Lions and leopards and rhinos...........oh my!

Even though we had to get up very early today was a much needed break from the emotions of visiting our MCC program work. We gathered at 5:30 am and left at 5:45 am for the 2.5 hour drive to Nakuru Game Reserve - a national wildlife park. We would have left earlier but our driver wanted to make sure that it was daylight before he left for security reasons. About an hour into the trip we stopped to have our breakfast of instant coffee, cheese sandwich, hard boiled egg and banana that was packed for us by the Mennonite Guest House. We stopped at a lookout that gave us a beautiful view of the Rift Valley. Did I mention that it was a beautiful view of the Rift Valley? As the misty haze was lifting over the flat terrain we had an incredible view of the volcanoes..............stunning..........the red morning sky, the sun just peeking through and lighting up the base of the majestic volcanoes. I loved how the light danced off of landscape and disappeared into the mist.........

Patrick and our safari van - Nakuru Game Reserve

We arrived at the game reserve about 9 am and were soon winding our way through the park. Our van driver, Patrick was our guide and he was excellent. His keen eyes would prove very useful to us as we drove through the park. Interestingly the van that we had been using was equipped with a top that popped up - not off, just up, so that we could stand in the vehicle and take pictures of the wildlife without having to leave the safety of the van. Patrick was very careful with us and we only left the van at specific areas - and when we did he was armed with a slingshot for our protection - mainly to be used to keep monkeys and baboons at bay :) We were very fortunate to have been able to see so many of the native animals on our trip..........baboons and monkeys, impala and gazelle(many varieties), rhino - both white and black, a leopard (it was on a tree branch that was maybe 300 ft away, you could see it clearly with the naked eye), 2 male lions lounging in the shade (about 100 ft from our van), giraffe, water buffalo, water buck, hyenas, jackal, warthogs, and an assortment of beautiful birds - stork, pelican, flamingo, cattle egrets, and the list goes on. Sadly, there are no elephant in the game reserve we were in anymore because of the lack of space due to the growth of the cities - they have had to move to find enough space to sustain themselves. All in all it was a beautiful day..........enjoying creation..........the creatures and the landscape!

It was also a very good context lesson for our work here in Kenya. Development and sustainability of programs needs to be in held in tension with the natural environment............with respect for the land, the people and the culture. It would be 'dead aid' if we just poured money into the country without respect for the people and their need to provide for themselves. It would be 'dead aid' if we just poured money into the country without respect for this land. It would be 'dead aid' if we just poured money into the country without respect for the culture........listening to the people, walking alongside them, building their capacity for sustainable livelihoods are all keys to making a difference and maintaining our integrity as an NGO (non-governmental organization).

Yes, today was a breather for me..........time to pray and to process, time to enjoy my surroundings, time to relax and to breathe............but the people of Kenya and our purpose here was never far from my mind. Amazingly, I found myself feeling that indeed I could live here.........now before anyone panics, I have my tickets for my flight home and I will get on the plane next week.......but there is something about the pace, the simplicity of life, the sense of God's presence that has a draw. Maybe it is that I have taken a step out of my 'regular, crazy' life that I am drawn to........all I know is that Kenya has changed me.........the people and their stories have changed me..........the opportunity to see, hear, touch, smell, taste this culture has impacted me and I am truly grateful. I have said this before, a person's story is sacred.........sadly, I think we have lost this in our Western culture........too often we don't take time to listen to each other's stories.....healing and forgiveness happens in the telling of our stories.......but it requires us to take a step out of our face-paced lives and to intentionally listen to another's story. However, I also believe this is part of worship - honouring the Creator by acknowledging and giving value to the created........our fellow travellers in this journey called life. I believe it is Holy and part of our worship.........why do we fear this kind of vulnerability with our fellow Christians? Why don't we take the time to allow for this kind of caring and intimacy with each other? Why do we try to protect ourselves from those we are to be going on this journey with? I believe that people all over the world (including at home) long for authentic, loving and caring relationships. We are not meant to make this journey alone and yet we have isolated ourselves by our fear of vulnerability and intimacy. We have built walls formed from pretense and fear. What will it take to remove those walls? How do we begin? I guess it needs to come down one brick at a time with each of us asking others to help us see what these bricks are because perhaps our view has been impeded and we are unable to see the makeup of our own walls. Am I alone in this or does anyone else feel God's call to authentic relationship building? Programs of the church are fine, but real worship happens one on one, being involved in another's life. Brother Lawrence in his book Practising His Presence says, "We ought not to be weary in doing little things for the love of God. For God does not regard the greatness of the work but the love with which it is performed."

Yeah..........................

I am looking forward to a Kenyan Mennonite worship experience on Sunday and I will take all of you with me in my thoughts and prayers.........

Until later...........