Sukkot rain

Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles (Tents) - begins this evening but already the rains came .... this morning at 7.15! What a wonderful gift! I was suffering terrible knee pains all of yesterday and old Fr Loffreda said it'll rain because he also suffered from knee pain due to the humidity. True enough this morning as I was feeding the canaries in the courtyard, I could see storm clouds above me. Nadia made a cup of turkish coffee for me and brought it out to the courtyard. I told her it'll rain and she said it's the Jewish feast (for rain) so it should! Within a few seconds huge drops of rain starting falling. The metal awnings started pattering from the large droplets and the children of the Omariyya school opposite us raised a resounding shout - it's raining! I went into the house to tell the superior and vice-superior and they came out to see the rain... well just about everyone else came out as well. It's been a long long time since we saw something like this here in this mountainous desert region.

It's also the Mid-Autumn festival (Sukkot is celebrated on the same day - full moon) but I think lots of chinese expats in the City will be having meals at the Mandarin Restaurant this evening.

Fr. Vincenzo sent a report on the summer activities for kids in Musky. You'll read all about it at http://holylandassist.blogspot.com