Eating fresh lobster! It was fantastic and the members we ate with were really nice, and Italian!

Opening our spoils on Christmas morning!

Me with a treasured Christmas present featuring all of you!

Sister Barrett as a wise man, a captain picture as Joseph, Sister Torgerson as Mary, and me with a styrofoam box as a shepherd and sheep--it was a lovely Nativity program.

Our companionship with Alex Boye and his daughter! He is President Jeppson's son-in-law and he came to perform at our Christmas Conference.

Family!

I'm so glad I got to hear your voices this Sunday. That was the best Christmas gift ever! I love you all so much, and I miss you. But, I'll get to see you again in a few. So keep safe, and I love you! Do a cinnamon roll for me! Include Winnie it at all possible!

Love you!

Sister Missy

A cool shark on someone's house (mind you, we saw this from a ways away, then creeped on over to get a picture with it).

A water tower--not super exciting.

The backyard/courtyard where no one goes at Ellis Island (we parked our car in a different place than usual and had to tromp through this area).

Adrienne, s. Barrett, Gabriel, and myself at Gabriel's party!

Merry Christmas Dearest Ones!

This week has been a little uneventful. We went caroling, which is always a little nervous-making. It's fun when you're doing it and the parents gather the children and everyone's smiling and swaying. That's lovely! But then when we give them a Joy to the World pass-along card, they say, "That's not okay," and close the door. Blerg. Not all of them though. There are good sorts out here too.

We were able to hand out the goodie bags that Moim sent. We gave one of them to the lady who owns the laundromat we frequent. When we came back to change our clothes to the dryers, she said, "Oh, take these ones. They're all set!" She had payed for four huge dryers for us and had them open and waiting. We usually just use two, but she wanted to give us the works. So sweet.

We also went to our recent convert's birthday party! We got him some fuzzy socks (which he really loved!) He turned fourteen and his mom had all sorts of decorations up with tons of cookies and snacks. There were maybe three gangly youths there. His mom called us the night before and told us not to invite any of the Church kids. But then when she saw the turnout, she said, "Well, do you think we should invite the kids from the Church?" So we quickly made some phone calls to our amazing youth, but it didn't sound promising, since the party was already underway. And then Adrienne, Zenos, and Mark (all siblings) showed up. I was so happy to see them. This boy won't be able to come to Church for the next few weeks because of a restraining order issue, and we were worried he'd think everyone had forgotten about him. But they were there, and I was so happy!

As for the weather here, it has been freezing. It hasn't snowed or rained, but it is bitter cold. And the fact that I just cut off Cranston, my mullet, doesn't help. That kept my neck warm. But that's what scarves are for!

In other news, my companion, Sister Barrett, is becoming a trainer. Which means I'm going to be . . . an Aunt! There will be three of us! I'm so excited! We pick up small one tomorrow. I won't officially be her trainer, but I'll be there for it. I just hope I can be a good influence for the lil thing.

And about Christmas, we do get to make phone calls, and I'm planning on calling you at 7pm my time (so I think 5pm your time). I'm so excited to talk to you guys!

I miss you and I love you and I hope everyone has a great Christmas! Remember Jesus Christ and how much He loves each of you. I know He loves us and will always be there for us if we seek Him out.

I love you! Be safe and stay cozy!

Season's Greetings,

Sister Missy

A cool museum.

Natural History Museum.

The Juillard School at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Theatre showing Twilight.

We, at the Temple.

Gray's Papaya hot dog place.

The George Washington Bridge!

The Manhattan Temple!

Our first attempt at a Christmas tree (it's a coat rack).

Eating a turkey leg a Dominican lady gave me. But as I went for a bite, all the meat fell off.

Hey Family! I love you kidz!

So, these last two weeks have been exciting! We went to the Temple and oh how lovely it was! We drove in with some members and the city was a bustle with humans, and vehicles, and people shouting, and cars honking. We drove past the Natural History Museum, and Julliard, and ABC, and Central Park! We didn't go through Times Square or near Rockefeller Center. Oh, and first we had to cross the George Washington Bridge, which cost a whopping $12 toll! And then parking was $35. This place is expensive! Anyway, then we walked up to the Temple, which sits right across from Juillard. Right when we walked in, all the noise ceased. And we had a lovely temple session. In one portion of it I was with a Japanese lady and a German lady, and then here I was, an American. To think that years ago we were all at war, and now here we are in the Temple together--just amazing! And one of our senior couples was working there, so it was really neat! When we left I couldn't believe the noise level. Police sirens, yelling, honking, etc. But it was fun to be in the bustle of things. And guess what? I got a New Ywark City Hwot Dwog! From Gray's Papaya--apparently a top spot for celebrities. It was really tasty!

It was sort of sad driving back from our adventure. But in 6 months, I'll get to be there again. And in the meantime, I'm doing some very important things.

Yesterday, we got a call that the seminary teacher was sick, so we taught seminary this morning! We woke up at 5, put on our faces and missionary attire, and booked it to the church. These youths are so dedicated and awesome. I think I love the youth the most in the church. They're just so swell! Anyway, we were reading in Exodus (which I hardly remember from when I was in seminary, so it was a little lacking...). But they had a good time and we both learned some things, so it was good.

Thanks so much Moimers for the advent boxes! Sister Barrett and I were freaking out. Right when we opened the packages we said, "We need a place for these gifts!" So we cleared off the coat rack and put some ties and scarves around it, and a hat on top to make it look like a Christmas tree. Then we opened up day #1, the Christmas tree. I can't thank you enough! Sister Barrett, every morning as I'm putting on my gym clothes says, "Sister! Sister! Can we open one now?" And we do and we love it. We (or my companion mostly) are almost done with the puzzle, and we love the robot stencils! We shared the tasty gingerbread cookies with the seminary class this morning. Thank you so much. Sister Barrett especially says thanks because she doesn't get packages often.

As far as the work goes, we are having some difficulties with one of the families we're teaching. One of the sons is super strong, but his step dad is not cool. It's been rough. But we do have an awesome kid, Shaq, who is basically baptized. He went with the youth to the Sacred Grove, and he's been to Church and to the young men's activities every week for about 6 or 7 weeks now. We have only just started meeting with him this week, since his parents gave him permission. He's already in Alma, and loves it! Ah, he's so amazing!

Well, I love you kids! Stay warm and safe and hug the dog for me, and the little ones!

Love you,

Sister Merg

Gah! I can't tell you how much I teared up at everyone's emails. For various reasons, including Mikey's ordination and the Von Steuben's gingerbread house. I can't write much as P-day has been cut down 4 hours today because later this week we're going to the temple (eeeeeeek! I'll finally be inside The City! There will be all sorts of hot dog vendors and taxis and people yelling "Yo, Vinnie! Where's my veal and pepper sandwich?!?"). We only have a couple minutes to email today. But, thank you for writing and I will reply next week. I love you all so much! And Mom, thank you a bazillion from me and Sister Barrett for the Advent presents! The tree looks a lot better than our less than savory hat stand we'd been using for a tree. I'll send pictures next week.

Love you kidz!

-the traveling sister

Group picture at Thanksgiving (don't mind the holiday love that's accumulating around the middle).

Ninja!

A real neat move.

Loot from Korean Thanksgiving.

Foods from Korean Thanksgiving.

Family!

I just love you guys! And thanks so much, Mother Dear, for the packages! I been needin' some tights, because mine are very torn. And we love our turkeys--thank you! And the cd's! We just feel so hip! And the recipes--I'm so excited to make those! I love curling up in my quilt, too. I found one of your hairs on it mom, and it took me a while to throw away. In fact, I don't know if I have yet!

This week has been chalk full! First we met a man with a huge mug full of wine, who told us about how tough Mormons are. He saw some in a gang area of town, just talking to people with their smiling faces. He was very impressed and wants to learn more. So he handed me his wine (which he said Jesus drank a lot of) and flipped through the Book of Mormon, saying, "Very nice!"

Also, Thanksgiving happened. And I didn't get a leg, but maybe next year. We had a pancake breakfast with a couple of zones, and then the Elders played football, while the Sisters played Ninja and charades (I came up with charades, and I tell you, acting out a dolphin with no noise is rough). It was a lot of fun. Then Sister Barrett and I went to Korean Thanksgiving. Lots of spicy Korean foods, but tasty. And some not so tasty mystery items... Then we played games, which were all spoken in Korean, so we mostly smiled and laughed when they would laugh. Then if we won, we'd take a prize from this huge pile, and hand it to someone in the group. Very much a "community" type of spirit. We came home with quite a loot, including: Fancy metal chopsticks, a bag of onions, a gallon of apple cider, spicy top ramen, fancy expensive top ramen, 2 bath towels, 2 body washes, gum, 2 pairs of gloves, 4 rolls of blue, scented, toilet paper with dolphins on it, salad mix, blackberry jam, 2 packs of goldfish crackers, Korean dessert sesame crackers, mayonnaise, rice balls, and rice cakes. Woof!

We also had the mission Christmas Devotional this Sunday. It was great, and I saw people from my old ward and an investigator from my old area. Sister Barrett did a dramatic poem reading for it, and I chose to speak about Light at Christmas. One, I love lights! On houses, on trees. In our houses, and on our trees. It's whimsical, like having stars and the heavens down amongst us! Leading up to the Savior's birth, there were many lights in the heavens, and light for 2 days and a night, and the star (in Helaman when Samuel is telling the signs of His coming). It's so appropriate that there was that much light leading up to His birth, since He's known as the Light and the Life of the World. When Joseph Smith saw Him for the first time, he said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, descending gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description." I don't know if that's the exact quote, but it works. Light literally radiated from the Savior! That is so neat! In the hymn, Silent Night, it says, "Son of God, loves pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face." So the light that comes from Him is love. And He died for us because He knows us and loves us. He knew us before this life and knew what we had the potential to become. We each have the light of Christ inside us, and because of what He did, our light can one day radiate from us as brightly as His does from Him. We have that potential! Goodness!

Well, I love you guys! Keep safe and don't get too cold. Drink hot cocoa and such (I have, and it's tasty--thanks again Moimers!)

Bestest,

Sister Mistipher

P.S. If you want to know what's going on in the mission you can go to njmm.org .

Sister Barrett with our smunch.

Sister Barrett saying, "Would you like a watch? How bout a sundial? Or these antigravity mints?"

The sisters who attended Leadership Training (the training for all the new missionaries since May).

Family!

So good to hear the news from home. I'm glad you all had a good Thanksgiving! This week I'll be having Thanksgiving brunch with my zone, then going to the Korean branch's festivities, then going to our upstairs member's house for Thanksgiving dinner. So woof, I might just explode! I'm excited for the Korean spread--it should be interesting!

This week I got to speak at a baptism for a member of the ward. It was really neat. Her name is Judy and her parents are both really shy, so they asked Sister Barrett and I if we would speak. I talked about the Holy Ghost. And then in Church, our newest member, Gabriel (He was baptized a week before I got to the area. And his brother and mom are still investigating the church.) got ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. So he can pass the sacrament next Sunday! It was so exciting! His family is absolutely amazing and I love teaching them! And his mom makes the most amazing Brazilian food. They invited us over for Thanksgiving on Wednesday and we're going to help them decorate their Christmas, or as the mom says, "Creeshmas" tree.

I love my companion. She is tops! There's a bit of a problem though--we get easily distracted by talking about nerd fantasy stuff. We need to work on that.

At Ellis Island this week a lady asked if I was Mormon and then wanted to know how missions work. I told her it was only an 18 to 24 month thing and then we get to go back home, go to school, marry, get a job, and such afterwards. She was really surprised at how normal we were. I love clearing that up for people. Yes, members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints are normal! I'm surely glad we are!

Next Sunday the English missionaries are putting on a big Christmas to do and I have to speak at it. I'm kind of freaking out, but it'll be okay. Sister Barrett will be there to wink at me, so that'll help. Oh, what are we doing for Christmas exchange? Ornaments? Or gifties?

Well, I love you guys. Keep warm and safe! Oh, and tell the Biddulphs "Hi" from Elder Deru. He's their cousin.

I love you guys so much!

Best,

sister this one

Hey Kids!

So, I am now in Emerson Area with Sister Barrett! I forgot my camera plug, so no pictures this week. But she is awesome, and from Alaska. She loves Japan, whales, chopsticks, fantasy/anime, says the phrase "rocken-socken-robots" when she's happy, and is just great!

I am warm enough Jan, and no I didn't take the extra blankets with me, but there are some at the new apartment. You can indeed send me stuff to my new address, and I probably will be there at Christmas. We live in a member's basement apartment, and they're really nice, not that we see them much though. And no mom, I can't have a shuffle, but you could burn cd's and send them!

The ward here is fantastic. They're all really great, especially the youth. They all went to Palmyra and came back with amazing experiences, including one girl deciding to go on a mission! I ate at a Brazilian investigators house a couple times this week. And woof! Tim! That stuff is good!! We had chicken with rice, yucca soup, cheese puffs, Brazilian candies and carrot cake, empanadas, etc. They are wonderful people, especially the mom. She's a trooper. Her youngest son just got baptized and her next is set for December 18! I'm so excited for them!

And popsy, at our building a Korean Branch meets. Their Branch President, President Yoo, says he may have met you. He lived in Seoul and says he knew all the missionaries from the late 60s and early 70s. He's coming to Ogden in 2 weeks, and says he wants to meet you. Small world.

I love you all! I love hearing mom's reports on everyone. I'm just so proud. I have the best family out there!

Sincerest day to you,

Sister Mister

Sister Cope carving our pumpkin.

Sister Cope and I with our Michaelangelo Ninja Turtle second place pumpkin.

Zone 2 Halloween get-together.

Some food from Banana King. All very tasty.

Mac-n-cheese pizza and chicken balsamico pizza from the famous AJ's pizza. Everyone goes there. And it was super tasty, so now we know why.

Sister Cope and I (and Sister Lowry) at Banana King. I was laugh/crying, so that's why my face is that way.

Me with Coty (a super awesome tween investigator) and his cousin, CJ. There were around 20 other people in the room, but the pictures didn't turn out.

The Blay Family! They make me so happy!! And their dog is crazy, but I love her, too!!!

Wow! Ah Gee!

Exciting things happening out west! Good luck Naters, I'll be praying for you! And those Californians won't know what hit 'em. Kewl is what hit 'em. That's right. And sis (Jill) good luck to you too! And Mikey and family, I'm so proud of you guys and I wish I could be there for all the glad tidings. I love you all so much, but alas, I'm needed out here for all the people who don't know what it is to have a happy family. We're pretty blessed to have the best family in the whole universe.

On other notes, some awesome things happened this week, including these quotes:

"Sneaky little minions of satan!"-said by a British member whilst pulling stickery weeds off her pants.

"You're welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome... Welcome....Welcome. Always welcome. Goodbye." -said by Pardeep, an Indian investigator, while finishing a phone conversation with us.

Another neat occurrence: While walking around like we do, we approached a man all in black (hoodie, hat, pants, sunglasses), with shoulder length black hair and headphones on. We introduced ourselves, and for the next hour we were treated to him telling us, in a much higher voice than I would've expected, the exciting things about to happen in his life. Apparently, he was recently granted millions from a dead relative. With it, he's buying a resort in the Adirondacks. He's also hiring a chauffeur, who can take him around New York and Jersey. And having a chauffeur is much classier than riding in a taxi, so that's why the chauffeur. He's also adopted a boy from Ghana, who "should be here any day now. Hopefully before Thanksgiving. (Is this little boy coming in the mail?) When we told him who we were, he said, "Oh! Well then, you read the Books of the Mormons! We need to get this information out! Have you talked to a library? Do you have any pamphlets? I could take them to the library for you, and get the news out." We also gave him a Book of Mormon. Then we left. The next day some Elders texted us and said they'd met a very interesting man on a bus who had just run into some sister missionaries. And it was the same guy.

Also, Halloween was fun! Some of the sisters in our Zone got pumpkins and we had a carving contest. Ours won second place, right after a First Vision one by the elders in our area. And obviously everyone felt guilty about voting for the cool Ninja Turtles one over the First Vision. But then they won a garbage can, so we didn't feel so bad. At six we had to be inside. So I watched some missionary approved movies, and Sister Cope took a nap. All in all, not a bad day.

And to cap off the week, one of the less active families we've been visiting came to Church this week! Every time they've come to Church it's been cancelled (due to General Conference, Stake Conference, and then a hurricane). Her husband (who isn't a member) said he wouldn't try coming anymore, but she did and people were finally there! A lot of people sat next to her, and her little girls were a hit in Primary. We called her later, and she said she had a great time. So success!

I love you guys! Stay safe over there. Don't slip in the snow. Give Winnie hugs. (That's mandatory for everyone! Even Libby and Peter. Ha!) I love you!

Best,

Sister Mel

Also, I forgot to say, I'm being transferred. I don't know where to. It'll happen tomorrow. I cried all night, but I'm feeling better now. I'm really gonna miss everyone here and Sister Cope, and our ward. They're all so amazing. I hope I go somewhere just as swell.

Note from Mom: Click on "Older Post" to read a note Sister Miss wrote to Dad last week.

The date on this note is October 31, 2011. It was sent from Missy to Pops, as you can see.

Popsy!

I'm so glad to have gotten an email from you! I'm glad you kids had fun at the Hartman's. It's hard not to! You guys are going to have to send pictures of everyone dressed up. I bet the kids were really cute! And sounds like the pool is set up for a nice hibernation for the winter. That's interesting about Nolan. I can just imagine looking out the window and thinking, "A wizard! Aghh!"

Things are going well in New Jersey. This is a tough business being a missionary. I can't imagine having to learn a different language and alphabet to boot! But I'm learning to rely a lot more on the Lord, and that's helped. I'm actually really enjoying all this. Especially the people. If I had been sent anywhere else I wouldn't have ever met the crazy people who live in New Jersey, and I love them. And it makes me excited for when I come home in a year and a half. Not to be leaving them, but to reach out more to people in general and spend more time caring than being on the computer or what have you. Everyone just needs someone to listen. So good for you, Pops, for listening to Nolan and being a good friend and example. I'm so grateful for what we know as members of the Church. I love our family. Thank you, Pops, for being my dad. I love you so much. I've got the best parents in the world.

I love you,

Sister Mister

Our House at 2 pm on Saturday.

Our house at 10 am on Saturday.

(Sorry! This picture should have been first but I didn't know how to switch them. Mom)

Happy Halloween to the goonish Healy/Vance/Kleyn/De Haan clan!

Sunday and today the missionaries are required to be in at 6 pm and stay in. We can't open the door to anyone, even ward members. The 30th is called "mischief night" and sometimes "goosey night" and "cabbage night." It's when everyone goes crazy toilet papering and other goonish things. Today we have p-day until 6 and then we have to be in. And I think we're going to go crazy from boredom, but hopefully not. Saturday was our ward's Fall Festival. We got in our warm winter things, because it started snowing around 2 pm. Then we drove to the Church, which normally takes 30 minutes, but it took us an hour and a half because of detours. The trees still have leaves, and the very heavy wet snow was too much for the poor things. There were limbs EVERYWHERE! And not just branches, but limbs! Appendiges! One street we turned on had every power line along it touching the ground, with trees all over the road. And then we saw smoke coming from one of the lines, so we scooted on out of there. Eventually we got to the church. There was a tree in the way (go figure), so we got out and moved it. And it fell on my head as we moved it. I was getting grumbly. And then no one was there, and we found out it was cancelled. Then the mission called and said all the missionaries should just go home because the storm would get worse. So yeah.

Teaching is going well. We are teaching a boy, Coty, and his crazy extended family. Every time we go there, there's at least 5 new people. It's a different group every time. But his guardian, Babby, started reading the Book of Mormon and said it gave her a great feeling of peace and comfort. She loves the feeling she gets when we visit. Yay!

Well, I hope you guys had a good Halloween! You'll have to send pictures of everyone dressed up! I got a mustache, so that's my costume, for whenever we have our party.

I love you guys! Oh, and Mom, thank you for sending the boots, coat, and gloves when you did, because I'd be frozen if you hadn't! Everyone, give Jan a big hug from this one!

Sincerest day to you all,

Sister Meester

A bizarre Halloween decoration. These guys go crazy for Halloween here. I can't wait until next Monday!

Monday, October 24, 2011 (when this post was actually sent--it has taken mom awhile to transfer it to the blog)

The Healy Clan!

So glad to hear you're all doing well! And trimming down by the sound of a few emails...

This week has been good. The other day all our evening plans fell through, and we didn't have good back up plans, so we drove to a Target parking lot to find anyone who would be out after dark. We talked to an Atheist man who said he'd need solid evidence of God before he'd believe in Him. I said, "So you would need God to appear to you before you believed in Him?" "No, even then I wouldn't believe. I mean, someone could get mirrors set up. It could easily be a hoax. I would need the sun to come as close to earth as possible without people burning up. Then we could do math and some studies and if we couldn't find it out scientifically, then I would believe in God." After that I just bore my testimony, because what on earth do you say to that?!

This morning it was really foggy and smelled like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was spooky, but fun.

So, about my last name. No one here can say it. If they're from the west, they can say it. But all east coasters either say "Hyeh-lee" or "Hay-lee." But it's cool, so whatever.

Also, we were teaching a less active member, and she had a referral for us at the end of the lesson. Then when we were leaving, the referral pulled into her driveway. So we talked for about 45 minutes. He's so awesome! He's a minister for another church, but he asked us question after question about missionary work, prophets and apostles, coffee, modesty, the Book of Mormon, whether Mormons are allowed to dance, Joseph Smith...it was all over the place. But every so often he'd say, "Ooh, I like that! I'm gonna use that in my sermon this week!" He's African American, probably in his early thirties. He really likes how we raise our kids and says if everyone raised their kids like Mormons do, we'd all be fine. Yeah, it was great.

Well, I love you guys and I hope you're all safe! Oh, the Michels (the couple we stayed with the first few weeks) just got back from visiting their son in Ogden. They said they went to Maddox and loved it (minus the shrimp steak. Sister Michel was not a fan). So when you kids have a free day, go there and think, "Here's a bite for the ol' gal back in the city!"

I love you!

Sincerest day to you,

Sister Meeso

Me with Marge and Celia. Those 3 (with Sister McSwain) sit on their porch everyday and talk about the clouds. They are a gas. Whenever we drive by we see them out there rocking and talking. Funny gals.

Sister McSwain and Sister Cope

Family! I love you guys!

New Jersey is turning orange, and it's quite lovely. Every morning we run around our neighborhood, and it's so pleasant to listen to the hum of the crickets and smell that distinct "fall" smell ( I'm assuming you all know that smell), and see the moonbeams streaming through the clouds onto the swaying trees. It's swell.

This week we had interviews with President Jeppson, and woof, I love those. He gave me perspective and told me about some of his experiences and asked about mine. He and Sister Jeppson love all of us so much, and I'm so grateful for that. I also did exchanges. I went with Sister Barrett for 24 hours while Sister Cope went with Sister Scoville. So I was in a different area for a day and it was neat. It was interesting to learn from another missionary, especially one as hilarious as Sister Barrett. She's from Alaska, loves ninjas and fantasy, and introduced me to frozen Reeses. And they are sooooo much tastier than room temperature ones. Try them!!! We ate at a Dominican member's house, and it was amazing. And so much, I felt a little sick. She made us try her flan, and woof, I've always thought it looked gross, but not so. Heavenly is a good word for it.

The other day we were driving and thought we'd take a shortcut through the woods on Old Dockerty Hollow (that name alone says, "Get Out of Here!"). As we were driving I thought, I should lock the doors, so I did. To which Sister Cope said, "what, do you think some crazy woodsman is gonna jump out at us?" I looked out the window to the left and replied, "Like that one?" And there out the window was a man jumping, just jumping through the woods with a sword. "Agh! is that a samurai sword?" "No, it's a machete." "Agh! That is worse, that is so much worse!" It was strange. It took us a while of off-roading and probably some damage to the undercarriage of the car before we were able to turn around and take the long way round. On that note, apparently the "most haunted road in America" is in my area. Eeeee.

Well, I love you guys, keep telling me the goings on there. I'm praying for you and I love you!

Sincerely,

Sister Mel

Eating foods at Zone Conference.

Sisters Word, Cope, Lowry, and Healy hanging out on P-Day.

My new Zone just before eating a plethora of desserts since everyone's birthday is in October.

President and Sister Jeppson singing a missionary type song to the tune of "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Also, he was in Motab.

Me eating the most delicious pizza ever and then being sick because of all the cheese.

Mi Familia!

I love you guys so much!

This week has been a l'il slow, but we're still truckin'. The leaves are achanging, and it's just beautiful! I finally got my hair cut, so now I don't look like the tween boys in my ward, thank goodness. It was getting kinda scraggly there.

At Ellis Island this week I made a solid decision: The bathroom stall is too small. Let me illustrate. You open the door and squeeze past it to get in the stall, sort of tripping over yourself on the way through. You close the door, smushing your face as it passes you. You sit down and realize the bottom of the door is 2 feet high, so that's awkward. Also, the seat is off center, so your right leg is squashed underneath the toilet paper dispenser, which makes getting toilet paper an ordeal. Not cool.

In other news, I had to apply a sentence often used in Preach My Gospel (missionary manual) last night. I forget what the sentence is now, but it's along the lines of speaking with power and authority. We knocked a door, and the man came out and started smoking. We said we were from our church and he proceeded to tell us for a LONG time about how organized religion is just a box full of creeps, and the government is lame, and Heavenly Father made a bunch of freaks, and aliens, and a whole bunch of other things. Sister Cope taught a bit about how God loves us and put us here for a reason but then he'd interject for a while. Meanwhile I would get really frustrated, and knowing the rage was coming made a firm decision to not talk, because if I did, I'd rage. He kept going, and kept saying mean things about Heavenly Father and finally I just opened my mouth. And very firmly I said that God does love us, all of us. He put us here so we can learn and get back to Him and if some people make bad choices that's their decision, but God wants what's best for us and He's given us many tools to get back to Him. And some other things. I had a harsh tone of voice, but when I stopped, he just said, "Oh. Okay." Then we said a prayer and left. Sister Cope was happy I said something, because she was getting frustrated too.

Anyway, I love you folks. Keep me updated as to things there.

I love you!

S. Miss

Sorry, I only took 1 picture this week. This one is our not-happy-that-it's-cold-faces. Also, it smells like fall! I have yet to see the leaves change, but it smells and feels (temperature wise) like fall!

Family!

Yay! I'm so glad you're all back safely! And I'm glad you had a good time at Disneyland. When I read that I said, "Gah! They went to Disneyland? Gah!!!!" and Sister Cope said, "But sister, they've never had real pizza." To which I replied, "but they got (or didn't, I don't know) corndogs this big! "But they've never had real pizza, and you only pay a dollar for it. They paid $80 for that corndog." So now I feel better. I'm glad to hear Nate and Wobin are transplanted safely to good old Utah. Let me know of any job developments.

This week has been good. I forgot to tell you kids that last week we broke up a fight. We had talked to some youths and gave them pass along cards, and as we were walking away, more youths came out of the trees. We knocked on a door, keeping a wary eye on the ever growing mob of youths. I said, "There's gonna be a fight. Look at all those suspicious tweens, they're definitely gearing up for a fight." And sure enough a circle was made and two kids started throwing awkward punches. The door didn't open, so we walked back to the crowd of juveniles. One kid shouted, "The missionaries of Jesus Christ are coming!!" We got there, and just stood and stared. The crowd scooted over a bit, as if to hide. We kept staring, not saying a word. And then they all scattered and ran home. By doing absolutely nothing, we broke up a fight!

General Conference was wonderful. Us, the Elders, and a family named the Grooms were the only ones to show up for the broadcast. Everyone else just watches it on the internet now. But it was nice. They brought a tuna casserole and some salad and cookies, and we had a little feast between sessions. I really enjoyed President Uchdorf's talk on Saturday, about how much we matter to Heavenly Father. And probably my favorite talk was from Sister Elaine S. Dalton, about how fathers show their daughters they love them and how they should be a good example to them.

The other day we taught a lesson to a less-active/part-member family about prayer. We've met with them a few times, all of which have been chaotic because they're a VERY energetic family. But we love their enthusiasm and love for each other. At the end of the lesson we had a prayer circle, and though the kids didn't want to pray, they did anyway. It really brought the Spirit. Brother Farnsworth (our ward mission leader) came with us to the lesson, and bore his testimony too. It was great.

Also, I'm getting a bit of a mullet/Justin Bieber gone crazy hairdo. So today I'm getting it cut. There are about 5 salons on every street, so I hope I choose wisely.

I love you kids! Don't have too much fun there now ya hear? I love you and miss you! And Happy Birthday Moimers, you're the best there is and none of us would be where we are without you!

Note from mom: I sent a second message to Miss this morning and apparently we were emailing each other at the same time. Missy added this comment after reading my second message.

I just sent you a message, and then saw this one! Nate: That is soooo awesome! (From mom: I told her about the Bette Midler thing). Look at you making a scene with your artsiness!

And go Tim (From mom: I told her about Tim's dedication to schoolwork for his MBA). Way to study!

And I so wish I could see that mariachi band community moment (From mom: if you wanna know about this one, ask me)! It sounds amazing!!

Family!!!

I love you guys!

Also, I've officially been out here for one transfer! A whole one! And we received a text last night that Sister Cope and I will continue serving in Fardale for this next transfer.

So Vances, it's a shame I'm not there right now to help with home demolition, because I am a pro! Give me a sledgehammer and the insulation and sheetrock will be down in no time! We are still doing clean-up, but they are phasing in church again, so that's good. We completely gutted out 2 houses on Sunday, until the inside were just frames.

On Saturday, we had the Relief Society General Broadcast, and it was so great, especially President Uchtdorf's talk. It was so great to mix and mingle with the sisters in the ward. And it makes me excited for when I come home to be more involved with church callings and activities. We had a soup potluck dinner for it, and it was very tasty.

This week at Ellis Island, I got approached by my very first "creeper" as Sister Cope called him. This Indian guy walked up to me and asked about missionary work, and that was normal. Then he asked if I had a boyfriend. Then he asked if he could take pictures in the building, and when I said yes, he threw his camera at Sister Amaud (another sister serving there that day due to a mix up--we had a blast that day) and told her to take a picture of us. I scooted as far away from him as I could and my face was trying not to laugh, so I'm sure the picture was awesome.

Missionary work is going well, though a little slow. The mission president rescheduled our leadership training from September to November, so we won't be doing that for a month. I'm excited for it though--apparently it's really neat.

I know I'm forgetting something here, but I can't remember. So I love you!

Oh, Nate and Wobin: a sister from New Brunswick texted us saying a Brother Wilson says hi. So that's cool! Happy Birfenday to Campbell girl! And what news on the job front?

And I'm so happy that the ol' Winnie is home. Ol' 4 paws!

Tell me all about California--who went, what ya did, and other.

Ok. Love you guys!

Sister Mister

P.S. I forgot to take pictures this week, so here are some from the 4th of July and also a really cool street sign from a couple weeks ago. Layou.

Catchin' flies at the fireworks.

Fun at the park!

?!

Sisters from my mission and New York South mission getting ready to do service

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Eating a gyro at Ellis Island.

Sister Cope being a dweeb.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Family!

Things are looking up here. People are still struggling after the storm, but it's getting better. We still haven't had a regular church meeting, but it's nice to be able to do service with the ward. It's starting to get chilly here! In one day it changed from hot and humid, to cold, but still sunny.

Thank you so much for the package! The office missionary couple handed it over, saying it was by far the best decorated package, and so it was! Thanks Libby for the Star Trek stationary. I nearly had a heart attack, and my companion is still trying to figure out why. Winnie is so becoming in a cone, and I loved all the other pictures! It's nice to give people a visual of my super awesome family.

I went to Ellis Island again, and I still acted like a tourist upon seeing the Manhattan skyline. I don't think I'll ever get less enthused no matter how many times I see "the City!" And we always see Mormons visiting there and they always stop to chat, so that's fun.

Sister Cope is still recovering from the aftermath of bronchitis. She doesn't have it any more, but she still needs a lot of rest. So I've been doing a lot of studying. The Book of Mormon is such an interesting read. And so much of it applies today--it's amazing! I've also been reading "Our Search for Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard, and that's a great book. We didn't teach a lot this week, unfortunately. And David cancelled our lesson because he lost his job, and then found a new one the day we were going to teach him. But we stopped by later in the week, and gave them coconut cookies. He's allergic, but Kristen liked them, so that's good. Today we are still planning on teaching them about the Priesthood. I'm so excited, and a member is coming to the appointment, so that's great. If any of the missionaries need members to accompany them for lessons, I'd try it out. It really makes a difference having another testimony there, and when the missionaries are gone, the members are their support system. So, family, don't be afraid to sign up! I just love you guys.

Stay safe. I love you!

Best,

Sister Mistipher