I faced off with a Lion in Uganda – here’s what it taught me about God

Her heart racing as she stood face-to-face with a lion in Uganda, Gemma Hunt was reminded that peace isn’t shaped by circumstance — it’s rooted in God’s faithfulness

I recently found myself gazing straight into the eyes of a lion. Not through a television screen, not from the safety of a safari jeep, but less than two metres away, heart thumping, breath caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.

I was visiting the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre as an ambassador for the charity Teams4U. The centre rescues animals intercepted at the airport, rehabilitates the injured and works tirelessly to preserve Uganda’s extraordinary wildlife. It is a place of restoration and second chances. I expected to be moved. I did not expect to lock eyes with the king of the jungle. 

As a child raised on nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough and stories like The Lion King, lions had always lived in that magical space between storybook and screen. Majestic. Fierce. Noble. Yet here he was, very real, very present.