Earthquake
Robert Burgess 2/1/2000
On the evening of Jan 27th (2000), I dreamt that Myself and a few others were in a large auditorium of some sort, getting ready for a large meeting of some kind. There were many people all around us making preparations for these upcoming services, the weather was warm and the doors were standing open. Some of the people were busy sweeping, others doing little touch-up painting, and others doing various kinds of arranging things (Moving the Piano, arranging the chairs.. PA equipment was being unloaded and tested, etc.). I recognized no one, nor were we known by any of them. In fact, no one paid any attention to us at all, it seemed kind of strange that they wouldn't ask us who we were, and where we were from etc.. , but I just thought "It's because they don't have much time for small talk right now."
I remember thinking that this place did not look anything like a Church Building, but rather, more like a hockey stadium, or a place where athletic events might be held.. I was an oblong shaped building, about 75 feet across and about four hundred feet or more in length, and the peak of the ceiling appeared about 50 feet high. It looked somewhat unfinished, at least for a "Church;" The walls looked almost like the inside of a "Pole Barn" of some kind, there were big wooden beams spaced about 20 feet apart all along the outside walls. I don't remember seeing it from the outside to be able to describe it that way, because as far as I can remember the vision started with us inside.. There were no walls or partitions on the inside at all, just one big room. It had several (6 or 7) "I" beams holding the roof up with one major "I" beam in the center of the whole thing. The floor appeared to be one giant slab of concrete. We were just standing there watching these as they hurriedly prepared for the services which were to begin soon. They seemed to be deeply concerned about the "Chairs," as there didn't appear to be nearly enough to accommodate the kind of crowd that could potentially fill the place (there was only one rack of them, possibly 50-60 chairs in all). All at once, I felt something down inside of me begin to tremble uncontrollably, I said loudly "We had better get ready, there's going to be an Earthquake!!" At this, everyone stopped what they were doing and silently looked directly at me, as if I would say or do something else.. I just stared back in silence.. After a few moments, they turned to look at each other, and then because there was no trembling or any sign of the predicted "Quake" they returned to what they had been doing (Shaking their heads, slightly). But my wife believed me, and said "What shall we do?" I said "We will stay right here, and ride it out." After a few more minutes passed, I again felt the trembling from within me and said again (Not as loudly this time); "There is going to be an earthquake!" At this, one or two of them glanced sideways at me, then at one another and continued working (with little smirks, or almost grimaces on their faces). Again Sister Deborah asked me; "Bob, if there's going to be an earthquake, shouldn't we leave this place?" I said; "No, we're safer in here than anywhere else." So we stayed around in spite of the little smiles and tongue-in-cheek reception we now felt coming from those preparing for the service.. But as I looked around the building for a safe place to be when the quake hit, my eyes were drawn to the center column which was much larger than the other "I" beams.. It seemed to have beams running out of it about halfway up reaching near the tops of the other beams and connecting the whole building's superstructure. I took her by the hand and led her over to it, and we stood together there.
The next moment I again felt the trembling from within, and said; "There's going to be an earthquake," and almost before I could get the words out of my mouth the whole building raised up about 20 feet or more just like a giant elevator "going up." You could feel the blood running down to your feet, it was so real.. My wife began to scream and cry, and I just held my arms firmly around her against the huge center beam and said; "Don't worry honey, we'll be all right, it's much safer for us here, than anywhere else." The little group of workers broke into a panic, and began to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, some running for the open doors, and others seeking to get under something strong. At this point the walls seem to become transparent, and I could see the mayhem taking place outside.. The ground was heaving up and down like an ocean in a storm, while the building stood firm, only going up and down "Solidly" like a great ship in a troubled sea. I heard a great crashing sound, and looked at where the chairs were stacked, and they were now scattered out on the floor, some of them seemed to be balanced uprightly almost seeming to dance across the great cement slab. I remember people on the outside trying to get in through the several open doors but because of the great shaking going on, only a few managed to jump in as the "Ship" went up and down gracefully. I looked again at those who had been working so hard in preparation, and as they saw where we stood that we were safe there, they began to run to the same giant pillar and got in as close as they could and held on.
End of Dream
Robert Burgess
