They turned and ran. They ran as they had never run before. Dan grabbed Daniel from Hannah. Buddy led the way, with Hannah and Dan right behind, and the rest following close on their heels. Skeeter grabbed Kristi’s hand and they brought up the rear. Kristi took one last glance over her shoulder as they fled through the trees and saw the lion standing at the edge of the clearing, just watching them. He shook his golden head and roared a final roar that shook the trees, and then turned and walked away.
That roar spurred the teens on even faster. The Americans didn’t know which way to go, but they didn’t care. They just followed Buddy and Hannah, hoping they would lead them back. Somehow they came to the compound wall and followed it back to the road. They didn’t slow down until they were through the gate and safe.
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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Kwaheri to Kenya
The missionary compound was filled with rejoicing. Praise and prayer went up from the pavilion as the whole mission family and their visitors from America gathered to hear the miraculous story of Daniel’s homecoming.
There was much speculation about the whole thing. How the lion came to be in the region at all, they would never know. Why it seemed to think of itself as Daniel’s guard and pro tector was a mystery. How God had spared the child’s life—and the teens’—was a miracle. Of that there was no doubt.
“Weren’t you afraid when you saw the lion, Daniel?” Hannah asked her little brother at one point.
“Oh, no!” he said in Swahili, pointing to Dan. “He—that wanzungu who has the same name as me—he told me about Daniel in God’s Book, remember? How God shut the lions’ mouths so they couldn’t hurt Daniel. So when I saw the simba I just said, ‘You shut your mouth!’ and I asked God to make him do it and He did. So I lay down then and went to sleep because I was awfully sleepy, Hannah. I got up too early this morning!”
Hannah gave a little laugh and hugged the small boy. “Yes, you did, Daniel!” she agreed. She translated what he had said for her American friends.
“Oh, the faith of a little child!” Rachel murmured.
The women had prepared a lunch out in the pavilion to celebrate the wonderful occasion. Skeeter sat down next to Kristi with his plate full and said, “Why aren’t you eating, Kristi?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m still a little shaky from all the excitement this morning.”
“Aww, that’s nothing a little good food won’t cure! Here, have a cupcake.”
Kristi smiled and took it, and then passed it on to little Daniel. His eyes grew big and he grinned, stuffing it in his mouth as quickly as he could. Hannah couldn’t take her eyes off her little brother. She smiled and said, “Thank you, Kristi. For everything. I will never forget you.”
“I’ll never forget you, either, Hannah. Or the miracles we saw this morning. Now that it’s over, I can praise Him for letting us witness that—but I wouldn’t want to do it again, either!”
Hannah laughed and agreed.
The rest of the week flew by as the group finished the projects they had begun at the mission station. The roof was put on the new addition at the hospital. All the rooms in the orphanage and school had been painted, and in one final grand push, all three teams had worked together to paint each of the hospital wards, as well. They had played with and loved each child they came in contact with, and ministered as best they could to most of the adults, as well. Their group had brought joy to many of the people of the village, as well, and they had received joy themselves in seeing several people come to trust Jesus as their Savior through their ministry.
Now as Kristi and the others prepared to climb aboard the bus that would take them back to Nairobi that Saturday morning, she paused to remember all the many blessings of their adventures in Africa: their time at Grace Mission Station, of course, but also the Maasai people and the little church that had welcomed them with open arms; the glorious beauty and variety of God’s creation in Kenya; the satisfaction of feeling that the work they had done here had glorified God.
The missionaries had all said their goodbyes and thanks when Hannah hurried out to the bus, baby Isaiah in her arms and Daniel firmly by the hand. The rest of the Mbati family was there, as well, to say farewell to the friends who had helped them stay together as a family in more ways than one. Hannah hugged each of the girls and shyly said goodbye to the guys. She thanked them all for all they had done for her and her brothers and sisters.
“Thank you for risking your lives to help me save Daniel,” she said finally to the Camerons and Pete, Robyn and Anna. “Especially you, Dan. And Kristi,” she paused and touched the gold cross around her neck, “you have become as a sister to me. May God bless you always, and bring you back to us someday.”
Kristi hugged her Kenyan sister for a final time. There were tears on both their faces. She kissed each of the younger children and hugged Joel, too. Then she climbed on the bus and settled in her seat, waving out the window, reluctant to finally say goodbye for good.
Skeeter suddenly jumped up and leaned out his window. “Mungu aku bariki! Mungu aku bariki!” he yelled. “See, I knew if I kept practicing I’d finally get it right! God bless you! Kwaheri! Goodbye!” Buddy ran up just then and began barking his own farewell. He sat down with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and a silly grin, satisfied that he had been a perfect host!
Kristi smiled. Kwaheri to Kenya, Kingdom of Lions. They had encountered Mfalme wa wafalme, the King of kings, and lived to tell about it. She shook her head at the thought. No, she reflected, there truly is only one King of Kings—the God of all creation, the God of miracles.
The bus pulled away and Kristi waved until the dust ob scured the station from their sight. Kwaheri. Mungu aki bariki!
The End
The Mystery of the Kenyan King (Kristi Cameron Book 4) Page 9