Rebekah and Mark

WOW!!!! What an amazing time we had on the Maasai Mara safari!! We left here from the Mennonite house around 7:00 on Saturday. The roads were very bumpy and rocky on the way to the resort we were staying at. It took us about 5 hours to get there and we had one flat tire on the way which set us back a little bit. On the way to the resort, we saw a lot of wildlife and Maasai villages. We were all so relieved to arrive at the Fig Tree Resort and not be bouncing around in the van. The resort was absolutely beautiful!!!!!! There were many open huts for things like the eating area and gift shop. There was also a tree house you could go up into and look out over the huge plain. Dad and I went up and immediately saw a giraffe, many wildabeasts, impalas, and also zebras. We shared a permanent tent together that overlooked the river. We had to make sure we zipped up the tent each time we left because small monkeys could easily get in and steal things like your camera or food. Once we carried our bags to our tent, it was time for our first out of three safaris. We made sure all of our camers were fully charged and with our safari gear on, we were headed out with much excitement!!!! We rode in jeeps which had a top that popped up so we were able to stand up. The first animal we saw was an impala. Soon after, we saw many wildabeasts, zebras, and warthogs. Then we approached 6 giraffes that were within 5 yards of us. We took MANY pictures and it was truly a spectacular sight!!! We continued driving arouind for about 2 1/2 hours seeing more animals such as a leopard up in a tree, 6 cheetah, and 4 hippos. I mentioned to dad several times about how much I wanted to see an elephant. We never saw a single one. Once we got back, we headed for our tent. I was in front of dad and once I got close enough to see the river in front, I saw a huge elephant!!!!! He was standing on the rocks eating from a tree nearby. It was such a surprise but an unforgettable moment!!! He was so close that I could hear him flap his ears. The next morning, we left at 6:30 for another adventure!!! We saw many more zebras, gazeles, impalas, wildabeasts, warthogs, buffalos, and several hyenas. We all really wanted to see lions but we couldn't find any. When we got back, we had breakfast out in the bush and then we went on a nature walk with a few Maasai people. He showed us a trail in the grass where a python had been and where hippos had slept. We came back and rested for awhile before our last safari at 4:00. We were all determined to find lions and we weren't going to leave until we saw at least one!!! Our two drivers booked it really far until we could almost see Tanzania because they thought lions would be out there. We were unsuccessful after much communication with other vans and driving around but we weren't about to give up. The other drivers were telling us to look where all the vans were gathered and once we saw them, we held on tight for the fast drive down into the valley. On our way there, we saw around 1o giraffes eating in the trees but we didn't even slow down for them beacuse we were so excited about the lions. When I first saw them on the rocks, I was in awe of how beautiful they were. There were many cubs playing with their mom and one lion who was sitting on top of the large rock to let everyone know she was in charge. I took so many pictures and dad did a video. We stayed there for awhile just enjoying the moment. We counted a total of 20 lions altogether!!!!!! Then it was time to head back but that was okay with us because we had seen our lion. While driving back to the resort, we watched a magnificent sunset with all kinds of wildlife in the backdrop. The site was breathtaking!!! On Monday morning we sadly left the resort headed back to the guest house in Kenya but......that doesn't mean we got there in a reasonable amount of time. Between the two vans we had for our group, we had four blow-outs on one van and then we ran out of gas with the other van in a very dangerous place. A drive that was supposed to take five hours, took around 9 hours!!! We were all exhausted from the very long journey but all of it was worth it for the incredible sights we saw!!!!! We are going back to the Mercy Care Centre tommorrow morning so please continue praying for all the kids we are ministering with through the clinic, play time, and teaching. Hope to update you soon!!!