Love from Dad

Hey Dad!
I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful farewell party from the CDC although it was so emotional for you. I'm glad that most of the family could be there to support you. Sorry I couldn't! Are you excited for your birthday this week? Do you have anything fun planned? I sure do hope so! That's neat that your birthday is so close to Easter this year.

Well the street display is a work in progress, we got our permission to do it two weeks ago and now we are working on getting a table and then we are good to go. The zone leaders offered to make it a zone activity which I think will be way neat. The English classes just have to have a flier put together and then they can get started too. There's so much to do and so little time to do it all! I'm excited to see who we attract to the English classes too. I think we will be able to connect with a lot of people that we have contact with on a regular basis that are normally not interested in talking to us about the church but at English classes there will always be a lesson taught at the end.

Well this week was particularly rough for me. After having a wonderful lesson with XXXXXXX Tuesday, she called us Tuesday night and said she didn't want to have any contact with us and asked that we not every contact her or call her again. I am still confused as to why. I was truly heartbroken. Poor Sister Jensen had to deal with me crying about it but the mission goes on. XXXXXXX called us while we were planning and so after our little break of crying and being confused as to why she said all those things we kept on planning. It was the strangest feeling because although I was extremely sad I was feeling the Spirit very strongly, as if encompassing my whole body. Sister Jensen and I were just talking about doing doors the next day. I told her I wasn't sure why but I was feeling the Spirit and she said she was too. So we grabbed a map, looked at the city and picked a place to do doors. The next day when we did doors we found a family! We've been back to teach them this week and they're excited to meet with us again and to read in the Book of Mormon. On Sunday an investigator brought a friend to church and so we got another new investigator. Sister Jensen said to me today about our crazy week that there really is opposition in all things. Amen. So rough and sad but bountiful in blessings as life is.

Last Monday, we went to antique stores on our P-day and I bought a beautiful Luther bible from 1900. It is absolutely gorgeous! I'm so excited to show you all! Today we got to travel to Berlin to be interviewed by Elder Teixeira (I'm not sure if that's how you spell his name) and President Richards. Elder Teixeira told me to tell my family warm greetings from him. It was neat to sit with him and to talk to him about my mission so far. The first question he asked was how long I had been out. I said 17 months tomorrow and he was thrilled. He said ''Oh good! Then we can learn lots from your experiences!'' They wanted to interview all 45 sisters in our mission now. It was so strange to meet all of them because I knew practically none of them! It was nice to see Sister Dean and Sister Tidwell again. Some Sisters said that their families already got their itinerary to come home. Is that true? Do you all have mine? If so I'd like to know what airports I'm flying through.

Thanks for the pictures of my baptism. I haven't looked at them yet, but will soon! I love you Dad. Have a great first day at work today and a WONDERFUL birthday. Love you!

- Ariel Nell