An African Adventure

As many of you know, my sister came to visit me here in Uganda for about 3 weeks. The first week she was here, we were busy running around Jinja. Over the 2nd two weeks that she was here, we were busy running all around Uganda. Last weekend we had the opportunity to venture up north to Soroti. I was SO excited for Maddie to get to Soroti and meet our brothers and sisters there. After a weekend north, we then headed to western uganda for a Safari!! It was so exciting! We headed out to Murchison National Park on Thursday morning. It was a three day adventure. We booked the safari with a organization called Red Chilli. We stayed 2 nights at their rest camp in the park.
The first day we drove about 6 hours from Kampala to Murchison National park. We finally reached the park and went straight to the top of Murchison falls. During the reign of Ida Amin in the 1970's the name of the falls was changed to Karabrega Falls, after the King Kabarega of Bunyoro. Since the fall of Amin, the falls took back the name of Murchison but is still sometimes referenced as Karabrega falls. It was so beautiful! We took a small hike to a couple outlooks, then we walked back up to the top of the falls. It is said to be one of the fastest moving falls in the world because if it's small gorge.

After our hike, we all loaded in the van again and headed for the Rest Camp. At the camp Maddie and I shared a tent. It was a permanent tent with actual beds inside [pretty luxurious for camping!]. We went to bed quite early since we were tired from the travels. At about 3:30am I woke to some sort of animal outside of my tent. Slightly freaked out, I sat up slowly to look out my window... It was a giant hippo! He was RIGHT next to my bed, gnawing on the grass - very loudly, I might add. I so badly wanted to take a video to show you all proof, but I was afraid the light would shock him and he'd charge into my bed. Hippos are not known to be the nicest of animals, they actually cause many deaths here in Uganda. It was quite a surprise, there had to be at least 5 of them around the camp that night. I finally fell back asleep for a couple hours, but then had to get up to go on our game ride! This is what Maddie and I had been waiting for all week! We had to load the van early so we could make the ferry across the river. If we missed the river we'd be really delayed for our day.

Our van for the 3 days

The ferry we took across to the other side for our game ride.

We finally got across the river around 8am, and hit the trails. As the sun was still rising over the plains, we saw many different animals. Many different species of antelopes and birds.

Then we saw the infamous buffalo. As we were driving, our tour guide got a phone call - it was his coworker informing them they spotted the lions. Many people go on safaris here in Uganda and never see a lion. They are a rare sighting. There are rules on having vehicles off the trails, and the lions tend to stay far from the tracks. As we kept driving, we spotted the lion, but not just one we saw 2! They were brothers, and soon they were to be the leaders of the pack. As time goes on, they will have to fight for the leader position, but for now they are loving brothers. [I imagine that's what Scar and Mufasa were like before Mufasa received the big man position] It was all so exciting. They were literally right next to our van, just playing and lounging around.

After we saw the lions we kept venturing - all I really wanted to see was an elephant and time was a ticking. We saw some beautiful giraffe. They are really such an amazing creature - the way they walk is so magical, actually everything they do seems magical to me. Even the way they eat.

Maddie and I

As time went on, we finally had our first elephant sighting! There were 4 by the water. Since it's dry season, they spend most of their days by the water; bathing and soaking to stay cool. We were nearing the end of our game ride through the park. We headed back to the camp for a lunch break. After lunch we then headed out on our boat ride. We road the river for about 3 hours and saw many many hippos. And we saw more elephants! I can tell you all, hands down, the African elephant is my favorite animal on this planet. They are so majestic. We seemed to be very lucky - besides from seeing the lions, we saw an elephant laying down and we also watched one swim.

Overall, the safari was such an amazing experience. I can now cross "Go on an African safari" off my bucket list!

Yesterday we traveled to Entebbe to drop off my sister at the airport. It was a sad day, though I am so blessed to have had her visit me for the time she did. Now I will have someone at home who can relate some with my life here in Uganda. 

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I want to leave you all with a couple prayer requests: 

-Safety for everyone traveling during the holiday season. When we traveled to the airport yesterday, traffic was awful and people were driving crazy!  

-The Fisher family. Pray that their adjustment back in the states goes well and they can feel peace during this crazy time. 

-Everyone away from family during Christmas - whether it be missionaries, those in the armed forces, the street children, or those who simply can't make it home for certain reasons. For me, being in a completely different culture and climate during this month has been a challenge. Please pray that the Lord can wrap his comforting arms around all of those separated from family. 

-The Calvery Chapel family, Mamma Bev, and all my brothers as Pastor Jesse passed away last week. A loss is never easy. He was loved and admired by many. 

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I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I appreciate every one of you. I pray that you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year! May your holidays be filled with joy and laughter. 

Sending my love to you and your family.

Grace & Peace