Long weekend

Hey Lyndel!

   I love your emails that you just blab and tell me more about what you're doing instead of asking lots about what I'm doing. You'll hear about it anyways so I love hearing about the crazy stuff you've been up to. I'm glad you and Michael have been able to help the Elders out. Make sure to encourage them to keep working even when they have hard days. That's when the miracles come. Sister Dean and I are just stunned that 80 new sisters are coming into y'alls mission. That's ridiculous. We had ward conference this past Sunday and a member of our mission presidency got up and shared with our branch that in the next little while we will be receiving 50 new missionaries, 36 of which are sisters. A HUGE ''Oooo, Aaaahhh!'' came out from the congregation. I wish you could have heard their excitement. It's really neat to represent this work.

    Its been cold here lately too. Yesterday evening it was -7°C and -8°C (about 17-19 degrees Fahrenheit). We never know how cold it is but I sure do know when its below zero now. The weather just bites, you can feel it. Thermal garments are better than sliced bread. And layering is a must. I thought I knew how to layer before but that was a joke compared to what we do now :) We're sitting in a ghetto internet cafe and Sister Dean and I are emailing with our coats and hats on. I asked Sister Dean this morning if she felt like a crazy person sometimes with how many layers we wear. She said she did. That's certainly how I feel. I swear, some people look at us and just laugh but if they had to ride a bike in a skirt in the snow they wouldn't be laughing anymore.

   I do remember that picture Mum took of us but I don't have it with me. Would you attach it to an email next week or throw it in that package? Thanks for buying me some more fabulous shirts! They're just magical. You can send the package to the mission office because we will have a meeting in February sometime. I just got a package from Mum and Dad today that they sent to my apartment in December. That's absolutely hilarious what Eli said about us. I've been telling everyone that Eli's birthday is today. I hope he has a fun day and that you all have good things planned. It's crazy that he is a teenage now. He can go on a mission in 5 years!

   Will Ellen be coming to girls camp with us too? I hope so. Teaching XXXXXXX is the bomb dot com. We called her Sunday after church to see how she was doing and she goes,'' You're interrupting me.'' ''From what?'' ''Yeah, I'm reading in the Book of Mormon. It's holy Sunday, you're only supposed to read and pray today.'' It was too funny. She is in Second Nephi and having a little trouble with the Isaiah chapters so we stopped by and cleared some things up and showed her how to use her footnotes. The footnotes in German in the Isaiah chapters are SUPER helpful, they tend to put things in laymans terms if it's a super old phrase.

   No new contacts this week. This week was little like a drug overdose. Many people seemed to have taken crazy pills all together and we were living in a hallucination. Its snowing today and I think will continue snowing the rest of the week. I love that quote you shared about sisters. (Sisters are like fat thighs, they stick together) Too funny :) Thanks for all the love and support Lyndel. Have a great week! Love you!

-Ariel Nell