Enjoying the Ride

Missionary Mom Des here...

At 11:50 pm Taiwan time which was 8:50 am our time, a 6.4 earthquake hit Hualien, Taiwan, where our awesome Elder Ogden is serving.  Unlike the previous earthquakes a couple of days ago, this one did some damage.  A few casualties, more than one hundred people injured, a couple of downed buildings, and road damage are some of the first things being reported. 

I know it may sound a little dramatic, but I immediately fell to my knees in prayer, not only praying for Josh and the other missionaries, but the good people of Taiwan as well.  In times like these, we see how fragile life really is and how dependent we are on our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I sent off a quick email to Elder Ogden to let him know that we were praying for him and thinking of him.  Thanks to social media, I knew that Josh was safe somewhere in Hualien.  Around 2:30 pm we received an email from the ward mission leader in the ward in Hualien where Josh is serving.

"Hi, Sister Ogden! I'm Seth, Elder Ogden's ward mission leader. He wanted me to tell you that he's fine and safe with his companion. They're staying in an open field during the earthquakes to avoid anything falling on them. He sends his love and doesn't want you to worry. :)"

That gave me more comfort, just knowing that he was, indeed, safe.

I wasn't expecting to hear any more about it, but around 4 pm, I received this email and could not wipe the smile off my face.

"Haha yeah it's been a blast!... Kinda. It was pretty crazy, very scary at the time, but all of the missionaries are fine now and we're all at the church, which is definitely one of the safest buildings here. I spent the night on a basketball court so that was fun  don't worry about us though, they say there may be more big ones like the one last night, but we're in a very safe situation! Anyway, just letting you know we're all safe, I think Seth let you know too which is good. Can you let everyone know I'm good? Also, sorry about the unfinished 7 story, yeah that was an earthquake too, not nearly as bad as the big one last night, so in comparison it's not that exciting of a story haha."

Love you

Elder Joshua Ogden

And as if that wasn't good enough, at the end of the email I found this...

Proof that Elder Ogden is safe, happy, and ready to help where help is needed.

Today, the Lord blessed me with small tender mercies and large miracles, and I one grateful missionary mom.

All of the missionaries in the Hualien area--safe and sound in the church building.