Today was a full day, most of which was spent at the Dubberly's church, Noroccidente, where they minister. It began with teaching time. Dan and I sat in on Mike's class, which covered the basic tenants of the Christian faith. I was impressed with this five part series, which was comprehensive and incremental.
They have many newcomers to the church, and most are plugged into the studies early on. They not only lead to a commitment to Christ, but also to baptism. Today, besides the normal service, a report from a missionary from Ecuador, a baptism and the Lord's Supper, the four of us were giving our testimonies. They were to be translated by Mike.
The brothers and sisters at Noroccidente were very open and friendly, so we chatted in small groups during the break. Although we couldn't understand the language, we felt the love and desire to study God's Word throughout the service.
As we waited for Mike to finish his meeting, Kristina, and the four of us took a walk around the neighborhood, which was safe during the day, but not so at night. The church is about a 45 minute walk from their home, so, on occasion, when they don't have a car, they have an alternative.
Arriving home after 2pm, the ladies worked together to prepare Sunday dinner. Since their Internet has not been working, Dan, Mike and I drove to a friend's home to use the WiFi there. It was so gracious of them! We stayed about an hour, which was sufficient to upload our mail and send off my journal photos and entries. Back at home, we watched 'The Tales of Avonlea' which was a continuation of the 'Anne of Green Gables' series. It's one of the Dubberly's favorites, and was given to them by a missionary friend at Christmas and birthdays.
We were all exhausted, so, after the film, we had a small snack, and headed for bed!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.