One Word: COBBLESTONES

Hello my Wonderful Family,

I love you all!!!  I am so happy that everyone wrote me a letter this week!!!  It made my day!!  Also, I loved that video of Sister Bradfield!!!!  She looks like she is doing amazingly and that she is loving it there in New York!!! 

So, this week.....Remember how I emailed you on Monday and said that we had a crazy week ahead of us?  I didn't know how crazy it was going to be, until about 4 o'clock PM on P-day.  We were running for a bus....we had an appointment.  We were running, I see Sister Brown running the wrong direction to stop the wrong bus, Sister Packer is just booking it to a destination that she doesn't know, and I am running...in a skirt and shoes that have no ankle support and suddenly, my foot disagreed with the cobblestones and.....

I found myself sprawled across the concrete!!!  And a sudden, very sharp pain in my ankle area arose.  I immediately got up and hobbled my way to the bus, because there was no way I was missing my appointment with a Belgian family!!!  We made it to the station, and my ankle was about four or five times the size it was supposed to be.  The bus ride was only two minutes, mind you, to our next bus but by that time, there was no way that I was making another two hour journey to their home. I ended up at the station for about 45 minutes with my foot up in the air and a cold Fanta from the vending machine on my foot.  We waited for that long for instructions from Sister Robinson because you know....that is mission policy.  And then we attempted to get home.  It was not a pretty sight.  And we made it about twenty feet, when a nice man who was there with his family pulled up and told us to get into his car so that he could take us home.  He wasn't having anymore of it.  So we get home and I crawl onto the top bunk.  Br Peters cme over with a tube sock like thing to put onto my foot for support and I just assumed that I was good to go. 

So Tuesday, we went to district meeting and to all of our appointments that we had, walkingmind you!!!   And Wednesday, we made a trip all the way up to Leiden for Sister Packer and Sister Brown's legality.  Spending most of the day on my foot. 

On Thursday, Sister Nielson showed up with her companion for exchanges and took one look at my foot and asked me if I had elephantitis.  My foot was huge and she called President and Sister Robinson immediately.  (Mind you, I wSorry, this computer is going crazy!!

I was just following orders)  From Thursday on, I have been confined to my room with my foot above my heart.  Aparently, I sprained it really, really bad.  I injured all three ligaments that hold my ankle together and then proceeded to walk on it.  Not Smart.

The doctors have told me that I have to stay in for two more days and then I can start to put weight on it.  I have been trying to figure out European crutches...but they are weird.  So yeah, that is my life this week.

I spent a lot of time with a member named Helen Snow, who came to be with me while my companions went outside!!!  So the work is still moving forward!! 

One thing I have noticed is that once something really good is coming your way, something always gets in the way that tries your patience.  I have seen it with my foot, but also with our baptisimal date K.  He is facing a lot of adversity right now and we are just trying to help him stay strong and continue to develop his faith in Christ!!!  We also have a lot of other investigators that we had first appointments with this week so that was super exciting!!  I am loving being a missionary, I think that I have had more hours of personal study this last week than I ever thought I would have on my mission, but it has been a very good and rewarding time.  I have also been able to catch up on the thank you notes that we have been making for the members in our branch!!!  I love being a missionary and I am super excited to be able to get back out into the real world and do the work on the street with the people!!! 

A scripture that has given me the push to follow doctors orders in DC 10:4.  Part of diligence is to keep yourself healthy enough to do the work!!!  So.....keep yourselves healthy!!!! 

I love you all!!!  I miss you so much!!! 

Enjoy the progressing pictures of the progress of my foot!!!  It gets pretty with lots of colors!!! 

Love, 

Zuster Israelsen

I really am fine.  It is getting a lot better, so don't worry about it.  It's like dad always says,"if you're going to injure yourself, might as well do it right!"