I love Uganda. Except for the heat. I've come to Uganda at the wrong time. You see, I am from Minnesota, and as much as I want to discourage stereotypes, it seems my cold Minnesotan flesh simply cannot handle the heat. So why did I decide to go to Africa when the dry season is beginning and the rainy season is sadly waving goodbye? Good question.
We have been pretty lucky so far, though. We don't go more than a few days without rain to cool the weather down, but the days inbetween our thunderstorms are turning miserable and awful. Sometimes when I lay in bed at night and ralize just how much I've been sweating all day, I pray for rain to come and cool us down. God doesn't always answer my prayers for the rain right away, though, so I just assumed He was telling me to suck it up (of course, God would say it in a much kinder way). However, last night when I was still sweating like crazy, I turned on my iPod and "Let It Rain" by Jesus culture came on. The song opens with, "Let it rain, let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven… I feel the rains of your love, I feel the winds of your spirit…"
Have I really been so silly to think God wouldn't answer my prayers for rain? Maybe He hasn't been sending me physical rain, but whenever I feel overwhelmed and overtaken by the heat (aka the random pains of life; witnessing injustices in Uganda; seeing 12 year old girls take care of her 5 younger siblings) and I ask God to let it rain, He opens the floodgates of heaven and He sends a violent storm of love, mercy, forgiveness, and He sends the Holy Spirit as a wind to make it even more forceful and impactful. I have witnessed the floodgates being opened- I have seen Stella better her family with a little extra income; I have seen Quinto realize the dream God gave him is not forgotten; I have seen young children realized they are loved enough for someone to remember their name and hug them.
God has sent so much rain to cover this nation. It has been the most amazing thing to see how much His love changes a place, and I know He is not yet done with Uganda. I am so excited to see how much more He wants to change it!
