The Bible at the top of the world
By the Rev Christian Bonnet, former General Secretary of the French Bible Society

Approaching the summit of Everest during the expedition led by Philippe Martinez. Photo: Everest Expedition 2006 from the Tibet side/Philippe Martinez/J-Y Invernizzi (PRC06DJ-34.JPG)

CHINA — Philippe Martinez’s first reaction when an old friend asked him to act as the guide for a French expedition to the summit of Everest was uncertainty. He had been a mountain guide since 1981 and certainly knew the mountain well. But he had subsequently come to faith and become the pastor of an evangelical church. He was 52 years old and had a wife and four children. He could no longer take the kind of risks that he had done as a young man. He knew that, above 8,000 metres, the body is exposed to severe stress. At his age, such an expedition would be madness.

Many people had believed that they could conquer Everest and had not returned. So at first he resisted the call of the mountain. Over the following weeks, however, he gradually started to feel that God was calling him. More and more signs pointed in this direction, but he still did not want to put his life at risk, especially as his wife, Brigitte, had only recently finished treatment for cancer. Eventually, though, it was Brigitte herself who persuaded him to follow God’s call.

Even though he had placed his trust in God, Philippe spent a year preparing very thoroughly for the expedition. He trained hard and spent many hours obtaining the necessary equipment and permits. During this time he became increasingly convinced that God was calling him to the highest point on earth so that the Gospel could be preached to all nations.

Symbolism of their ascent

The team set off on April 3. At advanced base camp, where they spent time acclimatising, Philippe began to understand the symbolism of their ascent. The sherpas told him that the people of the Himalayas call this mountain ‘Chomolungma’, or ‘Earth goddess’. It was thus on a mountain consecrated to a goddess that Philippe had been called to bear witness to his faith. Reaching for the small Bible that he always carried with him, he turned to Psalm 95: “The Lord is the greatest God, king over all other gods. He holds the deepest part of the earth in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him” (v3-4, CEV).

Philippe Martinez holding the French Bible which he left at the summit of Everest Photo: Everest Expedition 2006 from the Tibet side/Philippe Martinez/J-Y Invernizzi (PRC06DJ-36.JPG)

It takes five days to climb from base camp to the summit. “Once you reach 8,000 metres, you cough constantly and you feel nauseous,” Philippe says. “The wind never stops blowing. The bottled oxygen dries out your lungs. You could suffer severe breathing difficulties at any time.”

The final ascent took place on May 17 from the last camp at 8,300 metres. They set off at 11pm and aimed to arrive at the summit, 600 metres higher, at around 7am. At this altitude, each step and each breath require ten times more effort than usual. But the weather conditions were favourable and Philippe knew that God was leading the way. Indeed, he was so strong, both physically and spiritually, that he arrived at the summit 20 minutes ahead of the others.

Taking off his oxygen mask, he began singing a hymn of praise. He was joined by the rest of his team and by an Israeli mountaineer, the first civilian from his country to conquer Everest. He then made a symbolic gesture which, for him, was the sole purpose of the expedition: he buried his small Bible in the snow. In this way he wanted to show that God’s Word must be proclaimed to the furthest reaches of the world. He also added a personal touch in the form of photos of his wife and children and a message: “Thank you, Lord, that you have protected me so far. I place into your care those whom I love and I ask that my children will serve you one day”.

The doctors had advised that the team should not spend more than 10 or 15 minutes at the summit, but they remained there for more than an hour without coming to any harm. They all returned exhausted and emaciated, but aware that they had experienced a very special time. The next day, they heard that a young French man in the team that had reached the summit after them had died during the descent. On Everest, survival can never be taken for granted.

Philippe was very warmly welcomed when he returned to France. Even the secular press reported him as saying that he had undertaken the expedition thanks to God and for God. With the rest of the team, he received a medal from the French government. What was even more important to him, though, was the certificate he received from the Chinese government which records his achievement and the fact that a French Bible can now be found at the highest point on earth.

(WR 407/6 - 12.06) [3 photos]