Great Glory

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 04/08/13

We were on a flight from Malawi on December 27th, 2012, where we’d just enjoyed two weeks of a total family reunion with our kids, to Nairobi.  We were just about to land at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport when the pilot pulled up and headed toward Ngong Hills.  The announcement came over the PA system, “We will not be able to land just yet: the plane ahead of ours had a burst tire upon landing and they do not have any equipment big enough to tow that plane off the runway where it is sitting.  So we’ll have to circle for awhile.”

That’s what we did! But it was a fabulous delay, actually, because there were rain clouds and storms and pockets of sunshine and shadows on the Rift Valley below us.  We could clearly see the rising elevations where the land had been lifted during some prehistoric cataclysm when the Rift was formed.  We could all see how green and lush the back side of the Ngong Hills are just now, due to lots of rainfall.  These hills are famous, not only for hiking and breathtaking vistas and Kenyan professional runners who jog along the crest for exercise, but also as the site where Denis Finch-Hatton was buried as told in the movie “Out of Africa”.  Though there are circular Maasai bomas (homesteads) scattered around, one may also see giraffes grazing on these hills if you look early in the mornings.  They are such a favorite sight for all who love Africa. 

The sight of God showering down rain and sunshine, in equal portions, just reminded me so much of how carefully God portions out our joys AND trials, “traced upon our dial by the Sun of love; we may trust Him fully, all for us to do—those who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.” (Like a River Glorious, by Frances Ridley Havergal)

And yes, after almost running out of fuel and making a diversion to land at Mombasa, we did eventually get to our destination in Nairobi, just about 4 hours late. We enjoyed a 2 week visit with old friends and our church family, Nairobi Baptist, for 2 more weeks.

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Photographer:  Susan Bergman De Vries, Cyprus. “My name is Susan Bergman De Vries.  I left the United States in 1968 on my first summer missions trip, left again as a young wife in 1972, and have since then lived in Ghana, Costa Rica, Mindanao (Philippines), Kenya, and now Cyprus in the E.U.  We have 3 daughters, born on 3 different continents, and now all 3 and their husbands are working in 3 different missions, in Mozambique and Brazil. All 10 of my grandchildren speak Portuguese (or will when they learn to talk) which my husband and I do not.  Bummer, huh?”