May 19th

I'm running out of words to describe our experiences here in Africa. Today was an amazing day. We started out driving along the rim of Ngorongoro Crater in the misty rainforest. We drove through the Ngorongoro conservation area, which is different from the national parks because the native tribe, the Massai, live there in huts and roam with their cattle and goats.

We drove to Olduvai Gorge on the other side of Ngorongoro. Ngorongoro used to be a volcano and it erupted a long time ago and collapsed to form the crater. The volcanic ash settled over the area, changing the landscape and creating the Serengeti Plains. Olduvai gorge is in between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Olduvai is known for the excavation that goes on there. Archeologists found one of the first hominid skeletons in this area. Then we stopped at the Shifting Sands, which is a small sand dune made of volcanic ash from a volcano that erupted a long time ago. This Shifting Sands travel about 15 meters a year, and it sticks together always in the same U shaped form.

After our stops we mad our way to the Serengeti Plains. Serengeti is a Massai word for "endless". After entering the gate we could see what they meant by this. There were miles and miles of grassland. We couldn't see the edges, only plains as far as you could see. There were tons of zebras on our way in. We saw some interesting birds, and ostriches in the distance. Our guide pointed out to us many different kinds of antelope and gazelle. We saw a herd of elephants way off in the distance. Then we got a call that there was a lion spotting. We could see two lionesses laying in the shade on a large rock formation that reminded me a lot of pride rock from the Lion King. A closer look and we saw a piece of the mane of the male lion. Another female was laying in a cave in the rocks. It was so exciting to see lions in their natural habitat. More driving brought a lot of scenic views, along with some hippos, giraffe, antelope, and more birds. Another call came on the radio that there was a lion kill somewhere in the park. We raced across the Serengeti and got there just in time. Just as we got there a lioness walked out of the grass towards our vehicles. Our driver said there might be cubs with her, and as we watched closely we heard a low rumble from the mother. Then two lion cubs hopped out of the grass calling back to her, and they walked across the road right in between our vehicles. There were a few more off in the distance, probably eating their kill. There's not much that could top that. We headed to the lodge and saw part of the great migration of wildebeest. There were wildebeest across the horizon as far as you could see it.

We checked in to our next lodge and had another amazing dinner. This place is a little scarier than the last ones because we have to walk with a guide to and from our rooms after dark because of the animals. The man said he has seen elephants, buffalo, hyenas, and lions right by the rooms. Tomorrow we get in the safari jeeps at 7:00 AM for more game viewing on the Serengeti. We have a break in the afternoon and then more game viewing before dinner. Each day the wonders of God are so apparent everywhere we go. Please keep praying for our health and safety.