Elder Dallin Beck California Long Beach Mission: EARTHQUAKE!

Beck Family!

This last week has been absolutely crazy. Let me drop it on ya'll.

So monday we went to the buddha temple again just cuase there were some elders that hadnt gone yet and wanted to. But then on Monday night my companion elder h got called to be a trainer. So yes, as soon as i finished 'training' him, he immediately got called to train. We picked up the greenie on Tuesday, because for some reason this transfer the greenies came in a week early. So for the last week i have been in a trio, and elder h has been sleeping on the floor. Always sucks. Then on thursday night elder h got a call from the AP, who called him to be a district leader! So when you get called to be a district leader you have to go down to the mission office to get trained on how to do your new job. So we went there early the next morning, and while we were there, president asked if he could talk to me. Oh no right. He called me in to his office, and then asked me to me a zone leader. Oh no right. He then told me that we would be having a 6 hour mission leadership meeting right then and there and that i should stay. Oh no right. So then i stayed for that meeting and met up with my companions later in the day. super crazy. And then that night it got even crazier. We were planning at about 9:15, when it sounded like there was this monstrous crash upstairs. Then we were shook right out of our chairs, and right then it started to click with me that we were having an earthquake. And not just the whimpiest of earthquakes either. I then took cover next to a heavy dresser(and not under my desk cause that is the wrong thing to do) and waited it out. My companions did not handle it so calmly.

The greenie, elder W, just stood up straight and just stood there in shock and did not move a muscle. Elder H gave me the funniest moment of my mission so far. He bolted out of his chair, rain to the corner of the room, realized he couldnt run any farther, then looked up to the ceiling and ran in circles, not really covering his head, just with his hands out like he was ready to catch something. Funniest thing i have ever seen, it was pure instinct reaction, im laughing just thinking about it.

Then once the quaking stopped, i ordered everyone to move out side, where then we tried to realize what had just happened. When we went back into the home, we realized that just a few things had fallen on the walls, some glass had shattered, lot of her little crafts and weird things had fallen and broken. There were whole cabinents and shelves that fell in the garage, and more stuff broke upstairs. When the quake was happening, it was absolutely deafing, it was so loud, it sounded like a jet engine was taking off from the living room. And literally it was so strong that it shook us right out of our chairs. The very floor was jolting around, and it was crazy. We found out that it was a 5.4. So it isnt the biggest earthquake ever, but it wasnt the smallest. And the center of it was about 1/2 mile from our house, so we got the strongest effect. So crazy. Then i had to go give some first aid to the other elders in our district that were huirt from the quake. one elder got hit in the head from something falling, so i had to go bandage up his split head. I patched him up good, that first aid kit really has come in handy. When i went tothe leadership meeting i found out that i would be transfered somewhere new this tuesday. I am going tot he Whittier West zone, and to the city of pico rivera. Taht is pretty close to where i am, but it is going to be cool, i ahve heard good things about that place. And i will be in a zl trio for 1 week, and then im gonna be just a normal ZL. Love you family, have a good week, enjoy the pics.

Beck out,

Elder Beck