Rumbek and Rain

Yesterday morning, I "slept in" until 8:00, then headed for breakfast. I had been told that it would be good. It was. In fact, all the food at Safari Style Hotel has been excellent. The only problem has been that there has been too much of it, and compared with what I have been eating, it is pretty rich. But I have managed to adapt to the changed circumstances. We hung out around the pool until after lunch. It was a nice break.

In the afternoon, when we ended our interlude at Safari Style Hotel, with its swimming pool and enticing food, we headed for the Rumbek market to get some necessaries. The temperature was probably pushing 120, but the market was full. I have been interested to notice the brilliant colors worn by many of the people here. It is common to see women wearing blazing reds, yellows and oranges, and the contrast of these colors with the very dark skins can be strikingly beautiful.

As Jermaine, Andrew and I were just about finished with our shopping, a huge thunderstorm rolled in from the east. It was amazing to see how quickly the streets cleared, shopkeepers pulled down the wares they had hanging on display, and everyone found a roof under which to take cover.

The rain came down in fat, hard-hitting drops at first. Then the drops came faster, and as the wind picked up, they began flying sideways. Then the drops turned to sheets and buckets – still flying sideways. The deluge slacked off for a little, and we ran for the car – just in time for the whole sky to fall again. The rain eased off, but it kept on for perhaps an hour. As we drove through town, we saw at least a couple of roofs blown completely off buildings.

We met the rest of the Akot team at a restaurant – acclaimed as “the best non-western restaurant in Rumbek” – and ate a supper of bread, goat meat, and lintels-with-goat-cheese. The lintels & cheese, scooped up with torn pieces of bread, were OK, but one got quite a workout chewing the goat. I made sure to have some acidophilus pills afterward.


Then it was back to the mission compound just outside of town for the night. Because of the rain, I slept inside. That was probably a mistake, as I sweated all night. It didn’t rain anymore, and I should have taken my cot outside.


This morning, after the rain, the whole world seemed to be coming back to life. The fuzzy little red “rain bugs” were out in force, and I collected two for my friend Bill. There were puddles of muddy red water everywhere, although in many places, the sandy soil had seemed to swallow the water as fast as it fell.


We made an early start – with a couple of stops to pick up people who had been promised rides – and were back at the Akot Baptist Training Center by about 9:30. We saw evidence of last night’s rain all the way back until just a few miles before Akot. The BTC had received a few drops but not even enough to settle the dust.


Safari Style made a delightful break, but I was actually glad to get back to our simple accommodations in Akot.

As I post this, there is the wonderful sound of a gentle rain on the tin roof of Mustardseed Hospital where we use the Internet. I suppose I won't sleep outside tonight....

Tomorrow, we are to meet with local pastors to pray and encourage them.