Here in the Makondo area, the last rainy season ended abruptly in May, a few weeks earlier than expected, and there has been no rain since. In the last weeks of July, the people of the area begin to prepare the grounds for planting of gardens. No tractors, no rototillers, just good old manual labor digging up the dry parched soil from the dry season. However, the fields are full of song and praise as the hard work is being done -- all in anticipation of the rains coming to revive the land and crops to grow. Crops mean food, and hopefully money. It is how the people of the village survive. There are no King Soopers or Safeways around the corner -- food is all grown, harvested, and consumed by the family and what is left over is potentially sold as income.
Each person you meet here will tell you that the rains always come on Aug. 15 -- The Assumption of Mary, followed by two more weeks of sunshine to finish the planting, and then the rains come! We still do not know quite what to expect during the rainy season, but it has been described to us as 2 to 4 hours of monsoon type rain each day. The average rain fall here, in Uganda, during the monsoon season according the Internet is about 30 inches. However, as of today in Makondo, there has been less than 1 inch of rain since May -- the worst drought that the people here can remember!
This Thursday, September 5, there will be a special prayer service held here at the parish along with adoration. The people of the Makondo area truly believe that they have committed sins to the point that they are being punished by God. They will gather together to pray and ask for forgiveness. Let us join with them on Thursday asking God to send the rain to Makondo Parish and throughout Uganda.
Kris
& Dean
No comments:
Post a Comment