Ariel On A Mission!: Sick as a Dog

Hey Mumma,
Sorry you're not feeling well. I'm glad that Andre and Dad were able to help you and give you a blessing. I thought it was funny too what we all ended up talking about when we finally got to talk. I had been thinking of everything I wanted to tell you all and then when it finally came I couldn't remember anything. I'm excited to hear that Les Mis was so wonderful. I am really looking forward to see it when I come home. You're right I do need to remember those words: start right, work hard, and finish strong. Something I try to do each day.

     At church on Sunday there were two women that Sister Dean and I had both never seen so she talked to one and I talked to the other. Both were inactive ladies who for whatever reason chose to come back to church that day. One was sitting alone and so we sat with her. She ended up leaving part way through sacrament meeting. The other got up after Sunday school and handed me a piece of paper on it that had her name, phone number, and address. I spoke to her after church and asked if we could visit her and she said for sure we could. It was so neat because this lady lives in the same dorf as does Manuel, the man who ran the Christmas hut. Heavenly Father just set up a perfect joint teach.

     We had transfer call on Saturday and Sister Dean and I are both staying in Bremerhaven. The next transfer call will be February 9th. I kind of don't ever want to transfer again. Transferring is just too stressful. Well this week we called a man that had told us two weeks ago that the church wasn't for him and that the Book of Mormon was similar to other literature produced by another church. When we talked to him this time he asked us how much it cost to join the church if he wanted to be baptized. He is super excited to meet with us this week and so are we! Hopefully we can help him prepare to accept Christ and the church in his life and be baptized.

   We visited with XXXXXXX this week and she is just wonderful! I love visiting with her and teaching her about the gospel because everything we say she already knows is true. She is so connected to who she once was in the pre-earth life, it's wonderful. Sister Dean and I are going to invite her to be baptized this week. Maybe today! We will see how things go. I finished the Bible on Christmas day and started reading Jesus the Christ. Have you ever read it? It is just wonderful. The Spirit bears witness of so many things as I read in the book. We visited with another investigator this week and watched Finding Faith in Christ with her and it was just another confirmation to me that Jesus is the Christ. I can't tell you how many times I have watched that film but this time it was different and really moving. I was just filled with so much joy I wanted to yell. Have you ever experienced that? It's neat.

     We went to Helgoland this week and it was way fun minus the very nauseating ride from Cuxhaven to Helgoland by boat. I thought I was for sure going to puke but didn't. Helgoland is in the middle of the North Sea and as you can imagine very cold and windy. It has beautiful rock coasts and randomly free roaming sheep. It was so fun to visit and to leave our card everywhere. Sister Dean said she felt a little like Alma and Amulek going to the wicked people who knew nothing of the gospel. We aren't sure when the last time was that missionaries visited the island.

    Have a great week Mumma. I love you and miss you! Feel better okay?
- Ariel Nell