Lightning!

When we arrived here nearly five weeks ago, everything was dry and brown, and there was talk of the town running out of water. The rainy season was supposed to have started, but we were baking along with the landscape. Well in the last couple of weeks, the rain has gradually started to put in an appearance. It usually comes in the evening, sometimes for an hour or so, and sometimes quite heavy for most of the night.
   I have often heard of tremendous electrical storms that happen frequently even without accompanying rain in some parts of the world, and have always wanted to see a full-on version. Once in Sydney, Lois and I were staying at a hotel on circular quay and we got to see an impressive spate of lightning, we even saw one bolt hit an airliner coming into Sydney. Unfortunately though, the lights of the city and the lack of access to the roof of the hotel, detracted from the spectacle somewhat.
   Well if you want to see a true electrical storm, in all its glory, come to Bolivia! We have been treated to some absolutely breathtaking displays of Jehovah's power. Almost every night for at least 30 minutes, sometimes for several hours, the night sky erupts with an unbelievable volume and array of lightning. Forked lightning, lightning between clouds, you name it, we get it!
   In New Zealand, electrical storms are reasonably rare, and the time between bolts is usually quite long when we do get them. I have often wondered how many hours photographers spent to get a shot of lightning discharging, well in Bolivia it is only measured in minutes!
   We live in a second storey apartment, and a third storey is under construction, with just the floor so far completed. The first night we had lightning, we shot up on the roof to watch. Within minutes my daughter Syntyche got this shot

 

It can be a bit freaky standing on a roof with lightning flashing all around you, but we took comfort from the fact that there was reinforcing steel extending up around the walls which was higher than us!
   Some nights the bolts are 30 seconds or so apart but most nights there is hardly a second or two between them. About a week ago there was a storm on the horizon where there was virtually no time when lightning was not discharging somewhere! It was like a fireworks display, and it went for over two hours! It is hard to imagine the immensity of the energy that must have been discharged during that storm. I have a short video of it here - follow the link. Can't wait for one like that to happen right overhead! Remember as you watch it that I only filmed a segment of the sky, so the amount of lightning was way more than you see in the video. The second link is to a short clip from another storm. Lightning was happening all around, but I only managed to be in the right place once.
Storm
Lightning bolt

Well next post I think it is time I talked about the reason we came here, preaching. What is it really like here in the ministry?