Pendjari

It is the cool of the morning in the north of Benin and still dark. I am alive with excitement, and as the blue van approaches to pick us up I can't help but smile in disbelief that this is my life. Do you ever look at yourself from the outside to realize the body you are in, the place you are standing, the adventure you are about to have? It is the morning of Easter Saturday, and I am on my way to Pendjari wildlife park to go on a safari! I remember thinking about this when I was a little kid, about going to Africa, proving to myself that elephants and hippos and lions really exist outside of zoos. And now I am living it.

The twelve of us pile our backpacks on top of the van and squeeze together with our guide and driver for the ride to the park. I have my head resting on the seat the whole time so I can look out the window at the trees and villages we are passing. It is very green here, with red earth and the same red packed into mud bricks to make the circular huts of civilization. The roofs are straw, and there are no windows. Children stand naked on the side of the road waving and smiling with chickens and pigs. We stop on the way at one of these villages where our guide has friends. Someone has brought tootsie rolls and I help pass them out to the flock of children gathered pressing so close. All I can see are outstretched little hands waiting for me to put a candy in them. It reminds me of sea creatures, like a rock full of barnacles, their feathery attachments waving in the water to grab food, darting in with the catch and then back out again for more. I can't keep track of who I've given these prized candies too but the kids are smiling and when I run out, they step back and and stand, the smallest in the front for the best view, just observing our group. When it is time to leave, they are waving and chasing after us and I am warmed.

When we finally reach the park and drive past the hunting zone into the refuge, it is quickly growing hot, but we are hopeful for some animal sightings. Some of us climb to the roof of the van and perch on top of the luggage for a better view and we start down the rough dirt road again. We are armed with cameras and anticipation. Our first sighting is a troop of baboons and the driver slows so we can watch as the ponder us and run by. There are some antelope next and they race through the trees at the sound of our vehicle. We are all captivated, little do we know that we will see so many of these animals in our next day and a half, we will no longer stop to give them special attention.

It is dry season in Benin, so we drive to a watering hole for the highest concentration of animals in this heat. As we arrive, there are water buffalo, wart hogs, antelope, birds of all kinds, baboons, and crocodiles posing for our cameras. Off in the distance, we can see two hippos surfacing for air and then sinking back down into the cool. I think about how long I would like to stay here just to observe the natural traffic, but our guide is ready to leave and other people have arrived eager to see as we have.

We move on, making our way to our hotel and I am riding on the roof now, wind rushing. Wait for it, wait for it, and then the driver hits the breaks and we stop with whispers of "Ele! Ele!" Off in the distance, two massive grey shapes curl their trunks and fan ears that are over five feet long. This is unreal, but it is not the closest encounter we will have. Still, we are filled with excitement as we arrive at the hotel for a mid-day break. At four o'clock, we will continue experiencing these god-given gifts. Our hotel is more of a camp ground, at least for those of us without rooms. We plan out a place to sleep underneath three trees to which we can tie ropes and hang our mosquito nets.

Our four to eight o'clock trip is filled with all the animals we have seen before. As we are heading back, our guide tries one last spot, where he says we will see elephants if we have luck. We turn off the main road and start towards the river Pendjari, the border between Benin and Burkina Faso. As we round the last turn before the river, the border guard is waiting for us. He is large, almost the size of our van, and peaceful on the bridge. He is a beautiful male hippopotamus not 100 feet in front of us. How great is our God?! We watch as he slowly turns and lumbers back to the river, and we follow at a distance to watch him vanish into the bush.

Sunday is our last day in the park and we wake up again before sunrise. This morning, we see a pack of over twenty elephants all walking to the watering hole. In the silence, we can hear them crushing the branches and dry grass under their heavy steps. Their presence is completely overpowering thought they are at least 300 yards away.

We end our adventure covered in red dust and so happy, standing before a waterfall and large deep pool. There is nothing more inviting when you are this hot and covered in sticky dirt-sweat skin. I climb to the top and jump to the water 50 feet below with two local boys. Exhilaration fills me and I am feeling perfect. Just enough excited, relaxed, cool, content, and thrilled. Top that off with a cold Yuki fizzi and a bucket full of ripe mangoes. We drive back to our hotel to spend our last night and this is bliss. On top of it all, this is the day Jesus has risen, the day we were saved, and that is something to be truly joyful for. Maybe this is what heaven is like, the combination of bliss and joy, only it is sustaining, perpetual. This weekend is just a taste of God's splendor.