Destination: Africa

If you're not familiar with the plight of wild animals around the globe, just know that we humans are still destroying their habitats and are driving some amazing creatures toward extinction. I've been all over the world, and nothing stands out to me as much as safari in Kenya, Africa. We need to stop destroying the planet and learn to value God's gifts.

When I was in Kenya, I spent time a few feet away from wild lions and it was indescribable. There was nothing between me and the undisputed kings of the jungle. No cages and no Range Rover windows.

But the lions were so used to seeing people that they acted like overgrown domestic cats. They didn't take off when they saw people — and if they wanted to go somewhere, they would ignore us and walk right past. I could have reached out and touched a few of them. Wisely, I didn't.  

The lions were by far my favorite animals there, but I also saw everything else you would expect to see on safari. I caught the early part of the migration, so there were countless zebra and wildebeests. Our group even spotted the increasingly rare rhinoceros, as well as a ton of elephants and giraffe. 

I visited an indigenous Maasai Mara village where the tribe lives much like their ancestors did centuries ago: in mud huts with no electricity and no running water. As an African American, I did feel the connection to the tribe. They told me I would have been a warrior there. I was honored.

Check out my photos from the trip on Flickr and leave some comments if you see anything you like.