The Shocking Tattoo & the Story Behind It

People that know me (at least many of them, anyway) were shocked recently to see that I got a tattoo.   In a beautiful font, I had the words "...I know a song of Africa..." tattooed on the inside of my left forearm.

I LOVE it.   It's a constant reminder on my arm of something that is in my heart every single day.  Africa.

After three trips in the last five years,it's hold on me continues to grow.

I read in the study notes of my Bible this morning from Colossians - "...following Christ means loving and serving in this world..."   Africa immediately came to mind, of course.    We can serve Christ anywhere. You certainly don't have to leave your community to serve.    But, I'm thankful this morning that I did get to go.  Here are some of the images from that very first trip to Kenya (June 2007) that give you a glimpse into why I was so completely and forever taken by this county and it's people.  I'll carry these images with me for a lifetime:

The tattoo, by the way, is a line from the movie, "Out of Africa" --

If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on her back, of the plows in the fields and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me? Will the air over the plain quiver with a color that I have had on, or the children invent a game in which my name is, or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me, or will the eagles of the Ngong Hills look out for me?