Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

Kristen and I might be heading to Amsterdam tomorrow. The key word being might. At work today I came across an article about the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. The volcano puts a little bit of a damper on the weekend plans as the ash from the volcano has moved into British airspace and flights have been canceled until at least 7am tomorrow. Our flight doesn't take off until 7:30 but I'm pretty sure it is going to get sacked.

Natural disasters are an interesting phenomena and I have had a few memorable experiences living through such disasters. While serving my mission in Virginia it was hurricanes. I was living in Virginia Beach when Hurricane Isabel came through and just prior to the storm the mission president had us evacuate to Richmond. I ended up spending a few days at the church to wait out the storm. Just for the record, fifty missionaries stuck in a church for a few days isn't as much fun as you might think it would be. I remember pouring water from milk jugs as a replacement for a shower and having the baptismal font filled up as an emergency water supply. Other memories include sleeping on the High Council room chairs (not comfortable) and spending countless hours studying scriptures. When we returned to Virginia Beach, a few days later, we come back to an apartment with no electricity. Even though it was the middle of the summer, Elder Couture and I decided to sleep there anyway. It was a hot, miserable night followed by cold showers in a pitch black bathroom. We did get to attend church outside and it felt a bit like church at scout camp.

Another natural disaster I remember is the California flood of January 1995. I was in sixth grade at the time and had to take the bus to school, and no, it wasn't the short bus! It rained all during school and then I went out to wait for the bus. Our bus driver was usually late and that day was no exception. The water slowly rose and pretty soon I couldn't see the curb, as it was buried beneath the rainwater. After many faithless prayers I gave up waiting and went to the office to call my mom. Our neighbor was kind enough to drive his truck out to get me and I finally made it home a few hours later.

I have survived earthquakes too, but the only memories I have of those is of the neighbors gathering outside at 2 am to talk about the damage done to the homes.

So there you have it folks, my personal history in the midst of natural disasters. We'll be sure to keep you posted on the condition of the British airspace and the ash content in Northern Europe, as I'm sure everyone is on pins and needles.