Up Close and Personal

With the Lion King theme song playing through the car's stereo, we headed off down the red African dirt road leaving a cloud of dust behind us. It put us in the mood for what we were about to do: a safari trip in Nazinga wildlife reserve, home of the famous African elephants. Burkina has the highest wild elephant population density of all of West Africa, and I figured it was high time that I saw one.

Naturally, we have seats that mount to the roof of the car, so we all climbed up for the adventure of a lifetime. 

Bumping along tiny two-track roads through the bush, hanging on for dear life, ducking from sudden tree branches, and then brushing off bizarre insects that fell in your lap are only a few of the reasons that we could hardly keep quiet while sitting atop our vehicle. It was amazing we saw any wildlife at all, unless they were all coming out to get a glimpse of the six headed metal elephant who couldn't be quiet. The animals probably couldn't decide if we were angry (because of the constant low growl of the belly of the vehicle) or happy (because of the incessant chattering and giggle from the six heads). 

"Quick! Look! There's something over there!" And all heads turned immediately to the left where someone's finger pointed to a herd of bush buck darting into the forest. 

"Over there! On the right!" A single, quiet kab munched on grass and didn't seem to mind us except to glance our way every time the vehicle inched forward. 

We turned a corner, and there they were. Roan antelope, the "horse antelope" they call it. They really are the size of horses, yet they have the graceful feet of deer. Their horns curl back towards their necks and then turn upward again in a beautifully perfect curve, and they look as though God just got done painting every one of their faces with black and white ink. I couldn't believe how quickly and quietly they could run through the thickest brush without hardly making a sound. 

I immediately thought of Psalm 18 where David says of the Lord, "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights." 

David must have seen such majestic creatures and compared their grace and sure-footedness to our faith in God. Because of him, we can move with such grace, taking every step with confidence and showing the majesty of God to a world that is watching us. 

As we set out on our second outing the next morning, we waited patiently for the promised elephants that we had not yet seen. Two hours later and after many more antelope, baboon, bird, and warthog sightings, we received a call from another guide that there were elephants in our camp. We booked it back to camp and sure enough, just across the small lake was a herd of happy elephants. "Let's go get up close and personal!" Geoffrey yelled at us from the driver's seat, and our guide in the passenger seat pointed us down a tiny road that wraps around the lake. Just when we were getting near the spot, they came marching out of the forest - all 18 of them - crossing the road right behind our car! This put in the perfect position to do what we all wanted to do...play with them a little bit and then make a quick escape. 

Geoffrey backed up slowly, getting closer and closer, revving the engine as our guide made noises to get their attention. The group of mainly females with many baby elephants were on their toes and watching our every move. They circled up, positioned their babies in the middle of the circle, flapped their ears and trumpeted to us as a warning to not get any closer. As we kept approaching, the largest female came to the front and let out the lowest, deepest dinosaur growl I have ever heard, picked up a rock, threw it at our vehicle, and then made a mad dash toward us. While we were screaming "go, go, go" from the top of the vehicle, the guide knew the animals' behavior and instructed Geoffrey to inch up just enough to cause Big Mama to stop in her tracks and return to her babies. On her way back, she uprooted an entire bush with one motion and stuffed it in her giant mouth. 

And so we did this again and again until our hearts could take the adrenaline no longer and our faces hurt from smiling, and so we let the elephants continue their grazing in peace. 

"We saw elephants!" one of our interns kept saying over and over in practical disbelief at what we had just experienced. "And they crossed the road in front of us!" I added. We watched them eat, interact with one another, flap their ears, wave their trunks, blink their eyes, throw dirt up on their backs, break off entire tree branches with their muscular trunks, and chase our vehicle. We saw the mommas taking care of their babies, and we watched the babies following their moms with their little trunks wrapped around their mothers' tails. We concluded that the closest we got was within 15 feet of these enormous creatures. 

I couldn't help but see the strength and majesty of God in these unique, beautiful, enormous animals. He brought them to us just for us to see and encounter his glory up close and personal. 

That night, the cool breeze settled into camp and the stars came out like a thousand sparkling jewels in the moonless sky. We made a campfire, and I was actually cold enough to enjoy laying beside it with my head in the dust and my eyes fixed on the glorious sky. A falling star broke my gaze and brought a smile to my face. In that moment, I was so full of wonder and awe, and I questioned how anyone could doubt that God exists. Even more, I questioned how I could ever think for a single moment that he might not take complete care of me or that he might not come through for me. 

"Why do I ever fear or worry?" I whispered to my friend who was stargazing beside me. 

I remembered Isaiah 40, and it's real meaning sank down one step deeper into my heart. 

"To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 

Lift up your eyes and see. Who created all these? 

He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name,

By the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. 

Why do you say, O Jacob (or O Ashli) and speak, O Israel (or O Ashli), 

'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God.'

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. 

He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

My friend turned back to me and said something that we have repeated over and over recently. It has kind of become a theme for her trip. 

"God has really showed up and showed off."

From graceful antelope to enormous elephants 

to sparking stars and sunsets over the savannah, 

God is showing up and showing off.

Up close and personal.

The same God who created all these has told us that we are his most wonderful creation. Therefore, in the same way...

From the smile of a child with whom we play 

to the tight squeeze of a patient whose hand we hold 

to the sparkling smile of a woman who has fresh water from the well we installed 

to the amen after a prayer we have spoken in Jesus' name,

God is showing up and showing off.

Up close and personal.