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| Lights out overnight 12/19 as Mg 6.2 quake hits 10km offshore from Esmeraldas |
Dearest friends and family,
A first-hand, eye-witness account: it’s Monday, Dec. 12
around 10:38am. I am talking on the phone with another missionary, Elder George,
discussing plans for later that day to go to Atacames, the touristy beach area.
The phone call was normal, my companion was making use of the clothes washing apparatus
in the bathroom, and everything was fine. Then I hear something that resembled
a truck driving over a crunchy gravel road. Except only it wasn’t a truck! It
was an earthquake! Elder George, not being as “accustomed” as we Californians
shouts “Chuta!” into the phone and quickly hangs up to run outside. (It was
only slightly laughable). I really wasn’t set back by the quake because it wasn’t
very strong (I heard 5-something). But it is interesting how you experience quakes
differently here. And since all of the houses are concrete and cinderblocks
from the ground up, they move pretty good when shaken.
On that day alone, we had 2 other decently strong
earthquakes, one more in the morning and one in the night time. We still went
to Atacames but had to leave soon after because of a tsunami warning. There was
no tsunami but the earthquakes have continued pretty much every day this week.
It’s the strangest thing. I’ll just be sitting down to study, or talking to
someone in their house, and the world starts shaking for a moment and we all
kind of look at each other, acknowledge the temblor, and then resume what we
were doing. I think they might be aftershocks from the big earthquake that we
had here in April, but I honestly don’t know the science behind all of it.
Whether aftershocks or not, they’re messing with my mind – I constantly feel
like I’m feeling an earthquake when I’m not and second guessing the ones I’m
feeling when they’re real. It’s odd. What’s even more off is that I’m starting
to have a similar, insecure, lack-of-trust feeling with another aspect of my
life here…the people. Earlier in the week I was talking to this nice Ecuadorian
woman in front of her house, through her fence. Just like before the
earthquake, all was normal. Then, all of a sudden, a wayward fellow walked up
behind me real close, on my right side, stuck his left hand deep into my right
pocket and felt around to see if I had anything (cell phone, money, tic-tacs),
which I didn’t, grumbled some unfriendly words at me in Spanish and walked away
like it was no big deal at all! It all happened in less than 2 seconds. When I
looked back to watch him walk away, I saw him closing a box cutter that he had
in his right hand the entire time, putting it back into his pocket. This last
part surely made my heart pound. But the part that makes me the most
uncomfortable is just how normal, how commonplace, almost expected it was. The
lady I was talking to didn’t even seem the least bit stressed as she asked if
he had stolen my phone. The other people that were around me at the time didn’t
even turn their heads. It was so odd and, just like the earthquakes, has me
second-guessing every person I now pass. I’ve been smart about where I keep my
valuables since I arrived here but now I am extra vigilant. I’m always alert in
the streets and my head is always up as I try to smile and greet as many people
as possible.
I must admit I’ve been thinking really hard about how I can
connect this back to something positive and uplifting and it’s difficult. But
let me share how I’ve been combating these insecurities with the gente. I’ve
been trying to just talk and make friends with everyone. For example, today I
met this guy named Carlos who’s totally in a gang and looks like Drake. We
talked a little bit about how we don’t pray to Joseph Smith and I passed him a
card with a link to the church Christmas video. Although Carlos probably won’t
be coming to church this week, I hope our new common understanding will come in
handy in the future when it’s dark and we pass by a group of Carlos’ and his
friends. I’ve also been trying to spend more time with my church friends which
is going really well. Hermano Trejo still brings me mangoes (by the way, I’ve
found it…the best mango…it’s called the milgelino mango. Look it up, seriously
this thing must have won some awards.) I’ve also been asking hermano Enzo to
come out teaching more and we’ve been sharing more church videos with Gabriel,
the recent convert. All really good stuff and I will never forget these people
who’ve become dear friends.
I guess what I am trying to convey in terms of an uplifting
thought is this: expand your circles. Spend time with someone new. Create a new
contact somewhere in your life that you know you could trust to help you out on
life’s sometimes dark and sketchy streets you sometimes have to walk. With
that, try to strengthen the contacts you already do have. I’m realizing that it
NEVER hurts to have a deeper relationship with someone. Never. And more than everything
else, keep your head up and mouth smiling as you live life because that really
is the best defense to everything negative in the world.
Have an amazing week
everyone! I wish you all a very merry, happy and joyful Christmas coming our
way this Sunday.
12/19am Update – So last night was the most adventurous night
of my mission. I was sleeping like normal, when all of a sudden a really strong
earthquake hit around 3am. It was strong enough to startle me awake and to
cause me to want to run out of the house. Like I said earlier…concrete and
cinderblocks all around you. Everything was shaken pretty good and was knocked
off my dresser. Elder Fernandez and I ran out in the street along with the rest
of Esmeraldas. People were taking their cars out of garages and really freaking
out in general. Our downstairs neighbor and owner of the house we live in left
with his family. The weirdest part is the earthquakes kept coming. We had 2 or
3 decently sized ones and didn’t feel safe being alone in the house so we went
to sleep in the church. So yeah, crazy night.
With much sincerity,
Elder Ericksen
PS – Mitch remember when we were looking to plant an exotic,
fruit-bearing plant in our backyards? Well I’ll be smuggling some milgelino
seeds back into the US so start planning out a good spot. It becomes a
decently-sized tree.
Other tidbits:
- I am here in the cyber. I am going to type a little more to you all but I’m really pressed for time this week. We had a great week. Last night was crazy. I’d love to hear more facts about the quakes. Word here is that 2 hotels fell down in Atacames. It cut out the lights at like 2 am and everyone was in the streets. The owner of our house just straight up left with his family and we didn’t feel safe being on the second floor so elder Fernandez and I went to sleep in the chapel. I will NEVER forget this night. Most adventure that I have had thus far!!!! [You can read more about the quake HERE and video footage of the quake HERE]
- I gave another talk in church last Sunday. I’ve talked at the pulpit 4 of the 11 Sundays I’ve been here.
- The whole zone of Esmeraldas went caroling in this funny park in the city center called Parque Infantil. We sang (poorly) but it was the most I’ve felt the Christmas spirit this year which was really nice. Mom may have received some pictures from a random guy of me painting the sidewalk for Christmas (part of the service this month). It was really fun.
- How are all of you? I miss you so much. I love you guys I am happy and healthy and insanely excited to skype you all.
- So we’ve all been stressed that packages many have sent to Adam hadn’t been getting through. Well another missionary, Elder George, was able to retrieve them on a recent trip to Quito. Adam describes that he and his companion “turned the corner to meet up with the other missionaries for divisions, he was puzzled by the large green sack slung over Elder George’s shoulder” and how it reminded him of Christmas. Then he remembered E. George had just returned from Quito and learned they were his packages! This year Santa came in the form of Elder George.
- Adam paused while writing a letter to me this week: “hang on, I just gave Elder Fernandez some of the sunflower seeds mom sent me and he started eating them and is straight up throwing the shells on the floor! Inside the house! I have to laugh. He’s now sweeping them up and throwing them away but that pretty much sums up the difference between us. [Father moment here: bite tongue and try not to think of the several, typically dumped over, many weeks-old cups of seed shells found on his dresser, on the foot rail around his bed, under his bed, by the closet, in his bathroom, etc. Just enjoy that he now sees himself as “different” J.]
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