holiday.

Hello, Hello. I have had a wonderful week of vacation (or holiday as they say here) this past week. I tagged along with the Geurinks on their trip to St. Lucia. St. Lucia is a town on the east coast of South Africa. We left on Sunday and we drove back Friday. We spent the week seeing animals going to beaches and just taking some time to rest. I also had a lot of time to reflect on my past 2 months in Lesotho.

On Monday morning we went to the beach in St. Lucia. After being in the car all day we were just ready to have some time outside. The Indian ocean is BEAUTIFUL! I love lake Michigan, but there is something about the ocean that gets me excited. The beach was nearly empty and it was a great time for me to just spend some time in the word and talking to God. There is something about reading the Bible while hearing the waves crash behind you that is majestic and powerful. We also all came home with some major sun burn.

Indian Ocean!

the monkey snaked our apple 

Tuesday we went to Hluhluwe game reserve to go on a safari. It was crazy having giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and cape buffalo so close to our car and having them crossing the road in front of us. Seeing these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat makes them seem way cooler then just seeing them in zoos. On our way out of the park we had a HUGE elephant walking on the road in front of us. Since we decided it would probably not be so cool for him to sit on our car while we tried to pass him, so we waited for about 20 minutes for him to get out of the way. Right after we got past him there was a family of rhinos in the road. The father and baby were on one side of the road and the mother was toward the other side. We decided again that coming between a mom and her baby would probably also not be a wise plan. Thankfully we got past them and was able to get out of the park with 4 minutes to spare until the park closed.

giraffes, I like them.

really elephant?? you need to sit in the middle of the road?

I think she has been in Africa too long :)

Cosby playing in South Africa?? woohoo!

Wednesday we went on a crocodile and hippo boat tour. Our tour boat went right close to the shore where there was a couple crocodiles. We were probably like 7-10 feet away from where the crocodile was on shore when the tour guide started talking about how far crocodiles and jump. So pretty much, the crocodile could have eaten me if he wanted to :) We also saw a whole pod of hippos! I just really love African animals and realizing how creative God is. Its just awesome.

hippo tooth anyone?

Thursday we went to Cape Vidal. They only let a certain amount of cars on the beach each day so we had to leave early to make sure we could get in. On the way we saw tons of animals too! Almost more than we did on the safari! We saw lots of cudu and zebras and deer. The beach was beautiful again and there were rocks all along the shore you could climb on. It was way cool and I felt like a little kid again looking for shells in the rocks. :)

Cape Vidal

a little too close for comfort :)

I am just going to share with you another piece of scripture that has been near to my heart lately:

-1 Samuel 2:1-4, 6-8

"Then Hannah prayed and said:

My heart REJOICES in the Lord;

    in the Lord my horn is lifted high.

My mouth BOASTS over my enemies,

    for I DELIGHT in your deliverance.

 There is no one holy like the Lord;

    there is no one besides you;

    there is no Rock like our God.

 “Do not keep talking so proudly

    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

for the Lord is a God who knows,

    and by him deeds are weighed.

 The bows of the warriors are broken,

    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.....

 The Lord brings death and makes alive;

    he brings down to the grave and raises up.

 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;

    he humbles and he exalts.

 He raises the poor from the dust

    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

    and has them inherit a throne of honor."

I have been reading this over and over a lot because it is such a good reminder. Every time I read it get something new out of it. Some days I need the reminder to REJOICE and DELIGHT in the Lord like when a new child gets dropped of at Beautiful Gate that is malnourished...other days I need to be humbled in remembering that there is NO ONE like our God like the times when I get homesick or wonder what I am doing here...other days I just need to remember that God is is in full control all the time even when the poverty I see outside my back window can be overwhelming. I hope this passage can give you guys some guidance and reassurance as it has for me lately.

peace and love.

**I came home Friday to find a 5 day old baby in my house!! She is too precious for words!