Lion. As in, large cat, with mane, chewing on a wildebeest skull. It was not ten feet from our front bumper. In cafeteria terms, I could have nailed him with a tater tot, no problem and no chance of missing. And he growled at me when I stood up to get a better picture of his amazingness.

Yeah, I think that works for a highlight right now. Thursday we flew out of London on British Airways; Naomi, the Tanzanian stranger sitting next to me, drilled me in Swahili and prayed for our journey. And we watched the Fighting Temptations. Gospel music and T-Bone running through our heads, we arrived in Dar Es Salaam.

There is so much to say...Dar is stinking hot. We buzzed through a city of ramshackle shops and fenced compounds along the coast to Lazy Lagoon, our home for the weekend. There, on an island of sand and sea breezes in the Indian Ocean, we snorkeled around coral reefs, got to know each other, and adjusted to the time lag, all while being served hand and foot by the amazing staff (three-course meals, afternoon tea, fresh seafood, omelettes and fruit for breakfast...ahhh, paradise).

The next event: safari in Mikumi. We had an excellent day: two male lions, enjoying kills within feet of the road, herds of wildebeest and cape buffalo, reedbuck leaping across the road (how much buck could a reedbuck buck buck, if a reedbuck buck could buck reedbuck bucks?), warthogs, a pride of lions with cubs, baby warthogs and zebras, vultures. I blew straight through two rolls of film.

I rode astride the Hulk: a massive green diesel powered four-wheel drive military transport once used to patrol the Berlin wall. Expertly handled by an amazing driver (the thrice-blessed Edjedi), she conquered mud, sand, water, trees and rocks with fifteen people mounted on top. Quite the beast!

Sunburnt, sore and happy, we camped for the night and continued on to our home base near Iringa: Masumbo, the sound of many waters. Heaven on earth. Tucked up in the Tanzanian Highlands, our Masumbo campus is hot in the day, cool at night, and lush and green due to the rainy season. Mike Dierks and I have a five-man tent, shaded by a grass roof and an acacia tree, that overlooks the little Ruaha river (currently too fast to swim in...something about Class 6 rapids, hippos and instant death...but later when the river goes down we'll be breaking out the inner tubes (: )

Right now, I'm in a sweaty internet cafe in Iringa, on a computer aptly named Tembo (elephant). Our first Wildlife Behavior and Swahili classes went excellently this morning, in our grass-thatched classroom. Our spare time was pleasantly spent with volleyball, frisbee, and books (written material is a prized possession out here...there's already long waiting lists for Meic Pearse' Why the Rest Hates the West, Lewis' The Great Divorce, and Buechner's Telling the Truth. My own copy of Tolkein's The Silmarillion is in less demand...for the time being :). Tonight we will play soccer, and some may enjoy scrambling on the river rocks and watching the sunset. Afterwards...the stars are amazing. We are far away from civilization, and there are so many new constellations! It's absolutely gorgeous...you just have to remember to keep stamping around loudly in order to not surprise a snake :)

My time is almost up...life here is amazing. Eli and Linda and Bryan and the Arensens are amazing staff. I'm very priveleged to get to know them. I am looking forward to learning more about this amazing continent, and I am hoping that God will surprise me during this spiritual, geographical and intellectual journey. Your emails and prayers are greatly appreciated. In the middle of all this grandeur, there are many things from the past few years troubling and wearying my heart that only God can answer.

Kwa heri!
Dan