June 15: Oh Heavenly Day

My eyes were wide, and my heart was full at 6:30am. I was so eager for the two day safari, I could hardly stand it. I was finally going to see the animals I'd only viewed on a television screen or in a circus, for the first time in real life. We had safari jeeps that were rented for the two days, which picked us up swiftly at 7:00am from Vernon & Mary's house. I, along with the Griffin family (Mom & Dad, Lindsey, Grant, and Jonathan...my second family ;) ), Candice, and Todd, piled into the large dark green safari jeep. The roof could rise up, for the purpose of having clear animal sightings ;). We left the house with cameras ready, and headed to our first destination: Lake Manyara National Park (approximately a 3 hr drive). Along the roadside to the park, I loved seeing the locals starting their day. We passed by little children who herded goats with sticks...women carrying buckets replete with fruits/vegetables on their heads...for miles. It was a beautiful thing.

His creation surrounds us always no matter where we are, but there's something unique about Africa, in how it displays the works of His hands.

As we finally passed through the park gates, my eyes filled with tears (I'm passionate ;). Words cannot capture my heart's emotion in that moment. Lush green forest tress stretched like a canopy over the road, and we were immersed in thick jungle on both sides of the jeep. Everyone in our car had already made the oath to be "intense" when it came to spotting animals...so we were all standing up (for the remainder of the afternoon), heads peering out over the rooftop in search of life. Alongside the road baboons appeared and disappeared from the thick jungle. At one point, as the trees separated somewhat, an elephant began walking towards our car. Our driver instantly turned the car off as the elephant came closer (within approx 10-15ft of the jeep). My heart was racing, and not a word was spoken from the jeep. Our mouths were literally below the car floor. The elephant strolled passed our car, across the road, and down to a nearby stream. He began casually playing with the water and blowing it through his trunk. It was absolutely amazing. Our God is an amazing God.

I realized, His fingerprints are everywhere, but for me, they're so evident here. As we made our way along the road the canopy of trees broke away, leaving one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever experienced. It was like candy for my eyes. Beautiful yellow/green plains...mountain peaks beyond the plains...and acacia trees scattered throughout the herds of wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle, and giraffes. Situated in the middle of the landscape was a small pond filled with grunting hippos. There was a spot at which cars could park (and with a safe distance) we took pictures of the beautiful landscape and wildlife. Your heart is truly at a loss for words. I kept having to literally repeat to myself where I was, in attempts to let the beauty saturate my heart and mind. From there, our group made our way up to a lunch spot overlooking Lake Manyara, a beautiful and massive lake. You could see a faint pink rim lining the lake, which we later realized were flamingos. It was a day I pray I never forget.

After lunch, our team left the park and pressed onward to Ngorongoro Crater, which is nestled up in the mountains. This crater is the largest unflooded volcanic caldera in the world, stretching over 102 miles in diameter and over 2,000 feet deep. The crater was formed after a giant volcano collapsed on itself some 2-3 million years ago. The crater is well renown for having some of the most lush and beautiful African landscape and some of the most diverse animal species, on the entire continent. Needless to say, our team was pretty excited to make it there ;). As we pulled up to Sopa Lodge (our hotel for the evening), the cool crisp 60 degree wind made for the perfect sunset watching environment. We were all greeted with a warm towel for our faces and a glass of fresh mango juice (which I happily took :) ). The outside porch of Sopa Lodge overlooked the entire Ngorongoro Crater, which was simply breathtaking. We watched the sun slowly fall behind the rim of the crater, and I was in awe of my Creator.

We had a lovely dinner with our team at the lodge, and were so eager and ready for safari day 2, down in the crater.

Currently Playing: Oh Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin