Rest Before Work

Yesterday was not only about work. We went to a very pretty waterfall site and enjoyed a couple of hours just looking at nature and those of us who were brave enough either bathed in the pools formed by the waters or got right under the strong currents being dumped from the top of the rocks. It was the best hydro-massage ever and to think that only Rick and I enjoyed it. What's wrong with the world anyway?

We all enjoyed the break from the dusty roads, the austere buildings, and the erratic traffic. It was as if in an hour and a half drive we were in an altogether completely different country, replete with vivid reminders of God's beauty in the midst of human tragedy.

The team enjoys a nice lunch in an African forest
I am glad we had a chance to enjoy these sights. It was a nice respite to what was to come as we anticipated visiting with the Pygmy Village. It was also a mix of the best and the worst in nature. Yes, the vista was wonderful but we had to hike a little carrying our coolers. Yes the air was cool but it was infested with bugs of all sorts.

Butterflies "attack my camera bag"
But when it was all said and done the good outweighed the bad by far because we had butterflies. Yes indeed. Once we got to our idyllic place the butterflies came flying gracefully, and slowly landed on our stuff. They were primarily yellow but once in a while you would see these white ones and these were breathtaking. Once again Beth succinctly put how she felt: "I don't care about the waterfalls, I just love the butterflies."

We thank God for His display of beauty, grace, and harmony hidden in some forest in the middle of Africa. By the time we hiked back to the car no one was complaining about the bugs. What a cogent moment to remind us that in God's world the good will always outweigh the bad. God help us never lose sight of that!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org