Our 17 year old daughter,  Rachel,  is making her final preparations for her trip – Kilimanjaro 2012: climbing poverty mountain. In this series of blogs we wanted to share why we pushed aside our natural parental tendencies of protection to let her climb Africa’s highest mountain. More in this mini-series here.

1. Because we want her to follow her dream

In our daily routine we have the privilege of getting to know lots of people. Over time you become aware that many (probably all) carry dreams for their lives. Sometimes they lay well hidden by the pressures of life, or pushed aside by circumstances, but if you dig a little a dream or two is usually always there. We would all do well to listen to these dreams as God-given signs to the life and purposes he has for us.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

This is not some hedonistic approach to life where we follow our own desires. Rather as we seek to give our lives to God, as we tune into His Spirit, we become aware of passions and desires that he has given. These are the dreams we must pursue.

For several years, as Rachel has sought God’s will for her life, there has been a growing dream of fighting injustice, championing the rights of the poor and making a difference for those that are oppressed or enslaved.  And for years she has said that one day she would climb Kilimanjaro for a cause she believed in. Then suddenly, there it was. That opportunity. There was only one answer.