The Day I Saw a Lion

(word count 836)

Covering Monday June 23rd, 2008

Daniel 6:22-23
My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

We were in the vans for our safari before sunrise. It was a long adventure trekking through the safari. It was incredible to see animals completely free. The place was huge and exquisitely beautiful. Earlier we had said we weren't really in Africa unless we saw a lion. But first we saw monkeys, baboons, and the sort.

Near the end of our first tour we saw the lions. One of them walked past our vans to the other side. I've never been so close to such a fierce animal, and it was impressive to be by it when it was so calm. I still can't get over how the lions roam free along with the other animals.

We had a short lunch and then headed to the safari lake.

We saw even more spectacular sights and even walked on the beach outside our van. We were close to zebras, hippos, pelicans, and all kinds of wonders. It was an unbelievable experience. I kept thinking that the Lion King did an amazing job depicting everything I was seeing, and there's no doubt that this is completely different than going to a zoo. The animals were by far much more healthy than I had ever seen in a zoo; it's always sad to go by the lion cage and to see it restlessly pacing back and forth.

We had to clean our shoes then we traveled up a cliff to see the most spectacular view I think I will ever experience. Being surrounded by all this beauty gave me this unreal feeling that we have a great and beautiful creator. Seeing this oasis God had created and how everything could coexist just sounded so impossible; there's no way that life could begin from nothing.
After the safari we spent the rest of the day making our way back to Nairobi. We got to see the Journey before heading back to the States. We told them about our new experiences in Butula and we also shared with them some encouraging words about their ministry. We had been impressed with the Journey since day one and had felt that they were the most welcoming people. We said goodbye to many of them, although tomorrow a few of them would come with us to go shopping at the market again.

We went to the Java House-- are you surprised? Andrew came with us and told us that while we were gone he had gotten a job. Isn't it crazy how many changes can happen in a week?


By the way, when I was a kid I saw the Lion King in theaters. In 2003 with my junior high choir we saw the Lion King musical with part of its original cast. After seeing this our choir then sang several songs from the musical. In 2007 when I worked at Disney World I worked in the Living with the Land Pavilion which was basically dedicated to the Lion King; I went to the Lion King musical festival at the Animal Kingdom as well. At the time I just thought the movie was based on Africa but did you know it's more about Kenya? Here's some fun facts about the Lion King.

1. Inspiration for the scenery in the movie was taken from Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya.

2. The name Mufasa: reportedly the name of the last king of the Bagada people, who were dispersed during the English colonization of Kenya.

3. To prepare for the film some of the lead production crew made a trip to Africa to better understand the environment. The trip gave production designer Chris Sanders a new appreciation for the natural environments and inspired him to find ways to incorporate these elements into the design of the film.

4. The film was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the release of Finding Nemo. It has currently made worldwide at least 783, 841, 700 in grossing. It still remains the highest grossing hand-drawn animation (However, when inflation is adjusted it is the 4th largest grossing animated film.)

2 Timothy 4:16-18
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.