"You can dance in a hurricane. But only if you're standing in the eye"
--- Brandi Carlile (American singer-songwriter & producer; 1981 - Present)
Have you ever been in a hurricane? Even being on the edge of one was enough for my lifetime. But this is the story of a miracle too. What would have been the largest hurricane in the history of Mexico miraculously and thankfully fell short of everyone's expectations. There's seemingly no scientific explanation for it, but that's what happened.
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Fall has always been my favorite season. I associate it with all my favorite holidays, my birthday, homemade comfort food, earthy smells and textures, beautiful gradients of color, blanket weather, and new television shows and episodes. But in Tamaulipas Mexico, the turn of the tide literally rolled in at the end of September into October 2015.
Hurricane season returned which was a drastic shift from the relatively dry and scorching summer Canícula. Coming from even drier inland Utah, I had no first-hand experience of hurricanes or even heavy rainfall for that matter. But in Mexico, I spent significantly more time outdoors than I would otherwise. As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you don't really get days off. Sun or rain, there were things we had to get done and in my case, we didn't have cars or bikes so our primary mode of transportation was walking which was irksome enough on the best of days.
In retrospect, most of the hurricanes on the news in Utah were usually in the Gulf of Mexico, but for some reason, I used to think that they were anomalies. Turns out that that's not the case. Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico are more common than I once thought. In 2020 alone, there were about half a dozen named Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Odds were that in my two years by the Gulf of Mexico, I was going to get a taste of it. It was only a question of how much of a taste.
EAST WINDS
The notion of "Wind deities" exist in many ancient cultures on almost every continent. For example, there are, in Greek Mythology, four Gods of the wind. One of them was named Eurus, the God of the East wind.
At least 20 references to a powerful and destructive “east wind” occur in the Old Testament. Some scholars have suggested that the reasons an "East wind" is sometimes referenced in scripture as a destructive force may be two-fold.
Firstly, in a symbolic sense. As Palestine (The Holy Land, including Jerusalem) was situated, the wicked city of Babylon stood directly to the East (Jer. 18:17; Psalms 48:7; Hosea 13:15; Isa. 27:8; Ezekiel 17:10). Babylon was responsible for much of the siege that befell Jerusalem and took captive its people, scattering the 12 tribes of Israel. You'll remember the prophet Daniel (the same who was thrown into the lion's den); this is why he and his brethren were raised in Babylon, in enemy territory (Dan. 1:1). It would make sense why Babylon could be this "East Wind" of which the Bible often referenced.
The second reason for referencing a destructive "east wind" may be taken more literally in the Palestinian context the scriptures were originally written. In the Holy Land, the east wind was different from the west wind because whereas unlike the moisture-laden west wind from the Mediterranean Sea, the east wind, originating in the Arabian desert, is dry and desiccating. In other words, a west wind would be good for the crops and sustaining life, whereas an east wind would be coarse and good for nothing, even harmful.
In either case, understanding the original context helps us to better appreciate the possible meaning of a destructive east wind in ancient scripture. However, out of context, a destructive east wind isn't only mentioned in scripture written in and around Palestine (See "The Holy Bible: A Testament of Jesus Christ"). Reference to a destructive east wind is also found in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (Mos. 12:6; 7:31). For example:
"And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction."
But now the people of the Book of Mormon are no longer in Palestine but are on the American continent so the previous reasons don't apply here. Perhaps this time, due to the general geography of the ancient mesoamerican people of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, a destructive east wind might be interpreted as a hurricane. This is a suggestion presented by one of my former professors at BYU in his research article "'An East Wind': Old and New World Perspectives". I highly recommend reading it as a superior authority on the subject, far more than I am.
One of the most popular ancient Mesoamerican deities was Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent and the Aztec God of Wind among other things. Some have argued for similarities between Quetzalcoatl and Jesus Christ but these remain speculation and not doctrine. Still, it is interesting to me to consider symbols wherever they may be. Take for instance the Feathered Serpent. Does this symbol exist in other cultures? Well, what about the serpent on the rod that Moses lifted up? The serpent represented Jesus who was to be lifted up on the cross, all who looked upon it were healed from the harm of the fiery serpents (Num. 21:6-9; Hel. 8:14-15). There are many symbols in scripture many of which point to Jesus Christ.
It is here that I wish to acknowledge that even though context adds a layer of appreciation, at the end of the day, scripture is as personal as it is universal in nature. I don't need to know Palestinian geography or culture to believe the bible to be the word of God just as I don't need to know Book of Mormon geography or culture to believe it to also be the word of God (See "What is Truth? Faith and Science"). But when I tell you about a personal experience I had in Mexico, it does help to put it into context.
HURRICANE PATRICIA
As missionaries, the only weather forecast we had was by word of mouth with the people on the street since we didn't have TV or smartphones, or computers. On one occasion earlier in Riveras, caught off guard by a large unanticipated storm, we took shelter with the nearest family from our Church. We waited out the storm a while but wanted to get on with the day. We didn’t have coats, and they didn’t have umbrellas but we were creative. Taking inspiration from always keeping my scriptures wrapped in plastic grocery bags for this very reason, we got large black garbage bags and we cut out holes for our heads and arms. We tossed these DIY ponchos over us so they also covered our backpacks. We went jogging down the muddy streets again, proud of our clever ponchos, and towards home to get our coats which were probably 30 minutes away or more. Normally, we wouldn't have considered a 30-minute trek worth the time but we had no way of knowing if the rain would stop anytime soon. As either good luck or bad luck would have it, the rain cleared up before we could quite make it back to get our coats which was good but meant we had wasted time going home. The summer sun emerged and the air warmed up again, but it was muggy just the same which was worse with our raincoats which acted like greenhouses trapping all our heat around our arms and torso. I'll again quote what I said about the time I arrived in Mexico in "Testimonies and Trainers":
"Our shirts and slacks clung to our skin like a wet bag. The sweat running down my back felt like ants. It tickled, unpleasantly may I add."
We worked extra hard that month of October. Our Ward and Zone managed to baptize eight people on the same day, in the same baptismal service, Friday, October 23, 2015 (See "Baptism by Immersion"). We exceeded our Ward goal! We had the desire, and God helped make it happen. It took a lot of work but we reaped the fruits of our labors. It was empowering to see so many of them and us dressed in white. It was like getting a glimpse of heaven. Obispo Flores took us out a week later to a Sirloin Buffet place as promised to celebrate reaching our goal on Friday, October 30, 2015.
Before the Mission, I used to half-joke that it rained whenever there was a baptism because more often than not, that always seemed to be my experience, whether in Mexico or in Utah. It would rain and then it would stop in time for a rainbow to come out. Obviously, it wasn’t always the case, but it was common enough. I had to joke with my mom that our baptizing eight people on the same day was the cause of the largest storm EVER to hit Mexico.
A few days before the baptisms, we learned by word of mouth that a hurricane was going to hit the country. This was not just any hurricane. It was, on record, to be the strongest hurricane ever to strike in the history of Mexico—Hurricane Patricia. I think it lasted a few days, but the bit of spray that made it as far as us in the Northeast corner of Mexico hit the day after the big baptismal service on Saturday, October 24, 2015.
The threat was the strongest hurricane on record in either the eastern Pacific or Atlantic Ocean basins clocking in at a maximum sustained wind speed of 215 mph (or 346 kph). Hurricane Patricia was originally estimated to be a Category 5 with 165-mph winds at landfall but registered as a 4 when it hit. The atmospheric pressure came in as the lowest in the history of the Western Hemisphere and the second-lowest ever globally. This is significant because hurricanes result from low pressures and warm ocean water. Not only would this be a first for me, but a first for everyone.
The hurricane originated in the Southwest Pacific near Central America. Not an east wind but a west one. Purportedly, in a typical hurricane season, there are 11 named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico. In this case, we were fortunate that we were at the most Northeast corner of Mexico, as far from the Hurricane as possible without leaving the country. We weren’t excessively worried for our safety or well-being in distant Reynosa but we were mindful nonetheless. Even though we weren't in direct contact with it, we were still expected to experience some unpleasant weather. We had an official plea come from the Area Presidency to pray for those in the hurricane's path and our own. Catastrophe was expected.
It just so happened that Elder Q. and I didn't have many appointments scheduled for that day and as always, the best backup option we had was to look for people --- to knock on doors or do whatever we could to get people to let us in (See "Sí, Dios Quiere"). I expected the worst when it started to rain. Since we hadn't yet been given permission to stay home, we went about business as best as we could that morning. After all, this wasn't the first day we had to work in rainy weather. But as expected the rain came down increasingly harder over the next three hours, the forceful wind spraying the water in our faces and the streets becoming moderately flooded, the whole nine yards. In fact, the wind was so strong, I couldn't tell if the rain was falling horizontally, or if the wind was blowing the water on the street back up. I did my best to clench onto the hood of my trench coat to keep my hood from blowing off my head like a sail, or a parachute. It was so dark and there was so much precipitation in the air that I felt like I could barely see a few feet in front of me though I was squinting because the water was spraying my face. Like it so often did in Riveras, as well as other cities like Matamoros, the streets began to rise with water (See "Rushing Waters"). Some streets were unbreachable when they became flooded. Fortunately, we were on a street close enough to home that had a slight enough incline to keep the water moving downstream from us. Nevertheless, we sprinted as quickly as we could in our black boots, the slap and splash of water heavy to the touch as we took long strides towards our next best hope for entry or shelter. In my heart, I knew that eventually, we'd be called to be told to go home but it was just a matter of doing what we could until then.
Thankfully, our lunch appointment wasn't far from home, just on the other side of the bridge crossing the Rodhe canal to the Southwest in a small yet warm home of a Church member. I believe that Elder Q. and I were the last of the six of us to arrive and I'll admit that it was almost comical to see how wet everyone was from head to toe. It was there that we got the phone call from on high that we needed to go home if we didn't have any more scheduled appointments. All at once, every one of us grunted a "yes" to ourselves and looked upwards in gratitude as if to thank God for sparing us. It was what I wanted given the situation yet a part of me was disappointed because Saturdays were important days to prepare and coordinate people for Church the next day (See "Sabbath Day Observance"). But more so, I was relieved that we would be safe, dry, warm, and rested instead of aimlessly weathering the storm in the streets.
We took the rest of the day off. Some went to bed. I wanted to take advantage of this rare extra free time. As tired as we all were, I've always found it difficult to sleep in the middle of the day. Elder Gray had a Rubik’s Cube that he played with here and there and I wanted to learn how to solve it. I asked him to walk me through it slowly but he failed to do anything less than full speed insisting, “I don’t know how I do it, I just do it”. Missed teaching opportunity there.
Elder Urias was kind enough to show me a bit slower and explained his thought process step-by-step. When I had questions, I asked. Within about 3 hours or so, I could solve a Rubik’s Cube in a couple of minutes or less each time. I felt like it was time well spent. Elder Scott taught himself to make balloon animals in the Mission. Other Elders learned the guitar or some piano. Some learned to cook. Whatever the case was, there is more that can be learned on the Mission than just spiritual things.
I expected the weather to get far worse. As a matter of fact, everyone thought it would be worse, far worse. Those of us in Reynosa got about 8 inches of rain in a single day (Compare that to Utah which gets about 18 inches of rainfall per year). All of Central America was anticipating catastrophe to strike. It goes without saying that hurricanes often do destroy everything and kill and injure many. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 killed over 1000 people in the southeastern United States and left more than $100 billion USD in property damage, clocking in 175 mph winds. I thought for sure that Hurricane Patricia would wreak at least equal havoc. But thousands of prayers were answered and God worked His wonders. The hurricane was redirected over less-populated areas and missed the larger cities. The hurricane’s strength died down before it hit land and once it touched land dissipated within hours. Land and homes received minimal damage (worth about $15 million dollars as opposed to the $100 billion dollars of Katrina). Of all the millions of people in multiple countries who felt the blow of Hurricane Patricia, eight people were killed (directly related), not thousands, fewer individuals than you have fingers.
The aftermath of the hurricane was supposed to be so much worse than it was. It was an absolute miracle that this record-breaking phenomenon wasn’t as fierce as anticipated. There are but a few theories as to why this was, most experts are baffled, but I know that God was in it. How He did it, there probably is an explanation, but I know that He was in control. Just like when Jesus rebuked the storms (Matt. 8:24-27; Mark 4:37-41), “Peace be still.” I do not doubt He calmed the hurricane.
PEACE BE STILL
Jesus Christ foretold such times and many others have seen the signs of the times; “The times” referring to the second coming of Christ (See "The Return of the King"). I don’t wish to go into many details here for time's sake but Jesus named a few things to look for to know that the time is nearing:
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places…iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matt. 24:3-13)
I can’t even count all the natural disasters that have occurred in the last year worldwide, or even in the last month. There seems to be a new catastrophe every day. We are seeing an increase and we don’t expect things to slow down.
It is clear that certain things will get worse before they get better, but we don’t need to be troubled because the end is not yet. The concept that there is “an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11) applies here as well; that as the tares become more wicked, the righteous will be clearer to discern, and then will the separation come (Matt. 13:24-30). Although we may see storms stronger than the last, the Lord promises to save those who endure to the end. I know that even amidst the storms of life, we can find peace in the Creator of all things in heaven and in the earth. He is the Prince of Peace and the only sure hope we have.
"Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)
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