I am convinced that there is God’s beauty to be found in every place.  Sometimes you need to look a little harder than others, but God sure outdid Himself at this time, in this place. The scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 37.4 Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

When you ask people about Lokichoggio, the report usually includes the words: hot, dusty, and dry.  In my mind, I pictured brown, dirt, a land desolate and ugly.  In my heart, I prayed for God to meet me in this place.  You see, I love beauty.  I love life.  I love flowers, trees, waterfalls; and quite frankly I wondered how my soul could survive the desert.

I also know the heart of my Savor who loves me.  In our quiet time, He spoke to my soul, saying, “Trust me, my darling.  I’ve gone before you. Just follow me; dance with me.”  I took a deep breath, and in anticipation of what He had for me, jumped into the next phase of our Africa journey.

I smile as I write this, because God ALWAYS goes above and beyond our meager expectations.  In this place, I found beauty.

The hills looking out from our front gate.  The guys on the motorcycle are heading into town, about 1/4 mile to go.

The road up to the gate.

A pale green butterfly drinking some nectar.

Jericho is our driveway, and this gorgeous tree greets me every day.

The beautiful desert rose flower from the tree directly in front of my front door.

I never cease to be amazed at God’s Creation.  My heart blossoms in the beauty around me.

Even more beautiful than these are the souls He’s put in my path.   *sigh*  I could try to describe Eunice to you, but you need to see the light in her eyes, and the shine of her face amidst a trial that would break most of us to truly see her soul.  She is faith in Jesus being lived out.  Beautiful.

The daytime gate guard who checks on me to make sure I have water when Joel is out flying, and takes care of refilling the tanks if they’re running low.  He trusts me with his family concerns, we pray for them, and he stops by every few days to keep me updated.  He teaches the gospel to the local men who congregate outside our gate looking for work.  Beautiful soul.

The Salvation Army officer who leads the church service at the Loki Airport on Sunday mornings.  He made a point to be at the airport the first day to greet and welcome us, and warmly welcomed our family at the Sunday service.  This man loves people, loves children, and loves the Lord.  Beautiful servant.

I asked for beauty, and God has blessed me more abundantly than I could have imagined.

                        Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.