Hola family!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I am going to apologize for no pictures this week. Sister Stowers was having a rough week, so we spent most of the afternoon last Monday inside and didn't get to the beach until it was dark, but it was great! It was so peaceful and amazing being there. Today the other sisters in our zone are coming down for a special Christmas p-day. We will definitely take pictures and I promise to send them home next week.

I'm going to call at 7:00pm or around there, hopefully if my companions don't take the phones first. President said we could talk for 40-60 minutes. I'm excited to call. I didn't realize how much I am looking forward to talking with my own family until yesterday in church. I'm glad I have you as my family and you brought us up well to be somewhat normal and to realize the big picture of things.

We had an exciting week with several great investigators and potentials lined up for this week. There are some really great people here. I love it! Missionary work is awesome! We are spending Christmas Eve with one of our new investigators from the past week, and I can tell it will be amazing. He really is great. Here is a little snipet from my letter to President Summerhays this week:

Branda dropped her baptismal date because she didn't come to Church yesterday. We were a little worried about her, but we stopped by her house early last week and she told us she had been busy and had been hoping that we would come by. She still wants to be baptized. We had a really good lesson with her this week about the plan of salvation and she wants to know what the qualifications for each kingdom is specifically so that she knows what she needs to do in order to go to the Celestial Kingdom. My heart rejoiced when I heard her say that.

Manuel we met tracting. He was surprised to see us when we came back because he has been burnt by priests and other churches, but we taught him a good lesson one and he said that several times he felt like we were piercing his heart. He called us later that night and asked about the reading assignments we left for him. He also told us he would be at church with his kids and they came! He was worried and a little scared, but he told us he really enjoyed it. We are going to spend Christmas Eve with him helping him learn more. After Church he said he need all the information we could give him so that he could learn it all. Manuel is great!

One of the other new investigators we found is named Jason. He said that he had gone to Church in Chipley for about a year and was about to move out to Utah for a job, but instead came to Destin. He said his friends have joked about he he is going to become a member. We have a lesson with him tonight. And, we are planning on setting a baptismal date so he will be a member.

Sister Reeves came to church again, and we had a really good lesson with her. We taught lesson three and were somewhat worried because she had pretty emphatically told us she didn't want to be baptized. As we were teaching she didn't say anything about not getting baptized, and she she wants to understand more. I think that things are working slowly as we keep going over and sharing more with her.

I wish I could write all about it in these emails home, but I feel like Moroni in Ether 12. It is so hard to put it all into words, especially in emails. I can't wait to share everything when I get home. I'm sorry there isn't more to this email.

I love you all! To everyone I won't get to talk to on Christmas, I love you and hope you have a great Christmas. Before we all know it I won't have to write emails home and can call and share everything with you personally.

Love, Joanna

Hi Family,

It sounds like things are good at home. I was wondering if you had gotten the Christmas tree yet. I'm not surprised that y'all are waiting for Janet to come home to get it. I guess that I'll call later in the day more towards the evening or later in the evening. My companions will probably both call earlier in the day.

I got the letter and also a package from Joseph and Tracy this week. It was nice to finally get some mail. My companions and I haven't made the Christmas tree yet, but I'm sure we will before Christmas. Sister Hartman's mom sent us a 12 days of Christmas countdown and we have been enjoying that with our very tiny Christmas tree.

Things here are alright. There really isn't anything spectacular happening. We have some pretty good investigators and had some interesting lessons with them. We have been teaching a Romanian lady and her family. They are Seventh-day Adventists. It has been pretty interesting to say the least. We also met a man named Syd who was very interested in our message. When we went to teach him, he said he wanted to know how we came to know that the Book of Mormon and Jospeh Smith are true. He was so fascinated by what we each told him, and by everything (things about serving a mission etc.) and he asked us to tell him how everything about the Church came to be. It was great!

Oh, I need my birth certificate. In Florida they have this law that you have to have a Florida driver's license. So, since I'm the driver, I need to get one. Maybe you can include that in the Christmas package.I think I have everything else that I need to get it. If not, I'll let you know.

I can't wait until I can go to the temple again. I miss it. Maybe we can do that the day after I get home. It's just a thought.

Well, I can't think of anything else for this week. Hopefully, next week I'll have more exciting things to write and some pictures, too. There are some other sisters in the zone and we were thinking that maybe next Monday we would get together. We haven't planned anything. I'll also let you know for sure what time I'll be calling home. Don't worry. I'm really looking forward to it, so I'll make sure y'all are home.

I love you! Thanks for all of your prayers and your support. I really appreciate it.

Love, Joanna

Hello Family!

SO, this might be pretty short because I don't know how much time the library here allows us to email, but luckily I get to write this week. Being here in Destin h as been good. I'm glad I'm here. It is a great place. The branch is great. It is about the size of Mt. Vernon, so I feel right at home. It is really hard to think that I have to spend Christmas here. I don't know how I'll survive :).

Let's see about things here. Thanksgiving was good. It wasn't like Thanksgivings at home, but it was good. We have been having some good success. We have already found and committed someone to baptism. She is awesome! She ran into elders 3 years ago and wasn't ready then, but since then she has become super prepared and told us in our very first lesson that she knows it is true! She loved Church yesterday and is looking forward to coming back. She is great! We have also taught a Romanian lady and her husband, two sons and their wives. It is crazy because there is a little bit of a language barrier, but hopefully we'll get somewhere.

We had Zone Conference this week. It was good. The zone is a lot different than in Tallahassee. The sister I was supposed to train back in August is in the zone and so we had a good time talking about Andalusia. She ended up serving there, so we could swap stories. WE are hopefully going to plan a Christmas p-day to spend with the other sisters and also do exchanges if we can work it all out.

Here is our address again just so that you have it for sure:
200 Sandestin Lane #616
Miramar Beach, FL 32550

There is a set of Spanish elders in our branch, too. We had a branch Christmas party this week. It was fun. Because our first Sunday was the Sunday after Thanksgiving we didn't get to meet all of the members because they were out of town, but we did at the party. There are a lot of tall skinny blondes who look like they are 25 (but they aren't). I was joing with my companions that I'm the only one with dark hair and I don't fit in. They did a Christmas around the world thing, and the food was decent. I like being here in Destin. It is nice to be back in a family branch with real people. And, they appreciate us and ask for our help with things.

So, Sister Hartman is great! She is from Flagstaff, AZ and is the youngest of 7. She is the only girl, and is actually a twin. She has been out 7 1/2 months and has spent the whole time in Panama City Beach. She was supposed to train, but her companion didn't make it out of the MTC. Because of that we are also covering Panama City Beach. It is going to be interesting to see how things work out with it. It takes some effort to cover both. We do have a really good investigator there as well. He ordered the lamb of God video and as we taught him the first lesson he started crying in the middle of it. It was pretty amazing. He even went to Church in PCB without us being there.

I might write you a letter with more in it later today. We'll see. I need to write to President before the time runs out. If I get more time and I think of anything else, I'll write you another email.

I love you! Thanks for your love and support!
Love, Joanna

Dear Fam,

Well, transfers were this past week and we are in Destin. It has been an interesting week, but a good one at that. We are actually in a threesome. Sister Hartman from the Panama City Beach area came over to join us because her trainee didn't come from the MTC. She is great! She is an excellent asset to the companionship.

Because of the transfers, we didn't know anything about the area and the library closed at 5:00pm and we didn't know that. So, you get a handwritten letter this week. Our address is:

200 Sandestin Ln.
Apt. 616
Miramar Beach, FL 32550

Destin is pretty ritzy. There is no other area like this in the mission. The lower class neighborhoods look like our neighborhood. Where we live (Sandestin) is pretty much one huge resort. It's crazy! I really like it here. They have a branch that is about to become a ward. They are great! We got to speak this last Sunday in Sacrament Meeting. On Thanksgiving, we played in the Branch Turkey Bowl. We won! Then we had 2 Thanksgiving dinners. They have been so welcoming.

We have Zone Conference again this Friday. Yipee! President Summerhays and I had a pretty interesting conversation as we were driving for transfers. We talked about my future and what I should do with myself when I go home. It was really interesting. He promised me that he would pay for me to spend 3 days and 2 nights in Andalusia (after the mission) because I am not going to be going back while I'm out. He is great!

We had had some really great success while we've been here. Today when we were grocery shopping, we ran into a part-member who is going to be an investigator, a new investigator, and then a contact. And, that was all on p-day! We have spent a fair amount of time lost and wandering around finding people, but sometimes that is what it takes.

The beaches are gorgeous! We haven't gone to them, but we are practically surrounded by them. I'll take lots of pictures for sure. On Christmas, the Branch President and his family take the missionaries to the beach to open their presents.

I feel so much better being here than in Tallahassee. It was a trial being there, but i know that I learned so much being there. Without it, I don't think I would have learned what the Lord needed me to learn for my future. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and it was one of those necessary hard things. But, as always, the Lord blesses us after we go through these trials. And He is always there with us as we are going through all the experiences we face.

I was studying about being well-favored and favored of the Lord. It was pretty interesting to study about. Christ, of course, was the most well-favored and it intrigued me about how He did it. Philipians 2 and Hebrews 5 talk about it. I don't have my notes with me right now, but it was pretty interesting. When we are obedient and righteous, we gain Heavenly Father's favor.

How were things at home last week? Did you enjoy Thanksgiving? How is Dad's job? How is everyone? I've been out of the loop for this week and I guess I'll still be for another week. It lets me be more focused on the work :).

I love you! I am so lucky to have such a great family like you. Because of the Scoresby family, I am who I am and I have learned and developed qualities and characteristics (like hard work and obedience) which are so important. Thanks for teaching me so well. I love you!

I'm sorry this is so random and sloppy. Next week, we should be good to go for emails so I can write a more normal email home.

I hope that all is well! I love you! Love, Joanna

Dear Family,

It must have been the computer that was having problems because I opened the email again and it worked fine. Thanks for always sending me an email. You are the only one that I can count on for an email every week.

I'm getting transferred! It is exciting. Sister Stowers and I are both beig transferred together and we are opening a new sisters area. We are going to Destin, which should be fun. They have a very strong and active relief society, and the elders that are there right now say that it is definitely a sisters' area. Since both Sister Stowers and I are being transferred from campus, we might not be transferring with everyone else. President wants our investigators to be able to make the transition and not get lost. So, we might hang around here in Tallahassee to get the investigators turned over to the new sisters. Hopefully, by next weekend we will be in Destin. We will definitely be having p-day on Monday again so that will be when I write next. I'm so excited! We might end up eating McDonalds for Thanksgiving, but that is alright. The senior couple at the Institute has spoiled us with a Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and they are making a special dinner for us Monday night. I'm really going to miss them. They really made this place not as bad as it could have been.

We had an alright week this week. We had Zone Conference on Tuesday which is always the best part of the week. It was amazing again. We talked about obedience and the importance of obedience. President Summerhays said that when we choose to not be obedient we are signing up for a miserable life and also signing up to receive no blessings. I had never thought of it like that before. We also talked about prayer. President also wants us to be more expressive in sharing our love with others, so we did this really fun activity where we went around the room saying why we love each other. It was great fun, kind of awkward having elders tell you that they love you, but it was fun. And, it was a good experience as well. I asked President what I should do with my life, and he said I was qualified to do anything. He said that we would talk about it in the future.

We also were able to set another baptismal date with one of our investigators. She is great, and I'm sad that we'll be leaving her. In our last lesson she said that she knew that being baptized into the Church was what she needed to do, she just wanted to make sure she knew and understood what she would be doing. She makes me happy everytime that we get to meet with her. The new sisters won't actually be teaching her. Instead, one of the sets of elders will be. It is a better match personality wise. She said that she was going to be sad if we left and that she felt comfortable with us. hearing investigators say things like that is the hardest thing to hear when you are getting transferred, but that is what happens. It is a good thing people are converted to the gospel not to the missioanries!

Our toilet has been having problems lately. When we came home from Zone Conference this week, we had a really messy problem that they didn't fix until the next day. It was a little miserable there for 24 hours until they got it fixed. But, I'm grateful that we have good living conditions. There really is nothing to complain about.

Thanks for sending those talks! I really appreciate them. We didn't get to go to the CES Fireside where Elder Holland spoke, but everyone kept saying that it was really good. I'm glad that I could read it. As I was reading it I couldn't help but liken it unto myself, and it made the talk so much more meaningful. Everyone should read it. It is good.

The weather here has been freezing! The lows a couple of nights this week were in the 20s. I was so surprised! It isn't supposed to be this cold in Florida. I've learned how to do some nice layering jobs to stay warm during the day. The hardest part is that from about midcalf down to the toes you can only where so many pairs of nylons/tights. But, I can be a little cold to share to gospel with everyone around me.

There is a baptism tonight for one of the sets of elders. The young man who is getting baptized is amazing! He saw the elders talking to his friend on campus and joined them and started telling his friend that what the missionaries were teaching was true. He is really on fire and actually is thinking about going on a mission. The elders have taken him to some of their teaching appointments and they said that he was awesome.

I aksed Sister Summerhays about being reimbursed. The $94 dollars was probably for the first visit. I paid for the second visit with my debit card, so it will probably just be put into my account, but how do I get access to that $94 dollars on my credit card? Will it just hang out there if I don't use it? Maybe, there is someway to transfer it over to my bank account. It probably needs money in there.

So, I have been thinking about Christmas a little bit lately and have started compiling a Christmas list. Here is what I have so far:
-a new watch. mine has been under several surgeries and it is about out of commission.
-some tights. they have to be solid colors and no texture. I think black and maybe a nude/brown would be great.
-possible some leggings to keep warm. this might not be necessary because it might be warmer in Destin. and this cold spell might be just a crazy Florida weather thing.
-my gray Old Navy bag that I've had forever. The bag I am using is also almost out of commission. I guess since it spent 18 months in Argentina and then the past 14 months here that would be why. That other bag is somewhere in the bin that has all my bags. I think maybe it is in a purple bin of my stuff. I'm not really sure where anything is.

Well, I can't think of anything else to write about. We are having lunch with the ward mission leader and his fiancee, and then we get to start the fun packing process. I think it should be a little easier this time, since I haven't had 10 1/2 months to accumulate things :) I feel that I have been very good while I have been here in Tallahassee.

Well, I love you all! I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving!
Love, Joanna