God has made some amazing things.  Here are a few illustrations from our trip:

Nile Monitor Lizard:  Cindi took this picture from a canoe on the Nile.  This particular Nile monitor was 5-6 feet long.  During our time in Jinja one of the orphanage volunteers saw one of these things walking across the road in front of her.  Hello.

Marabou Stork:  I zoomed in on this guy just as he landed in the tall bare tree that hovers over Kisinja Road just fifty yards from the orphanage.  When we walked back to our hotel every evening there were always 15-20 massive storks congregating in this tree.  This one looks particularly old (and happy), don’t you think?  Kind of like a gentle grandpa stork — a huge gentle grandpa stork with a ten-foot wingspan.  Maybe we could have him bring Judah home.

Green Chameleon:  I don’t know all the technical differences among lizards, geckos, and chameleons, but I do know that this one is a chameleon.  Someone had watched him walk from the red-clay road into the lush green vegetation, which is the only reason why we were able to know he was in the brush in the first place.  Can you say camouflage?

Big Spider:  I don’t know this guy’s scientific classification, but it’s probably something like arachnida grande.  Cindi encountered a small posse of these spiders when she had to make some hasty phone calls on the morning of our court date and the only place she could find reception was in a small area outside our hotel where lots of these significantly-sized spiders were hovering above her.  She still stood there and made the phone calls.  Lesson?  Don’t marry a wimp.  Besides the fright factor, though, these spiders are exquisite and beautiful.

Praying Mantis:  If only we were all so faithful.  This type of divine design makes me wonder if God purposefully created this insect to portray prayer.

Broad Palm Tree:  As with many of these plants and animals, I don’t know exactly what type of tree this is.  But obviously it’s at least a very unique and large tree of the palm variety.  I’ve often found myself wondering, both in Uganda and in the States, how many different kinds of trees there are in the world.  The diversity is absolutely stunning.

Home, Grass, and Sky:  This is the Amani Baby Cottage.  Its motto is “A Place of Peace.”  Considering the beauty that surrounds it both below and above, the motto certainly fits.

Sunset and Clouds over Lake Victoria:  I took this picture from the balcony of our hotel room.  For three weeks we had front-row seats for the best show on earth: the relentless splendor of God’s creation.

Dominating Clouds Over Jinja:  This probably won’t make sense unless you’ve been there, but this picture reminds me of Niagara Falls.  The connection is sheer, billowing, thunderous power.

Bujagali Falls:  About 15 minutes from Jinja is this beautiful area along the Nile River called Bujagali Falls (bootch-uh-golly).  It’s a strikingly pretty and peaceful area (although yes, those are bats in the fifth picture down).

 

Rowing into the Sunset on the Nile:  On our last evening together in Uganda(Saturday, April 21) we took a boat ride on Lake Victoria to the source of the Nile.  The sun gradually bowed below the horizon as we traveled along the steep, lush sides of the river observing eagles, monkeys, and kingfishers.  I mostly got good pictures of water and sky (not the animals), but that’s no drawback:

Uganda Rain:  It’s rainy season in Uganda during April and May.  At times, it can be something to behold (and hear).  This is also what it sounded like in our hotel room at night.

God has made some amazing things.  But perhaps more amazing are the minimalizing words of Job regarding things such as these:  “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways” (Job 27:14).  If these are just the loose threads hanging down from the cloak of God’s glory, our God must truly be an awesome God.  Today may we fear Him accordingly.