Lessons from a Flash Flood

We had an amazing family reunion two weeks ago. Ethan and I really enjoyed spending so much time with our extended family. One day on the reunion, a small group of us (Our family plus Alex plus the Dobbs) left Duck Creek and headed to the Cedar City Temple. Ethan and I were "celebrating" our first month of marriage and I was super excited to do sealings with him. We had a great time and I definitely felt calm and peaceful as we left the temple.

After the temple, we changed into swimsuits and water shoes to hike up the river to Karraville slot canyon. When we started hiking, we saw beautiful "Utah clouds" and it super hot. We stopped often to take pictures and take breaks. Every chance we got to hike in the water- WE DID. Soon, all you can do is really hike the river. Yes, there was a muddy trail to the sides of the river but it was so hot, that we all hiked the river instead. After about an hour or so, we reached the canyon. It was beautiful, the colors were magnificent and we really appreciate the beauty of the earth.

Around 3 o’clock while still exploring the canyon, we noticed the clouds started rolling in. I remember Stacy saying that we should turn back because the pattern at Duck Creek had been a thunderstorm every day around 3-5 in the afternoon. It was about 3:30 when the wind started to pick up. I had drenched my tank top at about 3 because it was so hot and just thirty minutes later, I was freezing. Ethan and I went down first, because he was worried he'd hold up the group due to FMD. The second we made it outside the canyon, it started to rain.

You know when you see things on the news about people caught in a flash flood and you think "how could they be so stupid to get caught in a flood?" Lemme tell ya- it's mind blowing how fast the rain comes down and mother nature turns a storm into a hailstone, fire and brimstone storm. We were quite frankly soaked through within 5 minutes. I mentioned to Ethan "We should take a picture, this is crazy!" and Ethan said "Your phone will be ruined if you grab it out now!" That's when I realized my backpack was soaked, with our phones, wallets and brand new Polaroid camera. I mentioned to Ethan I wanted to put the camera in the plastic bag he had and he said we had no time. 

Thunder crashed in the background, quite frequently and...that's when the hail started. It started small but as you're running through a river mind you without any shelter but trees, which wouldn't be so smart as lightning is flashing through the sky, the balls of ice were hitting us hard. As Ethan describes it, it started out as "airsoft bbs and grew to the size of paint balls." We were pelted with it and it would hit all over and hurt like heck. I tried to keep calm but the colder I got and the harder the hail hit, I began to lose it. 

Just then, my aunt Stacy, cousins Corey and Leilani caught up to us. They were ironically singing "I like to look for Rainbows whenever there is rain" and carrying Leilani by her arms. Leilani was bawling and as we caught some shelter, Ethan handed off his hat and we got a jacket to put on her. Remember, we're all in tank tops and bathing suits. We continued down the river, trying to run in water over rocks and taking the muddy paths when we could. Ethan was right next to me, holding my hand and telling me that we were OK and would make it. 

I didn't know how we would.

As soon as we got out of the river, we took shelter in a small area of trees, Leilani still crying and me trying to keep it together. Ethan offered Leilani a blessing and with the wind roaring, thunder crashing, and rain pelting us, we could feel the Spirit. It was hard to hear Ethan's words but Leilani calmed down and I think we all did. Corey, Stacy and Leilani took off and Ethan and I went a bit slower. The dirt path had turned to mud and we kept slipping. On the way down, we crossed the river twice and now we had multiple "new" rivers to cross. The worst was noticing that when the river flowed across the path, it flowed down to the actual river, over the cliff. Ethan was very protective, he would cross in front of me, blocking the water and I would walk carefully behind. We caught up to Stacy, Corey, and Leilani, and we could see the parking lot.

I started to process the "trauma" of the event we had been through and I couldn't help but laugh. Flash flood? Hiking in hail? Running down the mountain in the rain? It all seems so small and insignificant but in reality, it could have been a lot worst. When we reached the parking lot, we huddled together in the Dobb's van but Ethan went to work. He talked to the "trail guide" who sat in a little booth charging everyone $8 to hike and tried to convince her that it was pretty serious. She gave Ethan the Iron County's sheriff's number who still didn't believe it was "that serious." Luckily, some other hikers made it down the hill and drove their trucks up to help. We heard from Mom and she was wondering how we got through the last river. I'll post a video that doesn't do it justice, as water was just gushing and there was no longer a path. Mom said there were a bunch of people with them including babies. It probably took another hour until they made it down in trucks. When my sisters made it down the hike, we were all crying. I think the serious-ness of the situation hit us. We all made it down safely but after all the adrenaline stopped running, we crashed and cried. 

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially as I've been having drowning and flooding nightmares. If you're new to my blog, I'm a big believer that things happen for a reason. Here's some thoughts I've come up with:

1. Trust in God: Before the hike, we went to the temple. I felt so much peace, especially about upcoming life changes Ethan and I are hoping for. While on our way down the canyon and the storm hit, Ethan had such a calming presence but also I just kept remembering the peace I felt in the temple, which was hard to do while being pelted by hail. My mind was peaceful..or maybe in shock but regardless, I kept going even when we were slipping in mud and running through rivers. I trusted that Heavenly Father would bless us. This was a trial that we didn't "choose;" yes maybe our choices had us "end up" there but I was confident that we'd make it down due to trusting in Heavenly Father.

2. Prayer & Blessings DO work: Our family got split up and when it was just the five of us seeking shelter, Ethan offered and gave Leilani a blessing. In the “eye of the storm,” I felt the spirit, especially as I could barely hear the words Ethan was saying. Leilani did calm down after the blessing and when Ethan & I met up with the Dobbs, Leilani was back to her cute self.  And the blessing, I prayed harder in my heart and out loud that everyone would be safe.  While the situation was still crazy, I trusted that our prayers were being heard.

3. God has put people in our lives for certain reasons: People can be all talk about being strong and protective but Ethan showed me exactly what he’d do in time of crisis. We might have been unprepared but I felt more calm having Ethan there with me. When we were dating and through our first month of marriage, he has been very protective of me, even simply making sure I walk closer on the sidewalk than on the side near the street. While I hope we never experience a flash flood again, I know that he’ll protect our family against the flash floods of the world. 

4. Family is a literal safe haven unit God has given us: When my sisters reached the bottom, they were crying and I was crying because of the experiences and challenges we just went through.  We haven't experienced a lot of scary things like that but the love was overwhelming.  On the way home, while we were all still in shock, I felt comfortable in that car. All the hugs and ILYs and small details of the hike that were shared just showed me that families are tough and can get through the hard times.

5. Flash Floods can be a parallel to any sudden trial: This is a big one for me. Often times, we're floating through life, hiking up streams and frolicking through meadows. We think "life is so good" and then suddenly, a flash flood hits. For me and Ethan, it was returning from our honeymoon, literally an hour away from Orem and receiving news that we weren't prepared for. When I look over my life, all the trials have come suddenly-- I wasn't expecting them. This flash flood wasn't something we were expecting. We were expecting a "nice and easy" hike through a river to see a beautiful canyon. Yes, we got that but it also a trial of our faith that we weren't expecting and not prepared for. However, I feel like this will be something we think about for a long time. It'll be a comparison to later trials, or even the times of life when it feels like a constant flash flood of hard times. And hey, we have one heck of a story to tell. ;)