Update

   Sorry, it's only been about two weeks, and I am already falling behind on this. There was barely any new updates last week though, so it would have been stupid anyways. But this week, we got a nice long letter from our missionary. She gaves only a bit of details but enough that I think you will like it. It will be scattered across this.
   First of all, I realized just barely that I haven't told you Missy's companions name! Or anything about her. Her name is Sister Tuakalau and Missy and her get along bashfully. Missy told us this about her:
    "Sister Tu'akalau is from San Jose California, though she was born in Hawaii, and lived in SLC for her  younger years. Her family is from Tonga and her grandparents only speak Tongan. She and I get along really well."  
   I am so happy that she and her companion get along so well.
   Speaking of friends, she told us this about the elders:
   "...I love my district! There are twelve of us. Elder Raymond and Elder Francis, Elder Plitt and Elder Porter, Elder Yound and Elder Hutchins, Elder Colf and Elder Mcmillan, Sister Carlson and Sister Anderson and then me and Sister Tu'akalau. We all have so much fun learning and talking...Elders Plitt, Porter, Colf and Mcmillan are going to the Ohio Cleveland mission. My companion, Sis. Tu'akalau is going to the NYC North Mission."
   She is having a great time, but her days are extremely hectic. She told us a somewhat breif schedule of her days. Wow. I am tired reading it. Here, see for yourself. This goes from her first day to the usual day-to-day one she goes by now:
   "After you dropped me off at the MTC, I follows a couple of Elders to a Sister who led me to my residence. I had only enough time to set down my bags and grab my PMG and scriptures before I was taken to my classroom.There I met my teachers, Sis Smith and Bro Beeston.They introduced themselves and gave a short lesson on our purpose as missionaries.
   After that, we went to a big meeting with all the new missionaires. The MTC presidency spoke to us. At one point they called out the names of different countries and states and had missionaries from there stand. It was funny when they called out Utah at the end and more than half of the audience stood.
   After the meeting we ate dinner and then taught. I'm not even kidding. We taught on our first day in the MTC. After the teaching, we met our zone leaders then went to our residence to unpack and go to bed.
   The next three days were very very very long and very very very difficult. We sat through a gazillion tutorial meetings and got lost like 8 times. The MTC is a very confusing place. It is all covered and all looks the same. Only in the last two days or so have sister Tu'akalau and I been able to get from place to place without second guessing ourselves."
   She had a few highlights from the MTC for us too. Here one is:
   "I play foursquare every gym period with a group of rockin awesome Elders. Because we don't wear name tags in the gym, and my memory is horrible, I don't know all of their names, but I know a few. Elder Smith, Elder Neilson and Elder Robertson make gym actually fun. I never thought I'd say that! It truely is a blessing to be comfortable in a gym for me. I actually look forward to gym periods. I'm really bad a four square though. It's funny, everytime I go into the squares, they yell "Yeah Sister Smith!" I feel like I have a couple thousand younger brothers."
   I have never been so grateful for stinky boys before. It is so great to know someone is making her life easier and better.
   This is a funny story that I feel like I should share. I don't know they end yet though, because it hasn't happened... :) This story starts when we got this email from Melissa:
   "My companion sister Tu'akalau hasn't gotten a single letter/package. Neither has Elder Raymond. I don't know that you need to send them anything, but maybe just a letter of encouragement."
   My mom, out of the goodness of her heart, decided to make large happy package for each. So she did. And then, after she sent them to Missy to give to them, she realized she sent a package to Elder ROBINSON instead of Elder RAYMOND. We don't know if Missy caught the mistake, or gave it to the wrong kid, but we hope to find out today from a Sister in the ward who's husband is the MTC president, so fingers crossed. If we DO find out today, then I'll write a quick little post. Thank you for reading, Missy loves hearing your coments!!!
   Forever, the Smiths (in EmmaLee's words)
  

Email

   Just in case you want to send her a email or a note or whatever here is Melissa's missionary email that she can check on her P-Day. I'm not quite sure if she can email you back personally, but I know she can send out newsletterish things every once in a while. So yeah, enjoy and when she goes in the feild, you can have her address, but I hope this is good for now...
  
   Email Sister Melissa Smith at melissas@myldsmail.net. Enjoy!

Hey Everybody!

   Today we sent off our first missionary, Sister Melissa Smith, to the Provo MTC. She is going off to the Ohio Cleveland mission. So, for her extended family to keep tabs on her, we are making this blog for you to read. It (should) will be updated every Sunday mostly, but that could change, given I may get busy (lazy) and this is the first blog most of our family has ever been expected to keep up with. So, we'll see how this goes, but it should be quite an adventure for all of us.
   At the MTS, as we were dropping her off, some guys who seemed quite nice came and helped her carry her stuff. They were reassuring, kind, (cute-ish). It's all going to be okay, we are crying (well, the girls are at least), but it's all okay. We drive away as she walks off making small talk with them. And then, through our windows, we hear and another escort missionary say something to the effect of, "We hope you'll all make it out alive." Thanks, random missionary, appreciated. Not. Mariah starts crying more. (Yes, we do hope they all make it out alive.) What a great way to leave our daughter/sister. "Hoping" she makes it out alive.
   Missy is so thrilled that she has this opportunity to be serving the Lord, and we hope you can keep her in your prayers. We will all miss her a lot but it's only a year and a half, right?
     Always,
    the Smith family (spoken for today by Emma)