Licked by a Lion...

Hi friends,

Well the last couple of weeks have been full and very fun! I was able to get through the month-end reports and entries and I believe I was successful. It was quite a triumph to get through everything by myself... now I feel confident that while Sharol & Kari are away I can get things done and keep the ball rolling. To celebrate I went out to lunch with Sharol and Amanda - their treat! We went to Mimmos for pizza - yum! I have the best teammates here in Lesotho and I'm so very grateful for them.

Aside from work duties there has been quite a lot of time devoted to keeping up with the World Cup games. Since South Africa is hosting it we have seen almost all the games on the local television station - it's been so much fun! A few of us on the team and from our national staff at the hangar started a Fantasy World Cup League. While I didn't win... I also didn't place last so it was fun and made watching the games much more exciting. However nothing can compare with actually going to a WC game - yes it's true I was able to attend a game with 3 of my teammates. We call ourselves the Arrival Centre Posse since we are all living on the same street in an area called Arrival Centre. None of us has children, Justin and Amanda are married 2 years now and Bryan and I are the singles on the team. They are great and we have a lot of fun together... no matter what we're doing. World Cup was especially awesome - the noise level from the vuvuzellas was off the charts! I took ear plugs and was glad I did. We saw the Germany vs. England game - it was such an exciting match!

On June 30 the American Ambassador to Lesotho, Ambassador Nolan, hosted many of us for a reception in his home in honor of Independence Day. It was a fun time with many expats from all over the world. Weird though to celebrate here rather than going to the parade in Huntington Beach and then staying at the pier to see the fireworks. It was a week of feeling very homesick and yet grateful to be here. It is hard to put into words how I feel... I love it here and I'm so glad to be able to call Lesotho home... and yet I miss my home in California so very much. I'm often asked what I miss most and I can say without reservation that it is you. I miss my family, my church body and my precious friends... the people I love and that love me. While I am typing this let me take the opportunity to thank you all for your notes, emails, skype visits, packages and most especially your prayers. You are the best source of support and I know I'm doing so well due in no small way to your faithfulness in praying for me. I appreciate you so much!

Well... now that I have blathered on and gotten all mushy... I suppose I ought to tell you about being licked by a lion.

Yes, It's true! I had the wonderful opportunity yesterday to drive into South Africa to a town called Ficksburg. They have a small airport there and next to it is a Lion Sanctuary/Game Park. I took Karissa Westom, one of my nieces on the team, as Saturday as her 13th birthday and we had an Auntie date, just the 2 of us. When we pulled up to Kenyana Lodge the first thing we saw were 2 very cute lion cubs... see pictures on the right. There were also a few juvenile lions who were 6 months old. It is funny typing that and thinking my kittens are 6 moths old also... but there is a vast difference!!!! The owner's daughter, Jamie, gave Karissa and I a tour including allowing us to go into the cubs' enclosure to feed them their milk - how cool is that?! So we spent a little while playing with the cubs and then we were off to see the adults. They have 2 lions which are a little over a year old, their names are Caesar (he was born in July) and Liu (lion in Afrikaans) They were like huge house cats! Jamie was petting them through the wire fence and they purred and whined for her to feed them. I too was able to pet them and Caesar even licked my hand. So yes, I have indeed been licked by a lion - not a cub but a juvenile lion! It was a moment I'll not soon forget!

Interesting to me how life is always a matter of perspective. I was in awe while standing in with the lions thinking I would have never dreamed I'd have the opportunity to do this in my life. Jamie on the other hand thinks it would be incredible to see a killer whale or dolphin. I told her if she ever has the chance to visit the USA while I'm on furlough I would be glad to take her to see some dolphin and maybe even a killer whale. I also had a chance to share with her the reason why I was in Lesotho - I get asked quite often about why I'm here - especially by Afrikaaners who assume I'm Afrikaans until I open my mouth to speak. My accent (or lack thereof) is a dead give away! Well that and the fact I'm not speaking Afrikaans.

I would ask that you join me in praying for more opportunities to share why I am here and in so doing, share the reason for the Hope that I have. I have had a few meaningful discussions with people about my faith and I look forward to more opportunities as I continue this journey I'm on. Thanks for your prayers and I'll be back in touch soon with some more stories.

Love from Lesotho,

Kimberly