My Last Letter from the Mission

Well my dear fam,

This is the last letter I'll be sending on home. Kinda strange to think about. I love you all a ton and I'm super excited to see you all soon. Yes mom, I would love to come to seminary. And don't worry about my sleep. I'll be completely fine.  Matt, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you had a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to see you, bud!! I love you all so much. And I know that this work that I've had the opportunity to participate in is the Lord's work. Jesus is indeed the Christ. God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know this with all my heart. See you outside of baggage claim!

Love,

Старейшина Буш

Elder Bush Speaking in Church

Spencer will be speaking at our church on Sunday, March 11 @ 11:00 am. Anyone is welcome to attend. The church is located at the intersection of Lake Emma Road and Greenway.  Just so that no one is uncomfortable, most men wear slacks, a dress shirt and tie, and most women wear dresses.

I wanted to point out that the open house (announced below) for Spencer is for his friends and our neighbors, not for the members of our church, who will be able to see him at church on Sunday.  We want it to be an intimate setting for Spencer to be able to visit and catch up with his friends.

Love for the People

Dear Fam,

I have absolutely no idea where this past week went. It seemed to have just disappeared. Winter has for some reason returned to Vlad. Seemed for a few days that all was getting warmer and winter would be all together a fleeting thought. But, it was either Tuesday or Wednesday when I awoke to a snow covered Vlad and the cold had once again returned. Well really, it was the wind that had returned which made it feel a lot colder. Some days, it's really weird to think that back home, it's warm enough to go to the beach.

It's amazing to me to see the Lord's hand in my life. And while the opportunities and spiritual sensitivity to recognize them have been greater, I know that we all have that chance to see His great hand in our lives daily. I'm thankful for the molding, trying, refining (if you will) experience that I've been blessed to go through. And it's an enormous blessing to still have another week ahead of me. It's taught me a lot. Mostly about me. And my Savior. I'm absolutely sure of one fact... I'm in need of His atoning mercy and love. His grace is greater than we can really understand. His love is pure and unchanging. He is the Prince of Peace, an everlasting peace that fills me in my time of need and in my time of rejoicing. I'm extremely grateful for the lessons I've learned and relearned and learned once more while I've had the chance to represent our Elder Brother, even Jesus the Christ.

One lesson I'll quickly share was impressed upon me since we had quite a lot of time dedicated this past week to contacting and our finding efforts. First off, the Lord wants to see our desires and our efforts. Our efforts, however monumental they may be, are meaningless when our desire is absent or misplaced. Sincere desire to do the Lord's work or more importantly, to fulfill His will, is essential to receiving the Lord's intended blessings. I know that. Second, even when we have a true and righteous desire and we put forth all of our efforts, we may not receive the results we desired or hoped for. And it's super important not to let that simple fact influence your faith, desire, or diligence. Really easy to say. Hard to actually do.

I had a neat experience this past Saturday when we gathered as a district to street contact. Every once in a while, we all gather in one area to strive to cover the whole area and increase our chances of finding someone who's interested. Just so happened that this past weekend, we gathered in the area of my birth where I served with Elder Waltman and where we made quite a lot of memories. It was neat to walk those streets once again and remember all the times Elder Waltman and I had worked there. That seems like so long ago! People weren't so interested. And while the reactions we got weren't really any different than what we got 2 years ago, I have changed. A lot. 1) I understand more Russian. 2) I think I love the people a little bit more. At least I hope I do. The hardest thing I encountered this past week was when we strive to simply do good, to share a message of peace, comfort, and hope, and people turn that away in such a way that you weren't expecting. Even after 2 years, those reactions from people who you're only trying to help are still hard to deal with. But you continue because you love the Lord and you love the people.

Lastly, I want to take a second, and express an enormous thank you to everyone who has ever once prayed for me and supports me because I'm truly grateful for your prayers and love. I have felt the power of those prayers. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends, and I really hope that you all know I think about you, I pray for you, and I'm rather excited to share stories about this wonderful land upon my return.

I love you all! I hope you have a fantastic week!

Love,

Elder Bush

Open House

Elder Bush will be returning home in March, and we will be having an open house for Spencer's friends and our neighbors.  Feel free to stop by and say hello.

1349 S. Ridge Lake Circle, Longwood
Saturday, March 10 from 5-8 pm

Teaching a Family

Dear Fam,

Glad to hear from you today! All is well in Vladivostok. I'll quickly share some of the highlights of this past week... Well, actually, probably the biggest of highlights was that we had a fantastic lesson with the family we've been meeting with. As I may have already mentioned, one of the sons was baptized nearly 5 years ago and he's currently 15. It's been an awfully rewarding experience to get to know him and his family. His brothers are great! His youngest brother read 3/4's of the children’s Book of Mormon in only a few days! And they both came to church yesterday! That was probably the best part of the week. In fact, that was the best part of the last three transfers, seeing them at church with us and the members welcoming them back. They were surprised to see them and remembered them all being much younger since it's been several years since they attended. Interestingly enough, it's not just about getting people to come to our church or to go to church at all. This work is all about helping one another return home to Father in Heaven. Attending church is simply one way we grow closer to him as we enter into and keep our covenants with him. Honestly, I've really done nothing personally to make that happen. I've simply been an instrument in the Lord's hands.

I'm super grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord. His work is the best. It's hard but it's the best. I know that the Lord is the Master Teacher. He is really good at molding us if we will just let Him teach us. I'm extremely grateful for all that He has taught me about me. I have so much more to learn and do. And that's the exciting part about this life, about the plan of our Father. We're here to grow continually.

We've seen a little more success this past week. The weather's been getting a little warmer. But I'm still wearing my shopka because other people are still wearing their shopkas. And besides, it looks great! :)

President Pratt is in Turkey right now for Mission President Seminar. So that's probably exciting for them! This week should be a good one.

Sorry I don't have much interesting to tell you. Oh! The new senior couple that will be working in the office flew in this past week and so Elder Steed and I have been helping them get around. They're from Bakersfield, CA.

Well, that's about it for this week. Hope you all enjoy sleeping in another day! Love you all a ton!

Love,

Elder Bush

The Best Two Years

Greetings from Russia once again,

How's the Bush clan doing? Mom, once again, I hope you had a very wonderful birthday! I love you a ton!! I was glad to hear from y'all and I pray you're all safe and happy. So here's the low down on my current doings:

I had the awesome opportunity to help with a financial training this past week that was put on by a senior couple who are currently living/serving in Moscow but travel all over the country to deliver this special training. The husband, Elder Heufner, served in the Navy for a long while and also worked for almost 30 years as a checker (I don't really remember what it's called but basically, it's like an auditor) for a large corporation and due to his background, he was called to serve as an Area Auditor for the Europe east area. Really wonderful couple and we (Elder Shannon and I) had the chance to show them around Vlad for a little bit. I was with Elder Shannon, one of the office elders, because both of our companions were in Korea this past week on a visa trip. President Pratt asked the both of us to take care of them by taking them out to lunch and then taking them to see the city. They enjoyed the pizza place we took them to and then we took them to a submarine/museum here in the city that I had never been to, but I've heard about. It was really neat! Especially because Elder Heufner had worked with submarines. We also took them to Cinnabon which they loved. :) Hard not to love a wonderful cinnamony frosting filled treat. :)

The training they did was really inspired. It really impressed upon me just how important the funds of the church are. The work our leaders do is vitally important and super sacred.

I was stuck working in the office this past week for several days while Elder Steed was gone. It was on the one hand, not so fun. On the other, it was great to get some good work done in the office and to help Elder Shannon accomplish important officy things.

We had a great lesson this past week with an awesome family we've been meeting with. I love teaching the gospel. I realize that I'm an awful teacher and I sure need to work on my teaching skills. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to learn for the rest of my life. In fact, I passed my two year mark this past week as you all very well know. And it's been really interesting to reflect upon all that I've learned. And it's sure been a lot. I can't really believe all that time has already passed. I'm immensely grateful for all that I've learned so far in these best two years and for the chance to continue learning in the time I have remaining.

I love you all! Sorry I didn't write a ton this week. There's tons of craziness as usual. I've been translating a ton for President since the last month we've been having branch conferences. Glad to have a little break from translating each week! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Bush

Visit to Nakhodka

Dear fam,

Well, I finally got the splendid chance to see the wonderful city of Nakhodka! Guess that means I've finally made it to every city in the mission where there are currently missionaries. It was a really neat weekend. Well, to be honest, it was a very interesting, stressful, productive, and all around awesome weekend. It was slightly frustrating because President and Elder Steed had to work with some members who have been apostatizing and don't want to change/remain in the church. So in light of that, it was a little bit of a depressing trip to Nakhodka. But, on a positive note, I got the chance to work with some awesome missionaries there! It really was a super good experience to work with some missionaries who are tremendously younger than I and yet, I learned so much from seeing their examples. We had a great lesson with a member and later with 2 different investigators. One of them was really really interesting. And slightly paranoid. He thinks everyone and  his neighbors are after him and have been for several years. I'll tell you more about him later. :) Anyways, the more I'm involved in the Lord's work, the more I realize and am continually convinced that He leads the work. It's His work, His kingdom, His Spirit that directs us to bring about His will.

The city itself was uniquely beautiful. It's certainly a port city and from what I saw, it seems that a lot of the people there already know who we are. A lot of them immediately told us to keep on walking and that they were fine. Yet some of them were interested in hearing more from us or at the very least, they were willing to talk. The ride to and from Nakhodka was fun. We got the chance to learn from President Pratt what it was like for him to sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir years and years ago. It's fun to get to know people better. I've really loved making new friends here while I've been in Russia.

I'm not really sure what else to share with you all. I've had some great studies lately in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. I love the verses in John 15 (specifically verse 2 and 5 I think) that tell about how the Lord purges us when we do what he wants so that we can bring forth more fruit as well as the fact that we must rely upon the Lord if we really desire to bring forth any kind of fruit. I know that the scriptures are from God. They're for us. Plain and simple.

Lately, I've been a little worried about my ability to love others. Let me explain why I say this... Charity, or the pure love of Christ, is what we're all striving to develop. There have been times when I've recognized in myself the beginnings and slow development of charity within me. Yet, at other times, I worry because I feel I'm losing charity. Because sometimes, it's hard to love everybody. It's difficult to feel that true love of Christ inside of you always. I'm simply grateful that I have the rest of my life to continue to develop attributes inherent in Christ.

I love you all! Just heard the Giants won the super bowl. Go Giants! Glad to hear Eli Manning is rocking it in the football world. I hope you all have a wonderful week this upcoming week. Sounds like things are clicking with the business, Dad. You're still in my prayers!

Love,

Elder Bush

p.s. the weather outside isn't so frightful. In fact it's warming up a bit. In case you were wondering. :)

Visit to Usserisk

Hello from the Far East!

Well, I don't know that I have a whole lot of new stuff to tell you all. This week was full of important stuff like transfers and a huge Korea trip (a group of 15 missionaries was there at the temple; that's approximately a third of our mission). And we received two new outstanding missionaries, Elders Furhiman (pronounced just like Furman) and Browning. I wonder if we're related to him. We had the chance to work with Elder Browning while his companion was on visa, and it was great because we had some neat lessons we taught and he helped out a ton. I was blown away at how many words he knew that I didn't learn for several transfers into my mission! I did recognize though how difficult it was for him to understand. That's honestly the hardest part of the beginning. Besides being in a new place with new people trying to follow many new rules and be something you've been preparing for all your life, you can't understand hardly anything and it's just simply hard. But, I know he's going to do a great job.

This past weekend, we went with President Pratt to Ussurisk. It was a really rewarding trip, at least for me because I was able to recognize some fruits of the work I've been a part of. It's really neat to see people who have accepted the restored gospel of Jesus Christ because they are changed people. The light of Christ shines in their eyes and you know that there's something different about them. I unfortunately also saw a member that joined the church while I was serving in Ussurisk that completely avoided us and acted as though he didn't know us. We had some great meetings while in Ussurisk however and some great changes were made. I always love being in that branch. I love the members so much! The senior couple there will be going home this next month.  So, a new branch president had to be called in the place of Elder Rahi. While we were there, Elder Johnson (the son of my former bishop at BYU) was called to serve as branch president and I'm sure he'll do a great job. It's cool to see yourself grow on your mission because you often forget to even look for that growth but it's also really awesome to see the growth of the missionaries serving around you.

We also did a street drawing activity (yeah despite my best efforts to stay warm, my feet and legs froze while we were out there for several hours) while we were in Ussurisk. Elder Winkler (the other elder in the group with Elder Zamora and I) is an outstanding artist as you may remember and he does fantastic street drawings on the back side of wallpaper. I talked with one really really nice guy named Boris who was really interested in reading the Book of Mormon. He was so interested, he came back twice after taking the book to double check and make sure he had written down our number correctly and then to tell us that we were doing a great thing. I hope and pray he reads that book because it's true.

I guess that's my week in a nutshell. Nothing too crazy. Hope you're all doing well. It's great to hear from you each week. Can't wait to tell you more stories! Love you!

Love,

Элдер Буш

Trip to the Wild Wild West

Hey there everyone!

Well, I'm writing to you all a little later than usual since we flew in from Irkutsk today and didn't get home until a little after 3:00 in the afternoon. Honestly, I'm wiped. Traveling this last week was rather hectic. But, it was a great trip! Like you said, Mom, it really is a huge blessing to be able to return to previous branches where I've served and see those who I had been in contact with. I don't even know where to begin. Actually, I take that back. I'll just start from the beginning.

So, Tuesday, we had a great meeting with President and discussed transfers and upcoming events in the mission. I found out not too long ago that I actually won't get a chance to go up to Magadan since it's not going to work into President's schedule to make that trip in February. Instead, they're going to go sometime in April. I'll have Elder Steed take some good pictures he can share with me later. We began logistics (information for transfers and visa trips) Tuesday and continued into Wednesday. Tuesday night, we had a really neat lesson with a family that we've been meeting with here in the center of Vlad. I'm positive I've already mentioned to you all about them, but they have 6 boys. Yes. Six. It's awesome to meet in the home of a big family. It was neat to meet one of the older sons this past week and the second youngest offered the closing prayer. It was really, really neat to hear him talk with Heavenly Father. All of them are usually shy and never want to pray but one of them finally said he would try and he offered a great prayer. When we really realize the importance of missionary work and helping others come closer to God, than you start to realize why on earth we would ask someone to try praying. It's not just because it's our "job" or what we're supposed to do. It's because praying or reading from the scriptures literally brings us closer to our Father. We invite others to take steps closer to Him. And that's exactly why we have to do those things daily because otherwise, we move away from Him.

Wednesday evening, I translated for President Pratt's Presidency meeting over Skype while Elder Steed helped Sister Pratt by finishing the dishes of the dinner we scarfed down during the meeting. That way, she could finish packing for our trip. At 9 pm on Wed, our mission driver, Pasha, picked us up from the Pratts' and took us to the airport. We checked in, waited for a bit, and then boarded the bus outside on the tarmac that took us about 50 ft from the airport doors to the steps leading up to the entrance of our plane. (I absolutely love how they do that here in Russia.) Our flight then left from Vlad at 11:30 pm and arrived in Irkutsk at about 2:00 am. (There’s a two hour time difference) I could not sleep for the life of me on that plane! But that's alright. We got to Irkutsk, boarded the bus after getting off the plane and got to the terminal to pick up our bags. Everyone, including Elder Steed and I received our baggage except for the Pratts. Everyone left the baggage claim and we were left looking at the conveyor belt that was empty. So, I talked with the woman working there and explained in a rather urgent manner that there were supposed to be two more suitcases for the Pratts and that they had to be found. The flight we had been on was continuing on to Yekaterinburg (where Justin Ebanks and Jonathon Tharpe served) and we reallyyyyyy didn't want their bags to be sent there. Especially since we had lots of important things happening on this trip, including zone conference and the building dedication in Ulan-Ude. After I filled out some forms, a man came in with their bags and we were extremely relieved. We got into two taxis and the Pratts headed off to the new Marriott hotel in Irkutsk. We went to Elder Zamora's apartment. And it was just our luck that our taxi broke down about a km away from them. We sat there and waited while the taxi driver tried to fix it. But it didn't work out so he called someone else to get us and finish the distance. We got in around 4 am and finally got a little shut eye for a couple hours. Later that day, we had a really powerful zone conference with the Elders from Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. We also ate very well... Papa Johns. :) My favorite part of the trip though was seeing some of the members who I had close contact with when they were baptized when I served there last summer. They're so strong now! And it was such an awesome reunion to see them again! It's amazing the friendships that are formed through the gospel of Christ. That night, we hopped on a train to Ulan-Ude and while in Ulan-Ude, I got to work with Elder Patterson, the missionary that I trained, and it was in short, fantastic. The building dedication was held after some branch council training President Pratt conducted on Saturday evening. The meeting was short to dedicate the building but it was one of the most powerful meetings I've been in in a long while. As soon as President Pratt began to offer the dedicatory prayer, the Spirit flooded the room and was ever present and noticeable throughout the prayer. Great experiences I'll never forget. To wrap things up, we left last night around 6:30 pm and got to Irkutsk a little after 2 in the morning. Then we waited at the airport for our flight to leave at 7:15 am and we got in around 2 pm earlier today. Long but worthwhile trip.

I love you all a ton. Sorry if this email's a bit boring. I got to wrap it up though. I pray for each of you always, and I know the Lord looks over His children.

Love,
Elder Bush

An Exciting Week of Travels

Hola семья моя,

Well would you look at that... I'm trilingual!

How's everyone doing in the Bush family? Glad to hear from you as always and I pray you've all enjoyed this past week's adventures. I'm convinced that life is simply full of adventures, one right after another. I realize my letters always seem to say stuff like that, but pretty much, I'm convinced that each week on the mission is an adventure.

I think one of the neatest things I saw this past week was the examples of such stellar missionaries that are in our mission. I love each of them so much and they teach me loads each and every day. This past week, I had the awesome opportunity to do an exchange with Elder Johnson in our area here in Vlad before Zone Conference. (That’s the Elder Johnson whose dad was my bishop at BYU - small world.) I loved learning from him and seeing just what a mission has done for him to help him shape and grow. Zone Conference here in the South Zone was held in Vladivostok as usual. The South Zone has the most Russian native elders in it so I translated for that conference and it went really well. Translating is super fun and super hard at times, but I really can't impress you all about how influential the Spirit is in helping the Lord's servants bring about His work. There are those that may read about the gifts of the Spirit and feel that those may have existed in previous times like in the Bible. But I testify they are real and are among us in our day. For I have seen them amongst the Lord's servants. Each zone conference has similar topics and yet unique topics that are covered and discussed to meet the needs of the mission and obviously each zone. President and Sister Pratt both focused a lot of their training on the doctrine of Christ. They broke down the differences between the doctrine, the principles, and the applications of the gospel and how we must strive to teach clearly the doctrine in order to answer the question “Why?” The principles of the gospel then answer the “What?” and the applications answer “How?” It was a really neat training that opened my understanding as to how I can improve in teaching so as to invite others to act based on a clear understanding of the doctrine of Christ. After the South zone conference, Elder Steed and I hopped in the mission van and went off to the airport to catch a flight to Sakhalin. We got in that evening in time to get to sleep and arise for a day of fun while on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It was really weird and awesome to be back on Sakhalin and to see all the snow and meet with some of the members! I love them so much! The next day, we jumped on a plane early that morning (Friday) and were off to Khabarovsk for zone conference. It was certainly a little colder there, but I felt great to back in Khabarovsk. The branch has moved and so we got to meet in the new building, had a great conference, and Elder Steed and I even did a little work in trying to check up on some people that may have fallen through the cracks and stopped meeting with missionaries due to transfers. We met with one family, and it was so good to see them again. I hope and pray they will continue reading the Book of Mormon and act upon the message it contains. The mother is the sweetest woman from Georgia (yes the country, not the state). Sadly enough, it was probably my last time to ever be in Khabarovsk and it was hard to say goodbye and realize that I will most likely never see again that city and the people there that I have come to love so much. We had a bit of a surprise right before sacrament meeting. One of my substitute teachers/tutors in the MTC who is from a city outside of Khabarovsk came to visit and showed up at a sacrament meeting. I don't know why but I was super excited to see her and it was simply strange to think that she helped us learn Russian on the other side of the world and then almost two years later, we saw each other in Khabarovsk where she was baptized. Crazy. Later that evening, we had some dinner at the senior couples' apartment and then headed off to the train station to catch a night train back to Vlad. It was the nicest train ever!!! And I slept great! Oh, and my favorite part of the week... we found chocolate chip cookies in the store that tasted and looked like Famous Amos cookies and they were made in the Netherlands. We ate them on the train. :)

I certainly can't forget to wish Grandma a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Hope it was a wonderful day! :)

Basically, that's my week in a nutshell. Should be a fun week coming up. We'll be taking a late flight to Irkutsk on Wednesday and be in Ulan-Ude for the weekend. Should be exciting! Love you all a ton and I'm grateful for your prayers and support. It means the world to me!

Love,
Elder Bush

Working through illness

Hey there everyone!

I was glad to hear from the both of you and glad to know that all is well back home. I share your feelings, Dad. I've been down and out with a nasty little cold these last few days. It all started on Thursday, but we had some good plans set up so I shrugged it off and we kept working. I woke up Friday and was faced to battle the consequences, but I hadn't learned my lesson and we were out working that evening. The cold probably wasn't very good for me, and I paid for it on Saturday. It was awful being cooped up at our apartment, but I kept telling myself, it's better that I get better than make things worse. To my surprise, I still wasn't feeling better yesterday but worked through it because I couldn't take being inside anymore. I guess that was even the case on Saturday because I finally told Elder Steed, I've rested long enough. We've got to get out and at least talk to some people out there! Yesterday, we did meet a really cool guy on the street and hopefully, we'll be able to meet and help him understand more about our unique message. Don't worry, today I'm feeling loads better. Still not 100% but I'm getting there.

So, this past week, we had some great opportunities to see the hand of the Lord in the leadership of our mission. I've loved the opportunity to be an assistant because I have the chance to see and interact with President, Sister Pratt, and all the Zone Leaders. It really is a neat experience to be a part of the process to receive revelation from the Lord and carry out His desires for this part of His vineyard. Yesterday, during our Sunday school lesson, President Pratt made a comment that for whatever reason, really touched me and totally made sense. His comment pertained to how he had received a testimony or witness that the Book of Mormon is true. He mentioned that he couldn't remember a single moment in time or the first time for that matter when he prayed to know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. He simply said that he had had so many countless experiences over and over again that confirmed to him that the book is true. As I look back on it, I can remember times that I have knelt in prayer to ask Heavenly Father about the truthfulness of that book. And I remember the feelings I have felt and the thoughts that have entered my mind upon asking, which I know are answers from my Father in Heaven sent through His Spirit. Yet, I don't remember the first time I did that or a single moment when my conviction regarding the Book of Mormon became firm and unshakable. I've always been able to rely on the Spiritual promptings and feelings that have continually confirmed that little blue book is true. I know it is of God. I'm convinced that that is what our life is all about. The Lord intends for us to search Him, to come to know our Father in Heaven and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has sent and we must do so continually. By so doing, we receive spiritual witnesses that we are on the Lord's path. Not just a good path. But we're on His path. For He is a God of order. And with all of these spiritual witnesses, we continually and gradually become stronger and stronger in our conviction and desire to obtain life eternal. Perfection. To become like our Heavenly Father. It's a simple yet arduous process of enduring and continually nourishing the gospel seed planted in our hearts. A process intended to last all of our lives and on into eternity. It most certainly doesn't end with death.

We met with President before we held Zone Leaders' Council by Skype on Wednesday. I love the Spirit felt as we discuss the work of the Lord. It's always harder when we're in the field, in the moment, striving to bring to pass the desires and plans we discuss in meetings. But, that's where we grow. I love working with inspired leaders. Leaders who know how to love and yet don't mince words when needed.

This next week is Zone conferences here in the South in Vlad and then we'll be on Sakhalin for exchanges and off to Khabarovsk for Zone conference for the North zone. Should be fun. :)

Love you all a ton. Super glad things are well back home!

Love,
Elder Bush

P.S. The first picture is from our dinner last night. I was very excited to eat. And the 2nd one is showing one of the new bridges being built and the ice and ships sitting out in the bay. Yesterday, we saw a ton of people walking out of the ice and some crazy people swimming in a cut out section of ice water. Yeah, crazy.

New Year Greetings from your son who's far far away on Far East Russia's plains.

Dear Fam,

Happy New Year to y'all! Hope you had a ton of fun! Thanks for your letters. I'm thoroughly convinced that the best part of pday is hearing from your family. Likewise, I'm sure that (or at least I hope) you all enjoy mine.

So, this past week has been a fun one. Especially with all the New Year's festivities. Unfortunately, (and I will try to be positive about this) alcohol plays a very important role in these festivities. Fortunately, since we were indoors Saturday and Sunday evening, we didn't really see much of that. However, what we did see is a testament to the unfortunate effects of alcohol. I sometimes wish people would simply strive to have fun and forget about their troubles or worries without burying themselves in alcohol. But anyhow, enough about that. Elder Steed and I spent some good time this past week doing some great work. We're still trying to bring back this area and get some success happening in it. It's been pretty cold lately. Honestly, the wind has been the worst! But, once again, have no fear! My winter gear has been holding up rather nicely. If I've learned anything on my mission, it's that a good hat, mittens, not gloves, and a trusty scarf will get you through the cold. (And it helps to have a good pair of socks.)

I absolutely love serving with Elder Steed. He is such a great companion. New Years was great with him. After freezing our buns off while contacting all day long, we headed home and got some pizzas. They were delicious! And juice. I love Russian juice. I'll be keenly interested in comparing our juice products upon my arrival home. Elder Steed finished reading the Book of Mormon New Years Eve night while we were home and while he did so, I cleaned the apartment. Yes, Mom, you would indeed be proud of your son. ;) We really didn't even watch the clock to see if it was midnight. We simply knew midnight had struck once we heard all the fireworks going off and people screaming and shouting outside. Although our apartment is on the first floor, in probably the least ideal position to see fireworks, we did manage to catch a glimpse of some ok fireworks thanks to the fact that everyone here does them. The days following new years are always interesting since it seems that the entire city is dead. No one is out on the streets. Yesterday, we had sacrament meeting which went really well and then we (the missionaries) headed to the Pratts' to have a little New Year's celebration. It's great to be in the company of friends and family, even if those people may only be family by 'adoption'. I sure have come to love my mission family. There sure are great people in this world.

I learned this past week that it's super important to serve others. When we do all we can to show love to others, that softens hearts and is truly how we can be examples of Christ. His light shines through us when we show love to others.

Lastly, I love you all. Thanks for all you do.

Have a wonderful year! And next week!

Love your son and brother,
Элдер Буш

Merry Christmas from the Far East

Merry Merry Christmas!!

It was super great to talk to you all and to see each of you! I know I was probably super awkward and can't seem to act like a normal person. ;) I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas.

This past Christmas has been a really neat one. It's been a little cold here in Vlad. Like I mentioned, it's really because of the wind. The last few days, I've had some pretty cold moments where you just have to close your eyes and hold on. My shopka has been nice and toasty. It's the shape of my head that's been undermining the shopka's furry warmness. Since my head is rather long from front to back, it makes it difficult to find a hat the fits well. I always have to get a big size so it can get on my head yet there's always a little room on the sides in between my head and the wall of the hat. So, when the wind comes rushing by, it tends to find that oh so little space and likes to freeze the sides of my head by my ears. I don't know if that makes any sense. But, basically, the size of my head is trying to do me in and keep me cold. Otherwise, my shopka sure does the trick. That and a scarf.

This past week, we held training for the leaders of the mission which included all the zone leaders and district leaders. We did it by Skype, and it went pretty well. Elder Steed and I had to spend some time preparing for it. We were both grateful that overall, technology cooperated with us and all went well.

We continue to work with an awesome family here in Vlad that has a son who's a member. The parents have 6 boys which is really unusual for Russia! I may have already mentioned something about them... It's awesome to see so many shoes sitting in the entry way. Feels like home.

Christmas Eve, we spent most of the morning participating in and translating for some training for using the church's MLS program. We're the first mission in Russia that doesn't have any districts which have been brought online to use MLS. A member from Moscow came to hold the training and it went rather well. Translating is always a blast and it sure keeps you on your toes. My brain was a little fried after it all, but it's always a fun challenge. Later that afternoon, the missionaries here in Vlad gathered at the Pratt’s and had a small dinner and treats along with a short devotional. It was a really neat experience. I was asked to share a little thought regarding Christmas and I turned as I often do to the hymns. I noticed that in Joy to the World, there is a line which reads, "let every heart prepare him room" and I thought and pondered about what we can do to prepare room in our hearts for the Savior. He is our Lord and we must let Him in. As we keep our covenants, we offer to the Lord the greatest gift we can. Our righteousness and faithfulness is completely in our control and that's what the Lord desires of His children. Christmas was a special day when I got to ponder about the Savior and His role.

I love you all a ton. I'm enormously grateful for your support and love. And humor (thanks, Trev) :)

Take it easy and have a wonderful New Year’s!

Love,
Elder Bush

p.s. Had a neat experience this past week stopping by a potential investigator’s house, whose number we lost. My comp and I were on a bus heading to some less active members and had planned to stop by this guy’s place in the center of Vlad. I was thinking to myself, "Should we maybe head to the less active member at the farthest point and work our way back? Or should we keep going?" I distinctly felt, "you need to go to Makar's" (the guy I mentioned). Turns out my comp felt the same impression and we thankfully followed it. When we walked up to his building and opened the door, he was walking down the hall to the door about to leave and we were able to make contact and get his number. Super nice guy. It was a very small but very real miracle. I love the tender mercies of the Lord.

Picture at the Southerland's in Korea for our last Visa trip.

Elder Bush's Christmas Call:  We got to use Skype this year for our Christmas call, which was great because we could see him and he could see us.  He couldn't believe how much his sisters have grown up.  He mentioned that he was glad he got to see them before he comes home or he might not recognize them at the airport.  He looks good and looks happy.  We enjoyed seeing him interact with people in the office and especially when he had to take a phone call and we got to hear him converse in Russian.  He also received our package while we were talking, so we saw his reaction to receiving some Twix candy bars (his favorite).

Last Visa Trip to Korea

Dearest of dear families,

Thank you all again for wishing me a happy birthday! It was indeed a very happy birthday as I made my way back to Russia. Transfers and our visa trip were a little hectic, but as far as I know, we didn't have any major problems. So I would say that's a success of the week! As of now, Elders Zamora, Winkler, and I are the oldest missionaries in the mission. Weird. Super weird.

Really quick, before I forget, I'll let you know about our Christmas calls. So, we can use Skype this Christmas! Well, other elders and sisters were able to last year as well but since I was on Sakhalin without a senior couple, we didn't really have the option. So, this is the plan... I'll be at the office in Vlad to use one of the computers with Skype at 8:00 am my time on Monday the 26th of Dec (that works out to be 4:00 pm on Sunday the 25th of Dec, Christmas Day). So, I'm pretty sure I'll be using the former senior couples' skype account that is on the office computers. I'm not sure what their account name is but what I'll do is call you from their account. So, by Monday morning, send me an email and let me know which Skype account you want me to call. In the event that our building loses internet (which isn't uncommon) I'll give you my phone number and you can call me at 8 if I haven't already called through Skype. Can't wait to hear from you all!

So, to put it in a nutshell, the past week has been a whirlwind. Monday, my companion spent the evening packing and getting ready to head home. Tuesday, the other elders and sister heading home arrived along with my new companion! (He’s actually a former companion... Elder Steed!) I'm super excited to get to work with him again! He was my comp while we served in Khabarovsk a little less than a year ago. Hard to believe time has flown by that fast. There was a little stress throughout the day as transfers were already beginning and missionaries were beginning to move from city to city. I'll have to tell you more about transfers once I'm home but it really is the craziest process. Trying to coordinate getting missionaries to and from the cities, making sure they all have companions throughout the process, making sure they'll make their buses or getting them taxis to hop on a flight or a train. And on top of it all, my visa trip coincided with the transfer. So, there was a little craziness but like I've said before, what's the mission without a little crazy? On Tuesday night, we had the chance to be at the departing fireside at the Pratt's apartment and to hear from the departing missionaries. It was a neat experience to see them as they prepare to move on the next part of life. Although, it was a little hard because hearing them and realizing they're going home throws you off your focus a little. You start to realize you don't have much time. And part of you wants to return with them because being a missionary is super hard. Yet, the other part of you wants to remain and do everything you possibly can to fulfill the Lord's will and further His work amongst His children. It was an enormous blessing to be in the temple and to return and refocus on the work. I flew to Korea on the same flight as the missionaries going home. It was neat to say goodbye in the Korean airport. (Side note... I realize I've mentioned this before but I'm a firm believer that Korean Air is one of the best airlines ever. The food on the flight which only lasted 2 hours was fantastic! So much better than a bag of peanuts.) We got to Korea and while we were there, we found out our flight that was suppose to return on Friday had been canceled. Thankfully, there was a flight that returned on Saturday. So, we were able to make it back. While in Korea, we had dinner at the Southerlands, the couple that lives there. It was a wonderful little early birthday present to me to be in the home of such a loving family. We had dinner, made cookies, and sang Christmas carols. A simple little Christmas celebration. As we finished, some of us took the chance to bear our testimonies of the Savior. And the Spirit was felt by all. The flight returning to Vlad was great. It was a ginormous plane! It had 2 seats on either side and 4 in the middle. I can't remember which Airbus model it was. But anyways, it was a smooth flight. We grabbed some donuts and bagels at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks before we took off. Funny how a donut and a bagel are the best thing ever when you've gone a while without them. Lastly, as I already mentioned, the temple was wonderful. The Korean temple workers are heavenly. As we stayed to do more sessions, they simply told us in their English, "We love you." It was touching and a sweet experience for maybe the last time to be amongst the Korean Saints.

So, I'm back in Vlad. Yesterday, I spoke in church and it went ok. I talked about covenants. Something I feel we all need to strive to understand better and be sure that we're always mindful of keeping our covenants. Had the chance to do a little tracting yesterday. Needless to say, it wasn't that fruitful. But, it sure was fun and we did meet some nice people!

I hope and pray you all are safe and in good health. Merry Christmas to you all! Can't wait to hear from you in a week!

Love,
Старейшина Буш

A Week in the Office Organizing Transfers

Hello everybody,

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! Weird to think that I'm going to be 21. I really don't even feel like I'm getting older.

Anyways, this past week has been a bit of an office week, which has been a little hectic and slightly stressful. But it was good to get a lot of work done that will hopefully help transfers this next week run smoothly. Transfers really are quite a big deal here, along with visa trips, which by the way, I'll be in Korea (hopefully) this Wednesday. And I'm not really sure when I will return. Again, hopefully, that will be on Friday. But we'll see.

So, like I was saying, transfers are a huge deal. It's such an ordeal to organize and make transfers run without any problems. My companion and I went through the travel information Sister Pratt had gathered and wrote out instructions for all the missionaries to make sure they get to where they need to and don't forget anything.

Thankfully, we were able to have a few lessons this past week as well. I've really enjoyed rebuilding this area here in Vlad for the assistants. It's had its challenges just like any other area, but it's been fun. I've really loved to be able to interact more with President Pratt. He really is such an awesome leader. That's one thing I've come to learn while serving here. Our leaders may never be perfect in the church, but they are truly inspired. The mantle they wear is super important.

I love the Lord and His work. Lately, I've felt the burden of my assignment. There's a lot to do and a lot to keep track of, but I know that the service we all render on behalf of the Lord leads to enormous personal growth and blessings for those we serve. I'll always treasure this enormous experience I've had.

I love you all so much. I'm really sorry my letters lately have been really short and not very descriptive. Partly, it's been because I have had a harder time lately knowing what I should even write. Partly, it's because I'm in the office and it's easy to get distracted. Please remember that I love you all a ton. Your support means more than a million bucks.

Love,
Старейшина Буш

A Week Full of Little Miracles

Howdy folks!

Things are great here in Vlad! This past week has been a fun one. I'm super jealous you're all watching the Christmas Devotional. We don't get that here. Although, we could watch it on the internet I guess if we wanted to watch it on pday. Real quick, I just wanted Grandma Gee to know that I got a letter from her today! Thanks Grandma! To answer your question, yes, I have had the privilege to meet and work with Elder Collinsworth. He's a great missionary. And super tall!

Anyways, during this past week, I started writing down little miracles that I see each day. It's been a really cool experience to see the Lord's hand in the work each and every day. We've had a lot of success these last few weeks working in the area book, which is the book where we keep all our records of past missionary work that has been done in our area. In fact, we've done something really interesting this past transfer here in Vlad. In the past, the assistants have spent a lot of their time dealing with taking care of all the little problems and have worked in the office along with working with president and leaders of the mission. And in this past transfer, we've had a returned missionary here in Vlad hired on to work as a driver for the mission and to work in the office, so we've been able to get a lot off of our desk and now we're able to get out of the office. In the past, the assistants have struggled with being able to work in a specific area because there simply isn't time or the possibility with all the other things they were being asked to take care of. But, this past transfer, we've brought back our area and have had the opportunity to do a lot more work in it to try to "bring it back" if you will. We found, or rather the Lord led us to, 4 new investigators this past week. It's actually a family that has a son who's a less active member. They are super nice and there are 6 boys in the family, which is super unusual for Russia! It's really really comforting to walk into their home and to see tons a little kid shoes in the entry way and to just feel the feelings you get in the home of a big family. They have a son living in America presently, in New York to be exact. I love getting to know people while here. People are so cool!

Some other really quick miracles: as assistants, we help President Pratt by translating for his presidency meeting held weekly by Skype. Since one of his counselors is on Sakhalin and another in Irkutsk, technology really comes in handy. I translated into Russian during this last week’s meeting, and I have really come to notice how much I love Russian. It's such a beautiful language. I know the Lord helped me so much to speak clearly, almost correctly, and loudly. (You’d be so proud of me dad, speaking loudly.) We often go to Subway for lunch or dinner when we're near the church. And usually, the service isn't the greatest. They're almost always out of things. And I mean like essential things to make a sandwich. Like cheese. But, this past week, they had great service! That was a miracle. And the sub was actually really reallyyyyy good. We also have had a lot of fun tracting. I'll tell you more stories once I'm home. Although, I will tell you really quickly, it was really neat this past week because we met with a less active member and then went tracting in a building not too far away and the first stairwell that we tried, there was a family that knows the member we had just met with and we're planning on meeting with them. I know the Lord leads this work. I have no doubt. We just have to have faith.

I love you all to death. You're all so awesome. Tell everybody back home I love them!

Love,
Elder Bush

Thanksgiving in Vladivostok

Dear Fam,

Sure sounds like you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And the holidays are off to a great start! I think my favorite part of this past week is being able to now listen to Christmas Music. There really is quite no other time like this. The Christmas season is the best. Right now, I've made a goal to finish Jesus the Christ before Christmas and it's been awesome as I've delved deeper into that book. Talmage truly wrote an inspiring book.

So, first off, I have to say a big thank you to Matt and Sarah for their letters! They really lifted me up and I was super excited to hear from both of you! You two are the best! :) To answer some of your questions, things are great here in Vlad. The work is slowly moving forward. We had an insane day of snow this past week on Wednesday! We got all bundled up and faired the boisterous weather. It was quite an adventure. We tried talking to people on the way but due to the weather, that didn't turn out to be very successful. :) The wind was insane! That was the best part. Wednesday's snow added on top of that made it super duper fun. I got to wear my new shopka and she held up greatly against the foul weather. Thursday wasn't nearly as bad. It stopped snowing, although the wind was still quite a factor. (more about that later)

Thanksgiving in Vlad was wonderful! Just like home! Except without the family and friends of course. But it was wonderful to be surrounded by my present family and friends here in the city. We had all the great foods, Turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, fruit salads, and pies! It was all very very yummy. And unfortunately, I think my tummy has shrunk because I had a very hard time getting down one full plate. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and played some fun trivia games and scripture chase charades afterward. All in all, it was a great day to remember all the things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for you all. Because you are a large part of the joy that I have in this life. I'm enormously thankful to the Lord for all the tender mercies He plants in my path. That He allows me to even be a part of His work here on the earth is a miracle in and of itself for which I'm enormously grateful. I'm thankful for Heavenly Father's plan for all of us. For the big picture that it gives me, that it gives us all.

Immediately after thanksgiving dinner, we scurried off to a lesson with a potential investigator named Valeri. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and he agreed to read it. I love meeting with people. I've noticed that the Lord has helped me really develop a love for the people as I've met with them. After that lesson, we hurried off to another lesson with a member and her friends. Trying to find her house was a nightmare! Needless to say, we eventually found her house. The hard part was the wind. It was blowing so hard we nearly fell over several times. I felt as though I was back home in a hurricane! But, it was freezing instead of raining. Boy was I glad to get inside after that adventure! Russians don't usually drink hot chocolate themselves. They prefer tea. But I've noticed lately that members have been making us homemade hot chocolate because they know we Americans love that hot chocolate!

Last pday, my comp and I played basketball outside our house and it felt great to get some physical activity into the day! We're hoping today will also work out. We kind of noticed that it's hard to get activities together here in Vlad, really just in our mission because in many cities, it's hard to meet up at a common place, have some planned activity and still have enough time in the pday to get everything else done that we need to.

As far as souvenirs, I should have plenty of room to get what I want to get for everybody. Again, if there's anything in particular that you all want, make sure to let me know/remind me because I'm now in Vlad and will most likely not be moving anymore. So, I can begin the collecting process. I stopped by the souvenir shop here in Vlad and found something I may end up getting before I head home.

Lastly, I'll end with this. The Lord wants us to have faith. We just have to have faith in Him and He will help us accomplish His miracles. So many people have no idea of the blessings that faith in our Savior Jesus Christ can bring. They are uncountable. Innumerable. I know the Lord and our Father in Heaven love us dearly. Never lose sight of that fact.

I love you all a ton! And I hope you have a wonderful upcoming week!

Love,
Elder Bush

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey there gang!

This last week has been fantastic! Getting to travel to the other cities and work with the outstanding missionaries of our mission is quite an honor. It was weird to return to both cities because it brought back so many memories. It's so weird how you look at things differently when you return to a familiar place because of the experiences you have had elsewhere. It really wasn't even that long ago that I was serving in Khabarovsk. Although it feels like forever ago since I've been in both Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude in the time span between. I love the members in all those cities. I got the chance to see several of them while we were there and they are inspiring. To give you a quick example, there is a member that is from Ussurisk that lived also in Vlad when I was serving here over a year and a half ago. My trainer, Elder Waltman and I worked with her for 3 months while I was here, and she came to church maybe once that I can remember. In the time that I've been serving in all the other cities of the mission, she has become super active and her mission papers are almost completed! That is just the coolest thing ever to hear! No effort ever goes wasted. And this past week, as we were in Usserisk, she helped us on a lesson with a recent convert. She has such a strong testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. She is truly a light, and I could see in her such an awesome future missionary.

Our travels all went well. I brought my shopka with me to Usserisk (it wasn't really quite cold enough to be needing such a hat, but I knew we would be going to Khabarovsk and had a feeling it would be needed and appreciated there, and sure enough, it was pretty cold up in Khabarovsk. I talked with a woman on the street in Usserisk and explained to her why I looked a little ridiculous for November weather (since hardly anyone wears big fur hats there) and when I told her I was heading off to Khabarovsk that night, she quickly agreed that it was a fantastic idea I brought my shopka with me. I had the privilege of being on an exchange with Elder Johnson (my former BYU bishop's son) and Elder Collinsworth (you all know who that is - or if not, he played basketball at BYU) and it was an awesome opportunity to learn and grow from them. I love the friends you make here serving the Lord.

While in Khabarovsk, we contacted during the day and then had a sweet activity in the evening with several of the members where we learned how to make "позы" (pozi) or "бууза" (buza) in buritian. It's a special food that I think I told you about while I was serving in Ulan-Ude and it's unique to the people that live there. You make a pasta like dough that you wrap around meat and you steam cook them. Then, with your hands, you bite a small hole in the side and drink out the juices that have been cooking inside and then I like to fill the little dumpling like thing with sauces (like ketchup) and then scarf him down! They're really tasty. I'll have to get an actual recipe and then make them once I'm home. It was a great activity, especially for the members because they need opportunities to bond together, to talk, and the just become better, closer friends. We w home the next morning on a really old plane. I had to laugh because I think the seat I sat in was the most uncomfortable airplane seat I've ever been privileged to sit it. BUT, it did recline a considerable distance which made up for it. Upon landing (which always seems to be the best part) several panels in the ceiling came loose and were dangling down as we taxied into the airport. I just had to laugh. :)

I love you all a ton! Hope you have a fantastic week and enjoy your Thanksgiving! :)

Love,
Elder Bush

p.s. Fallon, I got a letter from you! I wrote to you a letter already but I have to get some envelopes! I'll try to get it off to you ASAP!

Stress, Prayer and Miracles

Dear group of people that birthed me, raised me, and suffered me to be in their midst, (aka my family)

Yeah, so I was trying to be funny with the above phrase but it's not really working. Anyways, before I forget, it turns out my long lost letter that I thought was from Fallon is actually from a Bush (not sure which one) and it has been officially lost. So, I'm sorry Grandma, Grandpa, or Uncle Derek if you sent me a letter and I haven't gotten it. I love you all and hope all is well in California! I think about you often and keep you always in my prayers.

One other person I thought about last night and I'm hoping he's doing well is Mr. Martin. (I sincerely apologize that my English sounds awful.) Pass on a big hello to him and my best wishes. Also, say hi, if you get a chance, to Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Whitcomb at Lake Mary. Can't wait to see them again someday!

This past week has been a stressful one but a great learning experience. If you all don't mind, I'd like to share a really special experience that I had this past week that accompanied most of the stress. As you all are very well aware, we have to travel every 3 months to Korea to renew our visas. I guess to be more specific, we go to Korea to pick up our second passports that already have our new visas for the upcoming 3 months. A few weeks ago, I made, what seemed like, the enormous trek from Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok that took me to Irkutsk and then to Khabarovsk, and then finally to Vlad. This past week, Elder Steed was scheduled to go on his Korea trip and it would require him to make a similar trip with the exception of a layover in Khabarovsk. He began his trek Tuesday afternoon which was already cutting it close considering his flight to leave for Korea left the next day at 2:00 from Vlad. (Quick side note: Tuesday was actually the beginning of a series of events that just didn't seem to go or work out as they should have. We had a weekly meeting with President and Sister Pratt and after lunch, we returned to the meeting to find we had no power and we were scheduled to have a Zone Leaders' Council at 2 pm mission wide by Skype. But that had to be rescheduled. Then we spent the remainder of our day trying to record the conference I told you about onto DVD discs to be sent to the different cities that don't have satellites and there was craziness that went into that.) Anyways, so, Wednesday morning, I was awoken by a phone call just after 6 am from Elder Steed (this is 4 am his time) saying that their flight has been delayed by about an hour. So, this wasn't great news, but we figured if things still went forward from there, there wouldn't be any problems. After several phone calls with President and Sister Pratt and Elder Steed, we came to learn that his flight was delayed until 10 o'clock his time, noon our time and he would most certainly miss his flight to Korea. This in and of itself wouldn't be awful but the big problem was in the fact that Wednesday was the last day on his visa. So, he had to get out of the country then or we were all afraid he would be deported. My companion and I discussed all the possible options and talked more with Sister Pratt. In the end, we decided to fast for him that the documentation he had received saying his flight was delayed and therefore, did not catch his connection, would be enough and that things would work so that he would be able to return and continue serving the Lord and His children. We knelt down, and I offered the prayer. As soon as I began to speak, the Spirit flooded the room and a feeling of comfort filled me. I knew immediately that everything would be okay. Tears filled my eyes and I had a very hard time getting the words out as I both felt the comfort of the Spirit and thought about Elder Steed and my love for him and how desperately I did not want him to be forced to leave our mission. With a little stress, we (Pasha, our new mission driver, an returned missionary who served in Moscow; Tatyana our visa person; and I) all got in the car and raced off to the airport. President Pratt, his wife, and my companion, Elder Williamson, had already left to go to Korea by this time. And so I was feeling a little stressed and I wanted to make sure everything would work out. Yet, as I would begin to worry, I quickly remembered the comforting assurance of the Spirit that I had earlier felt, and I once again knew all would be well. We got the documentation and everything worked out to extend his visa by one day since he couldn't make the latest flight from Vlad to Korea on Wednesday. So, he flew out on Thursday without any problems, thankfully. To make a long story short, Elder Steed made it to Korea and returned to Vlad on Sat with my companion and by now, is already in Ulan-Ude. I'm so grateful for the assurance of the Spirit that gives us peace and comfort. A peace and comfort that cannot be duplicated or matched by other sources. I know the Lord is mindful of us. Sometimes, life is crazy. But He is always mindful of us and helps us through the crazy moments.

I got to work most of the week with Elder Clark, Elder Steed’s brand new companion. And we had a blast. I got sucked into the office and had to take care of some problems related to last week’s Area Conference and trying to make it available by internet to the other missions of the Europe East Area. But thankfully, that all got figured out and all is well. Yesterday, I was privileged to sit in on ZLC (zone leaders' council) that we started by Skype and then our internet died so we conference called for the remaining hour. It was a very spiritual meeting that was certainly inspired. I really love working in this mission. I love the Lord and His work. This next week, we're traveling to Usserisk and Khabarovsk to do exchanges with the Zone leaders there. It should be an awesome week! Hopefully all will run smoothly.

I love you all so much and I'm extremely grateful to have you all supporting me. I pray you have the best week this next week! Have fun! Stay out of trouble!

Love you!
Elder Bush

Oh shucks, my pictures are gone

Well, my dear family,

I'm trying to stay positive but I think that the computer I'm using just deleted or corrupted the file that I had on my thumb drive that contained previously all the pictures for the first several months of my mission. And I'm not too excited about that. But, I'll try not to think much about it and hope that my companion and I can figure out how to maybe fix it. I did absolutely nothing which makes me not all that happy. All I did was plug it in to see if it worked and to check my pictures, they were all there, so I safely removed it and then realized I needed to add some pictures to it so when I plugged it back in, for some reason, the file was corrupted and says all my pictures are gone. Not cool. But what can you do? Just shake your head at technology I guess. Sometimes it's fantastic and other days, it bites you.

So, back to more important things. I'm loving being back in Vlad! As I mentioned before (maybe) Vlad looks a lot different. Everything just seems nicer than I remember it being. For example, the road from Artyom (the city where the airport is) to Vlad is completely redone finally and is absolutely wonderful! You can sleep in the car on the way there if you want! Before, it was the craziest, ricketiest, loudest car ride ever! I don't really know how to put it, but things just seem newer and nicer and now I understand what's happening around me and what people are saying. So in general, the city just has a new yet familiar feel to it. I called Baba Galya last night, my dear babushka that I came to love my first two transfers here and it was so awesome to talk to her! She's doing great although she can't see anything anymore. She said she remembers me although I doubt it. She's had tons of missionaries here in Vlad since then so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was just trying to be nice by saying she remembered. Oh, how I love that grandma!

Serving as assistant sure is a little crazy. The phone is always ringing and you always seem to be busy with one problem or another. But it really is an awesome opportunity to learn and grow and I hope the Lord will continue to mold me these upcoming months. So, here's the update on the past week...

I might have mentioned this to you, maybe I haven't, but I took a train from Ulan-Ude to Irkutsk and met some really neat people on the way and talked for a while with them. My flight from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk and then to Vlad got delayed by 12 hours so I spent the night in the airport with Elder Miller, the senior couple from Ulan-Ude, and youth from Ulan-Ude going to a youth conference on Sakhalin. That wasn't one of my more favorite memories, but I will say I was extremely happy to sleep in a bed finally come Tuesday night. Wednesday, we took a taxi to the airport and met the new elders coming in! We then took them back to the Pratts' apartment and had dinner there and got to know them. There were three new elders and 1 new sister! The sister's name is Sister Huber and she's from Magna! She went to Cyprus as well and knows Lisa! What a small, small world we live in. Thursday, we worked in the office some and I was feeling a little sick but that happens. The new elders got to participate in drawing on the street with Elder Winkler and the Vlad missionaries and it went really really well! One of the new elders that will serve in Ulan-Ude with Elder Steed was given 1000 rubles by some drunk guy (the equivalent of $30). Crazy. Your first day, you get money and the guy refuses to take it back and leaves you with it. Yeah, that 1000 rubles is definitely going in his journal. Friday, planning day and we ended up in the office again finishing up some things.

This past weekend, we had a special regional conference. Saturday there were two sessions and the topics were under the direction of the general authorities who spoke, but the talks were delivered by local leaders and members. It went pretty well. I had the privilege to translate for President in both the priesthood session and in the general session. Thank goodness I grabbed a Russian Handbook 2 because President talked a lot out of the Church Handbook and it was so much better that I was able to read some of what I translated. The Lord really does help us to do what we are called to do. Sunday, after dealing with a few technological problems, we were able to watch a broadcast in Russian and in English that was from Salt Lake and our speakers were (I think, I missed the first speaker because I was helping with trying to get the Russian to work) Elder Clayton Whitney, Sister Barbara Thompson, and Elder Oaks and President Uchtdorf. The talks were wonderful once we got the problems fixed. Thankfully, there were a few members that speak English in the branch that translated while we tried to get the Russian translation on. But man, is translating hard!

One last thing... Just in the last couple days, I've really come to recognized just how much President Pratt does. I don't think anyone can really understand until they're in his spot but honestly, he has to wear a couple hats in a very very big area of the church. He's a Mission President and he answers for all the missionaries in the largest mission in the world geographically. He's also in essence the acting stake president so he answers for everything related to the church and its members in the same area. He really has a huge, full plate in front of him. The only way it's possible to do what he and his wife, what any servant of the Lord does, is due to the fact that it's the Lord's work and He helps His servants enormously. Otherwise, the plane would have crashed a long time ago.

I love you all and I'm super grateful to have your support! Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Elder Bush