I have loved elephants since I was a little girl. I was always so excited to see elephants when I went to the zoo and would just stand and watch them. I pretty much knew who all the elephants were, especially when the zoo started to have baby elephants. I even did a research project about elephants in middle school. So, obviously one item on my bucket list was to see an elephant in the wild.
I was able to go on a safari with my team this month. I was excited to spend this time with my team and see more of Gods amazing creation. I was honestly excited to see any animal, but my team know that I was extra excited at the chance to see an elephant. I tried not to get my expectations up too high, because wild animals are unpredictable, but it was still a hope in the back of my mind.
We started the safari and it was wonderful. It was a perfect day and I was loving seeing different animals and wildlife . Then I heard on the radio that an elephant had been sighted. Do I get my hopes up? No, it's a huge place and the probability that we would see the same elephant was probably very little. However, we did begin to head in that direction and little while later off to my right I see a elephant in the distance!
I was so excited. All I wanted was for it to move out of the trees a little so I could get a good picture. That would have made my day and I would have gone home incredibly happy.
But it didn't stop there. The elephant, who was a 16 year old male and had been recently kicked out from the heard as male elephants that age are began to approach us. He got closer and closer until he was right at our jeep. I was sitting in the back and he came around to the back window and just hung out for a minute or so. He was so close that I could have easily reached out and touched him. I just sat back in wonder and excitement that I was so close to this amazing animal. That it was just hanging out and saying hello, checking me out and seeing what we were all about. He walked around a little more and played in a water hole close by before walking off.
This was more than I could have ever expected. I had a giddy smile on my face for the rest of the day. It was a huge reminder that God gives me more than I could ever expect. That I have a father who knows me so much that He wants me to delight in His creation. He wants to give me tangible love letters here on this earth. That He created me to worship Him, and today He allowed me to worship Him in the presence of an elephant.
