A view from bush camp!
2-13-13
Bush Camp
I stood gazing upon the landscape laid out before me. A landscape that in my personal opinion left a lot to be desired. Dry and sandy riverbeds with sparse muddy puddles left me feeling deprived. I longed for the tall proud oaks and abundant broadleaf trees of my homeland–thorn trees called Acacia trees, and cactus trees held no allurement for me. The absence of lush green grass that you could run barefoot through was disappointing. Instead, sturdy shoes were required when walking about in the dry yellowish grass that grows in the savannah; for stickers and undesirable creatures call these grasses home.
Admittedly the breeze was pleasant most often, but there were times when about all it accomplished was to stir up the dust, making our daily lives anything but pleasant.
While the sun made wearing a hat mandatory, shade of any kind provided relief. However, wildfires (almost a daily event), caused by the burning sun on the dry grass or by humans, kept the air scented with smoke. And, oh yeah, not the pleasing fragrance like that of an oak fire but more like the foul smell of locust wood.
Yet, my reality of bush camp, I discovered, was peculiar only to me. For instances, read the list below of how one of my friends described his reality.
-good food
-beautiful landscape
-little to no stress
-good fellowship
-lots of time with God
-time to learn and be equipped to serve God
-time with family
Come on folks, can you see the obvious here? I was so focused on my disappointments that I was critically blinded to the beauty and blessings that were all around me. I allowed fiery dart thinking to cast a veil over my sight, thus preventing me from seeing the beauty and wonder that my friend was blessed to see. The following verse stings me a bit!
Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear. Jeremiah 5:21
Lounging by a cactus tree! While I can’t say I was as opened as my friend was to the beauty around us, I did have my moments!
Being the Mom of a Missionary 