Can you guess where and when this picture was taken?
Do you know?
It is probably not where you think.
I know, it looks like home - good old York County, PA.
Give up???
Okay, I'll tell you.
The picture was taken here in South Africa, just last month.
It was Winter here in August (our seasons are opposite of yours in the USA).
We had heard on the news that there were places near us that had snow.
So one day, we got in the car and drove about 1 1/2 hrs to see the snow.
From a distance you could see the white tops of the mountains.
As we got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes.
I thought I would never get to see snow in South Africa.
On the way to the mountains, we drove through a Zulu area.
(Notice the snowman in front of the Zulu house.)
This lady stopped so she could be in my picture.
They don't get much snow, so they are not used to how cold it is
(as you can see, she just has a light sweater on).
The snow was so beautiful!
I didn't realize until that moment how much I missed home.
The snow in the countryside, reminded me of Pennsylvania winters.
I had forgotten how the country surroundings were so familiar to me.
The truth is I needed to go see the snow,
it refreshed my soul in ways that I cannot even explain.
God was so good to give me the gift of seeing the snow.
Even though I didn't know how He would work in my life that day, He had a plan.
That plan was to make me feel like I visited home for just a little while.
The snow was so inviting.
It reminded me of the verse:
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Praise the Lord for His cleansing power!
The message we share with the Zulus
is the message of His cleansing blood that makes us whiter than snow.
Of course, what good is snow, without a snowball fight!
Or snowman building!
Karen and I enjoyed fixing this sad little snowman.
I am sure that for the Kilmers, this was also a refreshing time.
People came from everywhere to just play in the snow.
Even I had to make my own snowman.
Okay, so he was not very big
(my hands were frozen).
But, he is my African snowman!
Like I said before, people came from all over to see and play in the snow.
As far as your eye could see for miles and miles (kilometers and kilometers),
there were empty cars parked along the road.
The passengers to these cars were out making snowmen along the road,
like this one.
There was even snow on some of the Zulu housetops.
As we drove away, I began to think
about this short season of refreshment that the Lord gave me.
Although I did not actually go home,
or get to see my family, friends, church people,
I did get to see the Lord's hand in His perfect creation.
You know, we all go through seasons in our lives.
Isn't it great how the Lord uses His word to refresh our souls.
I hope that in whatever season you are in,
that you trust in God alone to refresh you!
"As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,
so is a faithful messenger to them that send him:
for he refresheth the soul of his masters."