came to me. For the poorest of the poor, getting out of poverty is like climbing a mountain, climbing out of a bottomless pit. You can't get to the top unless you keep plugging along and oh boy, there are times when you want to quit. Many times when I climb a mountain I just want to sit down and cry or turn around and run back down. I complain and whine the whole time. Getting to the top no longer seems desirable or worth it. It's like this insurmountable thing that just keeps going. And it's not pleasant in the least bit and the amazing view at the top just isn't that important anymore when you're in the midst of the treacherous, exhausting climb. Climbing is not for the faint of heart and it's really hard for those who are used to sitting at the bottom of the hill.

For those who live half way up the mountain, it's no big deal, just sprint and go. But for those who are stuck at ground zero, the top is like climbing all the way to heaven and y'know what, it kind of is. Like climbing to heaven I mean. God is up there. He's with you all along the way and despite all the grumbling and complaining and the panting and gasping for breath and the sore legs , when you get to the top, the view is truly exquisite and can only truly be appreciated from the top. God is resting there, waiting for you to climb, He'll help you up along the way, but much of it you have to do yourself. He knows that only if you climb the mountain yourself do you truly appreciate the view and each and every stone you conquered along the way. And when you go back down the mountain, you can tell everyone you pass about the view at the top, to encourage them to keep pressing on.

That's what Food for His Children is like. We walk alongside people who are climbing a mountain to get out of the pit of material poverty. A pit that some have lived in for generations and have never even seen beyond the rock in front of them. We encourage them when they want to give up and go back down to the bottom and stay there. Food for His Children is bringing families to the mountain top to see and be all God called and created them to be. And then sending them down the mountain to offer help and encouragement to others who are still stuck at the bottom of the pit and just need a hand to get started, a push to move forward or encouragement to keep pushing on. Because the view at the top can only truly be appreciated when you experience it for yourself.

Pretty cool. I love God's images!

PS Just for fun, watch this video to see me starting a climb DOWN a mountain in Tanzania, knowing I had to climb back up it.