April 6, 2009

Dear Parents,

I apologize. I hadn't thought of contacting each of you about the earthquake until this afternoon. We have talked to the affected missionaries' parents and are trying to keep them up to date with things that are going on, but I am now realizing that each one of you are worried and would like to know how things are.

First of all, you should know that all missionaries and members are safe. Two families from the L'Aquila (pronouned lock-wee-lah, with the emphassis on "lock") branch have lost their homes, but are otherwise unharmed.

We awoke this morning at about 3:30 a.m. and felt our bedroom gently shaking and swaying. One of our daughters later said that it seemed so gentle, she decided it wasn't worth getting out of bed because she was so tired and didn't think anything would fall on her. I mistakenly thought that it was just a mild tremor here in Rome, although it lasted for some time (perhaps up to a minute). Just a few minutes later, the phone rang and President answered saying, "Are you OK?" It was the elders in L'Aquila: Elder Brothers, Elder Brock, Elder Wheeler, and Elder Grigg. They said they had felt the building shaking and ran out in their pajamas. When the got outside, they gathered and said a prayer. They immediately felt calm and at peace and knew they would be all right. They realized later that they were the only ones who were calm and, thus, were able to better help those around them.

When things had calmed down somewhat, they ran back inside for warm clothes. The building did not look damaged at all and they said they did not feel like they were in danger. Later they would dash back for food, money, passports, and clothing. We asked that they try to get everything at once so they would not have to return to the building just in case there were aftershocks. They were also to wait for officials to come and inspect the building and let them know whether it would be safe for occupancy.

We did not know how bad the earthquake was and President Acerson got up and checked the internet. While he waited for the next half hour, nothing appeared, so he called the missionaries asking for updates every hour or so.

At 6:00 a.m., one of the missionaries' parents called and told us that it had been on the news in the U.S. We checked the internet and found quite a bit of information at that point and called all the parents of the missionaries who were affected. (It was a 6.3 earthquake with L'Aquila as its epicenter.)

The roads in the area have been closed so that engineers can inspect the many tunnels and bridges that surround L'Aquila. This has made it impossible for us to get in or the missionaries to get out. However, they have reassured us that they are safe and happy to be of service in so many ways. The members fed them a picnic lunch and they said they have plenty of things to keep warm -- it's an otherwise beautiful day as far as weather is concerned.

They have checked on the church which was in the center of the city and have reported that it is unstable with cracks in the ceiling and walls. They will not enter this building again. They are also being careful to not place themselves in harm's way as they help others.

I was not at home for the most of the day and was shocked when I returned this afternoon and saw the pictures on the internet which showed the devastation that had occurred there. I know you are seeing those pictures and are extremely worried. I asked the elders there to take a picture of their apartment building and send it to their parents so they could reassure them that this is not the case where they live. They have told us that their building is probably one of the safest in the area as it is not close to the city center and is modern and well built.

Some missionaries felt the tremor west of L'Aquila to Rome and east of L'Aquila to Pescara, but all are well.

I will try to keep things posted on our family blog. Go to www.acerson.com and click on Acerson Family Blog for more information and pictures as we receive them. Feel free to email us back and let us know if there are questions that we have left unanswered.

We ask you to pray for the residents of L'Aquila and continue your prayers on the behalf of our missionaries and all those others who faithfully serve around the world.

Con affetto,
(with affection),
Sorella Acerson
(President is in Florence interviewing missionaries today, but is always available by phone)