My Heart has Grown... Here I go, Again: Day 6: Safari

Off we go!

I have seen some things this week that have broke my heart. Again, even though I saw these things last year, the shock is still there and my heart still breaks. The safari was a much needed time for us to continue bonding as a team, refresh and refuel for the last few days. We took a small plane, (12 seater) on a 1 hr flight to the Masai Mara. When we flew in to Nairobi, it was dark. When we leave, it will be dark. So I was excited to see Africa from a birds eye view, if you will. :) We flew right over the Kibera Slums. It looks so big from the sky. I kept thinking about all the lives down there. The hustle and bustle of the day, the kids walking the streets with no parents, the mom's I've met working hard to earn money for food. The sad thing is, all I can see from the plane is rusted metal. But in my mind is the faces of the women and children who I have met. Their stories tugging on my heart.

Kibera Slums

Kibera Slums again...

Seconds after taking the slum picture, we were flying over some beautiful homes. That was tough. Do these folks know about the slums? Vicki has shared with our team that there is a large percentage of people born here in Africa, who may or may not be upper class, have NEVER stepped foot in the slums. Is that crazy? In the US, we have homeless folks, which by the way are very well off compared to the people living in the slums. Even our homeless, we are aware in our country. To just turn the cheek and not reach out to help, to have knowledge or to see? I'm not understanding.

Is this Granite Bay??

We made it safely to the Mara. We were all a bit queasy and very happy to be on the ground. :) We were greeted by a few Masai men. We hopped in two safari, open air jeeps and within minutes we were on safari seeing animals all around in open land. The beauty was unbelievable. Absolutely breathtaking! A safari is a must! A bucket lister for sure!! We saw every animal you can think of. Yes, ladies from last year's trip...we saw an elephant! India and I thought of you all. :)

Many great laughs were had by all. Lot's of spiritual thoughts and analogies, thanks Jeanne. :) I've had a terrific time with the team, our drivers and seeing God's intended beauty.

Funny story, our driver tells us we lost GPS. I'm thinking we really are half way around the world in the middle of no where!!! Who could find us?? AAA? Not so much!