God Loves and Knows Us All
Dear Friends and Family close and far,
The past three weeks have been full of miracles. For those of you who don't know, (most of the missionaries who haven't seen my mom's Facebook haha), I was hiking on Halloween with six other missionaries in my area on a beautiful trail with gorgeous views (like the rest of CO). I walked off the trail a little bit to get a better view and then sat down on a ledge to simply enjoy the scenery and views. After I stood up and walked across to go back up the few steps on the other side of a rock, I grabbed something, and my hand lost the grip. I ended up falling about 20 ft. I was told that when I hit the bottom I was out, because for the next 80 feet or so I rolled I was not trying to grab a hold of anything. (By the way, a majority of this email is what I have been told. I remember the events beforehand, however most of it is from people who saw what happened.)
There was a Sister there who saw almost all of it (all but the first instant). The following is her account: "This week was a blur. And I'm not going to lie, it was definitely the hardest week of my life. Last Monday we went hiking as a district at this place called Skyline. About a half-mile up the hike we stopped at these rocks that stick out over the cliff. It is a pretty sweet view from the top. Elder Soller decided to walk along this narrow ledge below these rocks. At one point he tried to scale a part of the rocks and the rock he was holding onto broke off and so he fell. First he fell about 20 feet and then he continued rolling head over heels and on his side down the rest of the cliff down to the road below- about 80 more feet. I was in disbelief at what I was witnessing. When he finally stopped rolling I didn't even think and I ran as fast as I could down the trail and then down the road to him. The whole time I was praying that he was alive. But I had also remembered back to earlier in the day-- After us sisters were done emailing we left the family history center and found Elder Morgan sitting in the foyer waiting for the other Elders to finish up. I noticed him reading the missionary handbook. When I asked him what he was reading he said he was reading up on the Priesthood blessings--- By the time I caught up to Elder Morgan and Sister Favre, who had starting running before me, Elder Morgan was finishing up a priesthood blessing. I couldn't believe what a miracle it was that Elder Morgan was so prepared to give Elder Soller that blessing because he had just reviewed how to do it earlier in the day. Miraculously, Elder Soller was alive. But he didn't look too good... I won't go into details but let's just say he looked bad. Me and Sister Favre just knelt by his side telling him to hang in there while we waited for the other missionaries and for the ambulance to show up. They rushed him to the hospital and we followed after. But within an hour they had to helicopter him up to a better hospital in Colorado Springs. We weren't allowed to go with him. And that made for a harder week, not really knowing how he was doing all that time. I had a horrible time sleeping that night. For a few days I was in shock and it was hard to get going every day. Somehow we managed to get some work done but it was very difficult. I was honestly ready to quit. Everything just seemed like an impossible task.
Elder Stewart who I had server around almost all of my mission came to visit me
My district from Canon city, all of these missionaries saw it all happen
On Friday we were able to visit Elder Soller in the hospital and we got to meet his sweet mother. He still looked bad and like he was in a lot of pain but he wasn't nearly as bad as he could have been. Some of his injuries have healed way faster than they should have. It truly was a miracle. He broke two ribs, 4 vertebrae, has a concussion, and staples in his head. By Saturday I felt a lot better about everything and then on Sunday we were up in Colorado Springs again and were able to see him. He looked WAY better than he did two days before that. He was even able to walk around!
Relearning how to walk
Today his parents came down to Canon City and we took them to the sight of the accident. It was cool to see what a miracle it is that Elder Soller is even alive or even not in worse condition. Seeing the spot where he fell and that it was way farther than what I remembered just tells me that he was truly being watched over and he has much more to do with his life. I think for me it was good to gain more closure with the whole incident. I thought I would have some more anxiety hiking up to the top but I felt really calm and truly amazed that everything worked out the way it did. I couldn't believe how fast we were able to run down the trail because of how risky just the trail is. I honestly don't know how we were able to do it. It shouldn't have worked out the way it did. But Heavenly Father was truly watching out for all of us. There were angels with us that day helping everyone to stay safe and especially to keep Elder Soller safe and alive."
The cliff I fell off of
This is a better view of where I fell. I fell from the section in the middle at the top that dips down a little bit to where that Elder is standing
There you go--that is what happened! Now that it is out of the way, I want to report a few things before I get into the spiritual aspect of blessings received. From the fall I broke two ribs and four vertebrae, had a small puncture in my lung, obviously a major concussion, got 11 staples in my head and two stitches in my right leg just to hold everything together. I didn’t have any surgery, the doctors said they have never seen anything like this – my body just started healing on its own, all of it! This fall happened on Halloween. I was in the hospital for two weeks and have been home for almost 2 weeks. Mentally, the past four weeks didn't even really happen. I remember a few things, but they are very foggy; I don't remember a whole lot of what happened. If you talked to me or visited me the first week of me being home or in the hospital, I might remember you being there, but I most likely don't remember what was said. When I fell there were many miracles. 1 - I fell to the perfect spot: right next to a road that went up the mountain. If I had stopped falling any sooner, it would have made it more difficult for the medics to get to me--let alone get to me to the ambulance. 2 - The ambulance was just around the corner. There was an ambulance that had been called and reported to a minor accident, which was just around the corner to where I was. When the people I was with called 911 to report the emergency situation, the ambulance was already there and not needed on the scene of the accident. 3 - Shortly after I arrived at the hospital in Canon City, the helicopter arrived to take me to the hospital in Colorado Springs.
I'm sure there are more but those are just a few I know. (Again, from people telling me what happened.) I don't know how to describe to you some of the realizations, promptings, and knowledge I have received, so I will do my best.
One thing I can say in all honesty is this phrase: "I know my Savior." There aren't words to fully describe to you the depth of what that truly means. I am so very grateful for the fall. In all honesty, if I could go back, I wouldn't change what happened. I'm amazed by my increased testimony of the Savior and closeness I now feel to Him. I wish there were words to truly describe everything I am feeling. One thing I need to tell you all is that Jesus Christ was there helping me stay alive--I know that. I have talked to some missionaries who were there about some of the feelings they felt and the gist of what was said comes down to the fact that the presence of Jesus Christ was felt so strongly. Those of us who were there truly have a deeper understanding of how much we are constantly surrounded by angels here on earth as well as how much God's hand is constantly right below us all.
Walking out of the RV my grandparents had at the Hospital
Arriving Home
I don't know if I am going back out on my mission yet. There have been many promptings I have received about how much I am needed here--in Georgia--right now. I am currently taking it one day at a time. I have been told recovery will be about six months between physical and mental recovery. Until then, I'm just trying to recover and continue to come closer to my Savior. One thing I need to tell you is that your Heavenly Father loves you. I wish I could describe to you the love He really does have for you. He loves you. He knows you by name, and He knows what you're going through. He truly does love you and wants to help you in any way he possibly can THROUGH you choosing to allow Him to help you. I had a very good friend of mine sing me a song she was prompted to sing to me. "I Stand All Amazed." I would quote the lyrics but she and I both knew the reason that prompting came was because of the very first line, "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me." I can't describe to you the depth of understanding I have about that phrase. I truly am amazed at the love he has offered me; I am grateful to even be alive, and I know without a doubt the ONLY reason I am still alive is because of the love my Heavenly Father has for me. Now I am trying to figure out what the reason is as to why he kept me alive. I have received some promptings telling some things I need to do, but I feel I don't comprehend anywhere near what he really does have in store for me. Everyone, like I said before, the ONLY reason I am still alive is because of God. I know and testify that He loves each of you individually. I have handed my life over to Him --anything He asks me to do I will do. He's the reason I'm still here, and my life is in His hands now. I will type out more and share more thoughts but for now that is what I feel I need to share. I love you all and hope you have an incredible Thanksgiving Day today and a great rest of your week. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much to all those who have offered prayers on my behalf, even before the fall I truly could feel strength come to me from those. I more especially thank those of you who have offered prayers on my behalf since the fall. I know they have kept me a live and working towards a miraculous recovery. Again, thank you so much. If any of you want to ask me any questions, please email me, message me, and find some way to get in contact with me. I enjoy sharing my story, but more importantly, I love helping people come closer to Christ.
Warmest Regards,
Elder Levi Snow Soller
"When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm."
-African Proverb