After 5 days in Nairobi at GCF, we desperately needed to get out of the city and be with God. I definitely understand when Jesus had to get away to be with his Father after being with the poor, sick, and hurting for days.
We packed up our things and headed to Homa Bay for stage 2. As we were sitting for lunch, Pastor Peter and our driver Martin recommended a break for us to take a day and enter the African Wildlife preserve called Maasai Mara. I can honestly say that I have never witnessed God's creation and this beauty to this magnitude in my life (outside of the birth of my kids). We spent most of Thursday night and Friday morning in the park.
We met the Maasai tribe of Africa who still live off of the land. They are herdsman and provide meat for Kenya. They live in huts made out of sticks and cow/goat poo, and they have multiple wives, circumcise their boys at 16 (tied to a stick in the middle of the cow pen) and then the circumcised boy must go and kill a lion in order to be considered a man in the tribe and be able to marry. All I had to do was beg Joanne's Dad to let me marry her (at the time, I was freaked out). We had an incredible time talking with the Maasai warriors. They danced for us and we danced with them. Well...if you call seeing who can jump higher dancing. The kids played in cow/goat poop, were covered with flies, and didn't think anything about it. They were filthy, but happy. We also met the medicine man, who delivers all of the babies (most of which are his (without viagra I am assuming). I asked how many of the children survive and I was told that some die before becoming men/women...mostly from Malaria, and the Maasai are used to that and it is expected. Can't comprehend, but there is much about this continent that eludes my understanding.
They were very hospitable to us and opened there homes to us (homes where goats sleep in the hut with them and they sleep on the poo.
After that, we left for the park. I can't explain the majesty of this land to you. But I will tell you this. After 5 days in Nairobi, seeing and experiencing what we saw...Our hearts were numb, cold, and empty of all emotion. We simply were broken open, poured out, and left laying in our own tears over the people of Kenya.
As we stood up in the safari van, letting the Serengeti wind blow in our faces and wash God's breath over us, we found ourselves coming back to life. Breathing again, our eyes were open to what God has made. Indeed, I see what God meant when He looked at all He had made and said that it is VERY GOOD. He has such a sense of humor.
We saw 2 sets of lions (one with a young male present). We were only 10 feet away from them. We saw my giraffe all over the place, a black rhino (which is the rarest citing in the park), along with hyenas, hippos, gazelle, Wildabeasts, Waterbuffalo, zebras, warthogs, crocodiles, elephants (all within feet of the van). I am attaching pics for everyone to see. These will never do justice to what you see when you are there in person, but hopefully you are blessed to see what we saw.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers. Please keep them coming. God has us in His hands and we are refreshed and renewed and ready to take on Homa Bay now. We arrived tonight (Friday Night) and found ourselves needing rest for the next 2 days as we will be visiting a well, an orphanage and I will be "preaching" (stop laughing) at least twice.
OK...I love all of you. Ryan, Carrie and Ric are all doing great (Ric makes all of us laugh...A LOT), and I am grateful to be on this with them.
We will be praying for all of you as well...I will write again tomorrow.
