The Wildlife Park

What intense joy, wonder, and freedom I experienced on Saturday with the children from my neighborhood! We loaded excitedly in the car being lent to use by our friend Marinne, and we were off on an adventure. The highlights? The chimpanzee doing a handstand and then thrusting his hand out, palm ready for his reward. The new baby monkey clinging to the underside of his mama as she ran around being chased by another jealous hungry monkey. The elephant finally tempted by this group of young people holding treats and gracefully (for his size) sauntering toward us, ears out, mouth full of leaves to say hello. Feeling his trunk, watching him take our bananas, and curling up his long nose to put it into his mouth. The Lion, becoming agitated at the children’s closeness to his cage and pouncing off the fence growling. The squeals, the giggles, the learning moments…unforgettable. The lion was God’s gift to me because I had asked Zach what animal I should use for a lesson about God while we were there. When he said the lion, I responded, “But that lion is so lame, it just sits around!” On this, my 4th visit to the wildlife park, I couldn’t have been more wrong! The children experienced the fierceness of this lion, protecting his cub, and we had a great lesson on Jesus being the Lion and the Lamb. The snake offered lessons on confession offering freedom from our sin, and Christ’s blood washing us clean and giving us new skin as we saw the boa’s transparent old skin shed and left while his new one glistened in the sun. I praise God for this beautiful day!