Nighttime Vistors

Our next journey took us to the Safari. I know many of you reading this have been to a safari, but for those who have not it is truly amazing experience. It is a glimpse of Gods creation in a completely new way. A humongous African sky, setting sunset, and some of Gods' most powerful and beautiful animals walking across the plains.

Like every safari drive we had one goal. Find the lion. The King of the Jungle. As we set out in two safari jeeps we drove across the plains. Our driver lead us right to where we wanted. We found a Mother lion and four baby cubs. We watched as this mother paraded her cubs across the plains and then laid down right by our jeep. The Lioness was not shy about showing her teeth to us and growling to let us know we were close enough to her babies.

As the driver continued, we found giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, antelopes birds and the like. But we did not find elephants.

As we were sitting out in the evening moonlight at the lodge, we all noticed some noise in the trees just a few yards from us. We all jumped up unsure of what it was. We watched and shined flash lights in the bush trying to find out late night visitors. Is it a baboon? A hippo? Then it was revealed!  A mother elephant and two babies coming for a midnight snack. We all stood in awe for the next 40 minutes as these elephants made their way right over the fence and started eating from the tree just 15 feet from the deck and lodge pool. It was an upfront and close elephant experience. Only once did we all jump when the elephant looked like she was going charge us. It proved to be an very unexpected blessing to our night.

After a night stay in the lodge we boarded our boat for our trip up the Nile. I mean we were riding ON the Nile; how cool is that!  Along the way we saw hippos, elephants, crocodiles, bald eagles, and monkeys all up close as we cruised the coast line.

Our boat ride ended as we got off and began our hike to the top of Murchinson Falls. The 45 minute hike took us to the place where the entire Nile river goes through a 17 foot wide rock fall. It's amazing and breath-taking!

The team then boarded Rosa the bus and headed back to Kampala.

The resounding thought from the Safari is what a powerful picture it is of Gods creation.

It's has been such a blessing to be with the SOI and SOM staff. Rodney, Sam, and Wilfred have done a great job leading us in this adventure.


Notable moments from the Safari

1.  Sadly, John,  "send it again" Kendall, dropped his phone in the Nile. It is a real bummer but the story at the apple store about why he needs a new phone will certainly be a unique one. "So I lost my phone in the Nile....."  His phone is still in DeNile
"I am in complete Da-Nile"

2.  When Julie's guide said that they were going to look for the Big Male lion; Julie said "I am too!"

4.  When talking about elephant dung, Julie kept mistakingly changing one letter in dung not understanding what it meant

As we arrived back at our hotel in Kampala there was a Uganda band playing country songs and Whitney Houston songs. Somehow it all makes sense


Thank you all so much for praying for us. Really has been a life changing and life giving trip for all of us