Picture the Garden of Eden

A few miles from the school where we are staying, one enters the Ngorongoro Crater Park, created a few years ago by a volcano that blew its stack and caved in to form an amazing, big, green bowl nestled in the mountains. Yesterday, we spent the day exploring this wonder of the world. I had never thought much about what the Garden of Eden might have looked like, but this place is a contender. A beautiful green landscape, dotted with watering holes. No buildings visible anywhere. Very few trees. Dirt roads allowing vehicles to roam and see God’s creatures living in what seems to be peaceful coexistence. Reminds me of the peaceable kingdom, the lion lying down with the lamb (Brings to mind Woody Allen, who offered this paraphrase of the prophet Isaiah: The lion shall lie down with the lamb, and the lamb shalt be very very nervous. But I digress). Now, I’m sure there are squabbles, as in any family. I suspect that some of these animals are invited over for dinner, and find themselves served up as the main course. But the serenity of this scene gave a glimmer of what the creator’s original attention might have been. Zebras, lions, rhinos, hippos, elephants, all sorts of antelope, water buffalo, birds in amazing variety, including 6 million flamingos (I counted). One of many gifts we have received on this journey.