Sighting Our Creator’s Created Lions

We had just seen the last component of the Forgiveness module come off the press putting us at the half way mark of 3 modules printed, 3 more to go…plus Ruth’s birthday was approaching—two good reasons to celebrate. We talked about a one-night get-away idea but hesitated making reservations. Then, less than a week before the birthday, we learned that our neighbor and her 3 visiting friends were going for a 4-day trip to western Uganda, spending a day (which “happened” to be right on Ruth's birthday) at the Queen Elizabeth National Game Park…and there was room for us to join if we’d like. With amazement we agreed that we could take time for a break and celebration.  We felt God had arranged this for us.

The 2^nd and 3^rd nights found us at the Simba (Swahili for lion) Safari Camp and of all things, Laura and I were assigned to stay in the Simba cabin. God has gifted us with the opportunity to enjoy two other day safaris, in Kenya and in Northern Uganda, but the lions in the wild eluded us both times. The night before this safari, we determined to be delighted with whatever animals God allowed us to see.

As we purchased our entrance passes the next morning, we heard the news…hours earlier, lions had killed a water buck close to the road! Obviously, that’s where we headed first, and YES, we saw lions—7 of them in all! The ranger told us that she hadn’t seen a kill so close to the road. We were so handy we could hear them lap the water as they drank and crunch the bones plus get a whiff of the raw meat. For about an hour, we observed these amazing creatures at work, play and rest. Some of the medium sized cubs playfully cuffed each other, some rolled over on their backs, some rested in the tall grass with only an occasional swinging tail seen, some drank from the near-by water, some stretched out for a nap, while some, one by one, pulled and devoured the meat. We didn’t see a mature male lion, but the ranger told us that two were young male lions who are just beginning to grow their manes. We returned to that spot twice that day and continued to be delighted with the activity of this pride of lions.

Our notes reveal that we saw 15 species of wild animals that day, plus zebras the day before, and 58 species of birds (our driver was a knowledgeable "birder") over the four days. Pictures try to capture some of the amazing sights, but nothing fully describes the thrill of this wonderful celebrative “hug” from our God—the Lion of Judah!!