Happy As We Go: The hole in my shin...

Dear Family,

Thank you for sending me so many packages and letters for Christmas. You all made my Christmas happy. Also I want to say thank you for taken on the challenge of doing a "service project" and have to say you all brought smiles to my face as I have received letters of what has been done for others this year. It was fun to talk to just about all of you and I am happy to hear you did our usual traditions. Seriously..our family has SO many I realized being here. It's kind of funny actually but I love it!

I have another challenge that has been given to me. For the first 60 days of 2011 the Independence, MO mission is reading the Book of Mormon. We are highlighting with 4 different colors, the following...

1. Every reference to the Atonement, "Savior" "Redeemer" and so on 2. Every reference to the Spirit, "Spirit" "Holy Spirit" "Holy Ghost" "Comforter" and so on

3. All "glad scriptures" and your favorites

4. You choose a gospel principle, examples include: "Faith" "Baptism" "Endure" "Hope" "Charity"

Please let me know if you are doing this challenge with me. (Kayla if you haven't started what I gave a few weeks ago, you can change to this with me or keep the challenge I gave you)

I have a couple random things to tell you all that really don't matter but I forgot to on the phone.

#1 if you drink the water in this part of Kansas YOU WILL get cancer. I repeat you will. Everyone here and there there dog(that's not a joke) have cancer and they seriously think it's the water. So most of the time I use my bottled water to even brush my teeth I'm that paranoid about it!

#2 Everyone parks on the curb..including us.

#3 There are "JESUS" and "ABORTION" billboards all down the highways here, it's funny.

Last Monday we went to "Santas Around the World" it was awesome. It only costs $2.00 and there were all these santas dressed according to the country they were from. All last week we spent baking cookies...seriously you can get in almost anyones door and share a message with sugar cookies...so we joked about making "Snow cookies" "Winter Cookies" "Valentine cookies" pretty much any excuse will do I think.

And lastly....why did I title this letter "The hole in my shin" well let me tell you. On Christmas night we were leaving the Enfields house and it was dark obviously...well I walked down the stairs and smacked right into a metal deer stand. Sister Enfield asked if I was okay over and over and I just said "I'm good...." Everyone knows how I don't like to be a sissy and honestly at first I didn't feel anything but then we started walking to the car and I was like "this reallly hurts..." I open the car door and blood is coming through my tights. So Sister Hafen says, "I'll drive" Well then she ran the car in a plastic barrel and I was about in tears but that made me start laughing. I take off my tights to find there is a hole in my shin! Sister Hafen was like, "I think we should go to the Doctor" and OF COURSE I say, "Oh I'm fine!" No...it was bleeding all night, all through church and so I call Brother Durham who is a doctor and go over to his house. He looks at it and first thing he says is, "Dang girl that is deep, you needed to get stitches!" Well he butterflied it, but alcohol on it..that STUNG...and now it's healing nicely.

I really need to go but hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures!

--
Love, Sister Powell

pic 1: Our way in