[River Chagres Dam that supplies the Panama Canal with fresh water - Photo by Marvia Lawes]
Today, Panamanians were asked to ‘pray for rain’. You all know I get up to crazy things sometimes, but I’m serious this time. Tonight at Prayer Meeting one of our leaders reminded the gathering of the crisis with the drought in the country and the national appeal for prayer for rain (news to me!). A great deal of Panama’s electricity is Hydro-generated. We will be in serious trouble if the rivers remain low or get any lower. This might result in frequent power-cuts across the entire country.
The Panamanian Secretary of Energy has taken two steps in an effort to prevent having to conduct power-cuts. First, they have asked public service companies to cut working hours and open for business 7:30am – 1:30pm this week. This came into effect Tuesday May 20, 2008. This move is also in anticipation of the success of the second step. What is the second step? The news reported that the Secretary has issued a call to Panama to ‘pray for rain’.
But, I confess, I am torn on this matter. To pray or not to pray.
Panama has two seasons – ‘wet’ and ‘dry’. Some call the wet which runs from late March to end November ‘Winter’ and the dry which runs from December to March ‘Summer’. All public schools are closed in Panama from early December to mid March. So it does feel like Summer break. It is perfect weather for picnics, beach trips, camps and of course VBS (Vacation Bible School). A little strange I know. It took me a while to get into it.
I enjoy Panama’s Summer. But I won’t lie, ‘it hot yuh fret’ (that’s Jamaican for it’s really hot). However, in Colon it’s very windy and that cools things down a lot. And then my neighbours have some huge chimes. I won’t get into those chimes. Suffice it to say that they do help me (and the entire neighbourhood) to know when the wind has died down. However, the wind rarely dies down…..
[Nearly dry spillway at Gatun Locks, Colon Panama - Photo by Marvia Lawes]
But then there is Panama’s Winter. And it’s wet. Listen, if any of you have ever been to Portland, Jamaica you will know what it means to have rain every single day. And even when it doesn’t rain, you stay outside until the wee hours of the morning and you see the sky constantly being lit up with lightening. Now multiply that by 10 times, in quantity and length of time it rains each day. Sometimes in Colon it rains non-stop for an entire week.
The humidity wreaks havoc on my allergies. Mildew, mildew, mildew. The frogs hold croak-fests in front of my gate and conferences in the garage. [It took me a few months when I came here to figure out that it was frogs making the racket I'd hear every night]. And you cannot imagine what I have to go through to get past all these ‘Prince Charmings’ to reach my door – unkissed. It’s cold, dark and the whole place ‘pyacka-pyacka’ (meaning mucky).
And it can get really dangerous like when we had 5 rivers converging and wreaking the kind of havoc I experienced November 2006 in Rio Indio when the building of our mission was smashed. And again in November 2007 a Jamaica mission team was stranded out on the coast when Colon was flooded and we couldn’t get back to Quebrada Leon to pick them up.
Should I really pray? I see where the ???????? ????? ????????US State of Georgia prayed for rain last November 2007 . I wonder if it worked? Now my question is, how is a prayer vigil for rain or national prayer for rain different from American Indians, performing a ‘rain dance’ as their prayer for rain?
Well whether you are American Indian or not, dance if you wish or kneel just join us in prayer that rain will fall in Panama. Please don’t get too exuberant in your prayers though. Remember, to ask for enough rain. Please, don’t ask that the ‘flood-gates’ be opened.
Thanks for your prayers,
Marvia
Hey Sis,
Great pics and lol, about your neighbors chimes!
I’m here in Georgia and the prayers (rain dance, vodun,voodoo) are still working their magic. However, along with that rain we’ve also had numerous tornadoes waaaay before tornado season which in turn caused deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. Our water tables are still not were it should be therefore, water use restrictions are still in effect.
I touch and agree and will pray for “enough rain” and not all the “extra stuff” that has landed us in trouble here in GA.
Peace,
KA
KA,
Now that we do not need.
Thanks for the update re the success of the Georgia prayer vigils. And thanks for helping me stress that the prayers should be only for ‘enough rain’. I know some of us can get really carried away and pray up a storm (pun intended)!
Take care.
I touch and agree that The Lord sends rain soon.
And that your government doesn’t begin seeding clouds to produce the manmade rain.
Thanks Bro,
You see that’s the danger we face. Once there is manipulation of nature we have problems with the results. I guess we need to pray that we don’t go that route at all.
Peace!
Hello Marvia,
Maybe our prayers should go even higher than to pray for rain. Our prayers should be a clamour for more conscience and less greed in the development of areas that have no business being developed as their sole and most important function is to store water for the world. Our prayers should stymie the “Greed Factor,” that is rampant in the world today.
Lydia,
You are absolutely correct! So called “development” fostered by greed lies at the heart of our global environmental challenges. Unfortunately, it’s the world’s poorest peoples who are reaping the worst consequences of selfish actions.
Not that any of us are entirely innocent of course. We all need to be much better. But like many things in life, we don’t want to inconvenience ourselves by making sacrifices.
Thank you for the timely reminder.
Hey i’ll pray, but if you defiantly want rain you could consider a national car wash day!
Yes! everyone knows that when they wash their car it rains, so if a whole country washes vehicles at one time, it must rain!
Ok well maybe not.
I guess i’ll gwann pray then.
Bless
Derri chile,
Let me help you refocus your prayers. Pray for the rain to find the location of the Dams. We are having lots of rain but the dams are not up to capacity yet.
Peace!
Rain, rain, come today; we can’t wait another day. Opposite of that famous jingle? I’m sure you are looking forward to the freshness, the sheer poetry even, that the rains will bring (among other things). No floodgates, no seed clouding, no “extra stuff”. Jus’ nuff! Please God.
I know you have a way with words… forgot to mention that… “seed clouding” is mine!!!! Good thing the Lord is multi-languaged… I had better stop here!
Gillian,
Thanks so much for your prayer. Remember to add the part about the Dam. Panama rain like Jamaica rain falls everywhere except where it should. (Recall the usual Mona Dam??)
And I promise not to steal ‘seed clouding’ but it sound good fi true. Hahahaha.
Peace!