Dianna Updat - 8 January 2011

No snow in the new year - 5 January 2011

It's not cold here. It has been sunny. I'm not even wearing the coat that I wore in October and November of last year. This time last year there was snow everywhere and I was wearing my big black down coat! I am SO blessed!

Want to know something cool? There is this place called the commons right in the middle of Halifax (just a block from me) that is just a bunch of open fields and stuff, and they built an ice rink on it! It's just an oval but people can go skating on it. it's like in the movies. It's too bad that we aren't allowed to go, that would be totally awesome! Halifax is hosting the 2011 Canada Games so they're getting ready and tourism is going to go up because it starts next month. I remember that they started advertising for these games before I left Halifax the first time and I thought "bummer, I'll miss that for sure." but hey! I'm here!

Okay, news time. So, all the missions in the ENTIRE WORLD have preparation day on monday. Our mission is one of the very few who have gone against church headquarters and had it on a different day but President Simpson is encouraging us all to be more exactly obedient and he decided that he needs to as well so we are changing our preparation day to monday, starting next week. So you'll start hearing from me on mondays, along with Andrew. You'll get a missionary double dose! I'm just guessing that some weeks I'll miss Andrew's email and some weeks get 2, depending on when we email. My time varies. Also, the temple is closed on mondays so I won't be going there ever again (actually we go there the night before we go home so I'll get one more time there.) So yeah, that's the news.

Last week we went on an adventure as undercover detectives. I know what you're thinking "how can two girls where NAME TAGS be undercover?" well, this is how. We met a lady on the bus who gave us her phone number. We called her, she wasn't home but we left a message with her husband. She called us back that night (That like NEVER happens) and she told us that her husband is an alcoholic and she thinks we have a way with helping people so she wanted us to help him but she didn't want him to know. So she told us what he looked like and that he sells art work at the Farmer's market. So we were sent to meet this guy. It wasn't hard because there were only 3 booths there! And only 2 customers, me and Sis. Crofts...We didn't want to be suspicious so we started on the opposite side of his booth which was an older Indian couple selling food. We chatted with them for awhile and got free food from them :) Then we skipped the next one because they were taking down and went and talked to this guy. He's cool. We're going to go back and talk to him again sometime. What was really funny was that while we were talking to him, the Indian couple came back and gave us MORE food. There was apparantly no one there all day so they were trying to get rid of their food before it went bad. We were happy to help:)

Side note: We are teaching THE COOLEST less active family EVER! I just thought you'd like to know.

Hey! Kristen and Carolyn! Happy birthday in 2 days! You're going to be 12! No more kids in our house! Kristen said you both read the Book of Mormon, how cool! What was your favorite part? Are you going to read it again? It gets better every time, I promise! Have fun at Pump It Up, I've never been there.

Funny Story: We went to meet with this investigator and as we walked in he said that a friend was over and we said we didn't mind. As we walked into the house he told his friend "The Mormons are here." His friend just gave a laugh but then we came through and I'll never forget his face! He didn't realize he was serious. Sis. Crofts said "No really, the Mormons are here." That was probably the funniest moment of my life. He stuck around for a few minutes but he only stared at the beer in his hands, then he got up apologized and left. I'll never forget that. I LOVE being a missionary!

Well family, I love you all. Have a great week! Talk to you on monday!

Sister Nicholls