Go on Safari - Check!

This month I got to go on safari at the Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa, and while going on safari was not on my original list of 30 Things, it is on my all-time bucket list. Therefore, it counts for this list the same way that Federal law still counts for the states.

My trip down to South Africa was about SO much more than the safari, but for the purposes of this blog I will focus on that. We went down with our church, First Baptist Orlando, to help with a conference for missionaries in that part of the world. It was a time of rejuvenation and information for those that attended, and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. Some of our group also went down to an inner city church and ran a Holiday Bible Club, and went into Soweto. The stories we heard about what God is doing were amazing and I enjoyed getting to know the missionaries and making so many new friends. I would love to tell you more one-on-one; I am still trying to process it all. I hope to go back again and do more, and encourage you to go on a mission trip should you have the chance.

The last two days we went to a rhino/lion park and on safari. The day of the safari it was overcast, which made it perfect for animal spotting. We saw African elephants, wildebeest, spring bok, zebras, hippos, giraffes, warthogs, monkeys, various birds, and more. If you count the animals we saw at the rhino/lion park, we saw all five big game - lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalo, and rhinos. Some picture highlights are below; none of them do justice to what we saw.
On our way, we came across huge mountains stretching as far as the eye could see. Africa is so big and simply stunning.

The vehicles we took. The roads started out as brick, turned into regular pavement, and then became dirt as we went.

A herd of elephants blocked our path at one point. Most of them are right behind that tree.


You can't tell, but that termite mound is well over 6 feet tall.





Hippos in the water.
The landscape was just breathtaking.

Lions are very hard to spot in the wild. We saw this in the lion park, and almost missed him.
The ugliest birds in Africa.
The happiest cubs in all of Africa.
An adult cheetah. He purred so loudly!
Baby serval.
Brown lion cubs. I should mention we got to pet them, the serval, the cheetah, the baby tiger, and the baby white lions. It was amazing, and the closest we will ever get to the Garden of Eden on Earth.

Baby hippos.


The whole trip was overwhelming, and the outings the last two days helped to further display how big and powerful God is. The safari allowed us to experience His creation in a whole new way, and was indeed a spiritual experience in and of itself. Our trip still weighs heavily on my mind.