Tornado Disaster

I was with a bunch of friends in the Rogers YSA Branch touring some ruins in what looked like jungle Mesoamerica. The ruins were in two parts, the lowlands and the uplands. A long concrete staircase separated the two which seemed at least 10 stories different in height.

After viewing the bottom for a while a group of us went up to see some of the upper ruins. Kelli McEwan had to go to the bathroom, so we stayed near the restrooms waiting.  Shortly thereafter we heard loud sirens going off and people telling us to find safety in the lower ruins.  I calmly told everyone to go ahead and that I'd make sure Kelli was ok. All but two agreed, so the three of us waited for Kelli. We didn't seem panicked or worried. Just a warning.

Soon after the winds started picking up and I told the two to take shelter in a nearby ancient building. It was made of stone and seemed solid. I continued to wait until I saw it. A massive tornado was making its way down to where we were. I didn't have enough time to take shelter, so I grabbed onto a chain fence hoping for protection our weight to keep me on the ground. It's getting closer. Too large and too fast to avoid. Impact is inevitable. Here it comes...

I wake up and it's still stormy outside. I get up and start looking for my friends. On my way to the building I told the two to hide in, someone asks if I'm okay. For the first time I look at myself and notice a gash in my lower left stomach. I'm not too worried, not much bleeding and probably didn't hit anything vital.  I continue to the building. I notice some rubble covering a lower pocket where I find my two friends.

I never did find Kelli, and my guess is she didn't make it. Tragedies never feel real until they happen.

Stuck Behind

Prelude - The only word that explains how I felt yesterday is "stuck." I had an interview with church headquarters for a change management position. Everything seemed perfect and I got my hopes up. Great people, position, location. Then... slam. I got the rejection notice. Just what I get for getting my hopes up. So, in that I just felt stuck in Arkansas, stuck in life, stuck in relationships, deprived of love, and all that garbage. Anyways, the show must go on!

It began at what looked like the parking lot of Cypress High school, except the concrete was water. We seemed happy enough. I was windsurfing with one or two others on the still water.

Some time after going on shore the mood completely changed. We realized we were stranded behind enemy lines. There were hostile relations between the area we were at and the US. Seems like we had neighbors, but we feared talking to anyone as they might kill us on sight.

After several days our supplies were running low. We decided to build a raft of some type (don't know where the windsurfing equipment went, but I'm sure it would have helped!). After a while one of the girls waved down one of the helicopters circling overhead with a mirror our something shiny. Furious, we pulled her inside and waited.

What seemed like hours later a helicopter began touching down. We were armed with whatever we had, determined to make it out of there. We watched through the screen door to see if it was friend or foe. As the blades slowed down and the dust began to settle, I saw Delaynie's mom in the passenger seat (it was probably Delaynie who flagged them down in the first place).

We were so relieved! Being stuck there for days, probably weeks, and finally some friendly faces we knew we were safe, so... We had a barbeque! I'm guessing they brought the food because we were all out. We also weren't scared anymore, so they must have established a treaty. It was nice visiting with friends and their families, though I don't remember anyone from my family being there.

Afterthought - Though it didn't feel good to be stuck in life and my dream, I'm glad they ended up well. I love my friends and family and leaving Arkansas would be one of the hardest things I'd ever have to do.