Monsoon Season

I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain

And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

~ Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams. ~

Hosea Ballou

~ The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

~Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.~

Roger Miller

I really love the rain. I usually watch it from inside, but it is even funner to walk in it.

This umbrella'd railing was a sign of things to come.

And things did come...many, many raindrops.

I love the umbrellas in Korea. And the coolest part is you actually get to use them...often.

These beauties are on display in one of the subways for people who like variety, and for others that get caught unprepared.

We love to watch the clouds.

They are gathering and thickening, preparing for another cloudburst.

A little downpour doesn't deter the sightseers and pedestrians in Seoul.

A small crowd waits for the bus to come on rainy morning.

I love this sight. It means that there are many missionaries inside.

Hey, now they are coming outside!

I am sure you can't tell from the picture, but there is a very cute trim all around the edge of my umbrella.

Even the security guards, police, and soldiers carry umbrellas.

Isn't he cute? One morning in the midst of a very heavy downpour, we met a woman whose umbrella was broken. The cloth barely covered half of the mangled spokes of her umbrella. I tried to give her my umbrella several times. She refused each time. Elder Biesinger got several from the office thinking she just didn't want to leave me without one, but she refused once again to accept an umbrella. Now there is a real rain lover...I guess.

This photo really doesn't do justice to the storm.

But the above clip should help.

The view from our office is beautiful. The colors always become more vibrant in the rain.

Well, they have to sit somewhere to dry out.

A little rain and soggy shoes do not discourage Elder Biesinger when he is counting won.

But this leak could be a bit discouraging. His desk is pulled out into the middle of his office, and the drips drip on. I put a two liter bottle under the drip. It was full and overflowing when we returned the next day. A repairman came in and fixed it. (The leak was caused by condensation from the humid air on the air conditioner.)

Can you just imagine the sounds of the pounding rain and the waterfalls?

The next few clips are meant to inspire some "oohs" and "aahs"...maybe even a few "awesomes." There is just nothing quite like the real thing.

Can you see the puddles on the tiles as the rain splashes down into them?

The parking lot was a lake of shallow water swirling around and around.

These are real live missionaries dashing to their apartment. Aren't they awesome?

These two pictures are the most adorable rain pictures in my collection.

Just after the rain is the perfect opportunity to use the zamboli to clean the sidewalks. Really!

You might wonder why these people are carrying umbrellas on an obviously sunny day. I just know that I am definitely going to buy me a sun umbrella for these very HOT, HUMID, SUNNY days.