Who Controls the Weather?

Sometimes, I pray, and don’t see obvious results for a long time. But then, some days are like yesterday.

First, I have to say that 3 John 1:4 is absolutely true. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. E13 was baptized at the end of May, and he and his sister immediately put their faith into practice by attending CYIA. Christian Youth in Action is a 2-week camp held by Child Evangelism Fellowship on Moloka’i, training Christian teens in how to share the good news about Jesus with children. The first week was intensive training, followed by a week of leading 5-day clubs in several locations on Moloka’i and explaining our common human problem and God’s solution through Jesus. 

Back on Oahu, last week P14 and E13 participated in a club closer to Honolulu. Since we live almost an hour away (more when there’s traffic), I dropped them off each day and then usually hung around a nearby park or library for a few hours with the 3 younger boys until they were done. We prayed that 20 children would come to the 5-day club, and at least once there were indeed that many children. I was also praying for this week’s 5-day club, which I am hosting.

Hosting a 5-day club is not complicated. You need to secure a location, which in our case was the park down the road – I just phoned and checked that they were okay with me setting up a shade tent and attracting children to it. You also need to provide snacks, and do some advertising. I taped up flyers all over the neighborhood and sent an announcement to our online Nextdoor neighborhood group.

On Monday, I woke up and saw rain. It was drizzly and humid most of the morning, so we prayed, and God provided clear skies and bright sunshine during the club. Other than my 3 little boys, there were 3 children from another family that we know fairly well. I mentioned that the weather was an answer to prayer, and some of the children suggested that I ought to have prayed that it wouldn’t be so hot!

Monday night was stormy. In fact, we heard thunder, which has happened about 4 times total in the 4 years we’ve lived here. It was pouring buckets when I woke up yesterday morning, and the ground was soaked. Our ladies’ Bible study group (CBS) meets on Tuesday mornings at the beach for prayer, but the meeting was cancelled due to rain and thunder, so I texted everyone asking them to pray for a few dry hours in the afternoon. Then, since we would be missing our prayer meeting, the children and I had a little prayer meeting of our own in our living room. We prayed about the rain, and I specifically requested that it stop and not start up again until after 4:30. One of the children added a request that it wouldn’t be too hot, either. And we asked for more than 6 children to come.

It rained on and off throughout the morning, but by early afternoon the rain seemed to be tapering off, with occasional drizzle. By the time we started setting up the tent at 2:15, the sky was starting to clear. This time, though there were patches of blue sky, we set up under a shady tree and it wasn’t quite as hot. Everyone was much more comfortable. And another family I hadn’t met before arrived, saying they’d seen the posters around the neighborhood, so although one of the other kids was missing, our total ended up at 7 children, 8 if you count one who showed up briefly and left. (7 is more than 6. I need to pray more boldly.)

As club was starting to wind down, I noticed that the clouds were gathering. At 4:30, we started packing up, and by the time we were taking down the tent at 4:35, it started drizzling. You’d think the King of the Universe had been listening to our pleas for practical mercy so we could share his glory! Throughout the afternoon, the rain intensified, until by 6:30 it was coming down so hard that our back yard flooded. This has never happened before. All 5 kids went out and waded around in it.

So what are the odds that, on a day that started and ended with torrential rain, we would get dry weather at precisely the time and place we needed it? It isn’t a question of odds – it’s a question of who is really in charge.

Okay, Lord, since you’re in charge and you want children (and people who used to be children) to hear about you, I’m adding to my request. Please give us dry weather for 5-day club the rest of this week, and bring 30 children to club by Friday! 

 E13's baptism. Having the Pacific Ocean just down the road from church is convenient!

E13 (in orange shirt) climbing onto the plane to Moloka'i. P14 went in a different aircraft.

5-day club on Tuesday. See how dry the ground is! E13 is enthusiastically teaching the motions to the song while P14 and a friend hold up the words.