Rain, Rain and More Rain

As I had mentioned earlier in the fall, we've have learned much more about subsistence living and what it is like to rely on the earth and the weather for your income/food. Though we haven't learned this firsthand, we have learned through our friends. Most Kenyan folks that we know rely on their chambas (gardens) as their main source of food. Their incomes, if they have jobs, do not provide enough for all of their living expenses. For several seasons, most people have lost their crops to drought. This past fall, the rainy season was off to a good start with a good mix of rain and sun through October and into November, but then in early December it became hot and dry, too early. Our campus started to turn brown, but its really not a big deal to have brown grass. Many of the people have lost their potato crops (main crop), though they say that if it starts raining again, they may be able to save their other crops (maize, carrots, sukama wiki). Well, it has started to rain again. Every day for the past five, it has rained - downpoured all afternoon. We are thankful for the rain for our friends, for the earth; and we hope and pray that their crops will revive and produce to abundance!