Saturday, January 18, 2014

Praying for Rain

This is my first year as a resident of California. I've visited several times the last seven years. But now I live here. Right in the heart of central California. I can't go anywhere, not even down the street without passing an orchard or farm of some kind. Food is everywhere here. It truly is the land of plenty.

But today it was 70 and sunny. Which sounds great, and we made the most of it. But the nice weather is overshadowed by an uneasiness.

Where is the rain?

My husband and his family have lived in California most of their lives, and they tell me, December and January it rains. Some people get snow for Christmas. We get rain. Lots and lots of rain.

In the last three months, I can count on one hand the number of times it has rained. And some of those were quite light.

Where is the fog?

I have spent several Christmases in California. Winter mornings here are accompanied by a thick and chilly fog.

I have seen slight fog twice this winter.

Today I met a family who had been evacuated from their home in Glendora. They may get to go back at the end of the week, where they will get to deal with airing the smoke out of all their belongings.

The snow pack in the Sierras is at 17% of what is normal.

What I'm trying to say is that it's dry. And for a place that relies on agriculture so heavily, it is scary.

We are all praying for rain and snow. In two weeks, on February 2nd, all the members of the LDS church in the area will spend 24 hours fasting for rain. We're already praying, praying, and praying some more.

I'm asking you to join us. Because this isn't just a problem for California. If you eat, it's a problem for you too.

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