Do kids in the States still sing, "Rain, rain, go away,
come back another day"? Or are they just content to play video games and
watch TV? Not that I was born back in
the good ole days, but it was definitely still in use during my childhood. Rain meant not being able to go play at the
neighbors, indoor recess, and driving your mother crazy, which inevitably led
to more chores.
I remember singing that little ditty in elementary school
and being reprimanded by a classmate, the daughter of a local farmer. If I'm not mistaken, she said it was supposed
to be sung, "Rain, rain, stay today, and come back another day." I wondered who had brainwashed her. Did she actually like indoor recess?
Now, 20 years later, I find myself singing her tune. That, and posting crazy things on Facebook
about rain. So I'm sure some of my
American on-lookers are wondering if I've suddenly lost it. So this week I want to offer you some tips on
understanding your West African friend's Facebook rain posts.
1. The bliss post. Your
friend is gushing about how there is water everywhere and how wonderful things
feel right now. They say things like,
"What a wonderful storm that was" and seem to be ignoring the fact
that their world has turned into a muddy mess. This is nothing more than the sudden rush of joyful
emotions as the rain has cooled the fire that was stifling out life. The temperature has dropped 20 degrees, and
your friend has a new surge of energy.
If they say anything about shivering and turning down the fan speed, please
don't worry, this is only celebratory shivering; there is no actual risk of
hypothermia.
2. The agony post.
You read, "Ugh! Why did it have to rain at mid-day today! This is
just horrible." You are puzzled.
Normally, your friend seems so happy about rain. What has gone wrong? Is your friend experiencing manic
swings? No, no, this is relatively easy
to explain. Rain fell, the temps
dropped, and your friend was loving it, but then the rain stopped too soon, the
sun came back out, and they are now living in what can only be described as
hell's idea of a sauna. One might
describe us as fickle or perhaps picky: we do love our rain, but we'd like it
to at least stay cloudy afterwards.
3. The absent
post. Weather channel says it is rain in
your friend's area. Why hasn't he/she
posted anything? Not to fret, they just
have their internet unplugged. Lightning
strikes have a knack for frying expensive electronics in West African
houses.
4. The selfish
anticipation post. Rarely do you read
something as poetically contradictory, but your friend has just posted,
"Big, dark clouds on the horizon. There is light at the end of the tunnel!" This can only be understood by experiencing the
lead up to rain in West Africa. The
heat, which seems to be at its maximum already, climbs. The heaviness of the humidity becomes
crushing. Those dark clouds are like a
lifeline, carrying the only solution to your friend's present misery.
5. The altruistic anxiety post. Your friend, who enjoyed a normal
urban/suburban life until leaving for West Africa, keeps posting erratic
messages about "the crops."
No, your friend has not taken to farming crops (legal or otherwise),
rather, they are living in a place that is incredibly connected to the perils
of subsistence farmers. Here on the
outskirts of the Sahara, everyone they know lives, or dies, on the success of
the crops. Even their professional friends still have family members who live
off the soil. When the rains take an
unnaturally long pause, society collectively holds its breath, and it is
impossible to not pick up on this anxiety.
So do your friend a favor, pray for rain.
Prayer Request
1. Please pray for my
friend Issa, who is doing the practical half of his Discipleship Training
School. He returns here at the end of
June. Pray that he would come back
well-equipped for the ministry that the Lord has for him.
2. Pray for a young
man named Amadou who comes from Tiere.
Over the past 5 years, he has experienced progressive muscle weakening
that has left him nearly paralyzed. He
came to the hospital yesterday, where we ran several tests. All looks good, so we'll be giving him a
trial of steroids to see if we can reverse this disease process. Pray for miraculous recovery. Pray that this would be a huge testimony of
God's love in Tiere.
3. Continue to pray
for the Kenedougou region of Mali (the part that borders Burkina Faso). Our team will be increasingly focusing on
reaching this area. Would you pray, even
know, that the Lord would be preparing His people of peace in that area?
4. Our national
church partners will be having their large annual meeting next week. Pray that this would go well, and that the
national church would be strengthened in through these meetings.
5. Pray for me as I
seek to wisely balance my time between leading the team, hospital ministries,
ministry among young people here in town, and ministry in rural villages.
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