My First Week, A Sneak Peak

HI,
I am officially through my first week in the field, and what a week it was. I performed my first baptism, I got my first blister, I attended my first BBQ, I had my first Birthday, I said my first invitation, I received my first cake, and I had my first joke played on me. Just a bunch of first’s.

My mom asked the following questions that I will respond to at this time. d-(O.O)z (That’s supposed to be a guy giving a thumbs up).
How are your sweets?
Wonderful, the other Elders and I enjoyed them so much. Thanks for getting my favorites!
Everything new and different?
Yep, pretty much everything is different. Milk here, for example, has preservatives which means they store it at room temperature in a paper carton. Cookies come in tubes and are delicious as expected. If you don’t eat all your food at an All-You-Can-Eat, you might end up paying extra. All the stores close by about 8pm because everyone retires to their houses. The members are really nice! One of them made me cake for my birthday, and I have some of the best meals ever here. They say that they want only the best for missionaries! I love it here.
Food?
A lot of fruit, meat, rice, beans, salad, and Coca-Cola which is good with me.
Housing..Cold? Hot?
Just right.
Showers?
Best shower ever, but the bathroom always smells like an outhouse. Nothings perfect :)
Is there toilet paper?
Yes, but you take sheets individually like a tissue or napkin.
Do you live alone or with a family?
We live in a big house with two other missionaries. We have a drier and a clothes line, one bathroom, and four couches for some reason.
Tracting? In a good area? Are you opening a new area?
Yes, I am opening an area. I baptized my first person on Sunday. He had been having some doubts that we helped him resolve. I was really nervous leading up to the baptism, but I prayed right before going into the font and just felt a calm come over me. I spoke slowly and clearly and then performed the ordinance. Afterwards, the members said it was the most beautiful baptism they had ever seen. I heard ´´Not a splash´´ several times. My companion, our investigator, and I felt so happy. It was wonderful. It was only then that I realized I had remembered dry garments, but no towel. Drip drying was fun.
Companion...Is he hard working? Nice? Fun?
My companion is wonderful. He always pushes me to improve. He encourages me to speak in Portuguese and calls me out when I am doing something wrong. He really cares about me and the members. On my birthday, all of the Elders in the house woke me up screaming. I don’t remember it at all, but apparently they have video so it must be true.

If you guys have specific questions in the future, I think you can just shoot my parents in an email, and I’d be happy to respond. On a side note, the post office went on strike again, so I have been receiving packages, but not letters. If you sent me a letter, I am sorry I haven’t responded, but please forgive me. I only visit headquarters about once a week so I will try to respond to you as best I can.

I now realize that I have a lot more to learn before I become the missionary I want to be, whether it is improving my vocab, teaching skills, or personality, its going to take a while. As I have tried to more exactly follow the schedules and the rules, I have really seen the blessing. I learn more, I feel better, and I work harder.

I know this letter is kind of scattered, I’m sorry. I just wanted to give you a quick medical update. I now officially have four blisters, a rash, and a removed wart. But besides that I am feeling great. Just a little moleskin, athletic tape, and some ointment and I am good to go.

So we were contacting in the park this week, and this family actually called us over to talk. They wanted to learn and have us over for lunch and they seemed the elect of the elect. But when we went to the house, and called the number, it was someone totally different. We got pranked by some random stranger! But we ended up teaching the actual family that lived there and we will probably return for a second visit. The work works in mysterious ways.

The one thing I have really struggled with more than anything else this week is patience. I found myself getting frustrated when appointments and lunches fell through and when no contacts wanted to hear us. I did not like waiting for the bus or having to walk two miles to get to someone’s house. Investigators fear and failure to do what we asked made me upset just made me discouraged. But my companion talked to me about how one of his friends in the mission was always happy regardless of what happened. I have been thinking about that a lot recently. I have come to the realization that as we struggle through hard times and bear our afflictions with patience, we will be blessed for it. People have the ability to choose, and as long as I am doing my part, I should not let the choices of others bring me down. I need to try and be sad when they reject the gospel, but never let any incident take away my desire to keep going. You just have to keep your individual self worth separate from what you are doing. Just because something doesn’t go right, doesn’t mean you aren’t doing right. Bad things can happen to good people, but as long as we take these trials and try and learn and grow from them, they won’t get us down but make us stronger.

A famous author (whose name currently eludes me and whose quote I am currently going to butcher) once said that his favorite times of his life were during his trials because he could remember them the best and it was during them that he grew. We must always try new things and although they might be hard, it is when we are reaching and doing our best that we grow. I hope you guys have a great week and try not to get to down on yourselves when things don’t go your way.

Come on really,
Elder Healy

I'm in the Campo, It's Intense!

Hello People Who Are Allowed to Chew Gum in Public,

I mean if you can’t make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of? I am finally in the Mission Field!!! So much happened last week I don’t even know where to begin. OK, maybe I do. I first and foremost wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported me by reading this weekly check in. I know I am not the most engaging writer, but I do what I can. Second, I want to thank everyone who has sent me letters or packages so far. Those words and gifts truly brighten my day and give me the strength to give it my all. I am trying to respond to everyone who writes me, and I am really sorry if I somehow skip over you. I love all of you!
The last week at the MTC seemed to really fly by. On Monday, we went to pass out Books of Mormon. It’s was great, except we had to travel 30 min by bus and another 30 by foot to get to the more Japanese part of Sao Paolo because that is where the sisters were going to serve. So we had only 30 minutes to give out seven books. We gave out two on the bus, one on the way there and one on the way back, and the other five about six minutes apart. After this, everyone in my district wrote each other a letter to be read on ´´Hump Day´´ about what we think they will be like and to encourage them. I really enjoyed writing to my future self and to my other district members as well. It was like expecting to accomplish goals I had not even set yet. One of my good friends at the MTC gave me a picture of two cats, one with his paw over the other and explained that people can be friends, even over great distances. In the words of the Bard, ´´We don’t have to change friends if we realize that friends change.´´ I want to grow closer to all of you that are reading this even though we are probably farther apart than we have ever been. Both you and I will change over these next two years, and I can only hope that it is always for the better and that we understand and love each other more because of it.
The departure day was really lonely. I had to say goodbye to my two companions as we went to different missions. I also had to say goodbye to the Japanese sisters which was really sad and a little awkward because you can only give hand hugs. Then I was all by myself in the cafeteria because I was the last to leave. Feeling forgotten but excited, I slowly packed in my room for two hours to the sounds of Beethoven. It was relaxing really relaxing and just took my mind off things. Then it was time to go. I slept the whole ride :). The Mission President is really legal. (Legal means cool).He thinks that I speak well and we seem to get along.
We went to the Mission Office and just kind of sat around until our companions showed up. I think I got the best one. He´s from Utah and only has three months left on his mission so I will be his last trainee. He has already been a District Leader, Zone Leader, and Assistant to the President. We already hit it off. We both like wrestling so P-Day should be fun. He is also is a thespian, but he didn´t know it. (He does musical productions and theatre). We rode together on the bus for an hour and a half and we opened a new area. The records are kind of scattered, and our house is big but old so we should have some work to do. One of the counselors in the ward picked us up and said he had a non-member friend he wanted us to meet. We all started walking to the Church and he asked us why all of our first names were `Elder.´ I am still a little linguistically challenged so my companion answered him. When we arrived at the church we went into the bishop´s office to wait for him. My companion, Elder Bybee, saw a picture on the desk, and it was the non-member! The bishop had just been messing with us the whole time. We then got pizza to welcome us to the area. He should be fun to work with.
Today, we had lunch at a member´s house. The member had 23 cats and 3 dogs however, and my allergies were acting up. It was an interesting first lunch, but good none the less. The brother had been on TV for being able to memorize numbers and had written two books about it. What a pro! The only thing I would change was the cat hair I pulled out of my mouth from breathing a couple times, but other than that it was really fun and the food was good.
In my personal study today I read in D and C 88 verse 67. It talks about as we keep our eye single to god we will be filled with light and strength. This is now one of my new favorite scriptures. As we focus on the work, our countenance will change and we will become a means to do good. I hope you all have a great week and just try to do a little good in the world. Thank you for reading this week’s edition of the ´Life and Times of Elder Healy´
Come on really,
Elder Healy

Here is a video of me getting my first Companion
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/c4dd348c539c43578921c7b098a818fd/video/114583721

Its The Final Countdown... Da Da Doo Doo, Da Da Dah Da Doo

My Beloved Family and Friends,

My time at the MTC is quickly coming to an end. This time next week I will have a new companion, a new home, a new bed, and a million new things to experience. I am so excited and so nervous at the same time. I feel like there is still so much more gospel for me to learn and so much Portuguese to practice before I can really give a lesson that an earnest investigator deserves. But, there is no point in dwelling on my inadequacies for my calling when the day to do is quickly approaching. I do not mean to scare you or worry you, I am ready. I would just prefer to be MORE ready. But, I will probably feel that way for the rest of my mission and the rest of my life.

This last week was wonderful and stressful. I had so many great experiences and have again learned so much about myself and about others. I have continued to set goals for me to reach. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I am not. And it is from the lack of success and strive for the best that brings me the stress. But as one of the many books that we have been given here at the MTC says, Stress + Rest = Growth. This week as I said before, was wonderful. Last Tuesday night I had a pizza party courtesy of my parents back at home and me and my companions just hung out in our room and got to know each other better. It was very therapeutic and delicious. Thank you so much. On Wednesday, I forgot my name tag on my other shirt and so we had to go up and down four flights of stairs to retrieve it. I felt so bad! On Thursday, our teaching practice was canceled and the computer labs were closed so I got to study for three hours straight. It was a nice change of pace. Also, we talked about teaching about Adam and Eve and I got really frustrated because I could not figure out why the story had to happen the way it did. I eventually had to be content with Gods ways are higher than your ways, but I will probably revisit that topic this week to see if I can bring peace of mind. On Friday, I had a long argument at dinner why I though Cyclops was a silly super hero and about whether Wolverine could beat him :). On Saturday, I realized that reading the D&C goes much faster than reading the Book of Mormon because the pages have lest words and verses are often repeated between sections. On Sunday, we heard from President Tanner, the president of the Sao Paulo Mission. His wife is the President of the whole Young Women Organization, power couple right? Anyways, during his speech, he was not content with how the translator was translating so he decided he would translate himself. This led him to repeat several things, and get confused and it was kind of funny. He finally let the translator do it again, but would accidentally do it without thinking. After the talk, we had snack and when I put on my coat, the collar almost always automatically pops. I didn’t notice until the Sisters pointed it out as they were laughing at me. So we decided to all pop our collars and we looked like fools while we were eating our late night cake :D. On Monday, we had our first opportunity to proselyte. I was really nervous at the start and did not want to talk to anyone. But we saw a teacher and practiced on him to break the ice. The first Book of Mormon we placed was in English because the man was a professional. He had a friend who also used to be a missionary. We ended up placing all six Book of Mormons in about one and a half hours.

If any of you reading this are questioning your testimony or do not have a testimony, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover and o Moroni’s advice and pray and ask god for an answer. You too can receive the witness that I did, that this truly is the true church and this work really can change people. I love you all so much and can´t wait to begin serving. I do not know when I will be able to write again.

Love,
Elder Healy

Thou Shalt Love

Hello again my faithful readers,
This week went by quickly as well. Days just seem to blend together, but they are still as great as ever. I memorized the first vision in about 20 minutes which surprised everyone including myself. My language learning is really taking off as I focus on specific areas and just memorize. The problem I am having is recalling what I learn in lessons and in conversation. I know it, but I am finding trouble using it. So there is only two weeks left which is really scaring me. I mean less than fourteen days before I will be in my first area with my first companion. I am really so scared I can´t believe it. I am doing everything I can to be ready, and I wonder if I am not trying enough. I am trying to find the balance between always ´´be anxiously engaged in a good cause´´ and ´´do not run faster than you are able.´´ It’s a marathon, not a sprint and I wonder sometimes if I am not pacing myself well. I am still working on finding a balance between learning about the language, the gospel, the district, and myself.
Here is a quick recap of some things of note this week. Today, we went to an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house and I went pass its name. I feel absolutely stuffed right now, but I just had two pieces of bread so I feel it is more balanced. Which reminds me, thank you so much to everyone who has sent me packages and presents. I am so thankful. I would recommend not sending anything else because it probably won’t get here in time. Just send it to my new address when I get into the field. You guys are so nice and it really brightens my day when I get something. Which reminds me, can I send letters through missionary ties? Also one of the missionaries can only jump about 3 inches, but can somehow do a back flip. I know right.
This week I decided to study more about our savior, and read the story about when the Pharisee asked Jesus what the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus replied, ´´Thou shalt love thy lord thy god... and thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.´´ The phrase that is repeated from the two great commandments is thou shalt love. I have tried to show my love with my companions by helping them, hugging, them, and sharing with them and I know I can do more. I invite you to try and serve those around you. Faith without works is dead, and love without actions is unknown. Show your love for those around you by doing the little things. Make their bed, compliment their clothes, or just say I love you. As you do this, both parties will receive the benefit. I love you so much. Please write me! Until next time... Viva Brasil!
Elder Healy

Taking Care of Business

Boa Tarde,

This week seemed to fly by as I put my head down and simply went to work. I have started making my weekly personal goals more and more challenging to make me have to work harder and harder to accomplish them. At the beginning of September I set the goal to finish the triple by the time that Ieave the MTC. I´ve planned out exactly where I need to be at the end of each day to accomplish this. It is about 30 pages per day. That doesnt sound that bad, but I am also highlighting taking notes, cross refencing and making a study journal which all take a lot of time. That combined with studying grammar, vocab, PMG, and for my three investigators really fills up my day. I am also trying to write significant passages in my journal every day and am trying to start a dream journal (weird I know, but I have been having some really strange dreams recently and I don't want to forget the entertaining ones :] ) I now am trying to be more efficient in how I dress, shower, pack, and even excercise so that I can get the most out of each day. I do not want the picture that I am slowly killing myself under the load, because I do still mix in a little fun and some jokes.

So here are three really bad food jokes I thought of today... What did the peanut tell to the pepper shaker? Tell your friend to stop a-salting me! Why did the tomatoe turn red? It saw the salad dressing! What do you call a french fry that detests Edgar Allen? A Poe-Hate-o. That last one's a stretch. Hope you enjoyed them.

Although I have made it a goal to work harder and learn more, my district and I still have a good time. Last night for example, we had our second lesson with an ´´investigator´´. My companion Elder Nielson was offering the prayer to begin the lesson when the investigator (our teacher) said ``Praise Jesus´´ in Potuguese. The prayer stopped and we were all sitting there for about 10 seconds in silence. I feel bad about this now, but I could not take it anymore so I peeked to see why my companion had stopped. His jaw had dropped and he was looking at our teacher with the funniest ``are you being serious right now`` expression I have ever seen in my entire life. I immediately been hyper ventilating as some of you know I do when I am trying not to laugh. My whole body was trying to hold it in. I began kind of salvivating and crying and then it just burst out of me. My teacher and other companion also started cracking p to and then the Japonese sisters started laughing because we were laughing. It took about 3 min before we had calme down enought to begin again. What you have to understand about Elder Nielson is that he did´nt know what the teacher said so he was checking if he did anything wrong.

My grandparents pointed out to me that I have not discussed the weather yet. It is very weird. It is winter/spring here right now so two days ago there was heavy fog and it was really cold and then today it was probably about 90. and its always humid. My shirts usually come out of the drier kind of wrinkly and I just hang them up on the window seal and they look ironed by the time I need them.

I read from 1 Nephi to Alma this last week and the section that stuck most with me was King Benjamin´s speech. It talks about how those who lead really serve. I Used chapter two and three on Sunday to give a 30 min lesson on how it applies to missionary work. I invite all you guys to read about the first 7 chapters of Alma this week. I love you so much and pray for you every day. The first commanment is love God, the second is love your neighbor as yourself. The great commandment is to love. Love each other, love yourself, love god.

Sincerely, Elder Healy

Week two

Hello People Who Still Read This!

Just kidding! I love you guys so much and miss all of you. I hope you know that you are in my prayers and I pray for your welfare everyday. I reread my last letter and I would like to formally apologize to everyone. I sounded like a spoiled American (which is probably true) and I did not give my experience here justice. My first week was very rough due to many factors, but the main reason came from my inability to be humble and appreciate what I have been given. I´m sleeping much better now, I love the food (still shy of the desserts :] ) I am best friends with one of my teachers, and I have two wonderful companions. I have found that trying to change the behaviors of my ´´investigators`` I have actually begun to change my own. As I have truly studied as I have never before, I find myself applying what I learn to my own life and love the difference it has made. I am not saying that I am a changed man, I am merely in the process of trying to change.

This week has been full of new experiences. We had the opportunity to teach a family of five who were all members pretending to be investigators. They offered us invisble coffee and so we had to discuss why we didn´t want any and about the word of wisdom. I forgot what ´wisdom´ is in portuguese and the little girl filled it in for me (sabedoria). It was really funny because the parents had to silence her and pretended that they didn't know what she was talking about and had never heard about it before.

I got to try Acai berry juice for the first time this week and it is delicious. I cant wait to try the ice cream today. We went to the temple this morning and I was filled with a desire to see and serve, whatever that means. I really want to get out in the field, but I also know that I am not ready.

My companions names are Elder Knudson and Elder Nielson. Elder Knudson wants to be an engineer, loves sports, and is one of a small group that has someone waiting for him back at home. Elder Nielson loves to draw and is teaching me as well. He once won a dorm wide Super Smash Bros competition. They both were in Provo for four weeks before coming here. They seem to be doing what I was doign my first week and searching for all the possible faults here. I have learned that comparison does nothing except show inadequacies and doesn't ever bring true joy. The only person I now try to compare myself to is the savior and each time I do I find myself lacking no matter how I progress. But I will keep progressing and keep reachign for the unreachable. C S Lewis once said (prepare for me to butcher this quote) ´´The proud dont find pleasure in having something. They only find pleasure in having more than someone else.´´ Feel free to edit! I now know why Bishop Keller was so worried about my lack of humility. I could not understand why he thought I was so proud. I did not feel as if I boasted or bragged or walked with a swagger, although I very well may have doen those things. The problem was in the fact that I honestly would look at my talents and gifts and would think that they were so much greater than those around me. And because of this I gave off an air of unearned superiority. But as I see my fellow missionaries struggle and excel and read about Jesus Christ, I realize how wrong I was.

Please look in to MissionTies. I can scan letters home instead of the month long back and forth. Could you maybe email Elder Duffy for my districts addresses again because I think I lost the sheet they gave me. I am out of time and I can´t wait for your responses. I am goign to try to send out more personal letters, but I really am rushed for time all the time.

Humbled,
Elder Healy

Best Companion!!

Here is a letter (and pictures!!!)sent home from Weston's former companion in the Provo MTC...


"Dear Healy Family,

I Told Elder Healy (your son) that I would send you guys some pictures so here they are! Elder Healy is so Great! He has helped me grow so much both spiritually and and everywhere else. He is an amazing example of patience. Everyday he would stop by and take the time to help me with the language. So don't worry abouyt him, he is an exceptional missionary. Well I should probably go. I don't want to seem like a creep. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Love, Elder Duffy

ROOMATES- Elder Duffy, Elder Healy, Elder Willits, Elder Heilner

COMPANIONS AT THE TEMPLE- Elder Healy and Elder Duffy

DISTRICT AT THE TEMPLE- (Elders) Willits, Duffy, Heliner, Healy, Worthington, Haywood, Kolb, Norton, Mccord, Stibork, Clingman

FELL ASLEEP DURING CHOIR

DISTRICT WITH OUR LANGUAGE TEACHER- Mccord, Brother Teadner Messais, Kolb, Haywood, Stibork, Willits, Clingman, Heilner, Duffy, Healy, Norton, Worthington

AT TEMPLE WITH BRAZILIAN FLAG

LEAVING THE MTC FOR BRAZIL-Elder Healy and Elder Duffy