"When I in awesome wonder..."

Shortly before Christmas, Amanda and I joined the Smiths - Andy, Keeky and David, as well as Mom and Dad Smith, and Andy's sister Sarah, who were visiting from Oregon - in trekking to beautiful western Uganda. Our purpose was to spend a couple of days in Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda's 10 parks. The park's more than 763 square miles contains over 500 different bird species and about 100 mammal species.

As I gazed upon elephants, lions, hippos, water buffalo (at right) and more, I couldn't help but stand in speechless awe of my Awesome and Mighty Creator, who designed and brought into being such majestic and interesting creatures. I took more than 600 photos and videos, but I will share just a few photos from our trip. Enjoy!

                                                                                    

Amanda and I at a stop on our crater drive - exploring large craters (perhaps formed by the flood of Noah's day) that are now filled with hot springs, lakes or vegetation.

"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." - Genesis 9:11

The whole gang - we felt like tourists!

Crocodile in Kazinga Channel

"O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." - Psalm 104:24

Hippos in Kazinga Channel

"Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with innumerable creatures, living things both small and great." - Psalm 104:25

A heap of hippos

"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths." - Psalm 148:7

Water buffalo

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" - Psalm 8:9

Elephants along the channel

"Who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number." - Job 5:9

Curious birds - facing the same direction

"See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?" - Matthew 6:26

Elephant eating lunch

"God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;' and it was so." - Genesis 1:24

Ugandan fish eagles

"God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good." - Genesis 1:21

Ugandan cobb resting in the early morning on the African savannah

"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." - Job 12:7-10

Ugandan cobb

"But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives  songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?'" - Job 35:10-11

A herd of elephants - they crossed the road near our vehicle

"Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast." - Psalm 36:6

A baby elephant tagging along behind

"How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!" - Psalm 92:5

Female bushbuck

"The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." - Psalm 145:15-16

Male bushbuck

"Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures." - Joel 1:20

Male bushbuck

"He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry."

- Psalm 147:9

Peeking out of our matatu (van)

"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

- Psalm 8:4

Some birds who joined us for lunch.

"The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches." - Psalm 104:17

Family of elephants

"You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you." - Genesis 6:19

They were so close!

"They had with them (Noah and family) every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings." - Genesis 7:14

Baby elephant

"Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark." - Genesis 7:15

A male lion

"Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures." - Psalm 104:21

Taking a cat nap

"Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions' appetites, as they lie in their dens or crouch in the thicket?" - Job 38:39-40

He was also very close!

"This is what the LORD says to me: 'As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey--and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.'" - Isaiah 31:4

Snoozing in the tree

The Smith Family - Andy, Keeky, David and Baby

"We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders." - Psalm 78:4

A view of western Uganda - green and beautiful as far as the eye can see.

"The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!" - Psalm 65:12-1

Zebras

"For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills."

- Psalm 50:10

Sunrise on our last morning

 "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold,

it was very good."

- Genesis 1:31a