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And the rain poured down...

As we sat down with our burgers and drinks it had started to drizzle. We found some seats under the covering of the tent. All around us was a bustle of activity; a queue for free food, children being face painted (or “getting tattoos on their faces” as one little boy informed me), hair being cut to different shapes and styles, people talking, children playing, and lots of connecting being done. It promised to be a great afternoon and evening.

After a little while Kevin Prosch and his band strummed their guitars and started to lead us in worship. It was powerful and everyone was just enjoying worshipping and God was being praised in probably one of the darkest places in Kansas City. (A fun side note is that one of the guys in the band called Lambert, actually did his DTS in Fortaleza and was around for about 2 weeks when I moved there January of 2001. And even more surprising was that I remembered him from that long ago. The world is small!)

However, the drizzle became rain, and the rain became a real downpour. It rained what I would call “cats and dogs” (I think it’s a British term for “raining really heavily”). The band braved it for a little while, but when rivers of water were pouring into the tent they decided electrocution was a very real risk and had to stop and pack away anything electric or connected to electricity. It was a real shame as many of us had looked forward to hearing the band and joining with them. But nothing is ever so bad God can’t use it, and He really used this rain for all it was worth. In an attempt to not get completely soaked people crammed into the tent which made for ample opportunity to have conversations and connect with people who otherwise might just have been milling around. And there is something very bonding about finding shelter from rain together.

We continued handing out food and 4 people got baptised right there in the parking lot and there was groceries for anyone who wanted them. As the ran subsided a bit we opened up the ice cream tubs and children were getting soaked in ice cream instead of rain. Still, as the food line came to an end, everyone who wanted groceries or haircuts had been served, and then tent taken down and loaded into the van, we wrapped up the event and went home a few hours earlier then planned.

Some might say it was a failed event, but I think we achieved what we set out to achieve: spread the love of Jesus and connect with those who are poor and broken in the inner city.

I didn’t end up having many really deep conversations, but I believe there is great power in asking and remembering names. So as I stood there at the burger table handing out my slices of cheese, I got to know the names of many whom I maybe wouldn’t have had the chance to interact with. Who knows if I’ll see these people again, but I pray for them that they would encounter Jesus who is the hope above all hope!

So that was Saturday. A very rainy, but good day!

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