Well there’s no need to wonder or worry about where I’ve been
for the past couple days, because
there literally hasn’t been anywhere I could go.Me and some of my companions
were joking during the huge storms and floodings that were occurring; wondering if our parents
were even aware of the catastrophic conditions. But I guess you were. And it sounds like you were
a little more worried than I was. I’m not trying to downplay the seriousness of the bizarre
weather, but I felt pretty blessed compared to what happened to the rest of the city.
Last Tuesday was when the rain started. And honestly,
compared to the disappointing rumbles of a supposed
earthquake and the passing effects of Hurricane Irene a couple weeks ago, I
thought I could handle a little
rain. But it turns out that the Signs of the Times are a little closer than I
thought. With large amounts of
water accumulating in road-spanning puddles Tuesday evening, my wet companions and I thought nothing of
gliding through one particular 2 or 3 inch deep puddle. However, after our car emerged from
the splash, the car just stopped – making a clicking noise every time we tried to turn the key.
After pushing the car to the side of the road in the pouring rain, a man pulled over to help us. A failed
battery jump resulted in the man giving us a ride back to Hershey and we planned to hike back to the
abandoned car the following morning so it could be towed. To our dismay and bewilderment, water
somehow splashed into the car’s air intake, blowing a couple rods and rendering the car useless
without a complete engine transplant. All in all, this meant that we, the five elders of Hershey, were left
without a means of transportation.
The next couple days forced us indoors for most of the time
anyway. The streets turned into rivers and the
rivers turned into floods, blocking all possible routes from Hershey to any
surrounding area, making work for
our tri-companionship impossible, even if we had a car. I could probably say
that I developed a bit of cabin
fever, and strangely enough, I longed to be out proselytizing rather than being
cooped up inside without any
passage of leaving. One day after giving our car keys to the mechanics, we
actually locked ourselves out of
the apartment, realizing that our only key inside was on that keychain we
previously handed over. Of course
being the smallest of the bunch, I was hoisted up to our window while it
magically slid open in the
pouring rain. It probably would have looked super sketchy to any sort of
bystander.
The work in Hershey is slow as usual. But like you said, I
think in light of the effects of the recent catastrophes,
people are being compelled to be humble left and right. The properties here
aren’t built to withstand this
much of water, so our missionary work as of late has been mostly helping people
we come across, both member and
nonmember.
When you have a lot of time on your hands and nowhere to go,
it’s interesting the amount of meditation that you can accomplish. With the automatic
and immediate responses expected by our generation, we rarely seek the time to be calm, not being
idle or lazy, but in contemplation of worthwhile and Godly aspects. My advice would be to slow down, wait a
bit, smell the flowers, feel the Spirit. You don’t need to experience an excess of water to find time to be
still.
Elder Low
P.S. I told you a couple letters ago that I would really
appreciate a children’s song book if you sent me a package in the near future. Not a big
one, but one of those pocket-sized ones we have at home. Also if you do send me a package, it would be
grand to get some more ties (skinnier ones, ie. from Le Chateau if you please!) and also my shorter winter
coat. You know, the one that’s black and double-breasted. I know I have the longer coat but since I’ve been
informed that I won’t always need to wear a suit in the winter, I could just wear a white shirt and my shorter
wouldn’t look awkward.
P.P.S. I actually just got a letter from Jared this week! And
it’s great to hear that Derek is loving the MTC. I am SO jealous that Elder Holland came
to talk to the missionaries there.
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