Surpirse! I'm not in Celle anymore! Don't worry, it was a 
surprise to me too. On Tuesday, after Sister Stewart and I had been 
riding around delivering Valentines' to investigators and going to 
appointments we noticed President had called. We found a bus stop to sit
 down in and called him back. Sister Stewart and I thought we would be 
discussing one of our investigators with him but when she called him he 
asked to speak to me. Uh Oh? What did I do? President explained that he 
had prayed lots about it and feels very uncomfortable each day that the Sisters in Halberstadt (a very small city in our district) weren't 
driving legally. Sister Openshaw is from California and Germans don't 
accept their licenses and the other Sisters' American license expired 
(she's 25) and couldn't renew it. He said he is transferring me to 
Halberstadt to make me the designated driver since I still have 6 months
 in the country on my American license and that the transfer would take 
place immediately. After that phone call sister Stewart and I sat dumb 
founded and quite sad to be leaving one another and for me to be leaving
 Celle. Normally transfer calls happen on a Saturday and you don't 
actually move until a Tuesday so you have all that time to say goodbye 
to people and do all the things you had wanted to do but never had the 
chance. Sister Stewart and I finished our day out and then went home so I
 could pack my things and we could get everything organized for the new 
sister. It is very weird to see all your earthly possesions fit into two
 bags. 
   So welcome to Halberstadt. We live above the church in this huge
 house. The church takes up the bottom floor, all 4 rooms, and then 
there are 5 apartments above it and we are on the third floor. My new 
address is Sister Abamonte, Kirche Jesu Christi, Mozart Strasse 7, 38820
 Halberstadt, Deutschland. Sister Openshaw is my new companion. She is 
very fun and is from Houghson, California. In Halberstadt we have a 
little branch of 15 active members. One family makes up half the ward. 
Its really quite a testimony builder to come together as such a small 
group to take part in the sacrament. We only have two hour church so 
that it gives some people in the branch a break. They trade off weeks of
 having Elders Quorum and Relief Society and then Sunday School. To be a
 missionary here is completely different than working in Celle. The 
whole branch really relys on us. It's fun and will be a very good 
experience. I'm excited to have my first full week here.
   Sister Openshaw and I do service at an old peoples home for 
those with dementia. We play games and talk to them. Sister Openshaw 
wore red lipstick and an old lady sang her a song, ''roten lippen muss 
man kussen'' ( red lips, a man must kiss), it was quite funny. 
  The Branch had a Fasching activity on Saturday, like Halloween 
but corrisponds with Carnival and Mardi Gras, and Sister Openshaw and I 
went as red mushrooms. It's was a bunch of silly games and old people 
dressed up in costumes. It was sure funny :)
   Talk to you all later! Love you,
-Ariel Nell
 
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