Only with God can I truly experience the extravagant beauty of nature.

The next time I travel somewhere I think I will arrive a night. There is something magical to waking up to a new place knowing the possibilities are endless and everything is at your feet to explore. We arrive at Kwa Maritane at 7:30 just as the last vestiges of light were leaving the Bush. It was an awesome welcome. All that we had was the outline of large trees and bushes leading into blackness and the lit brick pathway under our feet. But in combination with the encroaching darkness was a symphony of bug sounds. There were crickets, some chirping like at home, others sounding like a fire alarm, large fluttering moths, cicadas scratching away and small frogs. As we walked to and from the room with small critters and bugs dive bombing in and out of our room, I had the feeling that we were in the midst of a battle or nature versus man. In all of the darkness and deafening noise it seemed that nature was winning the battle and slowly gaining ground.

I awoke this morning to God slowly opening my eyes to this beautiful land. Initially I stood outside on our patio watching an invisible sun make the mountain in front of me more visible and grander as each moment passed. Along with that came the tingling sensation that I was finally in Africa, no long dreaming of the time when I could smell the earth as I did now or feel the crisp air on my face as I greeted absolute freedom. But as I stood there I realized the tingling was in my feet and as I looked down I noticed my feet were covered with black ants. So in the height of my enjoyment of Africa I began a face-paced Zulu dance to God that the bugs would fall off and ran inside. Needless to say I enjoyed the rest of the world’s lighting up from the couch with the curtains drawn wide open. Sadly I still felt every few minutes that there was something crawling on me and vowed to where shoes outside from now on and watch where I was walking.

So welcome morning. I pray that God will bring us an understanding of the place were are in and show us grand sights. Already I know God has filled this place, as I sat on the couch I could here one lone bird sing. He sounded as if he was having a conversation with himself; asking questions and answering himself before a neighbor could. But stepping outside a wave of sound joined that lone bird; sounding like a chorus exalting the world for its beauty. We are not alone. I know that I will make it through but only with God.