R {Rain}

Rain...something in East Texas that we haven't seen in awhile. Conditions are extremely dry, burn bans are in place and we pray daily for the clouds to darken and open over us.

I'm learning that in PNG rain is essential but for different reasons...it can be insurance on making sure you are able to bathe. Although I don't know all the details, I've heard that rain fills a tank and that tank has a line running into your house. Depending on which house you live in, sometimes you're relying on the sun to heat your water. Now, I haven't actually verified this with my own eyes, so this will fall under a "To Be Continued" segment that will pick up about a year from now. (Someone remember that I've already blogged about this! :))

I've also heard that kids LOVE the rain because it makes for some *awesome* mud sliding. Hence the need for a full tank to bathe the dirty kids after they play in the mud. I'm guessing white will not be a popular color to wear!

Then there's the down side of the rain...the mud makes it hard for the missionaries to travel in and out of the villages...too much rain ruins dirt airstrips making flying virtually impossible.

And what about my once clean laundry hanging on the line? If a shower comes, my clothes start the drying process over.

I pray I'm reminded of this Texas summer, the heat, the drought when the complaining starts about the downpours we experience...or the kids tracking mud in the house...or my laundry not getting dry...

For everything, there is a season...