The Nile...

I don’t want to talk about the great safari we had today. I will show some pictures that speak volumes. I want to talk about Murchison Falls. We visited that today as well and there is no way to fully describe it so I will put up more photos.

What I want to talk about is how I am feeling about Africa. I have been focusing on one or two countries for the last few years but I sensed something greater today as we were traveling through the park today. Sure it was an cool sensation to travel through acres of wildlife. Some were so close that I could almost touch them. But what struck me the most today was the Nile River.

Today I reached my hand down into the Nile and brought my fingers to my mouth and tasted it. I don’t know what got into me. I was standing on the brink of the rushing, boiling water and I reached my fingers in against the tide. It was warm and fresh. Not salty or dirty as I expected. I guess I was thinking about the source of all life coming from the water on those banks. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to know what my ancestors have seen… the wonder of the Nile. I wanted to feel the power that cuts through rocks and growls through the mountains here.

I can’t explain it as I want to. In Uganda is the source of the Nile. I have actually seen that place too. It is indescipt without any major fanfare. It is a slow moving stream that grows steadily with time. So many little streams lead into the Falls I visited. The Nile is a beautiful place of power and at the same time a place of serenity. Every where I traveled today, somewhere in the background I could see the result of the Falls, a calm river flowing through an oasis. Only this oasis was as big as a country! As far as my eyes could see there was green flowing grass and large trees spotting the countryside. I could see the mountains of the Congo and I still saw no break in the perfection.

I wonder what it was like for David Livingston or any of the explorers that came here. Did they admire the land as I did today? Did they comprehend the richness of the Nile too? Which of my ancestors reached into the Nile as I did and gasped at its wonder? All these questions and more swam through my mind as we traveled with a glorious sunset behind us. As I pondered these things, Hope sat down on my lap and leaned her head into my hands. I looked up and saw the Nile twisting through every inch of the needy landscape and felt a powerful surge of emotion as I realized that she looks to me as Africa looks to the Nile. We all hold lives in our hands each day; whether by words or actions. The question is whether or not there is a source inside of us that is flowing into others just like the Nile. I will never forget this day and what the Nile means to me. What an amazing experience.