This is a picture of Missy's companion, Sister Cope, and the Michels in their home in Oakland, New Jersey.

8-28-2011

Note from Mom:

Scott Michel (the father of the family Miss and her companion are staying with while the missionary apartment is being readied [the Elders had it before--maybe they were really messy or something?]) called from New Jersey to let me know that Missy was okay. He said the hurricane was pretty bad, but not as bad as the news made it seem. The sisters were supposed to go to their new apartment on Friday, but the Michels had them stay there with them until the hurricane was over so they could look after them. Missy and Sister Cope will be going to their new apartment on Monday the 29th. It was very kind of Brother Michel to call and let us know how Missy is.

8-29-2011

Moimers! And family!

Everything is good on the Jersey front! The "hurricane" was pretty rough in some areas, but we were fine in Oakland. They (the Michels she's staying with) are the safety and preparedness couple, so we were doing pretty well. They cancelled church on Sunday, so we went with Sister Michel to a shelter to help people whose homes were flooding. It was kind of funny. There were people there who would help us set up cots because they saw we needed help. And there were other people who complained that they didn't like the food, and when were they going to get this or that. Disasters bring out the best and worst in some people. I'm glad we went though, and we were able to help out.

The Michels (pronounced Michelles) are the best! They are both amazing cooks, so we've gotten fed pretty well. The day before the storm we were instructed to get home early. We studied for a LONG time, and I finished 5 books in the scriptures! Granted, they were each only 1 or 2 chapters, but still. When the Michels got home we helped them make chicken cacciatore (I'm not sure how that's spelled) from the Joy of Cooking, and it was amazing! Then we busted out the Rummikub, and played for a few hours. The next day we had waffles, volunteered, then came home to a weeks worth of great leftovers, and Yahtzee. It was a blast.

We met the Elders at a members house to have a meeting, and one of them was going on about how amazing lettuce is. "You don't even need dressing! It's so amazing! You can put it on anything! I just love salad!" He was using huge hand gestures and all sorts of facial expressions. Then his soft spoken, Mexican companion said, with disgust, "I hate salad." And that was his contribution for most of the meeting. Awesome.

I'm so excited for Nate! Wow, so much is on the horizon. He's gonna be swell. Is anyone going to his graduation? If he has announcements, send me one! And I am so happy Mikey and Shelby are going Lord of Rings for Halloween! Please make the children into hobbits or Gollum because that would make for a swell picture. (Note from mom: I told Missy in my email what each of her brothers and sisters and their families were doing. I reminded her that Nate would be finishing his art program at Gnomon early in September, that Mike and Shelby were planning to dress up in Lord of Rings wear for Halloween, and that Shelby might be wearing the Galadriel dress and cape I made for her [Missy].)

My new address is 56 Howard St., Pompton Plains NJ 07444. I'm not sure how long I will be there but probably for a little while, so feel free to send letters. All packages have to go to the mission home. PLEASE send my social security card. I need it to volunteer at Ellis Island, and we're going there twice in September. I haven't gotten any letters yet or the coat you sent, but I should get them tomorrow because we're having a zone conference.

Well, I love you guys! Keep safe!

Love,

Sister Mister

Written on 8-15-2011\Sent on 8-23

FAMILY,

Woof. I'm finally on the plane. That was the fastest 3 weeks of my life. I've been feeling the spirit more and I'm slowly gaining confidence in talking to "people". I'm glad I get to go teach real people now. At the airport I talked with a German family about their travels to the national parks in the U.S. Then I talked with a man while we were waiting to board. He isn't LDS, but knows a lot of Mormons, and we had a pretty good conversation, and amazingly we ended it on a gospel topic, which is hard for me to segue (segway) to. Really, just listening to people is one of the best ways to teach.

Probably the joy of the j0y 0f the airport though was seeing Mike and Shelb. I'm sure everyone already knows by now, but their shuttle dropped them off right before the MTC bus pulled up, and they surprised me when I stepped out of the bus. I'm so glad I got to see them. I love you proud parents of three! Thanks for sticking around to talk and hug with this one!!

Now, I'll tell you some highlights of the past week. (Note from Mom: Remember folks, this letter was written on the 15th of August--the day Missy left the MTC.)

-Our district played frisbee golf for gym, and since I''m so coordinated, I threw my frisbees into trees or lamp poles every throw.

-Elder Fugal's pen burst and he got a small blue dot on his shirt. I lent him my Tide Pen, and the stain spread by two inches.

-We watched a health and safety video, that said, "by brushing your teeth, you'll bless your companion and their posterity."

-Our district sang, "Oh My Father" to the "Come Thou Fount" tune for our Sunday Farewell. It was really powerful.

-For my last meal I got a salad and the chicken on it was frozen.

-As of August 1, 2011, the Church has a new training program when you get in the field. Instead of shadowing for 6 months, we begin teaching from the start and taking the lead in lessons. After 12 weeks we're qualified to be trainers. Yikes!

I love you. Keep on keepin' on! and congratulations on Friday, Vances!

Sister Mister

8-15-2011

Mom & Popsy & Family

I've arrived safely in New Jersey. On the plane I could see "the city" and the Statue of Liberty. It was weird not having a companion, and even now I don't. Hmm. When we got out of the airport in Newark, the President's assistants took us into Newark and said we were going to sing. Halfway thru "Called to Serve" everyone started running. I booked it after the sisters until they stopped and began talking to someone. One of the sisters kept bumping me saying, "testify." I tried to and the guy said, "Whoa, whoa slow down! She threw you under the bus!" Then he didn't let me finish. It was scary. I am honestly terrified out of my wits!

It's very green here (understatement), and they're not kidding when they say the trees are tall. My mission president and his wife (the Jeppson's) are really nice. They gave us a lovely Sunday dinner, then the president began interviewing us. He was really understanding of my concerns and helped me realize the first little while is tough to adjust to.

Apparently we get to visit the temple every June and December. Then when we leave, they take us to the Statue of Liberty and the temple. There's no dominant race here, so food-wise we might have Ethiopian one night and southern the next. I'm not gonna lie, I'm so nervous. This is the Lord's work and He'll help me teach the people who are preparing--but there's still so much I don't know. Please pray for me to have faith in myself and in the Lord.

Be safe, and I love you! Oh, and apparently it's been raining cats and dogs here, so please send a rain jacket. And it's super humid here, woof! I'm so happy I cut my hair! I love you, be safe!

Sister Missy

8-22-2011

Momma! And family! Where do I even begin...

I didn't have P-day last week, so I couldn't email. And just a disclaimer, now I will be emailing. I might write, but emailing is easier here than at the MTC. And Monday is my P-day. I haven't gotten your package or letters yet, because we are only given them if we have a zone conference, and I have no idea when those are.

I'll start with the mission home. The Jeppsons are the nicest mission president couple ever! He should have sent you a letter and pictures. But they are so sweet, and so easy to talk to. They're new to this mission as well, but I can tell they already know what they're doing. All the new missionaries were fed, then put to bed, then woke up and studied for 6 hours while we waited for our companions to arrive. Since I'm the only girl, it was pretty obvious who my companion was going to be. Her name is Sister Cope, and she is a gas! Very energetic and loud, in a good way. She's also very upbeat and understanding. She struggled too at first, but with terrible companions and a bad area, so I'm pretty lucky. We then went to Transfer Conference, where the rest of the transferring missionaries were. They read who was with whom, and then everyone did a massive car, phone, and luggage swap! It was a little nuts.

Sister Cope and I have been sent to the Fardale area in northern New Jersey. There are two Spanish elders here as well. What can I say about it...it's extremely green. And the trees are very tall. Almost claustrophobically so. We don't have a GPS, so we use the map and get lost a lot. The roads here change names when you drive through different counties, and none of them are numbered. The houses are adorable. They're all brick and wood, even the siding, and they look like beach houses from Maine. Or Disney cottages. We are staying with a couple, the Michels. They are soooo great. And they make tasty foods.

The ward is fantastic! Seriously, I feel like I'm back in Utah, but with more ethnic people. They are all so strong, and so welcoming. We have a lot of dinners set up, so I know I won't be hungry for a while. Member missionary work is really important. They are all very willing to come to lessons with us and fellowship whomever we'll be teaching. Back home I didn't realize what a resource the ward was for missionary work, but it's huge! I'd encourage everyone to talk with the ward mission leader about how they can help, because those members are lifesavers. And they're very excited to have sisters here. They haven't had them here for years and apparently they've been needing a gentler approach in this area. One of the members, Brother Peterson, went to high school with cousin John Healy, which is random. But they are a swell family.

Teaching has been interesting. Either because people aren't home, or they just don't want to hear, which is to be expected. One of our investigators, David, is super awesome. His fiance Kristen doesn't really want to listen, but I'm hoping that the switch from Elders to Sisters will help. They just had a baby, Lucas, and I can tell they are going to be great parents. He's only 22, but he really likes what we teach, and wants to have a close, strong family. He's a bit of a character, but that happens in New Jersey.

I can now say I've had a New York slice! Actually a New Jersey slice, but close enough! It was amazing! It was a huge triangle, very thin, all cheese, and dollops of marscapone. Woof.

I'm so excited to hear about baby Susan! Oh right, not Susan. Baby Leah! We aren't allowed to hold, hug, touch, squish, etc. any kids out here, and some of them look like the children from home, so it's tough. I love hearing about the little ones.

Well, I love you, and I hope you're all doing ok! And Winnie, the poor ol' gal!

I love you and I miss you!

Best,

Sister Mister

Also, thank you for the package, I hope I get it soon, cause when it rains here, it POURS. BUCKETS. Not joking. Oh, and my address is:

Sister Melissa Anne Healy

New Jersey Morristown Mission

1719 Route 10 Ste 309

Parsippany, NJ 07054

Mission Home #1

8-15-2011

7:12 pm

Hey mom! I arrived safely at the mission home! And I can tell you, woof! I have no idea what to expect here, but I know I'm excited. I'll send you a lengthier letter soon.

I love you,

Sister Healy

MTC #2

8-9-11

FAMILY: Hey everyone!

I'm doing laundry right now, and since everyone else is too, I'll be here for a while. We went to the temple today, and it was very pleasant. It's Sister Roos's birthday today so I made a card and everyone signed it. And since we only get canned veggies here and S. Roos loves fresh ones, our teacher brought some for her (she likes veggies more than cake). I cleaned the barber shop for service the other day and found my friend Heather's booth and left her a note. And I see Elder Biddulph a lot. Oh, and I saw the Jaynes's mom in the temple. We ate there today for S. Roos's birthday, and woof, it was good. Funny side story, S. Bell (Allyson Tanner's niece) was worried about armpit smell the other day. So she looked both ways, no one was there, and she did a very dramatic arm lift and whiff. As she whiffed, our District Leader, Elder Norman and Elder Chapman walked around the corner and said, "How's everything smelling, Sister Bell?" When I'm down, I think of that and can't help but laugh.

Class time is fun. All of us are in there being goons, but we still learn a lot. We had to practice praying for an hour the other day. We switched from being missionaries to investigators. I was paired with Elder Chapman, and we had to pray to know if God was there, if God listens to us, and if He loves us. That's all. And both of us were bawling! Our District is getting more mature, but we're still exuberant sometimes. We finally had to switch the sisters around so that there are fewer elders by each other. I now sit next to Elders Fugal (like Bugle) and Olsen. We all like talking Lord of the Rings, and I'm constantly describing the science of Harry Potter to them, so I don't really mind the move. We do talk about the gospel too, though, so don't worry. I had to teach Elder Olsen the Restoration the other day and we both felt the Spirit pretty strongly. Teaching fake investigators is a lot harder though. And my companion is easily frustrated with me, so I've had a few meltdowns. I'm trying though to get better so she'll get less stressed and so the "investigator" will better understand our message.

This time next week I'll be in Joysey! I'm so sad though because A) I'll be the only girl or sister on the flight, and B) I'll be the only person from my District. Besides me and my companion, everyone else is headed to South Carolina. It's gonna be rough saying goodbye.

Well, I love you kids!

Warmest wishes,

Sister Missy

Also, I'll try to send pictures soon so you can identify who I'm talking about. And thanks for the package and the drawings on it. They meant a lot.

MTC#1

8-2-11

Dearest Family,

Well, I've been here a week! Almost. By the time you read this I will have. Thanks so much mom, Jill, and Mike for your letters. They were very comforting. I just bawled the first night, but those helped. One of the sisters in my district, Sister Bell, is going into graphic design. I showed her sis and mike's letters and she thought they were so cool. To clarify, sis did neat calligraphy, and Mike used their heat press to put a neat design on the envelope. And thank you Libby for putting Petalbottom the gnome in my bag and giving me a picture of you and Pete and the small ones.

My District here is so awesome! There are 12 of us, including four sisters. It was awkward at first talking to the Elders in class, but now we're all thick as thieves! The other day we played baseball during gym, and it was a gas. None of the sisters were good whatsoever, and two of the elders had never played, so there was a lot of bumbling. I pulled a George Michael and ducked every time I was pitched.

Sunday was particularly rough. I was so frustrated with how negative my companion was being, and everyone has to prepare a talk for Sunday and you don't know if you're speaking until they tell you during the meeting. My talk was only half finished, so I was very stressed, though first weekers don't usually speak. We got into sacrament and girls have to sit in the front row, so we sat there with the Branch Presidency's wives. I started bawling, right there on the front row. The Branch President's wife told my companion to comfort me. This made me cry more since I wanted a companion who would comfort me without being told to, because she cares about me. The President announced the speakers. "I've jumped around between speakers, but I've finally settled on these two: Sister Healy and so & so." I was now crying buckets. Through the prayer and the song (we'd already taken the sacrament). Then I got up there, apologized for my blubbering, and started reading my half talk. At one point I couldn't see the page through my tears, so I made it up. It was sort of depressing., because I said how I hadn't felt the Spirit once since I'd arrived and I wasn't cut out for this. Then I ended it. After the meeting, each of the Presidency and their wives gave me comforting words and told me I did great. The MTC President was presiding and he took me aside and told me that 2/3 of the missionaries here feel the exact same way. The day ended on a good note.

The shower situation here is ridiculous. They clearly weren't thinking of sisters when they made the time--to walk from the gym to your dorm, stand in line for the shower, take a shower in a suspicious and all wet stall, change, get ready, and scoot to class--only thirty minutes. Thank goodness I have short hair.

Lessons are really rough. Our teacher pretends to be an investigator, and doesn't break character the whole time. My companion takes over the lesson, so I rarely get to say anything. If I do, she glares at me, then afterwards says my comment wasn't very relevant. I tried talking to her about her disgruntled tones today in companionship inventory (where you talk to your comp. about their strengths and weaknesses) and she didn't know what I was talking about. I guess I'll just hope for a nicer companion once I get to "The City!" I have been praying to understand her better and really love her, but it's still tough. Pray for me, will you? I do have a blast with the rest of the District though. They're a boisterous bunch, but i love 'em.

We went to the Temple today, and it was very peaceful. And it looks a lot like the Ogden Temple did, so that was a comfort.

I love you and I miss you! Please send pictures and notes!

Love you!

Sister Healy

8-2-11 Later

Family Dearest,

It's been a few hours since I wrote you last, but something really neat happened. For Tuesday Devotional, Gerald N. Lund (from the Seventy and author of the Work and the Glory) spoke to us about faith. Toward the end he told a story about an appointment that fell through for two missionaries. Their Mission President told them earlier to speak immediately to the first person you see when appointments fall through. Suddenly a man (huge, beefy, and covered in tattoos) came down the hall. He said, "Are you the guys I'm supposed to talk to? I just woke up and something told me there were two guys down the hall with something really important to say."

I got the most immense chill all over and then an immense warmth filled my chest. And I got so excited to teach the people of New Jersey. I want them to feel what I'm feeling right now. I've been praying so much for this feeling and it finally came. Sister Davey (my companion) said afterward, "The Spirit was almost tangible in there." Then we went with our District for a District Devotional. Brother Carter from the Branch Presidency told us to share our thoughts. We have a very boisterous District, but it was so peaceful in there. So many elders and one sister said they felt inadequate before and didn't have the faith to be able to do this. But we all have a feeling of peace now that though this will be difficult, the Lord will fill in where we fail to. I'm so grateful for my District, they're my second family; and for this confirmation of why I'm here.

I love you Darlings,

Sister Miss