Were you surprised to learn about how critical water is to God's work in the world in yesterday's World Water Day post? Throughout the Bible, God uses water as a symbol of blessing, provision, and new life. That is still true today -- access to clean water can change a child's life.

Yet the presence of water affects your sponsored child's life in other ways as well. Many areas in which we work base their seasonal distinctions on rain levels as much as temperature. Spring and summer are often punctuated by the rainy monsoon season and high temperatures. Winters occur in the dry seasons, and compared to what many in the US experience from November to March, the temperatures are mild!

It is easy to envy winter temperatures that range from the mid-50s to high 70s, but consider the living situation of your sponsored child. Most homes have dirt floors and flimsy walls or roofs. There’s no central heating or an abundance of sweaters or blankets when the air has a chill to it. Shoes that fit are hard to come by, and those little feet get cold!

This is especially true in Mozambique and Swaziland, where they are currently shifting into autumn and cooler temperatures. Because they are in the southern hemisphere, their seasons are opposite of what we experience. When we are in the throes of a hot, humid summer, the children are struggling through their winter. As the leaves change during our autumn, Mozambique and Swaziland are preparing for spring.

Most of our countries, however, are in the northern hemisphere and thus experience a change in seasons around the same time we do.

In Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, the dry and somewhat cool winter is giving way to spring – also known as the “pre-monsoon hot.” Temperatures average in the mid-80s for India and Bangladesh (due to higher elevations in Nepal, mid 70s are more normal) before rising into the 90s or higher in April and May.  The monsoons occur in June through September.

Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and the Philippines are also warming up and preparing for the hot season in April where temperatures hover in the mid-90s. The month of May brings the seasonal rains, which can last to October.

Our projects in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Honduras are also experiencing the shift from winter into the rainy spring season. In Jordan and Lebanon, however, spring does not bring much rain at all.

Kenya has also lacked the typical rainfall due to a years-long drought. Kenya used to experience “long rains” from March to June, and shorter rains in November and December. Although the equator splits the country, much of the weather depends on the location. Areas near the coast like Malindi have more of a tropical climate, but the arid northern regions are much drier.

Has your sponsored child written about the weather they experience? Tomorrow we’ll share some ideas for writing to your sponsored child about the seasons. This fantastic topic provides material for several letters a year, and you'd be surprised how easily you can write about God and his power when you start with the weather!