death by tornado

My mission companions and I had a near death experience last night. As we were getting situated for bed in our top floor, hundred year old apartment, we were alerted of a tornado coming our way. Now, I have been through tornado warnings before (I do live in Tennessee after all) but this time was a bit of a different experience.

Our windows literally shook as rain and 80 mph winds rammed against them. The rain was striking the windows so forcefully that it looked like we were going through an automatic carwash, it sounded like we were in the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and it felt like it too as the ground rumbled and the street lights outside our window flickered off and on.

Now, I might be slightly dramatizing the situation, but a part of me really thought it might be my last night to live. I told my two friends that I loved them, and tried my best to fall asleep while a violent death awaited me. My frantic mind then led me to imagine what the spirit world would be like. Morbid? Perhaps. But nevertheless, I will tell you about it.

The spirit world is the space of time between death and the resurrection/judgment day. As Alma says, "the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yeah, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life." He also states that "the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:11-12).

What a place this will be! I don't know exactly what the place for the wicked will be like, but I'm aiming for this paradise Alma speaks of. This is also the place Peter talks about where Christ preaches the gospel to spirits in prison(Peter 3-4). Now, I am not hoping for a tornado to take me from this earth anytime soon..but if it does, it's comforting to know the other side won't be too bad.