This was intended for last week... but I didn't get it up in time. There's so much happening :)
For some, it might seem like an ordinary occurrence, but for this Aussie girl, snow is anything but ordinary. While I have seen snow numerous times, having it fall at one's house is hugely exciting.
There's so many little testimonies that go with this mini snow storm, that I just had to share :)
When I moved to Christchurch in February, it was the middle of summer. And I learnt that Christchurch gets snow about every 10 - 20 years. The last decent snow was in 1992. I said, "I want it to snow when I'm here!!"
The locals didn't look too hopeful, but that didn't deter my faith.
The week before, the forecast was "Snow to 300 metres" and then "Snow to 200 metres" and then "Snow to sea level" for Sunday!!
I was very excited, and commented that I hoped that it didn't affect people travelling to church. The response was, "Oh, it won't be that bad. It probably won't even stick. It never does!"
Sunday afternoon, it started snowing. Nice fluffy puffs of snow.
When we emerged from the restaurant after dinner on Sunday night, my car was coated in a fine layer of snow. We took pictures, just like tourists. Driving home in it was amazing, as it continued to fall.
At midnight, the landscape had a glowing white hue.
We awoke on Monday morning to an amazing carpet of white... it was stunning!
The snow was still falling, lovely big puffs of snow.
The dear elderly lady that I board with, who I call Nanna, commented, "In the 30 years I've lived here, I've never seen it like this!!"
Usually it rains for a few days, and then when the snow finally falls, it melts, and turns slushy or to ice almost instantly. This was delicious... fluffy, light, dry snow. So so beautiful!
The city shut down on Monday. No school, university, or shops open. It doesn't snow often in Christchurch enough to invest in snow clearing machinery.
If this had been the day before, there would have been no church. The Lord was so good to us!!
He answered so many prayers, in a single snow fall :)
Even better, that night we were going to visit our pastor for an evening of fellowship. I didn't think we would be able to go, due the snow. It cleared just enough so we could go.
My car remained buried, so that I didn't make it out to go to university the next day. I shovelled the driveway, for the first, and perhaps last, time in my life. Friends came over, and we threw snow and built a 1o-story high snow man. And the snow is still on the ground, a full 8 days later.
To just think... every single snow flake that fell was unique. What an amazing, loving Creator we serve!
* snow!
* that it snowed, here in Canterbury, the most in 19 years... while I was here!
* that it didn't snow too much on Sunday... mostly on Monday
* a 10-story high snow man
* friends to throw snow at
* freshly fallen snow, with no footprints in it yet
* being the first to step in the whiteness
* knowing that it is so clean that it is safe to eat
* snow angels
* snow on top of fences and clotheslines and flowers and leaves
* shovelling driveways
* sunshine on snow
* taking 100s of pictures of white!
* plans to go tobogganing on Saturday
Pics: my snow images, and a very geeky video, with someone who may or may not be me in it.
