Today was just like any other ordinary day in Madagascar....unpredictable. From the moment we stepped off the plane to this very day that I sit here and write to you we had yet to see a rainstorm. If you haven't caught the trail that I'm about to lead you down I won't leave you hanging. That's right....we officially experienced our first Madagascar rainstorm! Soon the rain will start to come more frequently as the dry season ends and the wet season begins...this is both good and bad for the people here and I'll try to explain why.
The rainstorm we experienced today would have been categorized as a light drizzle throughout the day with an occasional downpour. If I would have been at home in Florida I'd have taken the opportunity to reintroduce myself to my comforter and the immense amount of pillows in my bed (a personal pleasure of mine!!). Too bad that isn't the case here for me nor any of the Malagasy people. What seemed like a deterrent for progress was just an inconvenience for the Malagasy. They all went about their day traveling for miles to sell food and things they made back home. The market was just as packed as before, but along with the many people bargaining for food was the lakes of water causing a small chasm between the road and the entrance to the market. Now I say this with a hint of exaggeration as it wasn't the worst puddles I've seen before, but I was astounded by the amount of water that had pooled in the market. What seemed like such a small amount of rain had turned into lakes and rivers throughout the downtown market. The water had overflowed so much so that the garbage tracks found in the market (little pathways between the walkway) had filled up and vanished before my eyes. I found this out the hard way as I made my way past some Malagasy people to search for bread and instead found my left foot plunged right into a mixture of rotten vegetables, water, and whatever else is found in the garbage track. When I tried to correct my mistake by continuing forward I found my right foot sinking into the same miserable track of waste that my left foot had recently experienced. The water made itself all the way up to the midlevel of my calf...so about a foot or so of water! And today was just light rain.
Now to get to the good part about all this rain (cause this is really a great thing for the people here). Madagascar is starting to wrap up its dry season and for good measure as the fresh water supply that we use is running out. That means that the every day water used by the Malagasy is becoming sparse and they are having to search for water sources farther away. I visited a well today to gather water for lunch with our friend Mika and I was surprised to see the bottom of the well so easily. In order to get the water we had to place the bucket at the base of the well and tip it sideways. It was such a weird experience for me cause I have always imagined wells being abundant in water (mainly because we always have water in the U.S. and our movies portray them this way). So...the rain that we experienced today is very beneficial for the locals here and for us as we continue to make Manakara our home. Soon the rain will become an every day thing and the wells will fill up with the precious source that runs our lives.
For me personally I find this to be just another picture of God's hand and provision for his people. When things look like they are going to be a struggle...God always answers with our exact need. It's the little things like this that cause me, and hopefully you the reader, to see that God is very near and always in control. His provision is always perfect and good. Remember this as struggles come up:
God's understanding of the situation is far superior than ours and he will provide at the most perfect time when needs must be met.
In him,
Matt
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