Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Rain, rain, go away... or stay?

Dry fields in Zimbabwe - February 2007


Today we've set a record. As I'm sitting here watching it rain, I'm pretty sure we've beaten the record set in 1980 for the most rain recorded in July in Toronto. It's been a wet one. Rain can be inconvenient, especially in the summer. Plans get changed and we spend more time inside. Joel and I packed up a day early on our recent camping trip because of rain. Normally I'd be a bit annoyed that a lot of my summer so far has been spent avoiding the wet stuff, but this year my perspective is a bit different.

Last year in Zimbabwe we watched our friends suffer through a drought year. Our friends in the villages who grow their own food to survive had little to no harvest. Supplies of mealie meal were low in the country, and expensive when it could be found. People were hungry. When someone prayed, it almost certainly involved asking for rain. I remember woman at the local church spending a whole day together, simply to beg God for rain. They were desperate.

While I can't say that I've never complained or wished it to stop, the rain has now become a reminder of me to stop and think about my friends in Zimbabwe and to be thankful we live in a place where our next meal doesn't depend on our backyard gardens being successful.

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