Sad, wilted, short, tiny-eared maize. I see it everywhere- when I walk to Church, ride my bike to a meeting, when I go for a run out in the villages. Every where you go, you hear the farmers complaining, ‘over a month without rain! The sun has destroyed everything!’

Its true there is often a dry patch around this time of year, but usually nothing like this. The clouds of dust on the road churned up by the trucks on their way to Sudan is extreme. If we go to town on the back of a motorbike, we arrive with a new fake tan and freshly dyed orange hair.

But yesterday, it rained. The rain hammered our tin-roofed church so hard we had to pause our meeting because no one could hear a thing. I poked my head out the church door and see…

Seven naked little bodies sprinting and jumping amongst the huts and along the road. At the first drop of rain, the kids stripped and ran outside.

Convenient way to wash and not waste water? Triumphant joy jumping nude rain dance?

Next I saw them dive and belly slide along their neighbors muddy veranda. Definitely a rain dance. I restrained myself from joining them….just. Obviously taking a photo would have been a tad inappropriate, but this picture I stole from google captures the vibe nicely:

In a couple of weeks, our new farmers group will be planting our new maize. Pray the rain stays, and the dancing continues!