The Summit That Changed Everything
Mark Anderson's Quest from Peak Conquest to People Rescue
Mark Anderson
Former Professional Climber, Current Missionary to Himalayan Tribes
"I spent 15 years conquering peaks. God spent those years preparing me to reach the unreachable."
My story begins at age 12, staring at a poster of Mount Everest in my bedroom. "Someday," I whispered. Fifteen years later, I stood on that summit, but the view that changed me wasn't from the top—it was on the way down.
By 27, I was a professional climber—sponsorships, documentaries, death-defying ascents broadcast globally. I'd conquered the Seven Summits, broken altitude records, made millions selling adrenaline to armchair adventurers.
My Peak Portfolio
But the higher I climbed, the emptier I felt. Every summit was a temporary high followed by the question: "What's next?" Mountains became my drug, adrenaline my addiction.
Everest expedition, May 2019. Everything went wrong. Avalanche trapped our team for 6 days. Three climbers died—including my best friend Jake. I survived, but something in me died on that mountain.
May 15, 2019 - Base Camp 4
Jake didn't make it. Hypothermia took him 20 feet from safety. Held his hand as he slipped away. His last words: "Tell my kids I love them. Tell them Daddy's going to see Jesus." I envied his peace. Where would I go?
The Valley of Death's Shadow
I descended Everest a different man. PTSD hit hard. Couldn't climb. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't escape Jake's face. Success felt meaningless when my best friend was gone.
"I'd conquered the world's highest peak but couldn't conquer my lowest valley. Fame felt empty. Money felt meaningless. What was the point of reaching summits if life had no summit?"
Therapy wasn't working. Medications weren't helping. In desperation, I returned to Nepal—not to climb, but to find peace where I'd lost it.
The Sherpa's Wisdom
Pemba, our former guide, found me drinking alone in Kathmandu. "Mr. Mark, why you look for peace in bottle? Mountain not your enemy. Mountain your teacher. Come, I show you."
He led me to a hidden monastery. For three weeks, I lived with monks who'd never left their valley but had climbed heights I'd never imagined—spiritual ones.
Brother Tenzin, the head monk, spoke broken English but perfect truth: "You climb mountains for yourself. God climbs mountains for others. Same mountains, different purpose. Maybe God calling you climb for Him now?"
That night, praying (for the first time in years), God revealed the true summit I was meant to reach—unreached people groups in the highest places on earth.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace..."
- Isaiah 52:7 (KJV)
Suddenly, my climbing skills weren't just adventure—they were assignment.
Seminary in Sneakers
Enrolled at Fuller Seminary. Studied missions between training climbs. Learned Nepali, Tibetan, and tribal dialects.
Medical Training
Became wilderness EMT, then nurse practitioner. The mountains I'd climb had no hospitals, but plenty of need.
Cultural Immersion
Lived with Sherpa families for 18 months. Learned customs, built trust, understood that relationship preceded revelation.
The Commission
Officially commissioned as missionary to isolated Himalayan tribes. Same mountains, eternal mission.
The Unreached at 16,000 Feet
My mission field: seven tribes isolated in the Himalayas, some unreached for centuries. Villages accessible only by technical climbs, extreme weather, and months of trekking.
Mustang People
Population: 347. Never heard Gospel. 3-day climb to reach.
Dolpo Tribe
Population: 156. Buddhist for 800 years. 5-day trek.
Upper Humla
Population: 78. Animist. Only accessible in summer.
Nar-Phu Valley
Population: 234. Tibetan refugees. Suspicious of outsiders.
The Obstacles
God's Mountaintop Moments
The First Believer
Pema, a young mother whose child I saved from pneumonia. "Your medicine powerful. Your God must be powerful too." First baptism in a mountain stream at 14,000 feet.
The Tribal Elder's Dream
Elderly shaman approached me: "Stranger, I dream of man in white who says He die for all people. You know this man?" God had been preparing hearts before I arrived.
The Village Transformation
Mustang village: from 0 to 78 believers in 18 months. They built their own church with stones from the mountain. Now they send missionaries to other villages.
Seven Years at Altitude - The Numbers
Prayer for the Called
"Lord of mountains and valleys, You see the adventurer reading this. You placed that restless spirit in them. Show them how their passion can serve Your kingdom. Give them courage to climb for You, to go where others won't, to carry Your light to the highest, most isolated places. Whether they're scaling mountains or facing different heights, help them reach for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Today, I write this from 15,000 feet, in a yak-skin tent, surrounded by people who've become family. The summits I once conquered for fame now serve the fame of Jesus. The skills I developed for sport now support souls.
Next month, I'll attempt to reach the Changpa nomads—highest-altitude permanent settlement on earth. Not for a record, but for souls who've never heard there's a God who loves them.
Jake would be proud. His death taught me that life's true summit isn't what you achieve—it's who you bring with you to eternity.
What heights is God calling you to scale for His kingdom?