July 1, 2013

Sorry if I didn't reply to any letters this week - it's July 1st and every other p-day all i've done is laundry so since we finally have miles on the car we are going to finally go do something fun so I have to keep everything short. But I appreciate all your letters - keep writing!

This week is awesome - we have Cory's baptism in 2 weeks. We had the special opportunity of asking him the baptismal interview questions last night to make sure he's prepared for his real interview with the DL this week. What a humble opportunity to ask someone if they feel worthy to make covenants with God. He is so ready and we are already planning a temple trip for him to go do baptisms at the end of the summer which means a trip to Boston! We are so excited! If any of you want to mail me your testimony or note to him or anything we are collecting testimonies from people like you and from our ward and putting them together and giving them to him for his baptism. Stuff like that means a lot to him so if you feel so inclined you are welcome to join in!

I looked at my planner and realized I have to get a new one....which means i've been out for almost 6 weeks in the field. WHAT?!?! You're kidding. I had to double check to make sure I didn't skip a week in the planner! Ive been telling people i've been out for a couple weeks...holy cow better change that. This week we went to see this less active lady. Man, word to the wise - never stop going to church - because when you do, your mind starts to play tricks on you and you kind of start to rewrite the past and you get weird ideas. This particular lady loves the church and loves the missionaries and tells all of her friends to go to the Mormon church but yet she goes to a different church. We asked her why and I wont go into details but lets just say this lady is apostate. And I mean that in the most loving way - if it wasn't so devistangly sad it would be funny. She has these nasty dogs - k hold up: what is it about connecticut and people with like 500 animals? We drove past this lady's house and she just walked out of her door in a night gown and literally probably 25 cats where roaming her grass. I almost had an accident we were laughing SO hard. Anyway: so this lady has nasty dogs. I asked Sister Crane if I am trying to have christlike love for the people does that mean i have to have christlike love for their animals? and she said yes. so we are talking to her about Christ and this dog crawls on the couch on my lap and wont stop licking me and its some nasty weiner dog and i'm trying to pet it and act cute with it and the lady's like "ah isn't that cute".  All I could say was "Yeah shes adorable she likes me." Inside i was throwing up. It's slobbering on my skirt and I'm trying to "pet it" as in PUSH it off of me and it fell asleep on me. So I decide ok at least its not licking me. Good thing Sis Crane was doing the talking because I couldn't share my testimony - i felt so bad but I knew it wouldn't be whole hearted. In the mean time - this lovely dog decides to pee on me. Yeah, real adorable lady. I had to go straight to an appointment afterwards - I felt so gross i just wanted to take a shower and scrub my body off - but yet, the work goes on as long as you dont smell (too bad). Within 24 hours we are hunting down a less active that we had never met or heard of before. We go knocking on the whole apartment complex (its just a few doors) to find this guy. Someone told us he lives upstairs and so on our way up the stairs I totally slip and fall, luckly catching myself before anything too bad happened. And I guy yells from INSIDE an apartment "Are you ok?!" Sister Crane and I are dying laughing and the guy comes out half naked and hairy and he's like you guys ok? And is jabbering on forever. In the mean time i knocked on the upstairs door and the guy is  yelling "who is it?!" and the downstairs guy is still screaming about how he thought he had to call 911" So I can barely hear and i was laughing and I didn't even think about what to say. You can't scream the whole title "...from church of jesus christ..." and then i thought hed probably wonder who the heak a "sister bell" is. My thoughts are running so fast and the hair man downstairs is yellin about 911 and I yell out "its sister bell". He opens the door - the whole apartment complex is basically in chaos of the whole scenario. In the end: No one named Nick lives there and the hairy man is "all set and isn't interested in the mormon church" (though he was very nice). We laughed the whole way home.

I don't ever want Sister Crane to be transfered! The ward loves having the set of rugby missionaries and sister crane loves to laugh at all the idiotic things I do like fall down stairs and have dogs pee on me and dont worry i tripped down more stairs too. She loves me and its great because i love her too! But they are coming up and the last batch of a large group of sisters is coming in so they need lots of trainers. We have so much potential and things down the pike here in our area I cant imagine President taking either one of us out at this crucial time and i'm hoping the Lord agrees with that. Fun fact: We got (and by we i mean the spirit) a less active to throw away his coffee pot! We have so many we are trying to work towards taking to the temple its awesome. I feel your prayers - they are working. Pray that these members and us will find people who are ready to hear the truth of the Lord's gospel. Happy days.

With much love,

Sister Bell

Keepin it real...because it is real - all of it.

p.s. the picture attached is the throwing away coffee pot party - he wanted to document this important moment