My Epistle to Utah: Our Story of the Snowpacolypse of 2014
Greetings my beloved family! This past week has definitely been one for the books, history has taken place here in Atlanta, Georgia. This email may be long..
Anyway, for those of you who did not hear, I'll inform you that the south took a spin last week as weather forecasters predicted a snowstorm to come in on Tuesday. There had been many predictions before throughout the month that there would be streets in white, yet every prediction made never fully came true and because of that there was indeed much speculation and doubt on the current prediction. I was one of the many doubters.
Yet the city "prepared" themselves the night before, continuing to send out news warnings, and even President Wolfert issued an edict for all the missionaries to be indoors the next day by noon.
So on Tuesday we started off our regular routine: woke up, workout, breakfast and studied. After, we headed off to the Woodstock building to have a District Meeting. The meeting was cut short as President had instructed us to only go to 11:30 so we would have time to return to our homes. And the meeting went well, lots of training on Obedience, but when it was over and we headed to the doors we saw outside and what wonders do eyes behold, but SNOW!!
Flakes of white had started to fall, it was magical - Christmas had finally come, I exclaimed!!!
Our ride (Brother Perry) was coming to pick us up and said that they would be on their way at noon. Typically this meant that they would be there in 10 minutes. So 10 minutes pass, then 30, 45, almost an hour later we called up our ride and he was stuck in traffic. By now snow was continually falling in thick flakes, and the roads had not been prepared. He was about a mile away so we told him we would just walk from the church and meet up with him seeing that his car was going nowhere.
So our clan (Elders Barnett, Gregory, Thorne and myself) ventured into the storm with only what we wore to the District meeting, our suits, I wore the black one. ;) The streets were covered in about an inch or two of snow already and cars were only inching their way, it was kinda funny but at the same time IT WAS MADNESS!
If you did not know, Georgia is hilly! And if you didn't know that, know that Marietta, Georgia is the most hilly place I've ever been! So, imagine, tons of hills ranging in sizes with snow on the ground and cars driving on them. And almost everyone out here doesn't know how to drive in the snow. Let me say again - IT WAS MADNESS!! Cars were getting stuck this place and that, sliding here and there, people were in a panic.
While making the journey to Brother Perry, we came to the top of a hill, down it though there were about 20 or so cars at the bottom, stuck and trying to make the climb up. So what did we do? We helped them! We helped push dozens of cars up this hill, one after another with people who didn't have a single clue on what to do.
Quickly!! there are so many spiritual thoughts but the one I have on this is: People were trying to drive in the snow by pressing their foot on the gas as hard as they could, this got them nowhere, and lead to either a frustrated driver(s) or their tires burning and leaving a nasty rubber smell. {Yuck!} While pushing them up the hill we instructed them that they needn't floor it, but that they should press the gas slowly and steadily maintaining traction so they wouldn't slide back down the hill. I relate this to the principle of diligence. A lot of the time in life we may move too fast, we may carry too much, or even press too hard on the gas. We might even at times go too slow, but the fact of the matter is that, "it is not requisite that a man run faster than he have strength... it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize...". {Mosiah 4:27} It the midst of madness, we must be diligent, we must move with steadiness taking one step at a time, moving one space after another for then we will reach our goal and reward.
We eventually met up with Bro Perry, and he was finally able to get to the Woodstock Elders' apartment, drop them off and then make our way back out to Shallowford. Along the way we ran into another hill, Elder Thorne and I got out again and helped the cars that were stuck here get up this hill. And after about 3 hours we made it back to our apartment, safe and sound. :-)
The following days there was nobody on the streets. We were asked to just go out and proselyte and help people on foot. It was very eerie though outside, apocalyptic in a way. From what I've heard there were over a million people stuck in the snow, with over 5,000 accidents, 1 death, and a baby born. "Some say the world will end in fire// some say in ice// from what I've tasted of of desire I favor those who favor fire..." {Robert Frost} And boy do I favor fire, the cold in the south is far colder than the cold in the good ol' north! And that's the north that excludes the Yankees. Haha!
But I am glad to hear of your adventures staying home alone, going to dances, vacationing with the sea turtles! Sounds like y'all had a great week! Read Mosiah 4, and continue to help all those you can! I am so blessed to be serving in a ward with members who feed us almost every night and go out with us on team ups and teach other members and investigators of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Go SeaHawks! I love Seattle, and I love the Olympics more. Go USA!! #USAGoGold Update me on how the opening ceremonies go, who's in the lead for gold, and all that jazz.
Missed watching Ground Hog Day with ya, but I heard he saw his shadow! Haha!! Well, love you guys back home! Have a fantastic week !
Sincerely, Elder Black
P.S. Don't eat the 'yallow' snow ;)
Greetings my beloved family! This past week has definitely been one for the books, history has taken place here in Atlanta, Georgia. This email may be long..
Anyway, for those of you who did not hear, I'll inform you that the south took a spin last week as weather forecasters predicted a snowstorm to come in on Tuesday. There had been many predictions before throughout the month that there would be streets in white, yet every prediction made never fully came true and because of that there was indeed much speculation and doubt on the current prediction. I was one of the many doubters.
Yet the city "prepared" themselves the night before, continuing to send out news warnings, and even President Wolfert issued an edict for all the missionaries to be indoors the next day by noon.
So on Tuesday we started off our regular routine: woke up, workout, breakfast and studied. After, we headed off to the Woodstock building to have a District Meeting. The meeting was cut short as President had instructed us to only go to 11:30 so we would have time to return to our homes. And the meeting went well, lots of training on Obedience, but when it was over and we headed to the doors we saw outside and what wonders do eyes behold, but SNOW!!
Flakes of white had started to fall, it was magical - Christmas had finally come, I exclaimed!!!
Our ride (Brother Perry) was coming to pick us up and said that they would be on their way at noon. Typically this meant that they would be there in 10 minutes. So 10 minutes pass, then 30, 45, almost an hour later we called up our ride and he was stuck in traffic. By now snow was continually falling in thick flakes, and the roads had not been prepared. He was about a mile away so we told him we would just walk from the church and meet up with him seeing that his car was going nowhere.
So our clan (Elders Barnett, Gregory, Thorne and myself) ventured into the storm with only what we wore to the District meeting, our suits, I wore the black one. ;) The streets were covered in about an inch or two of snow already and cars were only inching their way, it was kinda funny but at the same time IT WAS MADNESS!
If you did not know, Georgia is hilly! And if you didn't know that, know that Marietta, Georgia is the most hilly place I've ever been! So, imagine, tons of hills ranging in sizes with snow on the ground and cars driving on them. And almost everyone out here doesn't know how to drive in the snow. Let me say again - IT WAS MADNESS!! Cars were getting stuck this place and that, sliding here and there, people were in a panic.
While making the journey to Brother Perry, we came to the top of a hill, down it though there were about 20 or so cars at the bottom, stuck and trying to make the climb up. So what did we do? We helped them! We helped push dozens of cars up this hill, one after another with people who didn't have a single clue on what to do.
Quickly!! there are so many spiritual thoughts but the one I have on this is: People were trying to drive in the snow by pressing their foot on the gas as hard as they could, this got them nowhere, and lead to either a frustrated driver(s) or their tires burning and leaving a nasty rubber smell. {Yuck!} While pushing them up the hill we instructed them that they needn't floor it, but that they should press the gas slowly and steadily maintaining traction so they wouldn't slide back down the hill. I relate this to the principle of diligence. A lot of the time in life we may move too fast, we may carry too much, or even press too hard on the gas. We might even at times go too slow, but the fact of the matter is that, "it is not requisite that a man run faster than he have strength... it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize...". {Mosiah 4:27} It the midst of madness, we must be diligent, we must move with steadiness taking one step at a time, moving one space after another for then we will reach our goal and reward.
We eventually met up with Bro Perry, and he was finally able to get to the Woodstock Elders' apartment, drop them off and then make our way back out to Shallowford. Along the way we ran into another hill, Elder Thorne and I got out again and helped the cars that were stuck here get up this hill. And after about 3 hours we made it back to our apartment, safe and sound. :-)
The following days there was nobody on the streets. We were asked to just go out and proselyte and help people on foot. It was very eerie though outside, apocalyptic in a way. From what I've heard there were over a million people stuck in the snow, with over 5,000 accidents, 1 death, and a baby born. "Some say the world will end in fire// some say in ice// from what I've tasted of of desire I favor those who favor fire..." {Robert Frost} And boy do I favor fire, the cold in the south is far colder than the cold in the good ol' north! And that's the north that excludes the Yankees. Haha!
But I am glad to hear of your adventures staying home alone, going to dances, vacationing with the sea turtles! Sounds like y'all had a great week! Read Mosiah 4, and continue to help all those you can! I am so blessed to be serving in a ward with members who feed us almost every night and go out with us on team ups and teach other members and investigators of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Go SeaHawks! I love Seattle, and I love the Olympics more. Go USA!! #USAGoGold Update me on how the opening ceremonies go, who's in the lead for gold, and all that jazz.
Missed watching Ground Hog Day with ya, but I heard he saw his shadow! Haha!! Well, love you guys back home! Have a fantastic week !
Sincerely, Elder Black
P.S. Don't eat the 'yallow' snow ;)