The Delta

Delta is a letter in the Greek alphabet. It is the name of an elite special operations commando group, that nobody is supposed to know about. It is used to denote the fourth item in a group. And, it also means an area covered in diverging branches of a river. The Okavango Delta in Botswana is just that, an area of wetlands formed by the spreading out of the Okavanga River. It is an area that is rich with wildlife because of the abundance of water in the midst of an otherwise very dry area and hot climate. The delta region is an ideal place for many animals to live their lives. 

It makes me think of the importance that water has in regards to life. I heard someone talking the other day about how scientists are hoping to use some sort of chemical process to turn the dirt on Mars into water so that things can be grown on the planet's surface. When you are flying over the barren bush of the African plains, anytime you see a random hut and animal corrals in the middle of nowhere you can be sure that there is a well (or borehole as they call them here) on that little plot of ground. You can plant the best seeds in the most fertile dirt in the world, but if there isn't water, then the seeds will never sprout and grow. Why did God design things in the universe to work like that? Why does so much depend on little H2O molecules? I think He designed it that way to teach us something. He built this analogy into the workings of science and nature to illustrate that any form of life always requires one all-important ingredient. 

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13, 14 ESV)

The all-important ingredient in our lives is Jesus. He is the water that gives life. He is the water that causes seeds to sprout. He is the water that soothes a parched soul. Jesus is life.

Last week I spent 4 days up in Maun, Botswana where I will be based once I get approved to legally fly here. The purpose of my time in Maun was to do a little flight training in the FMS aircraft I will be flying and to pass a check ride to get my certificate of training saying that my flying meets the standards of a commercial pilot. In addition to that, I was able to ride along in the copilot seat on a number of tourist transport flights in a King Air 90 and the Cessna 207 that I flew for my training. The strips we went in and out of were all dirt and sand except for the main Maun airport, which was paved and had a control tower. On the legs where I wasn't doing any flying I watched for wildlife and was able to spot 30+ elephants, a zebra, possibly a herd of hippos, what I think may have been a roan antelope, and some herds of impalas. It was pretty exciting! The winds, airstrip length and condition, high temperatures, busy airspace, heavy payloads, and extensive wildlife activity will make the flying here challenging but definitely very exciting as well! 

The town of Maun

An airstrip we flew over but didn't land on

Passenger pick up and drop off

Lining up for takeoff