June 16: All Creatures of Our God and King.

I got a somewhat unexpected late start to the morning, due to lack of setting my cell phone alarm. Note to self: always ensure I double check AM/PM when setting the alarm ;). I, along with some other running late friends, grabbed a super quick breakfast at the lodge. It was a spectacular morning: eating freshly made steaming pancakes, complete with mango juice, overlooking Ngorongoro Crater. My heart was eager at seeing the landscape that lay before us, to make our way down into the crater. Our group was loaded up and ready to begin our second safari day by 7:00.

Our jeep (with the same people plus another best friend: Whitney), descended into the crater. The cool wind swept over my face and brushed through my hair. It was truly an amazing feeling: to know you are deeply loved and valued by the same God who created this crater, created the vast myriad of animal species, and lush landscape before your eyes. On that ride, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit powerfully in my heart. The morning clouds lay over the rim of the crater like fingers curling over an armrest. It was a beautiful view in the valley, as beams of sunlight shown through the clouds.

I've never seen so may herds of different species in one landscape, in my life: lions and their cubs, wildebeest, cape buffalo, kudu, eland, elephants, zebras, flamingos, hippos, hyenas, rhinos, and my favorite: the cheetah. The Lord's blessing was definitely on our safari. People who'd been on the same trip previously explained they'd never before seen this many animals at one time. All I could think of was how loving our God was: He didn't have to bless us by seeing this many animals in such a beautiful landscape, but because of His great love, He did. How amazing. I pray I never forget that. The landscape was so diverse: open plains met a large lake which was lined with flamingos, which met a lush jungle filled with tall acacia trees and monkeys. God blessed me with such an amazing morning of complete worship and joy. It's truly an amazing experience to be most satisfied in Him, for His glory. At one point, David Crowder's "All Creatures of our God and King" came on my iPod, followed by Balmorhea's "Settler". I instantly jumped up, stuck my head out of the roof, raised my hands to the sky, and worshipped Abba. What an amazing moment I will treasure and reflect upon when I'm back in the states. What a gem of a memory.

Later, after our amazing day in the crater was complete, we headed back to Arusha, TZ. I was listening to a song I'd downloaded years before by Paul Colman Trio, "Africa". There has always been a part in the song which I've never quite understood what the exact words were, so like many, I've "hummed" my way through that line. As the familiar part of the song played, for the first time ever, I finally understood the words (thanks to learning a little Swahili since I'd been in Africa). The line is: "mimi naku penda", which translates into English: "I love you." The band was saying in their song, "I love you," in Swahili. It was so amazing, to have heard this song for years, but now for the first time God opened my mind to hear it fully, when I was in the exact location my heart had longed to be for years. What a humbling and beautiful moment. Later at dinner, I shared that story with Whitney. She simply replied, "God was saying to you, 'I love you.'" My eyes filled with tears (again ;) ), in awe of His mighty love for us.

Naku penda, Abba.

Currently Playing: Settler - Balmorhea