The Rainy Season

I don't remember if I already told you, but the rainy season has officially started! I was really happy about the prospects of refreshing showers, and cloudy days...sounds wonderful right? Well, it does if you have ever lived through the hot season here! But, like all good things, I am finding out that the rainy season also has it's downsides. Sorry to have to tell you that, but it is true.To start with, one of the first things I noticed was snakes. I suddenly started to see snakes in or near my house. Before that, I had only seen a couple since I came here. I was quite happy about that, in case you were wondering! But, just to ruin my good opinion of the snakes in Thailand, I have started to see them quite regularly. And, to make them even more terrible, they are actually bad for your health...and not just because they try to scare you to death either! They are actually poisonous. In fact, the first snake I saw was a relatively innocent looking grey thing about 3 feet long, but real skinny, like it had been on a diet for a long time...almost anorexic! I was not all that worried since it was not real close to me. When I told the neighbors about it, they totally ruined my good opinion of that snake! They told me that it is the deadliest snake in Thailand in that more people are killed by them than by any other kind! Oh dear, that was dreadful. So, the very next snake I saw, which was VERY close to the house I might add, I grabbed Hannah, and went dashing up the hill to the caretakers house. Everyone else was gone that day, but I did find the caretakers wife at home. She was alarmed when she saw me sprinting up the hill toward her, so she grabbed the nearest weapon and asked me what was wrong! I made nice hissing noises, and slithering motions, and she got the picture. So, she took her handy weapon and came slowly down the path towards my house, looking all around to be sure she would not be the victim of  a surprise attack. When she finally saw the snake, she carefully clubbed it to death, and then burst into laughter! She said that it was a very harmless snake! Well....they don't teach you about the poisonous snakes of Thailand in any American school I ever went to! How was I to know? It is better to be safe than sorry, isn't it? The next snake that I encountered was when I was following Jason. Jason had Hannah in his arms, and I was following behind when Jason suddenly set Hannah down and pulled out his machete and went dashing after a little tiny snake, the size of a very long worm. I grabbed Hannah once again and watched as he dispatched the snake. I thought that it was funny to stay so far back and kill so maliciously such a tiny snake, but I later learned that it was a baby pit viper, and is very poisonous! Oh boy. I have a lot to learn about snakes! I could go on all day about the snakes I have encountered, but I will spare you the gorry details. I think that you have heard enough.(I can just picture my Mom shuddering as she reads this!)The other thing that is different about the rainy season is the sicknesses. Suddenly, everyone is worried about the mosquitoes. During the day, the mosquitoes carry dengue fever, which can be really bad. Then, the nighttime mosquitoes carry malaria, which is something else that we really don't want to get! Plus, we are also getting just plain sick. This last week Hannah came down with a high fever and cold symptoms, then she shared it with me. On Friday, Jason brought Travis home, so that he can go on the visa run with me next week. When Travis got here, he could hardly turn his head since his lymph nodes were so sore. Then, he broke out in a rash all over his body! I diagnosed him as having german measles. Of course, I found that out after Hannah had been held and cuddled by Travis for a long time! So, in about 10 days, we will most likely have another outbreak by all those who have not had them before. ( my students will also be subject to getting them)The third difference about the rainy season is that things just start to mold of their own choice, without consulting me in the slightest! My nice cushions in the living room, Hannah's new dolls, my clothing....just to name a few. When I mention it, people just smile and tell me that this is the rainy season, what did I expect?Before you get the idea that I might be complaining, let me assure you that I am not! The relief from the heat is such a wonderful thing that I am still rejoicing while scrubbing my possessions in bleach, and tiptoeing through the grass while watching for snakes, and sniffing my way through yet another sickness. The rainy season is great! The rain comes down in sheets, and it is kind of fun to live in a house where there are really no walls to speak of. The thunder is louder, and the lightening brighter, and everything is real intense, and then it just pours. The other day, I was sitting in the living room, and when I looked out one side of my house, it was just pouring down rain, in big sheets. On the other side of the house, not a drop was falling! It was like that for about 5 minutes, and then it slowly marched over the house and on up the hill. That was really neat to watch.My point in all this is that I find it to be such a blessing to be able to still see the goodness of God in the midst of this sinful world. Satan has tried his best to ruin it, but the beauty of the flowers, the pouring rain, the jungle springing back to life...shows us how much God loves his erring children, and just how much we have to be thankful for. Just as God brings the new green growth back after the long hot season, he can give new life to us when we accept him into our hearts.