Summers in the UAE

What do you think it feels like to live in the desert next to the Arabian Gulf during the summer months? The short answer is that it is suffocating. Temperatures average 105°F (40°C) or higher for about 2 months with a heat index of 125°F+ (51°C). 

In temperatures so high, it is difficult to be outside. Thankfully the UAE has a great electrical grid and ACs work well especially in malls where you still need a sweatshirt because it is so cold inside.  

It is hot in the UAE in the summer. It is also much less crowded. Employers in the UAE provide four weeks of vacation every year. Most people take this vacation at one time in the summer because everyone wants to escape the heat. Schools end for the summer at the end of June. The first week of July thousands leave the city. This summer over a 10-day period 2.4 million people flew out of Dubai (this includes tourists).  

With so many people leaving, you can imagine how different the city is for the month of July. The roads are empty. The malls are quiet. Hotels are less crowded. The city is quiet. But opportunities still exist! 

With the slower pace of life that summer brings, there are more opportunities for Christ-followers to engage service industry workers (waitresses, retail workers, hotel workers, etc) with the gospel. There are also more opportunities to meet with those that are staying in the city for discipleship.  

Please pray this summer that many will hear the gospel and be discipled across the UAE. Pray as well for those who are traveling all over the world. Pray that as they travel that they will hear the gospel.  

Maybe you will meet someone who lives in the UAE this summer and have an opportunity to share the gospel!