Dear Mom and Dad,

…I’ve been at a place called Loliondo about 250 miles north of here. Loliondo is about as isolated as one can get from the outside world. The normal link is the post lorry, but during the rains nothing is moving across the Serengeti, which one must cross to reach there from here. Our western plains a hundred or so years ago must have been much like the Serengeti is today, level grasslands as far as the eye can see. Of course, here the animals are plentiful and varied. We saw thousands of wildebeest, zebra and antelope. It never struck me quite how large lions really are until they came walking up to the car, sniffing at the doors.

Vince Donovan, who is preaching directly to the Maasai is out there, and I went to travel around with him and see if I could learn something. We lived in his tent most of the time. We could hear curious lions and leopards prowling around outside every night, but none tried to get in. It’s a strange feeling though to know there’s only thin canvass between you and them. I thought the roads around here were bad but I should be thankful that we have them at all. Out there you kind of point yourself toward some landmark and head out across country.

Love,

Ned