Remember When: Homemade adventure

AFRICAN SAFARI

I have always been a storyteller and wanted to be an entrepreneur. Even as a kid I would make up adventures for my siblings and cousins that came to visit us on the farm. One such adventure evolved going on a safari; to a volcano deep in Africa. Our dad had made a small pond at the top of a ravine on our farm to gather snow melt in the spring. If you approached the pond from the cornfield at the bottom of the ravine and climbed up the hill it looked just like a volcano. Dad had used the bulldozer to form the pond at the top of the hill; pushing the unused dirt and rock down into the ravine. It looked like landslides with small trees and large rocks.

I would lead the group down the road to the cornfield, then along the edge to the bottom of the ravine. I would be the tour guide and tell them about the wild animals that lived on the savanna plains, and the cornfield. And the dangers that we might encounter on the way; if we heard a squirrel or rabbit or birds in the trees; these became the animals we encountered on the trail. If the corn was tall I might lead them through the rows of corn pretending we were in the tall grass of the savanna.

When we got to the bottom of the ravine we would stop and eat the lunch we had packed before we climbed to the rim of the volcano. I would continue the guide talk about the dangers of the climb up, and what we might encounter on the way. How we should space out across the hill and not single file in case there was a landslide. It was not an easy climb but we would work our way up the hill over the downed trees and rocks. By the time we got to the top, we were hot and tired but totally satisfied that we had reached the rim of the volcano. If there was some water in the shallow pond we would wade and cool off before heading back to the house. From the top of the hill, it was an easy walk across the pasture.

I told my dad I should charge for my adventures to make money. He told me it was a great idea but the cousins had come from the city for a fun visit and shouldn’t have to pay. That entertaining my cousins should be enough and I would be reworded for the good deed of showing my cousins a good time. He said being a good neighbor was what Jesus meant when He said to love your neighbor as yourself.

If this story reminded you of a time you did a good deed to show God’s love for your neighbor. Send me a comment, and I will answer. If you would like to know more about my Jesus leave me your email and I will send you some info.