He SPOKE and …

… then there were tall creatures moving with an awkwardly gangly grace (giraffes), curious stripe-clad joggers (zebras), and deceptively cantankerous waders who wiggle their ears (hippos). How Great and Majestic must this Person be for His WORDS to have this effect.

This week we took a break from ‘normality’ and went to Katavi National Park – an animal reserve about 11 hours away. We passed through some amazing countryside, dotted only occasionally with a village, fields or baboons. This is the rainy season, so the dirt/mud/muck roads-turned-riverbeds wrought a bit of havoc on our bodies, but thanks to the power of the land cruiser and the skill of Harold’s driving, sore muscles were all we suffered.

Feeling once again like we must be experiencing someone else’s life, we cruised through Katavi sitting atop the jeep – a whole day looking out over amazing creatures with nothing between us and them except open air. The terrain alone would have been stunning … exactly how you imagine African plains, except a vibrant GREEN due to the rains. The clouds were large and heavy all day, but the rain held back until the late afternoon. At the edge of the plains we entered a valley literally teeming with wildlife – it’s likely that I’ve never used the word “teeming” so accurately before. And there was no “giraffe section” or “zebra section” and so on – no, they were all out there together, checking us out, running away (or charging – only one water buffalo had that look in his eye – oh, and one hippo!), and giving us quite a show as we drove by with wide eyes and huge smiles.

The creature we were told to least expect were lions. They are already the most difficult and unlikely animal to see, but especially at this season with the high grasses - even the park guides warned us not to get our hopes up because you could walk/drive within 5 feet of one and never know it. But sure enough, we spotted a few lionesses out near a watering hole towards the end of the day. As we stopped and all gathered atop the jeep to see them (about 20 yards away), we realized they had cubs … and immediately they got into protective formation. Quite fascinating to see “live” – each of the three females quickly took her place in a protective perimeter. Then to our surprise we noticed another young cub cross the road in front of us, and just a moment later heard a growl that undoubtedly contained a warning – and just as surely did not come from the lionesses we could see. It’s amazing that one sound could effectively make your heart race and stop at the same moment. We didn’t waste any time looking for the source of the warning within the 5-foot tall grasses ... Harold quickly got back in the driver’s seat and we were off. Once we were all safe behind the doors and windows, we went back for another, closer look at the lionesses and their cubs – after a few more threatening paces and snarls, they decided we were not a threat, so they relaxed and didn’t begrudge our snapping cameras and giddiness at having come across them.

What a gift it was to be able to see all this. Truly phenomenal. And all because He SPOKE.