White Christmas!

Cool to hear our Maryland family got showered with snow right on Christmas Eve. Their wished for White Christmas!

Here the tail-end of Cyclone (Hurricane) Evan, who earlier badly smashed Samoa and the Fiji Islands, lavished us with warm downpours interspersed by muggy lulls pre-Christmas. Surely Christmas day afternoon would see me sweating out an overstuffed stomach in such humidity I surmised. But clouds and fresh northeasterlies kept us all sane while digesting delectable dinings.

I'd started the day with my quick 'Christmas special' half-bowl of Cocoa Pops sprinkled with chopped winegums. O yeah! Then after the fun opening of presents (some all the way from America!) I was off to Geoff & Jill McMillans, my Prison Care Ministries bosses, home for a decent cooked brunch and pud with about 20 of our past and present PCM guys, two of whom I collected on the way. Neat to catch up with some of the guys I'd not seen much of since they moved on from using our PCM accommodation. The kai was tops too. I managed to leave room for more Christmas kai to follow at our Dickson extended family get-together from noon by excusing myself a little early to make church late where I met up with Eden and the kids already worshiping in a packed Aberdeen Drive.

Boxing Day morning was nibbled away before, dodging heavy mid-afternoon showers, I grabbed bike and helmeted Zeke to zoom alongside my skateaway wife busy propelling another babe-on-wheels along the road to our swim date followed by tea and treats.

It wasn't until the 27th that our own, unexpected, White Christmas arrived. I was working with Jill and the two current residents on a late spring clean washing and wiping down of the kitchen in one of Prison Care Ministrie's four residential homes. As I pulled out the fridge for a thorough wipedown it suddenly came to mind to ask Jill if she'd heard of any small secondhand chest freezers for sale? One would be handy when living in Auckland (from February 2013 Lord willing). I'd already been to one surplus clearing auction with nephew Sam, also hunting for one, and had started looking online as well. Since then Sam had got one at a garage sale of folk emigrating to Australia. Motivated to pursue acquiring our own more purposefully early that very morning I'd asked God to provide one perfect for our needs at the right price.

"Hmm" said Jill. "We have one that we use only once or twice a year. It's not a chest freezer but a small front-opener with four drawers. Does that sound like something suitable?" "Sure, I'd be keen for a squiz at it sometime" I responded. "First check Geoff's ok with selling. If so, fix a price and let me know." I returned to scrubbing the fridge while Jill grabbed the Jif to work over the far cupboard drawers.

A few hours later I was enjoying an impromptu visit to an ex-PCM man when Geoff called asking am I still in town? Hearing the affirmative he requested I pop by their place before going home. He didn't say what for; could be any kind of PCM thing I thought. Maybe even that freezer? When I arrived the McMillans waved me into the garage where their orange VW-powered trike normally sleeps. But before I'd got much of a gander at the freezer unit Geoff instructed me to go out to the street and reverse my station wagon up their driveway. Strange I thought, he hasn't mentioned a price yet. I wonder; would they be going to...? I didn't have to wait long to be confirmed. They'd decided they wanted Eden and I to have it at no cost. A gift to a good home. Accepting gratefully I welcomed in our White(ware) Christmas :)

Thank You Abba Father for answering my prayer so perfectly! Using a precious couple who themselves know firsthand of Your generosity through their many years of trusting You with their livelihood and the ministry You called them into.