So Many Reasons to Celebrate

Last weekend we had so many reasons to celebrate; Arlyn celebrated his birthday, Dan’s time with us is coming to an end (not a reason to celebrate but a reason to do something special together) and it was Easter. We didn’t have any plans but when we were sitting around the table on Saturday morning we thought it would be a good weekend to do something special so we decided to take off to South Africa and pretend to be tourists for a couple of days. (We also need to leave the country every month and get our passports stamped until we get our Swazi residency so getting out for a while means we have our passports in order). A few hours later we were in the truck, travelling on a dirt road, over the mountains to get to one of the border crossings.

 We drove north towards Sabie and got to see so many beautiful sights as the landscape changed with the different mountain ranges, lakes and areas we passed. Before we got here I didn’t have a clear picture of what I thought Africa would look like but I never imagined it would be as beautiful as I have been privileged enough to see.

On Easter Sunday we got to see some of God’s beautiful creation, getting to see some of these places I am reminded that they must be a small reflection of the beauty of their Creator.  We visited a few waterfalls that were spectacular and enjoyed lunch at Pilgrims Rest, an old-fashioned little town set high in the mountains.

We also drove to some popular tourists sights to see some breath taking views. We went to The Pinnacle, a place called God’s Window and another called The End of the World and finally on to the Three Rondavels, where three rock structures look like three round African homes.

The Pinnacle.

 View from God’s window.

All of us at The End of the World

Dan, Brian and Arlyn checking out the Three Rondavels.

After spending the night with five people in a four-man tent we celebrated Arlyn’s birthday in style….with five people cosily seated together in a little truck driving through Kruger Park! Arlyn loves animals and spending time in Kruger has been a dream for him. I’m glad that we all got to share in that dream with him. We got to see some beautiful animals. It was refreshing to get away spend the weekend with everyone as we explored new places and got to see more of this beautiful world that we live in. Here’s just a glimpse of what we saw.

We all enjoyed Arlyn’s birthday celebrations and he had a wonderful day but he’s still waiting for the best birthday gift, which has yet to arrive…news of a new niece or nephew who should be making an appearance any day now!