Dear Family!

What a great day it is! We had a very happy week and had some really amazing lessons this week.

We had some really great other lessons this week. Several weeks ago, a member invited one of her friends to dinner when they were taking us out. She came and it turns out that she was blessed as a child in the church and that her husband's cousins are members and have served missions and everything. After several failed attempts of meeting with them, we finally caught them at home and taught them lesson one. It was such a good lesson and they asked the perfect questions. The wife, Gini, became one of our new investigators. Hopefully, this week JJ will also become an investigator. There are going to be great things that happen with this family.

We also met with John again this week. He is so amazing! He did his reading and has still been praying, which most of the people I've taught have not been so dedicated to either of these commitments at first. But, we taught him about the plan of salvation and he told us it answered so many of his questions and he felt that so good about what he had learned from us so far. We tried committing him to come to Church, but he told us that it would take him a while. He also admitted that he has commitment issues, and was afraid of getting committed to this before he was ready. He did say he would come to church and it will probably be within the next couple of weeks. We suspect that he knows that this is true and is a little overwhelmed by knowing that. He said that he has been "praying for the perseverance to see this to the end." He knows that "the end" means baptism because he asked us the last time we taught him. He is so happy about life and the new light we have shared with him. I want to see him baptized so much! There is a couple that is here for a few months who are converts (about 25 years ago) that were in a very similar situation to John. We had lunch with them right after John's lesson and everything they said pointed us to have them fellowship John while they are still here. We were able to set up a sooner return appointment for the 3rd of March. This is what missionary work is all about. I love it!

The couple that are going to be John's friends are some snowbirds from Appleton, WI. They are truly amazing! He is a sealer in the Chicago Temple and was in the temple Presidency there a couple of years ago. We had lunch with them this week and they are both amazing converts to the church. I'm so glad that they came down here while I was here. I think that when I'm home we should go down and visit them. They are really neat people that I think you would really like.

Transfers were last week, and now I am in my final transfer. It is hard to believe that it all is coming to an end here in a few short weeks. We, as a companionship, have decided that this is going to be the best transfer of the mission and have dedicated ourselves to it. We have some really great things that are going to happen here.

Oh, I got my hair cut last week. It was really just a trim, but a pretty good sized trimmed. I don't have any pictures yet, but I'm planning on printing some off today and I'll try and send some home soon.

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for your love and prayers. It is so great to know that I have so much love and support from friends and family! I love you all!

Love, Joanna

Hi Family,

This will probably be pretty short since we don't have much time left today. Sorry for the bad typing too. Npothing is happening with transfers. I will end my mission here in Destin. I'm happy with it. I like it here. It is really hard to believe that in six weeks I'll be coming home.

Jose's baptism was so good! It was such a spiritual occasion. Everyone there really felt the spirit. Jose was so happy to get baptized and then receive the Holy Ghost on Sunday. I love seeing people come to receive the ordinance of baptism. It is the greatest thing to be a part of. I can only ever think of how happy Heavenly father is with each one who gets baptized.

Melissa got baptized this weekend as well. I didn't get to go even though President Summerhays entertained the idea for a little bit. Another girl also got baptized that I had met and knew her mom. It was really exciting to see that she got baptized because I had no idea. I'm so excited that things are going so well.

We had zone conference this past week and it was really good. I learned so much and had such a good interview with President Summerhays. I got a letter in the mail from President Pleshek. It was nice.

I'm sorry this is so short. Hopefully next week I'll have a little more time to write so I can write more. I love you all! Thanks for everything that you do!

Love, Joanna

Dear Family,

It sounds like your week was about as good as my week. We did have a couple of exciting things happen, though. Tuesday we helped some members lay laminate floor in their house. I was really good at it. If we ever want to put it in our house, I know what to do. Just don't ask me to measure/cut. It seems like the old sewing problem about cutting it too small is still a problem. But, we did a room in their house, and it looked good. I got a pretty good size bruise on my knee from being on a hard wood floor all afternoon, but helping them outweighs my tender knee. The other thing of excitement is that Jose had his baptismal interview this week. He is excited to get baptized this Saturday. We had some really good lessons with him, and he told our district leader this week that he was planning on serving a mission.

We had a really great lesson with a man this week that we had met several weeks ago. He had actually done his reading and had prayed like we had asked him to pray. It was kind of a surprise because lots of people don't keep those commitments. As we talked with him he told us that he feels such great comfort when he prays (he didn't pray often before) and he really finds the Book of Mormon interesting. Then he said, "I don't know what all this is leading to or where this will all end, but I really like meeting with you. I don't know if I might have to say 'no' sometime in the future, but I want you to keep coming back." I was shocked! We don't always have the most interactive lessons, but he actually asked us questions and made comments. But, he is really nervous about everything because he hasn't been too religious in his life and doesn't know what to expect. He told us that he wouldn't be able to meet with us every week right now, but once he gets a little more comfortable with religion he would. So, in two weeks we are going to go back. He is such a great person! I feel really good about him.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here! It is hard to believe it is February when it is sunny and 70s here. There were a couple of cool days, but nothing to really complain about. I think the lows were in the thirties.

There have been several people from Wisconsin at Church. A member grew up in Waukesha (I think) and his mom has been here for a while. She said that she knows Shannon's family from way back. Their last name is Lillian. Does that ring a bell Shannon? There is also a couple who is going to be here for a month or so from Appleton. She told me that they have a granddaughter at BYU.

Thanks for the Valentine's Day package! The cookies were great! I also got a reimbursement check from missionary medical. I might try and cash it here or just wait until I get home and cash it then.

This week we are looking forward to Jose's baptism and also zone conference. It should be a really good week. Next week is transfers. I don't know what is going to happen. I'd like to stay here, but I don't know if that is what would be the best. I guess we'll see what the Lord has planned.

I love you all! Thanks for everything!
Love, Joanna

Dear Family,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It was a great day! We spent the morning tracting on a muddy dirt road where all the dogs were barking at us the whole way down the road. Then we had a good lesson with Jose, and a couple other investigators. Then we went contacting at Goodwill. They have a really nice Goodwill that is always packed with cars and lots of people are there. We talked to this lady there. She had good friends who were members so she was excited to talk to us. She also said the elders who cover where she lives could come talk to her. On top of talking to her, I found a nice pair of pants that I just had to buy. Then we had another lessons, got kicked out of a neighborhood, tried contacting at a mercadito (no such luck), and then had dinner with a member. It was really good. The taco salad was excellent. They are a great family! They are always willing to help us with the work, and they have a genuine love for us. I especially want to thank Emily for her very thoughtful and personal gift. It really meant a lot.

Other than that the week was pretty normal. Missionary work is missionary work. We met a guy named Alan Perkins from Iowa who said that the name Scoresby sounded familiar. Does anyone know an Alan Perkins? Maybe he'll remember why it sounds familiar before we go back to teach him.

Jose our investigator is getting excited for his baptism. We had some really good lessons with him this week. He is 19 years old and just moved down here from Kentucky. he has had a rough life in the past, but since he has been learning he has seen the joy the restored gospel brings into our lives. He was talking this week about going on a mission. We told him that maybe he would get called to where we are from and we can help him teach investigators. Wouldn't that be a great experience.

President Summerhays challenged us to read the Book of Mormon before our next zone conference (so it gives us 26 days). It has been a really neat thing to do. This week I was reading in Alma 27 about the people of Ammon. It describes them as being highly favored of the Lord. As I was thinking about that and the conditions it mentions for being highly favored. We all want to be highly favored of the Lord, so are we willing to do what the Lord tells us we need to do? It was neat thinking about that.

It has been really nice here. This past couple of days have been about 70 degrees and sunny. I feel like it should be April, but it is only February. I'll remember Jeff in my prayers. I'm glad Casie got accepted to BYU. She'll really like it.

Well, that's about it for today. I love you all! Thanks for you prayers and support!

Love, Joanna