The hot sun beats down on withered, yellow grass. Cicadas scream their swear words to the sky. A dog barks somewhere nearby. The smell of smoke filters through the air, signaling that dinner is being cooked at the house. Warm air filters down from above, settling on your skin. This is Africa.

As you’ve seen before, Africa really isn’t what many think. While it can get hot, temperatures in Texas and Florida often exceed those found in Africa. Lions don’t hang out in my backyard. My backyard isn’t a jungle. I don’t live in trees. We saw all of these, and more, in my post about Africa Misconceptions. Thankfully, if you’ve read these posts, you’ve moved past the “African Noob” to “African Adept”. Congratulations, you now have a Ph.D. in African Culture! Just kidding, but congratulations are in order. Seriously, you guys are awesome.

So, in return, as the second celebration of two-hundred followers and to show my appreciation for your faith, here are five awesome pictures that were either taken by me or Dave Forney.

1: The Chameleon (Elisha McFarland)

This picture, taken by me, shows my previous pet chameleon resting on my left wrist. I took this picture two years ago, so the chameleon is dead now, but it still remains an incredible photo. Chameleons, contrary to local belief, are not poisonous and rarely bite humans. Instead, they reserve their best attacks for the unfortunate fly or gnat that appears. Thus, they make excellent house pets, giving us an animal to pet and giving my mom a creature to kill all the flies that gather in our windows.

2: A Makeshift Church (Elisha McFarland)

This picture, taken by me, shows a massive tent with well over 800 people inside. I took this during New Hope’s (my ministry) Homecoming, during which we had people from all over Uganda travel here to take part in the celebration. Although we had over 1,500 people attend in the week of celebration, the largest gathering took place on Sunday, when we had, as stated previously, eight-hundred people attend. The tent, as seen in the top of the picture, took eight hours to set up and was well over two hundred feet across on each side.

3: The Waterfall (Dave Forney)

Taken by Dave Forney, this picture shows a popular waterfall that many Musana Campers can hike to. I have hiked here dozens of times and can tell you that the thirty-minute hike is well worth the time. In fact, I’ve even run the hike to time my speed (just under 10 minutes, setting a Musana Camps record). The waterfall is a popular tourist attraction, and you can see why. The water falls over fifty feet down to the ground, where it joins a larger stream that flows into Lake Victoria. Many people, including myself, hike to the top of the falls and post to take pictures.

4: The Black-and-White-Casqued Hornbill (Dave Forney)

This photo, taken by Dave Forney, shows a Black-and-White-Casqued Hornbill. The bird, while being fairly common in Kenya and Congo, is actually fairly rare here in Uganda. At the time of the photo, I had never seen that particular type of bird in my entire life. You can find out more about the Casqued Hornbill on this website.

5: Musana Camps Beach (Dave Forney)

The gem of this post, the above picture was taken by Dave Forney and shows the beach at Musana Camps. Although the picture doesn’t show it, the beach extends well over a mile in each direction, creating a beautiful crescent shape that can only be seen by aerial shots. The water is clear and beautiful, welcoming thousands of swimmers a year. If one wishes, he can go canoeing, swimming, or play a game of volleyball or soccer on the beach. Truly, a paradise in Africa.

Musana Camps is a ministry outreach began by my ministry, New Hope Uganda. The actual campsite rests on a mountain overlooking the lake, providing stunning views of sunrises and sunsets. My family goes there three times a year, and it never gets old.

Alright, that’s all for today. Guys, thanks so much for reading. Your support means a ton to me. If you haven’t already, be sure to click that Follow button below, so as to not miss out on any new posts. Once again, thanks so much, and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day!

 

Featured Post: 5 More Common Misconceptions About Africa

Last Post: The Benefits of Classical Literature in Modern Times

 

PICTURE CREDIT ON THE LAST THREE PICTURES TO DAVE FORNEY