"Oh, she'll be comin' round the mountain..."
Three days ago we headed down the mountain, traveled southwest across the Great Rift Valley, and within five hours we entered the famous Masai Mara. There we witnessed some of God's creation at its best. The air was fresh and clean (Unless of course, you were downwind watching a flock of vultures finish off a wildebeast carcass left from a pride of lions.) The mountains were majestic. The yellow grassland swayed in the wind like rippling waves. The animals... you can tell me what you think.
Can you tell we had a magnificent and memorable time?
Before we left for Africa, I went to the Weatherford Public Library and checked out all the African books and videos I could find. Every night before bed, and sometimes during dinner, I would read to Micah and Kaden from the African books. Before we left, Micah and Kaden had learned some basic Swahili words and how to count. They learned about currency conversion, and of course the Great Migration.
The Great Migration: South of Kenya is Tanzania, home of the Serengeti. When you cross the border from Tanzania into Kenya, the Serengeti system becomes the Masai Mara. Every year, 3 million wildebeast and the zebra make their annual migration. While they are eating the plains of the Serengeti, the Masai Mara is in the rainy season (lasting from late April - May). The rains are typically over by June, the grass begins to grow and the annual migration begins in late July and early August. Well, this year, the rains came early, the grass grew and the migration had begun. We were so blessed! We got to see the wildebeast and zebra herds stampeeding across the plains of Africa. They ran so fast you could hear their hooves trampling the ground and the grasslands swishing across the sides of their body. The shear numbers of them were amazing! We had just finished watching a pride of nine lions and were driving off when Kaden turned to look behind him. Instantly he said, "Mom! Dad! Look!" and from over the ridge the wildebeast and zebras came barreling down the hillside stampeeding past us, almost single file. And as far as we could see from the east to the west, thousands of them passed us by.
The second great Discovery Channel experience was watching a Cheetah stalk, attack and kill a Thompson Gazelle, and then drag it by the throat twenty five feet from our safari van. Micah and Kaden were beside themselves with excitement. Kaden, was yelling, "Mom, and Dad last night I prayed and asked God if I could see this." Now, I question whether or not Kaden prayed that specifically but... he and Micah both are wild, adventurous boys. Of course, they inherited it from their dad.
I better to get to sleep. We decided to take the Assistant Minister of Justice up on his offer to spent the weekend with he and his family at Lake Bogoria. His treat! On Sunday, Mr. Cheptumo has arranged for the pastors, in his constituency, to meet and Paul has been given the opportunity to teach and encourage them for a couple of hours. Then we will return and be home by dark.
