Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? … It is God who sits above the circle of the earth … He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them … “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
Isaiah 40:12,22,25
My travels today took me to Maigatari, a town at the extreme north of this country, one kilometer from the Nigeria-Niger border. The topography, climate, vegetation and people of this area are, to say the least, intriguing. As we started on our trip, about 20 minutes out of Dutse, Jigawa state capital, we came across a caravan of a dozen camels led by a young boy, perhaps about 10 years old. The beastly animals were strolling casually, moving north at a leisurely pace. We quickly passed them and proceeded to our destination.
The first thing anyone would notice about this place is the heat. It is, in a word, unbearable. The only thing worse than the blazing sun is the breeze. Yes, the breeze. The air itself was so hot that we had to wind up our car windows and endure the oven-like conditions of a closed car rather than be exposed to the blast of hot air.
As we approached Maigatari, the vegetation became noticeably sparer until only the occasional shrub showed up. Tumbleweed punctuated the highway every few kilometers, like a Clint Eastwood western. The terrain was so spare and flat that it was possible to take in all God's earth for miles around in every direction, right up to the horizon. Everything was covered in a sea of brown with only the occasional island of green where a particularly hardy breed of shrub was still kicking strong despite the harsh dryness.
As if we needed any confirmation that we were on the borders of the Sahara, our hired vehicle got caught in the loose sand. As we stepped out of the car to help push it free I inadvertently lost a slipper and stepped on the sand. It was so hot, I promise I could have fried an egg, sunny-side-up, had I a frying-pan to hand. How some kids could play around barefooted in this sand was quite beyond me.
Our wilderness experience wouldn't have been complete without, of course, the occasional mirage. Add to that a true mini-sandstorm. Okay, in truth, it was just a whirlwind, but it painted everything around in a coat of brown and made the end-of-day shower that much more refreshing.
As we made the trip back to Dutse, a full six hours after we first left, we came across the same camel caravan. The camels were regal in their bearing, tall, brown and fearless. It would seem they had not stopped for a moment's rest and they could have carried on another full day. We stopped to take pictures but the caravan leader jumped down and ran towards us, shouting. He insisted that we not take pictures unless we gave them some money. When we said we had none to give, he dipped his hand in his own pocket saying, "Well, if you don't have then I will give you my money!" Amazing!
I learned that even in the driest, hottest, most arid parts of this earth, God's creation still retains it's great, if enigmatic, beauty. Praise God for the Sahel!
With love, Doosuur.
If you find the time, please read Isaiah 40 and worship our creative God with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment