Let it Rain

We've always been struck by how in this dry land, rain is viewed very differently than at home. In America, rain is generally viewed as a nuisance, something to be avoided, something to "come again another day". Here, it is always welcomed and seen as a blessing from God. One of the names for rain in Maa is actually the word for God. Today we got a particularly clear example of the Maasai attitude toward rain.

We were in the middle of church, when it started to rain. At first slowly, one drop at a time, pinging against the church's tin roof. Then faster and faster, creating an avalanche of sound. At home, this may have been viewed as an annoyance. Church would have stopped and people would have waited for this interruption to end. Here the rain felt like worship. Everyone's face was joyful. Many people started laughing as the leaders attempted to be heard, yelling at the top of their lungs without success. The planned parts of the service may have stopped, but worship continued, as people laughed and smiled with the rain. Looking at people's faces, we could see so much of who God is, in the simple blessing of rain. No disconnect exists between God, rain and life here. They all go hand-in-hand.

I think we miss something at home, as we become disconnected from the land. Without being dependent on the land and rain for our daily bread, rain and God can seem unnecessary. We're so removed from the blessings God provides us, I think we forget they exist.