Dear Family,
I still haven't gotten your email yet, but I'll go ahead and write to you.
This week was good, but tiring. We have been working hard, so I am going to spend quality time today with my bed and my blankie.
One of our investigators didn't show up for his baptism interview last night. It was a little disappointing, but there are still a couple of weeks until his baptism.
We had Branch Conference yesterday. There were 71 people there and about 15 were from the Stake. Our building was packed full. We had to have people sit in the overflow (the Relief Society room). I could imagine that it was similar to some Branch Conferences that you go to. Mom. It was good though. We are finally getting a branch mission leader. He will be sustained and set apart next Sunday. It will be good to have him be it, so I am excited. Now I just have to learn how to work with one. We've just been using the Branch President, but I'm sure things will be the same, just with a different person. They had a potluck after Church and there was a lot of good southern food.
We also were invited to a fireside that our District leader's ward was putting on. We invited some of our investigators and other people that we hoped would come, but none of them showed up! We had a good time, and were able to talk to the primary president (she drove us) and got some information from her and shared ideas with her as well. The fireside was about the Savior and they did a very good job.
Other than that things are the same. We still haven't gotten transfer information yet, but I am pretty sure I'm staying. I did get the other box of contacts that you ordered. Thanks! And, I'm glad Sarah got to the MTC safely. It was funny to see the same pictures from when I went but Sarah there instead.
Hopefully, before we leave the school I'll get your email. I love you all!
Love, Joanna
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Kind of an old-fashioned town
This is outside the Dairy Queen on E. Three Notch St., one of the main drags in town.
It's so old-fashioned we have to pump our own water every morning.
Us, riding the train. We didn't get very far...okay, it didn't even move.
This is my new friend, Heather.
We have the most sisters in our zone. From left to right:
Me, Sis. Mickelson, Sister Colvin, Sister Osburn, and Sister Furner.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Dear Family,
I guess this week will be an exciting week for the family. Good luck to Sarah as she goes off to the MTC. Can you believe that it was six months ago right at this time that I was doing all that? I was thinking about that as I got ready this morning and I realized I only have a year (plus three weeks because that will be when the transfer will be). There is so much that I still need to do here! There is not enough time!
I'm sorry to hear that Janet's basketball career is over. There is always the chance for intramurals next year at BYU. And, I am so happy to hear that my little niece will be born in three weeks. I didn't even know when Tracy was expecting, so I was just guessing sometime at the end of March or beginning of April. It's a good thing I know now.
We did have a little bit of cold weather, but nothing horrible. There was a little snow in north Alabama, but we only had a little frost. The time change was a disaster though! Losing an hour of sleep as a missionary is not a good thing. Good thing it is p-day and I can take a nap today.
It was an interesting week. Nothing spectacular happened, but we did get some good things accomplished. This next Sunday is Branch Conference and we have been invited to a fireside in Enterprise, AL that the FSU Institute director is doing. It will be good and I think Donnie will be going, too. Oh, we went to a Catholic Church with a member and her friend on Tuesday evening. They were having a special lecture type thing. We left and were talking to the member afterwards and she said "That's why we have the restoration." She was right on. It was so sad and not peaceful at all. The things the father said was distorted truth that had changed because of the apostasy. Then they recited their prayers and venerated the Relic of the Cross. You could see the bits and pieces of truth that the Church still clung to, but it wasn't the full truth at all. It was confusing and didn't make sense at all. I am so thankful that we do have the fulness of the gospel and all the truth. It makes life a lot better.
I should be staying in Andalusia for a couple more months. The way President Summerhays has talked to me about it is that I'll be here to keep things going just like they have been. You can go ahead and order contacts and send them here. If I'm not here, they can always forward it to me. Also, I'd love my three barrel curling iron!
That is about it. I'm sending real pictures today and I'll write a little more then. I love you all! Love, Joanna
I guess this week will be an exciting week for the family. Good luck to Sarah as she goes off to the MTC. Can you believe that it was six months ago right at this time that I was doing all that? I was thinking about that as I got ready this morning and I realized I only have a year (plus three weeks because that will be when the transfer will be). There is so much that I still need to do here! There is not enough time!
I'm sorry to hear that Janet's basketball career is over. There is always the chance for intramurals next year at BYU. And, I am so happy to hear that my little niece will be born in three weeks. I didn't even know when Tracy was expecting, so I was just guessing sometime at the end of March or beginning of April. It's a good thing I know now.
We did have a little bit of cold weather, but nothing horrible. There was a little snow in north Alabama, but we only had a little frost. The time change was a disaster though! Losing an hour of sleep as a missionary is not a good thing. Good thing it is p-day and I can take a nap today.
It was an interesting week. Nothing spectacular happened, but we did get some good things accomplished. This next Sunday is Branch Conference and we have been invited to a fireside in Enterprise, AL that the FSU Institute director is doing. It will be good and I think Donnie will be going, too. Oh, we went to a Catholic Church with a member and her friend on Tuesday evening. They were having a special lecture type thing. We left and were talking to the member afterwards and she said "That's why we have the restoration." She was right on. It was so sad and not peaceful at all. The things the father said was distorted truth that had changed because of the apostasy. Then they recited their prayers and venerated the Relic of the Cross. You could see the bits and pieces of truth that the Church still clung to, but it wasn't the full truth at all. It was confusing and didn't make sense at all. I am so thankful that we do have the fulness of the gospel and all the truth. It makes life a lot better.
I should be staying in Andalusia for a couple more months. The way President Summerhays has talked to me about it is that I'll be here to keep things going just like they have been. You can go ahead and order contacts and send them here. If I'm not here, they can always forward it to me. Also, I'd love my three barrel curling iron!
That is about it. I'm sending real pictures today and I'll write a little more then. I love you all! Love, Joanna
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Dear Family,
It is an extremely beautiful day here in Alabama! It is hard to believe it
is March and the weather is 80 degrees! It is also hard to believe that
next week will be my six month anniversary! We tried to go to the museum
this morning, but it is closed on Mondays! We were disappointed, but we did
take pictures outside. I'll actually send you some real ones this next
week. I know you'll like them :)
Well, here is the update on everyone:
Donnie, Melissa, and Austin did not get baptized this week. We still haven't
set a baptism date with them yet. However, yesterday when Donnie came to
church he told us that he has been talking to Melissa about why she won't
get baptized. Apparently, it has something to do with her mom and grandma
being baptized (I believe in a baptist church) and they have both died. She
is afraid they are in a horrible place and doesn't understand why their
baptism doesn't count. We might be seeing them more than we had planned on
seeing them this week. The McDaniels are possibly having them over for
family home evening this week and we'll be there as well. Donnie, however,
is great! He understands it so well.
Barbara is doing well. Her mom was in the hospital, and when we went and saw
her on Saturday she told us she really wanted to stop smoking. Of course, we
threw our planned lesson on keeping the Sabbath Day holy out the door and
taught her the word of wisdom. She said she would live it, but it would be
hard when her mom came back from the hospital. President Newton said he
would get some people to give her a blessing to help her live it. It would
probably help out.
Betty was a media referral for the Bible and when we got there we told her
we also wanted to give her a Book of Mormon. She told us that she would
start reading the Book of Mormon before she went to bed that night! We
haven't been able to go back because something came up and then she had a
migraine. Hopefully, we can see her this week again. She is a great lady!
She used to work at a nursing home or assisted living facility and she loved
this old man there named Kermit Brown. She kept telling us "I loved me some
Kermit Brown!" She was pretty excited about it.
Jane had met with the missionaries a little bit before when the elders were
here. She wasn't feeling very good either, sut she did say that we could
come back. She said she had a Book of Mormon, but didn't know where it was.
She told us she would look for it before we came back. Then we went off to
tract her next door neighbor. As we were getting ready to go on to the next
house Jane came running out of her house waving the Book of Mormon. She was
so excited that she had found it that she wanted to let us know! That was
fun! It was kind of cold tracting that day, but it felt good. I love cold
weather! I better live somewhere where it snows :)
Tony was completely found through inspiration and the Spirit. We were kind
of stuck with about half an hour before dinner. We prayed to know what to do
and Sister Mickleson said that we should go back to take a Book of Mormon to
a little girl and her family we had met the week before. I think I told you
about Heather last week. Well, we took her a book about Jesus. When we got
there, there were two houses in one building and so we didn't know what door
to knock on. We took our chances and found Tony, Heather's uncle. He seemed
to be sincerely interested. He has read from the Book of Mormon before. He
asked good questions. We are going back this week. Heather lived next door
and Tony said we should teach them. Heather's mom didn't really want to
learn anything, but she was nice. She had a friend who was a member.
I did get the box of contacts and they are the exact ones I wear. Thank you
so much! Thanks for getting the bank stuff taken care of. I can't believe
they were doing that. I thought they had to ask first.
Congrats to Janet on her awesome game! I'm so proud of my little baby
sister! Oh, while I am thinking of it, I'm going to need Sarah's addresses.
Lots of people are sick here. I doesn't make it easy befcause no one wants
us to get sick so they don't want us to come over or go inside when we are
tracting. Luckily, I have missed all the sickness so far. I hope I keep
missing it. We helped a lady in the branch clean this week and her house
reminded me of Grandma Allred's a little bit. She has lived there for 56
years, so it is a pretty old house.
Well, I guess that is all. We just keep working here. I love you all!
Love, Joanna
It is an extremely beautiful day here in Alabama! It is hard to believe it
is March and the weather is 80 degrees! It is also hard to believe that
next week will be my six month anniversary! We tried to go to the museum
this morning, but it is closed on Mondays! We were disappointed, but we did
take pictures outside. I'll actually send you some real ones this next
week. I know you'll like them :)
Well, here is the update on everyone:
Donnie, Melissa, and Austin did not get baptized this week. We still haven't
set a baptism date with them yet. However, yesterday when Donnie came to
church he told us that he has been talking to Melissa about why she won't
get baptized. Apparently, it has something to do with her mom and grandma
being baptized (I believe in a baptist church) and they have both died. She
is afraid they are in a horrible place and doesn't understand why their
baptism doesn't count. We might be seeing them more than we had planned on
seeing them this week. The McDaniels are possibly having them over for
family home evening this week and we'll be there as well. Donnie, however,
is great! He understands it so well.
Barbara is doing well. Her mom was in the hospital, and when we went and saw
her on Saturday she told us she really wanted to stop smoking. Of course, we
threw our planned lesson on keeping the Sabbath Day holy out the door and
taught her the word of wisdom. She said she would live it, but it would be
hard when her mom came back from the hospital. President Newton said he
would get some people to give her a blessing to help her live it. It would
probably help out.
Betty was a media referral for the Bible and when we got there we told her
we also wanted to give her a Book of Mormon. She told us that she would
start reading the Book of Mormon before she went to bed that night! We
haven't been able to go back because something came up and then she had a
migraine. Hopefully, we can see her this week again. She is a great lady!
She used to work at a nursing home or assisted living facility and she loved
this old man there named Kermit Brown. She kept telling us "I loved me some
Kermit Brown!" She was pretty excited about it.
Jane had met with the missionaries a little bit before when the elders were
here. She wasn't feeling very good either, sut she did say that we could
come back. She said she had a Book of Mormon, but didn't know where it was.
She told us she would look for it before we came back. Then we went off to
tract her next door neighbor. As we were getting ready to go on to the next
house Jane came running out of her house waving the Book of Mormon. She was
so excited that she had found it that she wanted to let us know! That was
fun! It was kind of cold tracting that day, but it felt good. I love cold
weather! I better live somewhere where it snows :)
Tony was completely found through inspiration and the Spirit. We were kind
of stuck with about half an hour before dinner. We prayed to know what to do
and Sister Mickleson said that we should go back to take a Book of Mormon to
a little girl and her family we had met the week before. I think I told you
about Heather last week. Well, we took her a book about Jesus. When we got
there, there were two houses in one building and so we didn't know what door
to knock on. We took our chances and found Tony, Heather's uncle. He seemed
to be sincerely interested. He has read from the Book of Mormon before. He
asked good questions. We are going back this week. Heather lived next door
and Tony said we should teach them. Heather's mom didn't really want to
learn anything, but she was nice. She had a friend who was a member.
I did get the box of contacts and they are the exact ones I wear. Thank you
so much! Thanks for getting the bank stuff taken care of. I can't believe
they were doing that. I thought they had to ask first.
Congrats to Janet on her awesome game! I'm so proud of my little baby
sister! Oh, while I am thinking of it, I'm going to need Sarah's addresses.
Lots of people are sick here. I doesn't make it easy befcause no one wants
us to get sick so they don't want us to come over or go inside when we are
tracting. Luckily, I have missed all the sickness so far. I hope I keep
missing it. We helped a lady in the branch clean this week and her house
reminded me of Grandma Allred's a little bit. She has lived there for 56
years, so it is a pretty old house.
Well, I guess that is all. We just keep working here. I love you all!
Love, Joanna
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