One weekend when I wasn’t on call we had a special treat when one of the missionary families took us with them to visit the Aberdares National Park. We drove 5 hours across the Rift Valley, along the edge of the Mau forest then up the Mau escarpment to the national park. We travelled past beautiful mountains covered with bamboo forests. Our cabins were located on the edge of a mountain overlooking a valley full of game. We saw dukier (small antelope), bush buck and water buck (larger animals resembling elk). My kids are convinced they saw another rare animal called a bongo. All along the roads there was sign of elephant and water buffalo. Our cabins were located at an altitude of 10,000 feet—so trust me, without electricity and only a fire in the fireplace, we were COLD at night (all the while we were thinking of all you in Houston with 100 degree weather!). Each morning an attendant built a fire under a water tank so we could have a brief hot shower! What an experience it was to wake up, make a cup of coffee and sit on the veranda to read our Bibles as we overlooked the beauty of God’s creation. We visited several breath-taking waterfalls (see pics), hiked through trails, spotted game and fished in the streams. It was an incredibly refreshing time. In the evenings we would gather our families together, play games, sings songs, read books together, then end the night in prayer. When we left, at the game park exit, the park attendants showed us two tusks they had recently found from a 100 year old elephant that had died of natural causes (see pics). On the drive home, the missionary wife was ill and couldn’t drive one of the vehicles, so for 5 hours I was initiated into driving on the left hand side of the road! Not only did I have to deal with the steering wheel on the right, the stick shift on the left side, the blinker on the right side, I had to dodge pot holes, motorcycles and all sorts of animals! But God gave us “journey mercies” and except for a flat tire (not uncommon in Africa!) we arrived back at the hospital rested and refreshed.