You could not hear a thing. The rain beating down on the tin roof simply drowned out all communication, and it wasn't even supposed to be raining, or at least not that hard.

Here in Nepal we have 5 weeks until the monsoon season starts bringing the rain needed to plant rice. Yet it has been raining here quite a lot recently. It is a blessing, to be sure, because the moisture removes all the dust from the dry season, at least for part of the day! With rain almost daily, we have been carrying umbrellas with us when we leave the house, even if it is bright and sunny. Last Saturday going to church was no different.

That's right, Saturday, not Sunday. Saturday is the day of worship here. Historically, government offices and businesses in Nepal were open six days a week (Sunday – Friday) and closed on Saturday, which was the day for Hindu worship. So the Christian church here simply followed that pattern when it started some 50 years ago.

So off to church Saturday morning, with an umbrella in tow. It was sunny all the way to church. This Baptist church building is under construction. The first floor is largely completed, though the windows have to still be installed and the floors themselves finished off. The sanctuary, which runs the 100 foot length of the building, has in its ceiling a fifteen feet by ten feet opening covered with tin roofing sheets.

Worship here follows a general pattern. We open by singing several hymns, followed by an opening prayer time during which everyone prays aloud for a few minutes. As the voices die down, the worship leader prays over the din, taking control of this prayer time, and brings it to a close. After the opening prayer, we sing several more hymns, again followed by a prayer time, the same as the opening prayer time, but lasting longer. Announcements follow and then the offering is received. The sermon is last, formally closed in a brief prayer by the worship leader. When Communion is observed on the first Saturday of the month, as that Saturday was, it follows the sermon.

The rain started before the announcements. We got through them and had completed the offering when the force of the rain began to pick up significantly. The first of two designated individuals was part way through her comments, prior to praying for the offering, when the electricity went out, including the sound system. So, she could only be heard toward the front of the church. Then the force of the rain increased and soon no one could hear anyone. Thankfully, the tin roof kept out the rain and was secured well enough to withstand a strong wind, though the wind did its best to tear it loose.

It was now time for the sermon. To try to increase communication, the morning's preacher moved down from the platform right up to the edge of the first row of chairs. But it was to no avail. He could not even be heard by those right in front of him.

About this time I, Bucky, went over to one of the church leaders and said—shouted in his ear would be more like it—that maybe we should go ahead with communion, as we would all know what was going on, even if we could not hear. By the end of communion, maybe the rain would have passed and then we could hear the sermon. The leader nodded and went to confer with the other leaders. After consulting, they decided on a different plan.

Their plan was for the congregation to have a third time of prayer. So we "prayed through the rain" for about five minutes… and the storm passed by. With quiet restored, though not electricity, we proceeded with the rest of the service, just as it was planned.

That storm during Saturday's worship reminded me that the Old Testament uses the picture of a storm surrounding God whenever God visits the earth. This actually occurs when God comes down to Mount Zion to meet with Moses and give the 10 Commandments (Ex. 19:16-17, ff). Then, in Psalms, stormy weather, complete with thunder and lightning, is the poetic imagery for God coming to the earth. So maybe the storm should not have been looked on as a nuisance but rather as God just paying the Kathmandu Valley a brief, personal visit, in an Old Testament way, as churches across the area were in worship.

Whatever happened, we consider it a privilege and joy to be able to worship God with Nepali Christians. Thank you for what you do to make that possible.