“The LORD merely
spoke, and heavens were created. He breather the word and all the stars were
born.�
Psalm 33:6
My team had the
opportunity to go on a 24hr safari in the Serengeti National Park our first
weekend in Tanzania, and let me tell ya, it was AMAZING! We ended up getting connect with a guy named
Mosses through our contact, and he gave us a super good deal. My team of 7 left on Saturday afternoon and
returned back on Monday evening. I would
say that it is one of my top 2 favorite experiences on the World Race so far.
Our Land Cruiser!
We packed a few
things, including our tents and sleeping bags and loaded up into our 9 seater
Land Cruiser! It takes around 2 hrs to
get there from Mwanza, but it ended up taking us longer because of a little
trouble at a “checkpoint.� Don’t worry. By this point in the Race we’re well
aware of how we have the potential to get taken advantage of because we’re
foreigners. We prayed for favor and didn’t give in to their demands and were on
our merry way in about 30 minutes!
We finally make it
into the park around 4 PM and have 24 wonderful hours inside. I was finally away
from the city, away from constant noise, out in God’s magnificent creation like
I’d never seen. I’m used to living in
the city and had been in a city of 8 million people the entire previous month
so this was a very welcome break for this small town southern girl. I felt so
revived and refreshed as I looked out of the top of the vehicle at the animals
and amazing landscape and felt the wind blowing through my hair. It was just
what I needed.
We saw zebras,
hippos, lions, leopards (from a long distance), impalas, warthogs, buffalo,
wildebeests, giraffes, a few elephants, a crocodile, ostriches, mongoose,
jackals, monkeys/baboons, lots of birds and many other things that I can’t
remember the exact names of.
The sunset was
unforgettable. By now you probably know my slight obsession with them, and this
one was one for the books. The Father is
the master artist, and I love seeing His unique work at the close of every day.
We camped out in our
tents underneath the stars. They showed off for us that night for sure, shining
so brightly in the calm night. I didn’t want to go to be that night. I just
wanted to soak up that peace and tranquility and beauty with Jesus. The only thing
I can compare the stars to that night are the stars in the San Juan Mountains
in Colorado. It reminded me of some
special times there.
All in all, I feel
extremely blessed to have had this opportunity and believe that the Lord used
it for my good in preparing me for the month ahead. Thanks for the Christmas money Mom and Daddy!
I went into this
adventure feeling very discouraged about a lot of things, very much on empty.
God used this time to fill me up. I’m realizing more and more that being
outside with the Lord is one of the ways that He speaks to me and fills me up
with His presence. Thank you, Jesus, for this special time of renewal.
“I will praise You,
LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name, O
Most High.�
Psalm 9:1-2
