Rain In Bangkok

Outside you can hear the torrential rain beat down against the city. Everyone who is outside, umbrella or not, is going to be drenched from head to toe. How do I know this you may ask? Well, because just until recently I was outside in it and let me tell you, an umbrella is useless in rain like this. So I didn't use one. Instead I challenged the rain to soak me to the core along with my Pakistani friends Javed and John as we went through the winding streets in the downpour. We were making our way back home from the market place from which we had just purchased a few items to go with the fresh fish which was caught earlier. We walked, jogged and ran through the rain, laughing and smiling as each of us quickly became sopping wet. There was no point in denying the rain its satisfaction, it had won this battle and so we embraced the rain, literally singing songs of praise to God together. These are the moments in life when you feel alive, when you see God's beauty and your heart is filled with joy knowing that God is good. Seeing these brothers of mine share life with each other, laugh with each other (man do they laugh) and sing praises to God is an amazing testimony to the power of Jesus and how he makes people to be full of love and joy. These men, these soldiers, these friends of mine have given their lives to Jesus and have suffered for it in Pakistan where they were persecuted and where they have had family members killed by Muslim terrorists. Yet they praise God and give him glory realizing that suffering for Jesus is worth it and that in the end they will be reunited with their king in a perfect place with no more death or sorrow or crying. Only in Christ can we truly live, and these men know how to live. We made it to the gate of the house, soaked and smiling...we were home, and soon we will have a delicious fish dinner shared with joy knowing that God is provider.