Week #83

Hi Mom! 

You're story of you and Liza riding the tandem on a turtle hunt made me laugh super hard! I can't even count how many time me and one of my friends, or Bennett or Cooper, crashed on that bike! For whatever reason, we never figured out how to stay steady on it and work together to be balanced! I definitely have some good memories on that bike. 

I'm glad that the Curtis and Cloward family are doing okay. I hope they can manage through this hard time. I love those families so much! Can't wait to see them all again! 

Sandusky is still amazing and is only getting better! My district is a lot of fun! We have 4 Elders including Elder Wheelwright and I, and 2 sisters, so 6 missionaries total. We all have so much fun together! I'll send some district pictures to you today. They're pretty funny! I love being District leader, so much more than zone leader! As district leader, people still look up to you, but they aren't afraid of you. They act like themselves when I'm around which wasn't always the case when I was a zone leader. I also have so many more opportunities to serve and be a good influence on other missionaries. 

The area of Sandusky is so great! Like I said before it reminds me of Ashland. However, it's a better quality than Ashland was. All the people are so kind to us! This week, I really felt like God put us where we needed to be. On multiple occasions, we made plans to go stop by someone, but they wouldn't be home. Instead, right around there, we would talk to someone that was super interested in learning more! I love it when I get to be an instrument in God's hands. We have some really great Potential investigators that we are going to turn into investigators this week. 

There were a few high lights from this week I've been eager to share with you! So last Wednesday evening, we went and saw our investigator Emmanuel. I don't think I told you about him last week. He's working here in the US temporarily. He's originally from Peru and will be going back home in the beginning of March. His english is okay so sometimes it's hard to understand what he's talking about. This last week we had an amazing lesson with him! We were talking to him about his reading in the Book of Mormon. He has read up until 1 Nephi 15 or so. The lesson prior we had committed him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He said that he didn't pray directly about that. We asked him if he would do that, meaning for him to do it after we left. Because of the Language barrier, he thought we were telling him to pray right then. He just started praying so Elder Wheelwright and I both just bowed our heads. Emmanuel then offered a very simple and very brief, but very specific prayer. He plainly asked, "is the Book of Mormon true?" After he said Amen, we looked up at him and he said, "I felt something strong, like I've never felt before." He told us he didn't know what it meant. Then he just sat there. He rested his hand on the Book of Mormon next to him and stared at it. We sat in silence for almost a minute. He was quite obviously pondering very hard on the answer he had just received. Our job, as the missionaries, not the teachers, is to stay out of the way and not interrupt the teacher, the Holy Ghost. Emmanuel then looked up at us, and said, "I think it is true!" It was amazing to see his prayer answered right there in front of us! We invited him to be baptized and he accepted. We won't be the ones that baptize him, but we got his address in Peru and we'll send the missionaries to him when he goes back home. 

We picked up 3 new investigators this last week as well! One of them is named Paula! She knows how to talk! It's so hard to have a lesson for under an hour with her because she talks so much! She's had some pretty insane trials in her life. She sees people that live the commandments and are religious that have stable lives. That is what she's looking for and that's why she's meeting with us. The gospel will help her immensely! 

I also twisted my ankle AGAIN! It wasn't my ankle that I broke in high school but it's the one I twisted in Ashland. I was coming down the steps of our apartment building and roasted my ankle. I'm usually pretty good at staying up on my feet when I twist my ankles but this time I ended up face down on the grass. Luckily I dodged the pavement. It's feeling a lot better now but initially I could hardly walk on it. It's hard to do effective missionary work when you can't walk! We still went out and found some great people to teach! These weak ankles aren't going to stop the work of the Lord! 

I'm loving this work! I'm so glad I'm in Sandusky! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now! I love you so much mom! I think You're awesome! I hope you have a great week! 

Love,

Jack

Jackson and Elder Wheelwright at Lake Erie

A Mexican Fiesta after district meeting

Week #82

Hi Mom!

What the heck! Stop changing the house! It's going to be so different when I get home haha, just kidding. 

I was really sad to hear about Kevin. I hope that the Curtis family will be okay. I feel so sorry for their family. I can't imagine how hard it would be to have an addiction like that. There was a girl in the Ashland ward that was struggling with a similar problem, and while I was there she passed away. I'll be praying for the Curtis family. 

I'm in a two Elder Apartment. I forgot the cord for my camera so I'll have to send some pictures next week. Our apartment is pretty crappy, haha! It's awesome! I get along super well with Elder Wheelwright! He's so awesome! He's from Utah. He's super good at loving the people that we're teaching. You can really feel the love he has in his teaching! This area is the freaking best too! We're meeting with a few solid people that I'm really excited about. I'll go through a few of them.

Caroline is the first. She is an older lady. She's been investigating for a while now. She lives in a nursing home but is sharp as a tack. She has some physical challenges, but mentally is solid. Her only hold up right now is her mother. Caroline lives in the same nursing home as her mother. Unfortunately, her mom is struggling with her health. She is wanting to spend as much time with her as possible, which is preventing her from coming to church. Otherwise, she is ready to be baptized. I'm very excited about her!

Someone that I'm stoked about is Robert! I met him yesterday for the first time. They found him right before I got here. Actually, Robert found them! He ran over to the missionaries and asked if he could meet with them! His mom was a member of the Sandusky ward a few years ago before she passed away from cancer. He's not a member and has a limited knowledge of the gospel. He has a very strong desire to come to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I felt the spirit so strongly as we taught him the Restoration yesterday. I would be very surprised if he didn't end up joining the church. He's really searching for the truth and I know he'll find it.

We also met a guy named Lawrence yesterday. He's a former investigator and is very willing to have us come and talk to him about the Book of Mormon. He told us he'll read and pray, but he can't promise that he'll become a convert. (That's what they all say!) We're going to see him again later this week to see if he read.

We're also working with a less active, part member family. The members name is Dustin. He's been a member his whole life, but he ran with the wrong crowd going up, and has lived a pretty rough life ever since. He was in the hospital the last week for a back surgery. He told us that he wants to change and start coming back to church. He also told us his kids want to learn as well! Can't wait to get in and start teaching his family. 

The members here are beyond willing to help us with anything! I'm pretty sure this ward is the highest baptizing ward in the mission! The ward mission leader here is on fire! I know that we'll continue to baptize! It's a great ward and a great area! 

Love you so much Mom! Thanks for the Birthday package a couple weeks ago and for the Valentines package! You're the best Mom ever! I love you a whole lot! Hope you have the best week ever! By the way, Dad sent me pictures of Noah at the Zoo and I can't wait to meet that little guy! He's adorable! Reminds me of Jadin! Love you! 

Love,

Jack

Week #81

Jackson is transferring to Sandusky, Ohio this week.  Here's his new address:

Elder Jackson Scoresby
106 W. Boalt St., Apt. 2
Sandusky, OH  44870

Hi Mom!!!

As you already know, I'm being transferred! I'm going to Sandusky to be a District Leader! I'm pretty excited about having the opportunity to serve as a DL. I'm sure I'll have a great time! I'll get to work on a closer, more personal level with the missionaries I serve. I've always been a little frustrated about how distant we are as zone leaders. My new companion will be Elder Wheelright. (I'll have more accurate spelling on his name next week, I just took a shot in the dark.) I came out with Elder Wheelright too! Once I am with Elder Wheelright, I will have served with 3 of the 26 or so missionaries that came out with me! I've heard a lot of good about Elder Wheelright so I'm stoked to be his companion! 

It has been sad the last couple of days saying goodbye to people. I think the Van Leuven family was one of the harder ones to say goodbye to. They are a powerhouse family! Their daughter, McKenna wrote me a note and gave me a picture. They're such a sweet family! I will for sure come back to visit with them! 

It has been a bummer. I really wanted to take another picture with Anthony and Lauren but we haven't seen either of them for a couple of weeks. Anthony has been out of town and Lauren has been crazy busy! They're both awesome and I'll miss them a lot! 

I feel like we didn't do a lot this week. We did a lot of finding, knocking doors and talking to people on the streets, but didn't have any immediate success with that. We did, however meet with a lot of my favorite Less Active ladies. There are a ton black women in this ward that are inactive in the wintertime because of health, travel conditions, and so on. They love it when we come and visit them! Their testimonies always strengthen mine and help me to keep moving forward. I'll send some pictures of me with a couple of them. Their names are Sister Olive Griffin, Rose Roberts, and Elizabeth Dinkins. It has been so fun to get to know each of them and develop strong, lasting friendships. 

I'm looking forward to my new area! I always love getting to know more people! I know that there are so many fantastic experiences to be had ahead. I'm going to work my butt off! One goal that I have for this next area is to find a family, consisting of a mother, father, and at least one child, that I can help bring into the gospel. I have wanted this for the last 18 months and I think it's time to make it happen in Sandusky. I can't wait to meet all the people in Sandusky! I've loved all my areas and I'm sure it will be no different for my next, and quite possibly my last area. 

I love you so much Mom! I can't wait to see the family in 6 months and see how much each one of them have changed. I'm sure Bennett has matured a lot but I bet I could beat him in a wrestling match! I have to establish dominance before he goes on his mission!!! If Cooper is up for the challenge, I'll wrestle him too haha! Love you Mom! Hope you guys have a great week! 

Love,

Jack

Sister Rose Roberts

Jack says this is typical Cleveland

Jackson with Sister Dinkins and her son David

Brother Gupta- They gave a blessing to his wife.

Brother Gupta with all the missionaries in Jack's apartment

The awesome Van Leuven family, that took such great care of Jack in Cleveland!

Jackson and Elder Christiansen

The Van Leuven kids. 

Week #80

Hi Mom! 

I'm excited for Jackson Arnett! He's a good kid and I'm glad that he's going on a mission! It's crazy to think that all those boys are going to be on missions when I get home! It's even crazier to think that Bennett and all his friends will be leaving right when I get back! I'm sure it's hard to send your sons on missions but it's definitely the best thing that they could ever experience. It really doesn't feel that long ago that we said goodbye at the curb of the MTC. It's honestly hard for me to believe that it was 18 months ago!

Well I've got some bad news... Latrice is no longer investigating. Such a mega bummer! We had an appointment set for last Friday or something and we called her Thursday night to confirm the appointment. When we called, as soon as we told her that we were the missionaries, she hung up on us. We called again later and she rejected our call. When we stopped by at the time of our appointment, she was pulling out of her driveway. Luckily, we were able to talk to her as she was leaving. She told us to come back the following day. So the next day, during companionship study, we called her to make sure the appointed time would still work for her. We called, she answered, we told her it was the missionaries, and she hung up. Such a sad moment! That was proof to me that people can feel the spirit when you teach but they sometimes don't latch on and end up rejecting what you're trying to teach them. 

We have been struggling to see our other investigators. Lauren was out of town this week and so was Anthony. Anthony's mom is still doing okay. Don't know when he'll be back. May not be for a while. 

We stopped by Eric and Terri last night. They weren't home but all their kids were and they told us to come by on Saturday. I want to teach that family so bad! There were at least 7 or 8 kids there last night and I think that most of them are Terri and Eric's! It would be so cool to have them come to church and fill up an entire pew! I'll let you know how it goes next week.

We had a great miracle this week! So Elder Christiansen and I stopped by a Less Active member but they were busy and unable to meet. As we walked back to our truck, this couple walked past and we shared a card with them. We didn't get their names or anything but as they walked away, the man said, "I'm excited to talk to you more!" We didn't think much of it. Then that night, we got a media referral for someone named Eric, wanting a Book of Mormon. We went to deliver it and the guy we talked to earlier answered the door! He had called the number after we gave him the card! Just a couple of days before, I had said to Elder Christiansen that I wanted someone to call the number on the card! Heavenly Father watches out for us and wants to bless us with success. 

This week it snowed a bunch so we helped a ton of people shovel their snow! One of the ladies we helped, who isn't a member, said that she was going to have us over for dinner before I got transferred! She is super cool and is really good friends with Carrie Rhodes, a member of the ward here in Shaker. We'll see if we can end up teaching her and her family! 

As far as transfers go, I would be very surprised if I didn't leave next week. I've been in Shaker for over 7 months now. I have no idea where I'm going to go. Hopefully I'll be a zone leader in another area. That way, I get to go to Mission Leadership Council and see all the other Elders and Sisters that go there. The only place that I don't want to go is North Olmstead... The only reason I don't want to go there is because that's the assistant's area and I think it would be pretty hard to be an AP. Anywhere else I'll gladly go! I'll let you know on Tuesday where I'm off to.

They made a bunch of changes to the missionary daily schedule too! I'll send you the document with all the changes but it's essentially the same with more flexibility. 

Love you so much Mom! Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Jack

Week #79

Hi Mom!

This week was crazy! I can't believe how fast it went! Our meeting with Elder Gay was AMAZING! We had to drive to the mission office twice for meetings with Elder Gay so that punched our miles right in the face. It's so hard to stay within mileage limitations when we have tons of meetings! This month is one of those months. Here are some things I learned from Elder Gay.

1. If you aren't receiving revelation daily, you aren't doing missionary work.

- You have to receive revelation daily in order to do effective work. If you aren't receiving revelation, you might be doing work, but it's not missionary work.

2. Missionary work doesn't start until someone says "no". 

3. Faith is a power that can awaken a soul that is dormant. 

- Someone asked him how we get someone motivated to act on the message of the restored gospel. He responded with that quote, meaning that our own personal faith will awaken the souls of our investigators. 

4. When the Lord commands, there is always a path.

5. If you magnify your calling then the Lord will magnify your life!

- This was his departing promise to us!

Super fun to learn from Elder Gay!

I feel like I don't even remember what happened this week! Our investigators are all doing the same. We haven't had any major break throughs with them. We did have a super great lesson last Wednesday night. We got a bible referral for a lady name Latrice so we stopped by her with a member and had a strait fire lesson! While we were teaching the Restoration, she started talking about how her husband was in prison and she had just lost her job. She has her 5 daughters living with her and she has no idea how she is going to provide for them. She started to cry when the member, with tears in his eyes told her about his circumstances. We were totally unaware that this member had just lost his job and is now looking for work. They talked, and cried together and the spirit was so strong. I know that it wasn't just coincidence that we brought that member to that bible referral. At the end of the lesson, Latrice committed to read the Book of Mormon and was stoked to learn more. We're planning on seeing her this coming Saturday. She seems so prepared! I love finding and teaching people that are excited to hear the restored gospel!

Funny story that will remind you of how uncoordinated I am... 

One morning during companionship study, I was standing next to my desk, throwing this basketball into the air and catching it when something catastrophic happened! The basketball slipped nearly out or my reach! I took a step to reach for the ball in order prevent it from hitting the ground and waking up our downstairs neighbor. Then, being the human I am, I rolled my ankle on that single step I took... I ended up hitting the ground with my whole body simultaneously (including my face). All I could do was lay there and sort of laugh at my stupidity. I did, however, keep the ball from bouncing! Looking back though, a little basketball would have probably been quieter than the force of my entire body (once again including my face). Goes to show you that a mission might change me spiritually, but it sure as heck isn't going to make me more coordinated. 

Sorry for the lame email today! Emailing gets harder and harder each week. I feel like I'm going to see you so soon! Oh and by the way, I was wondering if you could wait to send me anything for my birthday. Transfers are on the 8th of February and I am almost for sure leaving. I don't want to have to try and fit anything other than what I already have now. Thanks Mom!!!! Love you so much!!

Love,

Scoresby, Jackson, Tyler

Week #78

Hi Mom!

So we haven't met with Elder Gay at all yet. Our conference with him is tomorrow for most of the day. Then on Friday, all the Zone Leaders are going to meet with him. I'm so excited to be spiritually uplifted by this conference! I feel like I'm working hard but just need a little kick to help me work more effectively. 

Sad story about the fireside... We were all ready to go, super stoked to listen to President Brown and the Kirtland sites director speak, when we got a text from Anthony. He told us he wasn't going to be able to make it. He had a friend come into town from Chile unexpectedly and couldn't leave. It was sad... Earlier that day at church, the heater in the building was broken! The whole building was freezing cold! I think the primary room was mid 40's! The whole meeting I was shaking in my shoes because it was so cold! Towards the end of the meeting, the first counselor got up and said that the rest of church would be canceled. Never before in my entire life have I had church canceled! As a missionary, when something falls through, you don't just go home and take a nap. You have to go and make something happen! We spent a lot of time Sunday finding because so many things fell through. 

Despite Anthony not being able to go to the fireside, he's been way less busy. He's doing super great! He's reading more and we get to see him more frequently. This past week, we got to help him oil some of the wood at his mansion home. We're going back over on Friday to help him some more. He's so awesome! Still struggling a little bit with church attendance but other wise he's crushing it!

We saw Lauren this week! She's so awesome! I forgot how prepared she is! She's loving and totally understanding the Book of Mormon. She is almost done with the New Testament to we're going to talk with her about that next time we see her. I am loving the New Testament! I started in 1 Peter and am going to revelations. There is so much good in there! I can't wait to come home and study more out of the bible. I don't have enough time in the mornings to read everything that I plan to. 

Frank is back and forth between wanting to be baptized and not wanting to. We're still meeting with him, he's just having a hard time. 

Terri and her family have been crazy busy so we haven't seen them recently. We're hoping to see them some time next week. We're staying in contact with them over the phone and they seem to be reading and loving the Book of Mormon! 

I got a couple of flat tires this week so that was fun! Good combination of biking and walking haha. We've been trying to bike more so that we can be out talking to more people. The only problem is, I need steel tires or something for the Cleveland roads! So much crap on the road! 

Also, I noticed that my pants are starting to look a little rough. I was wondering if you could send me just a 2 pairs of pants from Mr. Mac for my birthday. I really like their pants! I would love a light grey pair and a dark grey. That would be awesome! 

Love you so much Mom! I think I gave you permission to watch that video so hopefully that works. Love you!

Love,

Jack

Week #77

Hi Mom! 

Glad to hear that you and the family are back to the regular schedule! The same goes for us here! We've had a hard time with members and some investigators. They've been really busy but are finally slowing down. It feels good to get back into the flow of a routine.

This week has felt crazy! We've had a few meetings which always make me feel crazy busy. We met on Sunday with President Brown and President Haymond, the stake president for the Kirtland Stake. We meet with them once a month to talk about how the work is going in this stake. It always amazes me how much love both President Brown and President Haymond have for the people that we're teaching. They're both more than busy but find time to meet with the missionaries and see how they can help with our missionary work. 

Then we had Mission Leadership council Yesterday. We usually only have one every month but this month, we have mission conference. Elder Gay is coming to our mission and the zone leaders will be meeting with him Friday evening. I'm so excited to meet with him and learn what he feels we need to work on. 

As for investigators, we met with Anthony yesterday. He's doing really well! Lately he's been having a hard time reading the Book of Mormon so we set a goal with him last week to read a chapter a day. This goal helped him to get back into the habit of reading. We're going to Kirtland with him on Sunday for a mission president's fireside. That's when President Brown gives a devotional specifically geared towards new members and investigators. I think that it will be a great spiritually uplifting experience for Anthony.

We met with Terri's family this week! Terri, unfortunately, wasn't home but her husband, Eric, and sister, Keisha, were there so we got to teach them! We started to read the Book of Mormon with them and they were both pumped to start reading it on their own! If we can get this family involved in church, they would be a huge strength to the ward! They're so cool and have a strong desire to come closer to their Father in Heaven. 

Traci doesn't seem very interested, but Joshua is still meeting with us and is reading the Book of Mormon very consistently! He's pretty quiet and I feel like we haven't quite connected with him yet but he is definitely interested in the Book of Mormon. He's determined to find out for himself if it is true. 

We haven't met with Lauren recently but we have and appointment this Saturday that should go through. I don't remember if I said last week, but she texted us and said she finished all of 2 Nephi! She is cruising through the Book of Mormon. I love going to teach her because she's always got such good questions about what she reads! 

This week the weather has been super weird! It started off freezing cold, but today it's supposed to be in the 50s I think! Yesterday, there was freezing rain! For those of you that don't know what that is (everyone that lives in Arizona) it's when rain falls and freezes when it hits the ground aka the ground is a treacherous piece of ice! I walked outside and started running as hard as I could in place to avoiding falling on my face. That was probably the closest to death I've come to death on my mission! 

I love and miss you family! I hope you're all doing well! I miss you and am stoked to see you in person in a little over 6 months! But in the mean time, I'm just going to work my butt off and have a good time doing it which sometimes means dunking on other missionaries! 

Love,

Jack 

Jack's facial expression when it drops below 30 degrees!