Fear and Giraffes

Hey Team!

So, as you can see by the pics, Twiga finally came home! It was great to be back among my "people" again. Seriously though, that was def one of the craziest things I have ever experienced. I knew that giraffes were incredible, but it doesn't really hit home till you are standing 10 feet from one looking 25 feet into the air looking into it's eyes. Speaking of which...story time:

So, we were leaving the area where all the giraffes were (20 or so of all ages and sizes), and I was lagging a bit behind the group because I saw that one of the giraffes that we had scared off was coming back, and earlier one had come pretty close to check me out, so I thought maybe this one was doing the same. I wandered in a circuitous fashion back to the car, hoping to leave the giraffe time to catch up to me if he wanted to. As I was wandering, I saw some others nearby and was watching them as I was walking. I neared a tree/shrub and was in the process of walking around it when, from the other side of the tree came a 50 foot (ok, probably more like 20 foot) tall giraffe. We saw each other at about the same time, at which point we were 5 feet apart (ok, more like 10-15 feet...it felt pretty close, though). Pause. Sidenote: giraffes are NOT aggressive creatures. In fact, they run away at the slightest hint of trouble. Earlier in the morning I stepped on a twig and one of the 20 foot one's jumped and started running away. So, deep breaths....and back to the story. So, I was looking straight up at this giraffe, who was looking straight down at me. Neither of us was moving. I was awestruck. It felt like a minute before I realized that he wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately, he was directly between me and my ride. So, I took a very cautious step to the side. Then another. He just kept looking. I took some more steps, and he just kept looking. I eventually got to the point where I could walk around him in about a 15 foot radius. This whole time, he didn't even really flinch. He just kept watching like, "that's right...walk away." And I did. The crazy thing about this story (other than the fact that it's true) is that the whole day we had been trying to get close to these amazing creatures and they kept running away, and here I was face to face (ok, face to thigh) with one of the larger ones, and he (I assume it was a he...who knows) wasn't going anywhere. I tell that story for a very real reason. I had a rough night last night. I woke up at 1 am filled with doubts and fears. After lying in bed for about 45 min thinking and stressing, I got up and got my Bible out. I opened up and started reading 2 Corinthians. Nothing particular stuck out to me, it was just the gradual peace that spread over me as I read God's Word and realized the largeness of the Savior I am here to serve. I was overcome with His peace. He didn't answer any of my doubts or fears specifically. He was just there. And like that giraffe, I knew He wasn't going anywhere.