Raining In the Jungle

You will just have to put up with some analogies to vacation for the next couple of posts. On the second day of our cruise we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico. For those of you who have never been to Cozumel let me give you a little history. Basically it is a fairly flat island that sits off the coast of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula. It used to be a barrier reef thousands of years ago and now it is an island. The terrain is pretty rocky and 90% of the island is jungle. Cozumel is known for its snorkeling, scuba diving and crystal blue waters.

Now that brings me to our time at Cozumel. We had scheduled a 4 wheel ATV excursion through the jungle to explore un-excavated Mayan ruins. This excursion sounded fun and unique and we were looking forward to it. Well we get up and head down to the deck to get off the ship and it is pouring rain. We then learned that it had been raining the whole day before and it was expected to rain all day. At this point I am already expecting a miserable time in Mexico. We get all the way to the ATV booth at the end of the pier and I find out that you need your drivers license which I had left in our cabin to go on this excursion. So I ran back to the ship and go through all the security, get my license, pass through security to get back off the ship and book it to the ATV booth. I barely make it and by this time I am soaked. Needless to say I am expecting very little from this rainy day.

All that to say this. It turned out to be some of the most fun I have ever had. Was it raining all day? Yes. Did we get muddy? Yes. (We transversed ATV paths that were basically rivers) Did I have a stinking attitude? Yes. Did it turn out like I expected? NO. I expected to be miserable. I expected to be totally ticked off that I had spent a chunk of change to be wet and have a horrible time. It was totally the opposite. I could not have been happier to be wet and muddy. It was not hot at all or dusty like it normally is. And to be driving ATVs through little rivers (I was told we passed by several snakes swimming in the water. I am glad I did not see them) is a hoot and most people don't even get to experience that.

It's kind of like what we are going through at C3 Church. It seems like we should really be ticked off. People have left and have lied and said all kinds of crazy things about us. It has been raining BUT the experience of doing church in the rain is awesome. It might not be what we were expecting but the payoff has been the many UNSAVED and UNCHURCHED that have come to know the Lord. We might be wet and muddy but it has been an experience I would not change for anything. We are forging rivers that I never knew were there and it is exciting. So, is it raining in the jungle? Yes it is and God sends the rain and it's a good thing. I'll take wet and muddy any day over dry, dusty and hot. It makes the Jungle a bearable place to be! Let's get wet and muddy for the Lord!