Leave it to LAZARUS

 

Of course, I’ve only been on one, but I would venture a guess that the guide can make or break a safari. And I’m so thankful that ours was surely the best! He went above and beyond to make sure that our basic needs were taken care of, used his experience on the savanna to get us the best views of the wildlife we wanted to see, and added little extras to make sure our experience was one we’d never forget.

His name was Lazarus, pronounced “Lah-zoo’-roo”, with the emphasis on the second syllable. A quiet man, probably in his upper thirties, he didn’t offer up a lot of conversation, but once asked a question he answered at length, and it was obvious he knew what he was talking about. From the names of various birds to all the different species of gazelles to the unique characteristics of each of the animals we saw, he shared it all. I believe he’d been a guide for seventeen years and had visited all the countries in Africa but three. The guides work continuously, one safari after another, until the wet season arrives and the dirt roads become impassable for a number of months.

Our three-man crew worked long hours to get keep us fed, transported, and enthralled with all that Africa had to offer. The two cooks were up at 4 am, preparing the morning meal, and packing box lunches for us to carry along for the noon meal. They served breakfast and cleaned it all up, and then after we were on our way, they packed up our tents and carried them to the next campground. There they set them up again and began cooking again, again serving and cleaning up. How they accomplished all that, cooking outside and accomplishing the task sometimes when there was no electricity at the camp due to storms or other problems is beyond me. But we ate delicious meals and were warm and dry thanks to their efforts. I often wondered what they did with leftovers and cooking waste, as surely there was an abundance of hungry predators surrounding us at all times; I assume they carted everything in and out.

Lazarus had the responsibility of the safari itself, getting us from one destination to another as expected, while showing us everything possible along the way. Truck maintenance also fell to him; many were the evenings that after dropping us off at the camp at the end of a long day, he still had hours of work ahead of him, trying to make minor repairs to the truck, picking up a spare tire, or simply getting gas. But when he could, he joined us for meals and always added a lot to our enjoyment of the same.

As numerous as the safari companies are, it is amazing how many of the guides seem to know one another, probably from covering the same ground together over the years, and they communicate by radio to share tips about good viewing opportunities when they come across them. Lazarus seemed to have a knack for positioning our truck in the best possible location time after time, despite any number of vehicles that were also vying for the best spots. He also remembered the purpose behind our particular safari, and provided bottles of sparkling cider for wedding toasts at one lunchtime under a big acacia tree… and joined us for dinner bearing a bottle of champagne the night after the vows were spoken. He was simply a treasure, and we were sad to say goodbye to him when he got us and our luggage safely to the airport for our flight back to Arusha.

 I am reminded how important it is to have a Helper of some sort wherever you find yourself… not just on a trip of some kind, but especially in your regular everyday life. Thankfully such Help is available. God has provided such a Companion to those who know Him… a Guide to help, counsel, direct, encourage, and travel with us on a daily basis, celebrating our joys and comforting us in our sorrows… all for the purpose of getting us safely Home.

 

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

(John 14: 16-17 NKJV)