moment on the mountain

After arriving back at Lake Burunge, and resting for just a bit, we headed out on a nature walk with some of the men from the camp.  Along the way, they stopped and shared different plants with us, explaining that in their culture each had a different purpose... sunscreen, mosquito repellant, settling an upset stomach.  We wound around the dusty trails, listening to the murmur of Swahili being exchanged, then translated into English for us... and being out in the semi-wilds of Africa, where herds of zebra had left hoof prints crossing the path, or a giraffe had stood working his way through an acacia tree, I could feel the beauty of Africa.  Untamed. Wild. Free. 
We came to an outcropping of rock, and my Mom made a swift joke about mountian climbing... but sure enough, that was the plan.  The climb was not particularly rough, just enough to increase the beating of your heart and quicken your breath.  Within ten minutes we had navigated the scrub and rocks in the path and arrived at the top. 

Oh, Africa... a 360 degree view of this land I already cannot grasp the magnitude of... and I could see forever in every direction.  I found myself slowly working myself in circles... trying to capture the beauty from each viewpoint, knowing that again,  this scenery refused to be reigned in by my lens. 
I may never have the desire or ability to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (which we never saw due to cloud cover) but this mountain, in this moment in time, possessed greatness in my being.  I simply stood and thanked God for the beauty created by His hand... my eyes and my heart sought out every angle and I prayed that I could imprint it all on my heart.

Even now... home, and so far away from the land I fell completely in love with, I can feel it overtake me.  I  can feel that the prayers I prayed were answered, and He has allowed me to bring bits and pieces of the beauty home in my heart and mind.  And I am so thankful... for this lovely gift that will forever be a part of me... this person God is still working in.