I'm Alive!

To Dad: We were totally fine in Bay Shore, except for the power outage for a week. I'll copy what I wrote to Brian- We had no power for a full week, but we moved out east to another pad who had power, and we've been helping out people remove trees and leaves from yards and such. Then the last two days we were in Farockaway which is right across from Manhattan cleaning out basements. All the basements were flooded and the carpets, padding, EVERYTHING down there was destroyed, and the cars outside as well. All of them have been drowned. Like the water rose 12 feet. and these are the houses right next to the water. I can see the towers in Manhattan from where I am. It's cool. Then I turn around and see heaps of housing and random garbage from people's houses.

Also- the whole Long Island was and kinda still is out of gas. It's crazy. People waiting in lines to get gas. My comp and another waited in line for 2+ hours. woke up at 5. but it didn't open till 7, and they were 50th in line.

This is the 3rd week in the tranfer, and the new missionaries that came in are put straight to harder work than just walking around. I wonder what the news has about it all. Like over head pictures and such.

Dad: We've seen quite a lot of devastation on the news. Especially Zone 1 - Staten Island is horrible and Zone 7 is pretty bad too.

Charles: Ya Rockaway is in zone 7. We were there the past two days, and we're not done. But a member here in Amytiville got flooded and what stinks (literally) is that a kerosene bucket leaked into the water, and into the whole house. So everything in there stinks and so do we now. :( but that's what happens. This one lady in the city had a bucket of tar leak. and that was weird smelling.

Dad: Are you getting some pictures ? Because, we want to see and you'll want to remember when you get home.

Charles: Ya it's not just me taking pics. everyone that lost stuff are taking pics for insurance. and the guy from church headquarters was there taking pics. so look for us on the church news!

I got some, but not a lot. I wasn't too worried about them till things quited down a bit. I didn't get any from our area though. but it's all gone now. One tree fell over and covered half the road and took a power line down on our street. But that happened all over. I'll try to get more, but it's not the same a few days later.

To Mom: We had a hurricane for halloween. haha. As you can tell from my other emails, I'm fine. The only bad thing is that we lost power for a week, and the island is out of gas.. Oh and when Elder King was helping throw things into the garbage truck, he stepped on a nail and it poked his foot. and it bled a lot and now it's all swollen and he got another tetanus shot, and crutches today.

The storm wasn't too bad where we were. just a little windy. well a lot windy. The tree next door almost fell over, it's a giant pine tree that was coming up. but then the owners got out and tied it down.

We moved out to South Shore for a few days, with Elders Kingsley and Sefcik. Their pad is bigger and has 2 bathrooms! and the area was really cool looking. Also we went and helped in Huntington which had tons of trees. We went to some old couples house that had 100's of trees on the lot, but only like 5 fell over. I got pictures there, cuz I forgot my camera the other places. and crazy thing is, is that the lady, Penny-something- goes to the same dentist I do!! Dr. Davis on Canyon! It's crazy that she goes way out there for it. But she said her daughter goes to BYU there, so that's why she goes that far. but still. and I guess she can cuz they're loaded. There's a cool tree in their yard that one of the branches drops and grows along the ground for a while. like a good long time, maybe 10 years, by the looks of it. I got pics of that as well.

Thanks for praying for me and all that stuff. I gotta check out what KSL has on the storm.

Aslo, look on the church news for me! I'm wearing an orange beanie. After the first day we went to Wally World and bought new pants, shirt, and then to payless for boots. I gotta get bigger ones, those were too small on my toes.

love ya'll - elder peck