With the team fresh off the mountain, we sat down with trip leader, Chris Dominick, to get his thoughts on Aconcagua and how God is using The Last Well to spread the Gospel:
Q. Why did you decide to lead this trip for The Last Well?
A. Several reasons. The first is that I was asked. The reason I said yes is that after prayer and consultation, I realized God had prepared me to lead by participating in two previous climbs and the trip to Liberia.
Q. How did you see the message of The Last Well (Fundraisers First, Climbers Second - Ambassadors for Christ Always) come to life during your trip?
A. Well, during the trip we weren't really doing any fundraising of course but we did a lot of work on that on the front end between the Gala, our individual efforts, and a corporate outreach program that Chris Whytal, Rob Kossowsky and I put together. The primacy of the fundraising component was therefore demonstrated on the front end. The ambassadors for Christ part manifests itself in our dealings with the other climbers we met as we shared with them why we were there and what we were doing, overtly with our guides through our devotionals and daily prayer, and in how we acted and ministered to them and to one another.
Q. What is the biggest lesson God taught you on the mountain?
A. That when you get to the end of yourself physically and emotionally, and every person on the trip experienced that, that you better turn to Him directly and to Him through your fellow team members and believers. If some of the folks on the trip had not done that it would have been a disaster.
Q. What is the biggest lesson God has taught you since coming home?
A. For me personally it is the need to hang on to Him and strong spiritual state you are usually in when you return from these trips. There is a tremendous draw, especially after you are gone for as long as we were and as disconnected as we were to dive back into the world with a vengeance to the exclusion of time with Him in general and time spent dwelling on the lessons and provision of the trip.
Q. How do you see God working through TLW to spread the Gospel?
A. The practical ways are obvious, as I saw first hand during the Liberia trip last year. One thing I am excited to see is how the climbing component of the ministry is drawing in believers to participate in the ministry. I think we are coming up on 100 different participants in the fundraising climbs. Now with Todd moving to Texas and a couple of folks in Colorado that will open up even more opportunities to bring in new participants and all that that means. The second and most profound thing I believe is the effect on those we come into contact with as we tell folks about our ministry, our trips and as we raise support for those trips. The number of interesting conversations I have had about faith because this ministry provided the impetus for those discussions is too numerous to count.
Q. How did God show himself to you and the team during the trip?
A. As far as the team goes, I think He showed Himself through strengthening the team especially spiritually and emotionally. I think we bore up under the physical part pretty well as a group. This trip was light years more difficult than any of us imagined when we got into this for a variety of reasons. Sixteen days on a mountain with a daily itinerary looks reasonable on paper. It is another thing entirely on the mountain itself. The down time, the lack of daily progress up the mountain due to the acclimatization schedule, the absence of facilities of any sort and the total disconnection from the world were much more weighty than we imagined and there was no way to deal with it except to bear up for another two weeks under it. Thank God for God.
As for me He showed Himself to me through grace. I had an amazing amount of grace for people who in my previous life I would not have. I would have come down on them with derision and disdain. On the revelation side we saw such physical beauty that it can only be credited to a Creator. So God, as He always does on these adventure trips, took out His paintbrush and revealed Himself to us through His creation.
Q. Why should people get involved with climbing for TLW?
A. I could write a book on this. The primary reason is of course that it is a wonderful vehicle to provide both physical and living water to the people of Liberia who, though they be half a world away, are as important to God as we are to Him. It also provides a means to advance the Gospel here at home. Finally, on an individual level, it provides an opportunity for us to become more Christlike in so many ways. We transform and harden His temple (our bodies) through the training and the trips, strengthening ourselves physically and mentally. We build community and friendships through our shared trials and exertions. We experience His glory in His creation. We have adventures! It is plain old fun!!!
Q. Anything else you want to share about the impact TLW is making in your life and in spreading the gospel to Liberia?
A. Just that this is a very unique ministry that has a myriad of reasons to participate that you don't find in other ministry opportunities. It is also an exciting time in the ministry's growth. Things are becoming real, we now have a history and tangible results to point to and some clarity on growth, pace, and a future vision.
