Justin holds in his hand a picture from his very first trip to Africa and gets lost in a swirl of beautiful memories.

It was the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and Justin was in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. He’d been traveling with a family, spending the holidays on a safari. While they’d seen several lions, they hadn’t found many cubs yet. After the rainy season, the grass had gotten quite tall, making it even harder to spot these amazing felines– especially when one notes that the lions’ fur is a perfect match to the color of the grass.

It was nearing the end of the safari, and Justin was beginning to lose hope of ever seeing a cute baby lion’s face in person. This was his first safari, and he’d come mainly to see a lion cub– as lion’s are his favorite animal. But just as he was about to give up, his guide said, “look,” pointing his finger in the direction of a female lion walking in the distance.

All he could see was her head peaking through the tall grass, but she appeared to be following one of the other vehicle’s tracks, so the guide positioned Justin’s group’s vehicle about a quarter mile away… and they waited. Seconds felt like hours as Justin’s anticipation grew stronger and stronger, and you can imagine the thrill when, as she rounded the curve of the track, two little cubs bounced into view. Justin tried not to squeal with joy as the three walked right beside his vehicle– about two feet from where he was sitting!

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