WELL HELLO EVERYONE, yet another week has past, and I still haven't been sent to the hospital for heat exhaustion. yay!

 

It was a bit of an ordeal getting to the computers this morning... usually at 10, we bike over to the church and write our emails on the family history computers. well to start this morning off, it was POURING RAIN. it never rains here so that was a bit of a struggle. than sister fairbanks and I remembered that we had left our helmets at church, so we bike over helmetless (which I was secretly happy about which I'm sure you know why) and then my skirt got caught in the bike and ripped. priceless. when we got to the computers, the internet didn't work, so we freaked out for a bit, and luckily got a ride over here to the library... wooh!

 

But anyways, this week, we've had some highs and lows. One of our investigators whose name is Hattie has been making great progress. Here's a little background on her: she's 14 (looks like she's 18) and has had a pretty difficult life. No one in her family is a member, except her mom who used to be, but now is suffering from mental illness and is in the hospital.  Hattie was hanging out with the wrong kids and one night they decided to break into a store and steal alcohol. well long story short, they got caught and she got sent to jail for 2 weeks and is now on house arrest with ankle bracelet and everything.  We heard this whole story, with a number of

 

expletives included, when her cray grandpa answered the door last week.  We decided that we were going to attempt to teach her anyway, and it actually went really well. We've now taught her 6 lessons and are hoping to commit her to baptism soon. it's amazing to see how this gospel has really changed her for the better and we hope that she continues working hard.

 

Other news, sam is getting baptized on the 21st! YAY! Could not be more excited. there is only 1 young man and 1 young woman in the WHOLE WARD. (yes you heard that right) and so we've really been working on getting the teens to come back. 

 

Other embarrassing stories this week... hmm....too many to count. most of them involving me falling off my bike.  Its a love/hate relationship (mostly hate).

 

love you all and i hope you have an amazing week and keep pushing through the good and bad times. Here's a scripture that has helped me alot lately:

 

"remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God"- D&C 18:10--> know that you ARE worth it and that is why you're here. Even if you're a sweaty, skirt-wearing, biker sister like myself, just remember that you are special and you are loved.

 

sister healy

 

 

HELLO EVERYONE! we had transfers on monday so our pday was pushed back to today. anyways, you know how I said that the first week in the mtc was the longest week of my life... well I lied. THIS WAS THE LONGEST WEEK OF MY LIFE, but also one of the most amazing ones. Where even to start. Well let's stary with my first contacting experience. So as I mentioned last week, me and my companion sister fairbanks and I are both greenies, and we're on bikes. Our first day out in the field was last tuesday. Its a nice 115 degrees (joy) and the walmart helmet that I am using is messed up, or my head is messed up of both. i dont even know. All I know is that it is awkwardly cocked to the side whenever I ride ( which is all the time) and it often slips off my head and just hangs off my neck.  So we get out there with our ghetto gps and a map on the first day and go looking for an inactive member of our ward, Alan Earl. We're biking around in circles in that more than warm sun for over an hour, meanwhile dying because we've forgotten water bottles and forgotten money to buy water.  We finally get to his apartment after what has seemed like a legit eternity, knock on the door and.... he's not there!  At that point, I was feeling pretty discouraged. Another sister from our district had come out to help us for the day and I asked her if we should knock on his neighbor's door and see if they knew anything about him. She said that usually they don't knock on doors... I responded (probably a little too sassily) that I thought we should knock anyways. so I knock on his neighbor's door and this young woman answers. We ask her about alan earl and she says she hasn't seen him recently. there's an awkward pause and it looks like she's about to shut the door when I kind of blurt out "can we have some water?!" she says yes, and lets us inside. we say that we are missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. she says she knows who we are and that in fact her best friend is mormon! we then chat with her for a little longer, and you know what she says!!!!! she says "I've read the book of mormon 4 times and I know it's true." I'M NOT KIDDING. For a second, I thought I was hallucinating (probably because of extreme dehydration).  We'll we were stunned and crying with joy inside and then we asked her if she would prepare for baptism, and SHE SAID YES.  It was the most amazing experience. Her name is Samantha and I know that she was prepared to meet us.  We've already had our first real lesson with her and she attended church with us this sunday and LOVED IT. she's going to be baptized in a couple weeks. did i mention that she is 19! and that she was our first contact. it was a miracle needless to say.

 

Riding on bikes all day.. in the 115 degree weather... in skirts... and biking shorts... without water.. and using a broken bike and broken helmet has been so humbling, but so good too! Sadly one of the sisters in our district who also bikes fainted the other day from exhaustion and dehyrdation, but it's all good now! I had a really embarrasing experience the other day. so we were biking back from zone conference and I was trying to fix my helmet (which I hate) because it kept sliding of my head. so I had one hand on the helmet, the other on the breaks, and I see this car pull out of the parking lot. fearing that its going to hit me, I clutch the brakes (definitely too hard) and go flying off my bike, skirt and all. I just happened to have this humiliating crash in THE ONE SPOT, SERIOUSLY THE ONLY SPOT, ON THE STREET WHERE THERE ARE A TON OF PEOPLE. They are all sitting at this outside bar and see me fall. and just stare. (I'm not even sure why they were at that bar at like 10 in the morning ayway)... then they see that i'm not really moving and come over and ask if im ok. I manage to reply that its only my pride that has been wounded. they really got a crack out of that one.  Let's just say that I've learned to ride with both hands on the handle bars at all times. 

 

I have so many other great experiences to share but thats all i have time for this week. Just know that I love you all! I'll be on again on monday at 10:30-11:45 (arizona time) so be on so i can talk to you. have a great week!

 

sister healy

 

drum roll please.... I WAS REASSIGNED TO SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA. sadly, none of you guessed it right, I couldn't even believe it at first when I opened the letter! These past three days have been absolutely CRAZY.

 

I opened my reassignment call on friday and as I was flipping through the reassignment packet (which included flight information)... I read in the wee little corner of the second page that I WOULD BE LEAVING SATURDAY MORNING (aka: less than 18 hours later) to fly to Arizona and get straight to work. I when I saw that.... I cried a little (inside of course.) I mean who wouldn't be scared!!! We had no information about anything; all I knew was that I needed to report to the travel office at 4:30 the next day. I was in mini freak out mode the rest of the day and managed to pull myself together enough to sleep a couple hours that night.  Woke up at 3:50am on Saturday morning, got to the airport with Sister Fairbanks and Elder Molinaro ( from my district) and seriously felt like Will Ferrell from Elf in that one scene where he is fresh out of the North Pole and frollicks around new York city (eating chewed gum and getting hit by cabs). IT WAS GREAT. In the airport, we actually got to eat REAL FOOD... like jamba juice; then, I was lucky enough to get to talk to my family on the pay phone, it was amazing! And I randomly saw my cousin who works in the airport! The flight was only an hour and 15 minutes. so we landed in scorching Arizona at around 10 am.  We were carted over to the mission home (me with my two bags... one weighing 49 pounds, and the other 70 pounds...that was a miracle in and of itself). We got to meet the mission president and his sweet wife and we've slept at the mission home for the past two days.

 

They dropped some pretty big news on us that freaked me out a bit.  First, this is a BRAND NEW MISSION, opened only a month ago, and this area is new and redrawn. Second, I would paired up with sister Fairbanks (the girl from my MTC district) which means that WE WOULD HAVE NO TRAINER. YES, ME A GREENIE WITH ANOTHER GREENIE, AND no trainer. Lets just say we both almost peed our pants(skirts) when they told us that. Thirdly, we would be riding bikes. YES, us sisters in our long skirts riding bikes in this wonderfully warm 115 degree weather. Fourth, we would be working solely with inactive and less active members...without any updated area book!

 

After the shock of hearing all that wore off, we basically passed out.... and got to meet our ward for the first time yesterday. The ward is tiny, made up of single, elderly people and newlywed couples. THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE, but we know that we can do it and they we can make this ward one that is strong and unified.  The 2nd counselor to the bishop told us that 75% of the ward is inactive...so we know that we are much needed and we're excited for all the good we can do.

 

Anyways, today its 98 degrees and people are talking about how glorious the weather is.... this is a great warmup for BRAZIL.

 

Love you all, have a great week and I'll keep you updated on the crazy happenings here in Arizona!

 

Love,

sister healy (the perpetual visa waiter)

 

 

                                            Morgan and her new mission president and his wife

 

              

                                                                      Salt Lake City Airport

                                                      Waiting for her flight to Arizona

I made it safely (to Scottsdale, AZ where Morgan was rerouted awaiting Brazilian visa).
Me with my mission president and his wife.

Morgan also ran into her cousin Brad at the Salt Lake City airport just before departure as she was chatting with her fam! Go Morgan! Enjoy the 115 degree heat!

Yes... the rumor is true... THIS IS MY LAST WEEK HERE AT THE MTC. CRAZYTOWN, I know.  No news yet on my visa, so what is going to happen is that this friday (yes in 3 days) we get our reassignments to somewhere in the US until the ridiculously slow Brazilian Government gives me my visa.  In the MTC, word on the street is that my reassignment would be to either somewhere in Tennesse; somewhere in Michigan; Pocatello, Idaho; Texas; and last but not least BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Yes, there is potential that I could be reassigned to Boston. There are a couple of other places that I could head out to but those are the BIG 5. I could leave this saturday, monday, tuesday, or wednesday.... SO I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED, or at least as posted as a missionary can!

This past week was pretty great. Not only are we 6th week missionaries on top of the food chain here at the MTC, but we also know everything there is to know about the MTC... which includes NEVER eating the leftover eggs they serve, EVER. It was so great because last week Elder Scott, from the Quorum of the 12 apostles came to speak to us. He talked about prayer and its many implications in our lives. It was so amazing! He had such a presence and the love he expressed for his wife, who passed away about 20 years ago, was heartwarming.

 

 Now onto to some saddening news (at least for me), I was all set to break the record this friday for the mile run, so I gave the record plaque one good glance over to inspire myself.... WELL GUESS WHAT?? Unbeknownst to me, some sister broke the mile record by 45 seconds a little over a week ago. It went from 5:52 to 5:08. YUP. I will give it my most valiant effort this friday.... but yeah, that was quite depressing to find out. On the brighter side, I'm almost done with reading the Book of Mormon.  This will be the first time I've read it all the way through and can I just say, it truly has changed me for the better!

 

This past week, my companion sister miller and chose to read a couple conference talk about family and there is a quotation from Prophet Joseph F. Smith that really hit me: 

" There can be no genuine happiness seperate and apart from the home, and every effort made to sanctify and preserve its influence is uplifting to those who toil and sacrifice for its establishment.  Men and women often seek to establish some other life from that of the home; they would make themselves believe that the home means restraint; that the highest liberty is the fullest opportunity to move about at will. there is no happiness without service and there is no greater service than that in the home."

 

I'll end this weeks email with that.

 Love you all and remember to love your families too! I SURE LOVE MINE. SHOUT OUT TO YOU MOM.  

 

PS: send me an email guessing where you think I'll be reassigned:)  morgan.healy@myldsmail.net

 

Much love,

 

sister healy  

Well HELLO EVERYONE! Crazy to say it but, its officially been a month. STILL IN SHOCK. This past week here at the MTC has been great, and time seriously feels like it's passing faster and faster each day. At the beginning of last week, one of the elders in our district was just slightly ill, but by the end of last week there was a FULL BLOWN INFLUENZA in district 14. I'm not kidding, people were coughing, and hacking, and other germ infested things... I was scared. I even took the extra precaution of wiping hand sanitizer all over my desk every hour. and it worked! I SURVIVED.

                  As far as the language goes, I can feel myself becoming more comfortable day by day. Though I am having a bit of a struggle with verb conjugations, I know that it will come with time... I mean at least a sister can hope.. right! haha. 

             This past sunday we had a really great experience.  Our district president, President Jackson, when he was in his 20s served his mission in Sao Paulo Brazil.  He met and eventually baptized this young woman who lived there at the time, her name was Seria Makua.  About 30 years after serving his mission there, he was called to serve as mission president in a different region of Brazil with his wife.  He had long since lost contact with Seria Makua, but when a young elder with the last name of Makua was called to serve his mission under President Jackson, it was discovered that this very elder was the son of Seria Makua!!! President Jackson resumed talking to her and discovered that she and her family had moved to the US and because of her conversion in the church over 1,000 people, including children, grandchildren, and friends, had since joined the church. They came and shared their feelings and testimonies with us in the MTC and it was just an all around AMAZING EXPERIENCE. It is so astounding to see the effect of just one person's conversion. It was a reminder to me that we all have the potential to change lives for the better and that we never can truly understand the magnitude of our influence on other people. So be the best person you can and know that no matter how small, no act of kindness of faith or of generosity ever goes unnoticed. 

             No word yet on the VISA, but I'll be sure to keep y'all updated. What most likely will happen is that I will be reassigned to somewhere in the United States until my visa comes in. So pretty much, I have NO IDEA where I will be in 2 weeks time, but it's all good!! Other side note-- I'm going to break the mile record this week and get my name in gold on that wall. YAHOO.

 Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week, because YOU ARE FANTASTIC.

 

Until we meet again,

Sister Healy  

 

 Morgan and her companion with their new door signage

 Fellow missionaries

Outdoor break to escape the germ-fest classroom :)

Third Week in the MTC

Third week...

and.... I'M HALFWAY THROUGH MY TIME HERE AT THE MTC! Feeling extremely excited and nervous about that one. A quick update: two of the elders in our district go their visas this past week and headed off to finish their training at the Brazilian MTC. CRAZY. I'm hoping my visa comes before these next three weeks are done, but either way, even if I end up going somewhere in the united states before I leave for brazil, I know it's for the best!

SO, this week... my companion and I had the opportunity to go to the TRC. This was our first time and it was AWESOME! Prior to this, our two teachers, Brother Buttars and Brother Nothumb (I know GREAT names), have acted as fake people who are interested in learning more about the church. They take on the role of a "particular" person and that "investigator" is the one that we teach lessons to. Well this past week, we got to teach REAL PEOPLE. I was a little nervous going in, mainly because I didn't feel that prepared with my Portuguese, but it went great. The two people we taught are both Mormon already, but we still go to share with them a message. We had a GREAT lesson with one of the guys, named Nathan. We started our conversation just getting to know him, but then bluntly asked if there was anything he was having a hard time with or wanted to talk to us about. He paused for a second and then went on to tell us about how his 18 year old sister was going through a really difficult time. We gave him all the advice that we felt prompted to and told him that we knew things would work out in time. At the end of that lesson it was amazing to see the change in him and it was amazing how I felt! He seemed reassured by the things that we had told him and I was ECSTATIC... I MEAN HE'S A REAL PERSON with real issues. It was great.

What else... the food is still the same... the weather is nice and warm... and OH YEAH, on sunday we had what's called a fasting testimony meeting. Which means that prior to the church service you fast (restrain from eating or drinking anything for 24 hours). You can fast for a concern you have about a person or about yourself, or for a trial your having. Anything that you think God can help you with. Anyway, at the testimony meeting, I went up and shared my feelings about the gospel. I seriously shot up like a bullet as soon as they announced that people could bear their testimonies. Other than a few conjugation mess ups it went well! And at the end of the meeting our District President told me that I did phenomenally with my Portuguese. GREATEST COMPLIMENT EVER.

I miss you all a lot, but am so excited to serve the people of Brazil! No extremely funny stories have come to mind, but I'll just end with a slightly awkward experience I had. So, everyday after lunch slips and letters are dropped off in the classroom and I was super excited when I got a slip to pick up a package. Long story short as I was walking out of the building to pick up my package I ran into a glass door and fell over. YUP. THAT HAPPENED. TOOO many other stories like that to share haha Love you all! HAVE A GREAT WEEK:)

"some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them"

Let's CHOOSE to be great!

Sister Healy