A Day Away- trip to Tala Game Reserve

Since university is over for the year, 

I have had some extra time.

Now, if you know me well,

you know that I am always busy with something.

While, this break has given me a chance to catch up on some needed projects,

it has also made me feel a bit like a hermit (only going out for ministry stuff).

Our minsitry has changed alot in the past months.

During this time of year it slows down a bit 
because families are doing holiday things, people are out of town,...etc.

The rainy season also adds to the feeling of being a hermit,
 because you are indoors too much.

Finally, on Saturday, there was a break in the rain.

When I woke up and saw that the sun was shinning,

I decided it was a good day to get out and enjoy God's creation.

(Living alone in South Africa, limits me in what I can and cannot do,
 because of the crime and danger of doing things alone.  
So when I go on an outing I have to plan wisely.)

The Tala Game Reserve is within an hour drive from where I live.

So, I packed up a picnic lunch, my camera,

 binoculars, a map (oh, and some Christmas music), and headed for Tala.
~~~

Would you like to go with me?
Hop in the car and lets go for a drive through the South African bushveld.

Impala (maybe they think if they stand still, I can't see them).

Impala rubbing his horns in a thornbush.

Here comes a Blesbok.

Blesbok crossing the road.

What else do you see?  I see some Impala in the bush.

Egyptian Geese by the water's edge.

An Oribi eating at the greens on a tree branch.

One of my favorites- a Zebra.

Mama Zebra eating with her young.

A small water hole with Weaver birds nests in the trees.

One of the beautiful Weavers.

I sat and watched the birds for a while and then saw something in the water.
When I zoomed in, it looked like a large snake.
Its head was the size of the palm of my hand!

Let's drive around the corner.
Look!  What is up in that tree?

Its a huge bird!

On closer look, it looks like a Long-Crested Eagle.
This bird is a predator/raptor.  I wonder what he is hunting?

Here come some Kudu, grazing in the meadow.

This Kudu is pretty big.
My dad would say he would be a good one to hunt!

Mama Impala and her young (I think she is the babysitter.)

Lets go see what we find by the water's edge!

Sorry for waking you, Mr.Hippo!

Hmmm....bottoms up!

Oh, there you are - an Egyptian Goose!

Wildebeest taking a walk down the road.

This Impala appears to be lost.
She was calling for help - maaaaa, maaaa, maaaaa.....

Listen!   What else do you hear?
The sound is coming from that tree.

Its a Black-Shouldered Kite!
What a beautiful small predator/raptor it is!

The giraffe is also one of my favorites.
I love to watch him move!

This is the first time I ever saw one laying down.
He just laid there watching me shoot his picture.

This beauty, is as tiny as a finch, but with a long wispy tail.
He is a Pin-Tailed Whydah.
His tail is too long for his body so when he flies,
he swoops up and down through the air.
This was the first I have ever seen them up close!

Baby Giraffe are cute to watch.

Look how cute he is.
His horns are so fuzzy!!!!

Did you ever see a giraffe drink?
They have to split their front legs to get to the water.

Watch out!
Mrs & Mr Ostrich are crossing the road!

I liked this Nyala!
She made me think she was very old and wise
(and dad would say, "she would be pretty tasty too!").

Oh, the life of a lazy Blue Wildebeest!

Thank you for coming for a drive with me!

I hope you enjoyed our day away.

If you are ever in the neighborhood again, please stop by!

~~~

It was nice to get out of the house.

We don't realize how good it is for us to do relaxing things sometimes.

When your mind is always caring for other people's needs, 

it is important to get out and have some special time with the Lord.

I enjoyed having my quiet time today

 out in the sunshine in the beauty of God's creation!

As Christmas or busy times of your life draw near,

be sure you are making time to draw near to Him!

Blessings in Disguise

For a while I was hunting for a small desk for my home.

You know, the "small, but functional" kind.

I have seen a number of possibilities here at second hand shops,

but I was not willing to pay the price they were asking.

Furniture in South Africa is expensive!

I continued to wait and trust that God would provide exactly what would meet my needs.

On one of my outings, I found the cutest desk.

It was small, with bookshelf beneath, and the top opens into a desk - PERFECT!

Huh!  The price was far from perfect.

It was so tempting to purchase because I had never come across 

something like that which would fit my needs perfectly.

Did I mention, it was perfect?

Well, being the thrifty spender that I am, I walked away from the desk.

my desk

The very next week, there was a desk listed in the online second hand site.

It was almost identical to the one I had seen earlier.

The best thing is - it was half the cost of the first!

Praise the Lord, I phoned the man and it wasn't purchased yet.

Of course, I snatched it up!

Thank you , Lord for providing for our needs!

The man only lives a few streets from me,

so he volunteered to load it in his van and bring it over.

my desk (check back in a few weeks to see what I do to update it)

 I make it a point to share the Gospel with every one I meet, 

so I planned talk to him when he brought the desk over.

In talking with this man, 

I found that he was also a christian.

As an American in South Africa, I can never hide my accent,

so he was curious to why I was here.

I shared my testimony of salvation and 

then in how God burdened me to come here to serve Him.

Then I shared with him what the Lord has been doing in our ministry.

He also has a burden for the "unlovely" people 

and has been on a number of mission trips throughout Africa.

I told him how difficult it is to reach the whites here too.

As a white South African he agreed that in areas like Hillcrest, 

it is very hard to reach the people because they feel they have no need for the Gospel.

He was very encouraging to me as an outsider,

 to keep sharing the Gospel with whoever will listen.

At the end of our talk, he revealed that he was a buisnessman.

He told me how the UShaka Aquarium in Durban

 gives his buisness free tickets for nights at the aquarium.  

 He gave me 5 tickets to take some of the children from our ministry to see the aquarium.

It was truly a blessing in disguise!

~~~

Below are pictures from the night that Robbin & I took

 the 3 most faithful kids from church to the UShaka aquarium.

Enjoy!!! (we did!)

The kids loved this fish and called him the "grumpy fish"

kids inside the aquarium with the fish

This guy was my favorite.  He looked like a puppet.  He makes me smile just looking at him.

During the evening, I shared with the kids 

how I used to want to be an Oceanographer.

In my teen years, while other girls had pictures of cats and horses on their walls,

I had charts of the ocean, shell identification posters,

 and aquariums with fish, crayfish, and frogs.

Then my pastor had a burden to start a Bible Institute 

to train people to serve the Lord.

Between taking Bible Institute classes and serving at year-round camp, 

the Lord showed me that ministry is much more meaningful.

I still love the ocean and if I could,

I would live by it and visit the aquarium as often as possible,

but my burden for the lost around me is a bigger need.

Hopefully, my testimony will be something that the children will think about.

Maybe, just maybe, He will change their heart's desire, 

as they grow older, to being used of Him in ministry.