Baby Elephants & Easter

So if you know me well, you know that I LOVE zoos!  Any new place I go, first thing I do is look up the zoo! I know it is ridiculous, since I live in Africa, and I can see animals living freely, but I still LOVE the zoo! This week I had the pleasure of going with two of my Ugandan friends to the zoo. They had never been before, so being this close to animals was definitely new to them. We had so much fun!!!! 

First stop, taking advantage of the cut out face pictures :)

They made me take one too :)

So there were obviously many differences between the Ugandan Zoo and the zoos at home, I was quite surprised when the zoo guide handed Christine this elephant femur (thigh bone)!!!

Another difference, the monkeys were EVERYWHERE. No I did not zoom in on this monkey. She literally just did not care that I was about 2 feet from her!

Next stop: Camel Ride. Christine was so scared at first that we almost had to stop! The man responsible for the camels, told our friend Geraldine to come stand next to us for a picture... well the camel got a little too curious about her... and he thinks Geraldine running away is as funny as Christine and I do :)

Which way do we go next????? All the animals at the zoo are found in Uganda. It started as an animal refuge and grew to be a zoo.

For the record, this ostrich could have bit off Geraldine's fingers if she stuck her hand over that fence!!!

When we first got to the snake aquariums, Geraldine didn't even want to look she feared them so much. I was so proud of her for conquering her fear and petting the Rock Python.

Watching the sleeping leopard

We sat and hand lunch while watching the lions sleep

 And now my favorite part of the day... meeting chance the one and a half year old baby elephant!!!!! He loved us, and would run right over whenever we came close to his enclosure. For the record, he has another enclosure in a restricted area, and only comes to this area at special times. (He could probably break it down if he really wanted to). He was so sweet. And to answer questions that I heard on facebook :) Yes he is hairy. Apparently all baby elephants have some hair. They usually lose it by this age, but they think because he is in captivity and on a slightly different diet that might be why he hasn't lost the hair yet. How did they acquire him? Poaching is still a VERY real problem in Uganda. The rhinos here have been poached to extinction. Chance's parents were killed by poachers when he was only 3 days old.

Chance

Christine trying to get the courage to pet him

He was VERY curious with his trunk. You seriously had to watch out. I left with elephant boogies and dirt all over my arms, my purse, my feet, my clothes, even my camera lens!

He was so sweet!!!

Trying to shake "hands"

He was sooo curious!!!!

Yes I took a million pictures with the elephant. The girls did not quite grasp how rare it is to be able to touch a baby elephant!!!

I just loved him. I decided I wanted him and it would kind of be like having Clifford the Big Red Dog!!!

Easter
I spent the holiday weekend at the school with my kids. I really enjoyed spending the holiday with them and just hanging out! You can look at the pictures to see my African Easter :)

Esther getting her drum to bring to church

Sunna and Shimri were SUPER excited that I was at church with them.

Teacher Loyce sharing the Easter story with the kids. I was so impressed how many kids knew the answers to her questions about why Jesus had to die for us.

Sorry for the bad photo - Singing in church - Teacher Loyce leads church for the kids every Sunday in the dining hall

Andrew & Kevin playing the drums - the kids are really good at giving a good beat to sing to!

Komba happily praising the Lord by playing his drum

With Teacher Loyce's kids after church - Ann, Jonathan, and Esther

After church Desire and Benita came over to make some jewelry

I bet this pot looks quite different than your Easter dinner cooking! - This is the matoke (a specific type of green bananas) that is cooked in banana leaves

An African Easter lunch! - Matoke, chicken in soup, and greens (cooked spinach type leaves), with a soda

Easter Monday, the kids and I colored

As I read through the Easter story in John last weekend, my favorite part was the last few verses. I am so thankful for God sending his son so that we may spend eternity with him. I cannot wait to hear the stories of God's miracles throughout the world in heaven some day!

"This is the disciple that testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" - John 21:24-25

"But these these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - John 20:31

Much love,