The Hairy Lemon

This past weekend I went back to Jinja for more time on the Nile. Our team went on retreat to an island campsite called the Hairy Lemon. Unlike the name of the place, the island was indescribably beautiful. Most of our time was spent relaxing, playing in the water, and getting to know each other better. I saw a side of the kids that I hadn’t seen before, and it felt more like a family time. The place itself was very basic, but I liked it. The beauty of it far outweighed not having a normal shower. Most of us ended up washing our hair in the Nile anyway. Sunday morning we had worship on the porch of one of the cabins. We sang of God’s majesty and splendor as we looked out on the ancient Nile River. Ian got up and read a couple of Psalms and red-tailed monkeys joined us. They played in the trees above our heads, and it was so neat. Definitely an African experience. Mary Beth said it was like they came to listen to Ian read the Word of God. As I looked out at various secluded creeks of the river, I thought about Moses floating by in the basket as the princess bathed. Being in Africa I have seen more things that can help me imagine what things may have looked like in some of the Old Testament stories. Last year as I cut rice in the rice field, I thought about Ruth and Naomi. Looking at the river outside my cabin, I thought of baby Moses. On Friday there was a rainbow over part of the river. It was the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It was so vivid that I could clearly see each color. I wanted to take a picture, but there was no way a picture could do that sight any justice. Behind the rainbow there was a huge, fluffy, white cloud. In front of it little black birds flew freely all over the sky. Beneath it was the greenery of healthy, growing life of the earth. Beneath that, the River Nile flowed steadily along. The sky was that perfect shade of sky blue. It was such a perfect sight, and it left me in awe of the awesome God we serve. Again, I thought back to the Old Testament and thought of Noah and the flood. I wondered if what Noah saw looked anything like what I was looking at, and I remembered and felt God’s promise all represented in that rainbow. The retreat was wonderful… I couldn’t ask for more.