What would you take? (Monday, September 14, 2015)

Dear Mom, friends, and family,

If you received a phone call right now and were told that you needed to evacuate your home and your city right now and you could only take one suitcase with you, what would you take? Knowing that you would probably never see the rest of your belongings again? It's an interesting question and really makes you think about what it important and what is not. This is what happened on Saturday to the sister missionaries serving in Middletown, a small town not too far from Willits. Hermana Burton and I went outside on Sunday to go to a meeting in the morning, and the sky was very ominous. The sun was red orange and you could hardly see it behind all of the thick smoke, and the sky was red and orange as well. We didn't have any idea about the fires until we got to our meeting where we found out that the wildfires had already wiped out a few small towns and that it was at 0% containment because they were focusing their efforts on evacuating the people. New meaning to the phrase "spread like wildfire." The sisters made it out safely, but they had to drive through a fiery golf course to get to a stable road and they are now down in Santa Rosa. 

Last week, someone cut a cable and most of Northern California was without phone and internet connections for a day. That also helped us see how much we rely on technology and how unprepared we are. We also didn't know about that event until after the fact, we simply assumed that our phone wasn't getting good reception. I'm grateful that these two events didn't occur at the same time because the sisters were warned and able to get out safely, but it's definitely food for thought. I guess what I'm trying to say is think about what is really important to you and ask yourself some meaningful questions, and then act on what you decide. I know it really made me think a lot more about the Savior and that even though I don't know when it will happen, I will have to stand before Him someday and be accountable for what I did with my life and what I valued as most important. I am grateful that we are dynamic and that we can change and move forward, continually progressing. Repentance is not the back-up plan; it is the plan. We all make mistakes, but we are still valuable in the eyes of our Heavenly Father and that is why He invested so much in us by providing us with a Savior so our failures would not be final. He loves you and He knows you, and He wants to help.

I don't intend for this to be an apocalyptic doomsday letter- I hope you can see it as a message of preparation, hope, and change. I love you all and hope you have a great week and stay safe!

Hermana Burton

Pictures!