Dear Family,
OK, seriously. This week has been ridiculous. We've been stuck inside for the past three days on President's orders. "Why?" you may ask. "Was there a huge storm blowing through or something?"
Pfffft. I WISH.
We in Alaska have been a victim to the Pineapple Express, a current of warm air that moves up from Hawaii and makes us up here miserable. (See also Chinook.)
You may ask, (fiddler on the roof, anyone?)
"But Elder Darcey! How is warm weather a bad thing?"
And as I have so much time, I will tell you in parable format.
There was a lot of snow everywhere. Like Verily, six or seven feet of snow. Then came a warm wind, indeed,there was a warm wind that came up from the south, melting a lot of the snow. However, the warm weather passed really quickly, leaving a lot of water freezing everywhere really fast.
That wasn't much of a parable, was it?
How about a Haiku?
Snow melts all around
Freezing into solid Ice,
Cars slip off the roads.
Much better description.
So anyway, with the roads gone to 4311 (H-E-2x Hockey Sicks), and we were ordered inside. For three !@##%$@#. DAYS.
It's hard to get the Lord's work done when He orders you inside and tells you to not get any work done.
In retrospect, though, it was a great blessing to get some rest, as the entire mission was practically shut down from sickness anyway. Even I, with my strength and fortress of immunity, was almost overcome.
(I totally did get sick, but not nearly as bad as everyone else)
Elder Ivan (you know, my companion) was up at two in the morning throwing up. He continued to throw up every half hour until noon. No joke; every half hour. The Zone leaders almost couldn't give him a blessing because they were also sick. Almost the entire mission around Anchorage shut down from this illness going around. The rest that we have been forced into could only have been a good thing.
The days stuck inside also gave me time to catch up on my reading. I finished True to the Faith, Elder Hansen's Missionary Journal, Our Heritage, The Book of Mormon, Answers to Gospel Questions-Volumes I-V (these are seriously amazing books. Go get them and Read them. They're by President Joseph Fielding Smith), and Jesus the Christ, which is one of the coolest books ever. Talmage is a Genius. CAMI: READ THIS BOOK BEFORE YOUR MISSION.
The work still went on regardless, in spite of our quarantine. We started teaching Roger, our new investigator.
Roger=Genius.
Seriously, Roger is the husband of one of our members, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about the church. He's taken the discussions multiple times and knows things up and down. He also doesn't believe in God, and doesn't believe that he's ever gotten an answer from prayer. He doesn't believe in things that he can't prove, and he gets bugged with things that we say "we know" when, according to his ideas, we can't actually "know".
He's incredible, though, despite everything. We're going to really work with him and try to help him get his answers that he's been searching for.
NON SEQUITUR AKA Key Change for those musically inclined...
I'm getting a Christmas package? Really? Awesome! I'm getting so much from all you people. I got a letter from Sister DArcey, three packages from you family, (plus boots, which I picked up and love) and letters from many others.
To sister P____(Sorry, I couldn't read the name, because I am cursively challenged, but she sent me a letter on the back of a ward program, and it was really nice. Dear Sister, you know who you are, even if I don't.), thanks so much for your thoughts. I really appreciate them and they came at just the right time.
BY THE WAY
How did you make Giant Reeses? Those were AMAZING.
ON ANOTHER NOTE...
MY LITTLE BROTHER IS 13!!!!!!!!
How on Earth are you now thirteen, my little brother?????
And that's... all I have to say about that. (Forrest Gump?)
Weather's slowly getting back down to it's nice, cool state. there's now ice all over the roads, but it's not nearly as bad as an OK ice storm; mostly because AK is ready for it. Dirt and Sand are getting poured everywhere, so if you have four wheel drive, you're mostly OK.
I'm going to finish now, so I will.
With love and admiration,
Elder DArcey
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