Baby, it's COLD out there!

Dec. 5, 2016

Greetings, Family!

My name is Sister Pullan. I am a teacher, sister, daughter, and Harry Potter nut; I am a full-time missionary; and I'm a Mormon. I am also freezing my tail end off.

The whole state of North Dakota--nay, the whole Midwestern region--is covered in white right now. It stormed hard until Wednesday, with the snow blowing sideways and piling into huge drifts on the sides of the road, some up to five or six feet high. You walk out into that kind of weather and your face gets windburn instantly, the wind whipping around little pieces of snow and ice that chafe your cheeks and sting your eyes. It "stings the toes and bites the nose" like nothing I've ever experienced. The freeway was closed from here to Fargo and the government declared a state of emergency because the snow was drifting on the road up to people's windows. A whole truck was buried in snow on the road outside our apartment. The zone leaders sent out a text telling us to stay in if we didn't have specific appointments, and also announcing a new key indicator goal for the week--people shoveled out. We dug out a few driveways and helped a few people with spinning tires push their cars out of the snow.

Also, as it turns out, the city of Dickinson is pretty lousy about plowing. They didn't make it to our subdivision until Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, Sister Harrington and I have a Nissan Rogue with four wheel drive, so we were able to get in and out to appointments without too much trouble and/or mortal peril. On Tuesday we basically stayed in all evening just to be safe. We went on a split with the STLs, with Sisters Harrington and Luker tracting the building while Sister Sever and I taught a lesson over the phone to an investigator named Nick who is from--of all places--May Pen, Jamaica.

It continues to snow off and on, though nothing as bad as last week. Sister Harrington and I usually leave home bundled in three to five layers of clothing and our big down coats and snow boots. As long as no skin is exposed, the cold is bearable. It makes me look like a marshmallow, but I try to stay cute.

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Snow day selfie:

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The forecast says that the temperature is going to drop well below zero this week. If you haven't heard from me by sundown next Monday, you may need to send someone to find me in this North Dakota freezer and thaw me out with a hair dryer. In case I get swallowed by a snow drift somewhere, my will is as follows: Matthew can turn my room into a theatre and Lydia can have my books. Nathan should name a dinosaur find after me as well, if that's possible. :)

In other weather-related news, Sister Harrington got stuck while trying to climb a snow drift outside our apartment. It was very entertaining. I took this picture and a video (which I will send) before I went and helped her out.

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With all this white on the ground, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The city of Dickinson has put out some cute Christmas decor on their light posts somewhat like Heber City's, and there is a tree on the main square. We have a tree at our place, too:

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Friday night was the ward Christmas party. The theme was "A Night in Bethlehem." The whole thingw as coordinated by our very own primary counselor Sister Tippets, party planner extraordinaire. The decorations were quite impressive, with marquees set up like vendors and seating on blankets on the floor. We had delicious meat and cucumber yogurt dip and hummus on pitas for dinner, and the kids did a sweet little nativity pageant. Our investigator Frank and his family came, as well as several less actives we weren't expecting at all.

This is Sister Banks (the queen of fellowshipping and member missionary work) with her kids, Ophie (short for Ophelia) and Virgil.

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Me with Ronda, one of my favorite members:

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Sister Harrington and me with Bishop Hill, the Roman guard, photo bombed by one of the Hughs daughters:

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​The crowning event of the week, though, was a baptism on Saturday for Tom Robidoux (pronounced roe-bi-dough). He and his wife Ambyre (variant on Amber) were found by some tracting elders 11 weeks ago and started taking the discussions. What those Elders didn't know until later was that four days before they knocked, Ambyre had been depressed and contemplating suicide. Her marriage with Tom was falling apart and she didn't know what to do for herself or him or her kids. She prayed that day that God would give her a sign, and four days later the missionaries came and she let them in. Tom was baptized Saturday, and she will be baptized by him on the 31st. The service was beautiful. Ambyre gave the most moving prayer I've ever heard to close, thanking God for saving her family and saving her marriage and for giving them the blessings of the gospel. Their family was in the 1st ward but recently moved across the boundary into ours, and we have adopted them as our own. Truly, as I watched Tom make that step, I was as overjoyed as if he had been my own convert. When I asked him how he felt, he simply beamed at me. It was incredible to see the joy and peace he felt at being washed clean. President and Sister Hess came, stopping in on their way to a zone conference in Glenndive, Montana. I had the privilege of leading the music. Elder Samplina was assigned to lead, and when she heard that, Sister Hess leaned over and whispered to me, "Do you think he knows how?" She got his attention and whispered that I could do it if he wanted, and he gratefully accepted. :)

Sunday was our open house, and it was a great success. We had a lot of people come (considering that they all had the option of watching it at home in their pajamas). We didn't have any investigators come, sadly, but the other missionaries did. The Robidouxs were there, though, and when I walked in, Ambyre walked up and hugged me and said, "I am so happy to see your face." The broadcast was just beautiful. I sat there, listening to the speakers, and felt the happiest I have felt in a long time. Sister Harrington was beside me, the Robidouxs in front of me, and the Farnsworths behind me, with some of the little Robidoux and Farnsworth daugthers braiding my hair over the bench, and the choir was singing... It was like I was surrounded by family. I felt such joy in that moment.

I would pose the same question Ammon asked his brethren: "Have we not great reason to rejoice?" Yes! We have the most reason to rejoice that anyone can possibly have. We have the Savior and the gospel and the plan of salvation. We have God and we have each other. We have so much reason to rejoice, this season and always.

I love you all so much. Enjoy the holidays and pray that I will stay warm. Thank you for all your love and prayers on my behalf. It means the world.

Love always,

Sister Pullan