I am falling off the roof...

Dear Family,

The wedding sounds like it was beautiful. Oh man I was fighting tears reading mom´s description. I loved the details you wrote, Mom, especially about the chandelier in the sealing room. So Friday was pretty hard. I didn´t know if it would affect me or not. But it affected me a lot, every hour I was like, “Two hours, she´s getting married in two hours.” Then at 2:20 I said, “My parents are arriving at the temple right now.” We were eating lunch with the family that invited us over for Christmas during the sealing. It was the most trunky day of my misión, I really just wanted to be at home. I was better by the end of the day, knowing how happy and relieved Andrea must be to be married and have the whole wedding done. She looked so beautiful in the pictures you sent. I need more! She´s a crazy girl, wearing short sleeves in January, but she looked absolutely beautiful. I love you so much Andrea! Ben, you have a room to come back to now. Haha.

I am completely healthy now. Don´t worry about me too much, Mom. I know when I need to rest and I do what I feel is best for me. The thing is that the leadership in the misión is full of 19 and 20 year old boys and President doesn´t know what’s going on unless you are really, really sick. But I am pretty strong willed and hold my own, I don´t want to say with that, that I am disobedient, just that I know my body better than anyone else.

I spent so much time sending pictures and reading about the wedding that I don´t have much time left. Ernesto was confirmed yesterday. He had kind of a bumpy week, but made it to his baptismo and we really can´t believe he is a member of the church. It all happened so fast!

This is the last week of the transfer and I still haven´t told you much about Hna McNeil. She has been such a great companion. I have grown so much more this transfer than in other transfers. I have been able to completely focus in the work. Today she showed me her “misión house.” The first six months you are climbing up the house, the next three climbing up the roof, then at nine months you reach the roof and start falling off the other side. Today I reached 10 months and I am falling off the roof with more and more speed. Pretty soon gravity is going to get me and I will have landed hard on the ground of post misión life. Hna McNeil is from Texas and Lakeville, Minnesota. She has a Black Belt in karate and I feel much safer walking next to her in downtown Santiago.

We started teaching a 21 year old named Robinson this week. He went to mormon.org and asked for a visit from the missionaries. That pretty much tells you how great he is! He asks lots of deep questions and should be baptized the last week of January. He wants the approval of his parents and is going to talk to his dad today, so pray for him lots today, please. We had a good week last week and we are going to finish the transfer strong. I am so motivated right now, I just want to work and work.

We went to the Chinese exhibit in the Moneda last week. We saw about 10 of the terra cotta soldiers and two horses. It was SO cool. Remember when they came to the art museum in BYU? Did we go see them? I don´t remember. Today we are going bowling to celebrate Hna Spielmann´s birthday. I love pday in this area, there is so much to do!

Thank you Mom for remembering and writing everything from the wedding, it meant a lot to me that you were all there in my place.

Matthew and Jonathan you need to write to me!!!! Tell me about the wedding and your new classes. Ben your references helped me so much this week. My conviction that this is the church of Jesus Christ was strengthened so much. This church fulfills all of the prophecies of the Bible.

Love you all,
Hermana Arnold