Rain!

Rain!

We arrived to a very dry and dusty Kigali. The end of dry season here means everything has a brownish hue. The grass in our yard matches the hedge, which matches the dust that covers our counters and stains my feet as I walk around the house bare-footed. When the wind blows I can hardly help from choking as my throat is coated with the gritty dirt.  We have eagerly been inquiring about when the rains will start, and have been told “soon, perhaps September”.

It rained this morning. Oh the joy of the first rain! I watched in awe as the enormous dark clouds blew in. I listened to the majestic rumble of thunder, and then the huge, luscious drops began to fall. The scent of the rain after a long dry season is irreplaceable. As the rain drops fall, they push the dust out of the air, and all at once sweet, fresh air floods our lungs.  There is hope in the first rain; hope because the dust is washed away and the air is cleaned. There is hope because the water shortages will soon come to an end, and hope because the land will once again receive the nourishment it needs. It won’t be long before the brown fields will be made alive with vibrant green hues. 

Somehow it seems fitting that the seasons should be changing as we arrive and make this new place our home. Like the seasons, we have been transitioning. We have left the familiar and entered the unknown, a new season of life. Witnessing the joy of returning rain gives me hope for what lies ahead. There have been, and will continue to be, challenges. After all, rain also represents mud, and sometimes even floods. But I know that the God who sends the rain to water the Earth and bring life, is the same God who is at work in me.  Therefore, today I can choose to live in thankfulness, knowing that, “the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is [his] faithfulness” (Lam 3:22-23).  I am grateful that God’s mercies are new every morning and that each day I get a new chance to live in the joy and expectation of what God is doing and will continue to do.

Our dry yard