Mom and Dad, you got to hear Elder Bednar speak!?! That's so cool!!! Thanks for the email, Mom! I'm glad you and Dad have had such an awesome experience. I loved some of Elder Bednar's answers that you shared.
So, Mom, to answer your question, yes, Elder Zamora did get transferred. He's in Usserisk again, the place of his birth (his first area). He's doing great there, and I sure miss him. He actually called me the other day about something, and it was great to get to talk to him for a little bit. The past week was a fun one. (It's so great doing missionary work when you have a great attitude.)
Well, to start off, it's been great having a senior couple here in Khabarovsk. They're such awesome missionaries! They certainly bring a special spirit with them. It's been a little hard for them adjusting to Russia, especially to Khabarovsk, but they're starting to settle in nicely. This past week, teaching institute was fun as always. I think I mentioned this last week but teaching institute can sure be difficult because there's so much awesome stuff that it's hard to decide what you want to focus on. I just love the Doctrine and Covenants. There's so much there!!!
Probably the most interesting event of this past week was doing service at the Zoo! There's a sister here in Khabarovsk who works at a zoo about and hour or so out of town, and we did service there. Our service included breaking up ice and packed snow and clearing off part of a pathway. As a bonus to doing service, we got to see all of the animals for free and she told us all about them. It was super cool! I got tons of great pictures that I'll try to send soon. The service was great because we all felt Russian. And by feeling Russian, I mean that we got to use Russian tools, so we felt as though we had been assimilated officially into the culture. You'll see in the pictures what I mean. Hopefully, I can send them soon. People that came to the Zoo while we were serving asked a lot of questions about why there was a group of Americans doing service for the Zoo. They were all really surprised that a group of Americans would come all the way to Russia to do service.
Saturday was Elder Waltman's birthday, and I got to spend time with him because I was on an exchange with him! It was so cool to serve with him again even if it was only for one day. We really have come to be such great friends. I love discussing things with him, especially about our studies. We got to teach a few lessons with members and the senior couple Friday evening and then had branch business during the afternoon of Saturday. We had a little party that one of the members, Sister Galina put together. She's great!
Last night, we had the awesome opportunity to give a blessing to a man in the branch and to see the power of the priesthood in action. I know the priesthood is the power of God. It is His power given to us to act in His name and to work miracles if it be His will. I feel greatly humbled to hold that priesthood. I know it is a huge responsibility, and I must do everything in my power to remain worthy of that power. Afterward, we headed out looking for a less active member who lives really far away. Basically, after consulting the map several times and crossing several train tracks and walking a long, long way, we found it! Unfortunately, he wasn't home but we left a message with his Dad, who was really nice, and hopefully, we'll make contact soon.
The work here in Khabarovsk has been really slow. Lately, contacting has been tough. People don't like talking to us it seems. They tend to just keep walking. We did something called an "area Blitz!" this past week where all the elders gather together and focus their contacting efforts in one area of the city for a specific period of time. It yielded very little results, but I know that if we have faith, we will find those who are ready to hear our message. All of our investigators have mysteriously stopped answering their phones, so we're back to square one for now. But, I know there will be great things in the future here in Khabarovsk. I just have to give the Lord my all, and I know I can be an instrument in His hands to further His work. Yesterday, we had a great lesson in Sunday School about the Savior and the Bread of Life. I know the bread he offers us is far more important than any other we could possibly find in this life.
I love you all so much! I'm always deeply grateful for your support and your prayers. This next week should be another fun one! President Pratt is coming at the week's end so it will be great to see him and learn from him. I pray that the Lord will continue to mold me into the Elder and son that He desires I become.
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Safe and Sound
Howdy everyone!
First of all, I'll let you all know that I'm safe. We were under a tsunami warning but really, that applied more to Sakhalin and Vlad. And from all I know, everyone is safe there too. Thankfully, the missionaries that were lost in Japan have been found, and I'm so grateful that the Lord looks over his children.
These weeks just keep flying by! Thanks as always for the updates. So, this past week, we had the honor of celebrating Elder Steed's birthday at the North Elder's apartment. They made us white chili and cake batter ice cream. Before that, we got our haircuts, which is always a fun experience. I still haven't really gotten that great at telling the people what I want. Thankfully, it turned out alright but you always feel like you're gambling a little. Then again, how hard is it to say, I want my hair shorter. I guess getting haircuts for girls is a little harder so I shouldn't be complaining. Anyhow, so this past week was also March 8 which is a big holiday in Russia. Women's Day! So, we did a cultural activity that day with the some of the sisters in our branch. Sister Galina and Marina took us to this really cool museum here in Khabarovsk that is all about the history of the Khabarovsk region as well as the Soviet Union and WWII. Unfortunately, in order to take pictures in the museum, you had to pay a fee so what we ended up doing is Elder Phillips who has the best camera out of us all paid and we'll get all the pictures from him. I think he took 300+ pictures. It was so cool! It was really neat to get to learn some interesting things from Sister Galina too. There was an exhibit that showed the native people of the Khabarovsk region and Sister Galya kept saying they're pretty much the same as the Native Americans, which was so true. The woman who was explaining everything was talking super fast, but amazingly, I understood a lot. That's a blessing from the Lord for sure. I've really contemplated on that and I know that serving with native companions has made a huge difference in my Russian.
The work here is going slowly. There's a lot of potential but things have kind of died these last few weeks, which means we've got to push forward with our finding efforts. Street contacting is a tough thing. So is tracting. But honestly, if you just do it, if you start opening up your mouth and talking to people, it becomes a lot easier. It actually can be a lot of fun and you get a lot of funny stories. Tracting is hard for me because it's hard to sometimes get into stairwells to knock on doors. You just sit outside and call people on their domaphones. But like contacting, it can also be fun when you have the right attitude. Attitude is the key. If you look at 4 hours of street contacting as "Oh no, we have four hours that we have to be on the streets talking to people..." then it's going to be just that, four longggg hours of being on the streets just talking to people. But if you look at it as, "We're going to find somebody that is interested in the Gospel. We're going to change someone's life with this wonderful message of Christ. And we're going to make some great friends along the way." Then it takes a tedious activity and turns it into an enjoyable one. It becomes fun and you become energized with the spirit of the work.
So, we taught institute on Wednesday night and it was awesome! It is super hard to pick something to focus on when you only have and hour to an hour and a half and you have a week’s worth of material you could cover. Elder Steed was a little worried about the language and handling the teaching situation but he did an awesome job! I just marveled at his ability to teach and his use of the words he knew. He didn't speak perfectly but the Spirit conveyed more than the words he used. A brother came in and joined us and said he would only stay for five minutes. But he ended up staying to the end because of the Spirit he felt. He told us he felt an awesome spirit when he first walked in and felt he should stay. It was a sweet testimony to me that the Lord answers prayers because we had prayed fervently that the Lord would bless us with the Spirit to guide the lesson and to actually do the teaching.
This last week, I made борщ (borscht) and enchiladas! All by myself! Well, with some assistance from Elder Steed. But they turned out alright! I've really come to enjoy cooking. It's kind of exciting actually. :)
We had a senior couple join us this past week up here in Khabarovsk. They seem like they'll be an awesome asset to the branch here. They're from Arizona. They're still in the fish out of water stage but they'll settle in nicely I'm sure.
I love you all so much and I'm deeply grateful for all that you do for me. Your prayers are very appreciated. I pray for you all often.
Love,
Elder Bush
First of all, I'll let you all know that I'm safe. We were under a tsunami warning but really, that applied more to Sakhalin and Vlad. And from all I know, everyone is safe there too. Thankfully, the missionaries that were lost in Japan have been found, and I'm so grateful that the Lord looks over his children.
These weeks just keep flying by! Thanks as always for the updates. So, this past week, we had the honor of celebrating Elder Steed's birthday at the North Elder's apartment. They made us white chili and cake batter ice cream. Before that, we got our haircuts, which is always a fun experience. I still haven't really gotten that great at telling the people what I want. Thankfully, it turned out alright but you always feel like you're gambling a little. Then again, how hard is it to say, I want my hair shorter. I guess getting haircuts for girls is a little harder so I shouldn't be complaining. Anyhow, so this past week was also March 8 which is a big holiday in Russia. Women's Day! So, we did a cultural activity that day with the some of the sisters in our branch. Sister Galina and Marina took us to this really cool museum here in Khabarovsk that is all about the history of the Khabarovsk region as well as the Soviet Union and WWII. Unfortunately, in order to take pictures in the museum, you had to pay a fee so what we ended up doing is Elder Phillips who has the best camera out of us all paid and we'll get all the pictures from him. I think he took 300+ pictures. It was so cool! It was really neat to get to learn some interesting things from Sister Galina too. There was an exhibit that showed the native people of the Khabarovsk region and Sister Galya kept saying they're pretty much the same as the Native Americans, which was so true. The woman who was explaining everything was talking super fast, but amazingly, I understood a lot. That's a blessing from the Lord for sure. I've really contemplated on that and I know that serving with native companions has made a huge difference in my Russian.
The work here is going slowly. There's a lot of potential but things have kind of died these last few weeks, which means we've got to push forward with our finding efforts. Street contacting is a tough thing. So is tracting. But honestly, if you just do it, if you start opening up your mouth and talking to people, it becomes a lot easier. It actually can be a lot of fun and you get a lot of funny stories. Tracting is hard for me because it's hard to sometimes get into stairwells to knock on doors. You just sit outside and call people on their domaphones. But like contacting, it can also be fun when you have the right attitude. Attitude is the key. If you look at 4 hours of street contacting as "Oh no, we have four hours that we have to be on the streets talking to people..." then it's going to be just that, four longggg hours of being on the streets just talking to people. But if you look at it as, "We're going to find somebody that is interested in the Gospel. We're going to change someone's life with this wonderful message of Christ. And we're going to make some great friends along the way." Then it takes a tedious activity and turns it into an enjoyable one. It becomes fun and you become energized with the spirit of the work.
So, we taught institute on Wednesday night and it was awesome! It is super hard to pick something to focus on when you only have and hour to an hour and a half and you have a week’s worth of material you could cover. Elder Steed was a little worried about the language and handling the teaching situation but he did an awesome job! I just marveled at his ability to teach and his use of the words he knew. He didn't speak perfectly but the Spirit conveyed more than the words he used. A brother came in and joined us and said he would only stay for five minutes. But he ended up staying to the end because of the Spirit he felt. He told us he felt an awesome spirit when he first walked in and felt he should stay. It was a sweet testimony to me that the Lord answers prayers because we had prayed fervently that the Lord would bless us with the Spirit to guide the lesson and to actually do the teaching.
This last week, I made борщ (borscht) and enchiladas! All by myself! Well, with some assistance from Elder Steed. But they turned out alright! I've really come to enjoy cooking. It's kind of exciting actually. :)
We had a senior couple join us this past week up here in Khabarovsk. They seem like they'll be an awesome asset to the branch here. They're from Arizona. They're still in the fish out of water stage but they'll settle in nicely I'm sure.
I love you all so much and I'm deeply grateful for all that you do for me. Your prayers are very appreciated. I pray for you all often.
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, March 7, 2011
Мир тесен! (Small World!)
Well, the world is a pretty small place! The longer I serve a mission, the more we as missionaries make connections to people we knew back home (especially since half the missionaries here are from Idaho). That's crazy that Elder Patton (a missionary serving in Florida) and I were in the same BYU ward! He definitely looks familiar! Please, pass on to him a huge hello and I hope he and his companion are having an awesome time there in Florida! The world is such a tight place.
Matt, you need to be more careful with knives. ;) Now you've had as many stitches as me! (NOTE: Spencer's brother, Matt, got a pocket knife for his birthday and ended up getting four stitches in his thumb the same day.)
My companion's birthday is today! I love when my companion has a birthday because we get to have yummy food and cake, and I don't feel bad for eating junk food. ;) Today, the plan is to head up the North Elders’ apartment and have a birthday lunch with them since they were the "fathers" of Elder Steed. (They were his trainers the first three months of his mission) So that should be fun. Hopefully, we get everything done that we need to. The birthday while on a mission is a lot different than back home. A lot different. But I hope we make it an awesome day for Elder Steed! (By the way, his first name is Joshua... Joshua Steed.:)
So, lately, I've been struggling a little bit. My mission seems to be going far too fast and there's not enough time to do or learn or master all the things I want to. The longer I serve, the more I realize I have so far to go in order to reach my potential. Lately, the work has been slow and a little discouraging, and I've just personally been struggling with it all. I don't really know how to express this all in words. It's simply just a feeling that things aren't quite right, and somehow I need to change and get my head fully submersed in the work. It's as though I get discouraged and my head pops up out of the water because I just can't seem to find what we're looking for under the water. What I really need to do is strap on the oxygen tank and stay down there searching. Search until we find. One thing I've pondered on is how the Lord phrases things by the means of extremes. He doesn't just ask us to put in a good effort or try hard to do His work. He asks us to give Him everything. Give all your heart, might, mind and strength to Him and to His work. Lately, for whatever reason, probably because of discouragement, that has been very, very hard for me. Now I'm not talking about the fact that I'm breaking rules and completely slacking off, but I feel I can give more and stretch myself so that I can find that joy in the work I'm doing as well as peace of conscious knowing that I've done everything I could have. If I'm making any sense at all...
Anyways, I'm working hard to stay positive and give it my all. Your prayers are very much appreciated. :) This past week has been a good one. We met with several less active members and I've loved feeling of their spirits. The Russian people are deep down a very loving people. One of our members gave Elder Steed his tie because Elder Steed complimented him on it. One thing you'll learn is that you don't compliment Russians about their possessions if you don't want to end up taking it home. (Ok that's not always true but very often, it is the case.) They're a very giving people. Yesterday was fast a testimony meeting and I love bearing my testimony of Christ. He is everything to us. Which, by the way, I received the discs of Grandpa's funeral! Thank you so much, Mom, for sending those to me. I'm not sure how you all recorded it but I am extremely grateful I got to hear the services. You could say it dug up some tender feelings, but it also rekindled that spirit of the Plan of Salvation and knowing I will see him again. Honestly, it was kind of weird to hear familiar voices but it was a great motivation for the day. It reminded me once again of the importance of the message we carry. Despite the fact that so many people reject us or turn us away or tell us to go home, I know that the knowledge we share is what everyone needs to hear. It is more important than anything else in this world. And it will bring more joy and comfort and guidance and just plain happiness than any other source. Hearing all the talks and prayers reminded me that I need to talk to everyone despite all the rejections I'm tired of getting. It reminded me that being positive, keeping an optimistic spirit about you is so important and in fact, invites the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you and comfort you when you need it. As I've been studying some of the missionaries of the Book of Mormon, I've seen how even great missionaries, far greater than I, were met with even greater challenges, disappointments, and struggles. They also worked mighty miracles despite their difficulties. I took great courage and comfort in the words of the scriptures and the words of my family to know that all I'm doing is worth something, even when I don't seem to see much of any result. I may have gotten a little tired from pushing that rock but I haven't finished the task the Lord has sent me to do so I shall push on.
I also got a package of cookies and candy from Grandma Gee! It took forever to get here but I got it! For some strange reason, it took 3 months to get here and went through Germany but oh well, the cookies were delicious and I got the chance to do a comparison between Russian Snickers and American. I think American won despite the fact that the Russian one was gooier and seemed fresher. That was probably on account of the 3 month delay. So, thank you Grandma! :) I LOVE YOU!
Tomorrow is a holiday here in Russia. It's women's day! Or something like that. So, we're going to have a culture activity and we're planning on going to a museum with some of the members from the branch. Apparently, it's a really cool museum so we'll see. If I haven't already mentioned, I love the members in this branch. I love all the members here in the Far East. They truly are pioneers. Modern pioneers.
Well, I'm not really sure what else to tell you all. I know lately, I haven't told you all us much about the culture or the country or interesting things that I see. I'll try to do better. :) I love you all a ton and I'm super grateful to have all of your support.
Tell everyone back home that I say hello and I wish everyone well.
Love,
Elder Bush
Matt, you need to be more careful with knives. ;) Now you've had as many stitches as me! (NOTE: Spencer's brother, Matt, got a pocket knife for his birthday and ended up getting four stitches in his thumb the same day.)
My companion's birthday is today! I love when my companion has a birthday because we get to have yummy food and cake, and I don't feel bad for eating junk food. ;) Today, the plan is to head up the North Elders’ apartment and have a birthday lunch with them since they were the "fathers" of Elder Steed. (They were his trainers the first three months of his mission) So that should be fun. Hopefully, we get everything done that we need to. The birthday while on a mission is a lot different than back home. A lot different. But I hope we make it an awesome day for Elder Steed! (By the way, his first name is Joshua... Joshua Steed.:)
So, lately, I've been struggling a little bit. My mission seems to be going far too fast and there's not enough time to do or learn or master all the things I want to. The longer I serve, the more I realize I have so far to go in order to reach my potential. Lately, the work has been slow and a little discouraging, and I've just personally been struggling with it all. I don't really know how to express this all in words. It's simply just a feeling that things aren't quite right, and somehow I need to change and get my head fully submersed in the work. It's as though I get discouraged and my head pops up out of the water because I just can't seem to find what we're looking for under the water. What I really need to do is strap on the oxygen tank and stay down there searching. Search until we find. One thing I've pondered on is how the Lord phrases things by the means of extremes. He doesn't just ask us to put in a good effort or try hard to do His work. He asks us to give Him everything. Give all your heart, might, mind and strength to Him and to His work. Lately, for whatever reason, probably because of discouragement, that has been very, very hard for me. Now I'm not talking about the fact that I'm breaking rules and completely slacking off, but I feel I can give more and stretch myself so that I can find that joy in the work I'm doing as well as peace of conscious knowing that I've done everything I could have. If I'm making any sense at all...
Anyways, I'm working hard to stay positive and give it my all. Your prayers are very much appreciated. :) This past week has been a good one. We met with several less active members and I've loved feeling of their spirits. The Russian people are deep down a very loving people. One of our members gave Elder Steed his tie because Elder Steed complimented him on it. One thing you'll learn is that you don't compliment Russians about their possessions if you don't want to end up taking it home. (Ok that's not always true but very often, it is the case.) They're a very giving people. Yesterday was fast a testimony meeting and I love bearing my testimony of Christ. He is everything to us. Which, by the way, I received the discs of Grandpa's funeral! Thank you so much, Mom, for sending those to me. I'm not sure how you all recorded it but I am extremely grateful I got to hear the services. You could say it dug up some tender feelings, but it also rekindled that spirit of the Plan of Salvation and knowing I will see him again. Honestly, it was kind of weird to hear familiar voices but it was a great motivation for the day. It reminded me once again of the importance of the message we carry. Despite the fact that so many people reject us or turn us away or tell us to go home, I know that the knowledge we share is what everyone needs to hear. It is more important than anything else in this world. And it will bring more joy and comfort and guidance and just plain happiness than any other source. Hearing all the talks and prayers reminded me that I need to talk to everyone despite all the rejections I'm tired of getting. It reminded me that being positive, keeping an optimistic spirit about you is so important and in fact, invites the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you and comfort you when you need it. As I've been studying some of the missionaries of the Book of Mormon, I've seen how even great missionaries, far greater than I, were met with even greater challenges, disappointments, and struggles. They also worked mighty miracles despite their difficulties. I took great courage and comfort in the words of the scriptures and the words of my family to know that all I'm doing is worth something, even when I don't seem to see much of any result. I may have gotten a little tired from pushing that rock but I haven't finished the task the Lord has sent me to do so I shall push on.
I also got a package of cookies and candy from Grandma Gee! It took forever to get here but I got it! For some strange reason, it took 3 months to get here and went through Germany but oh well, the cookies were delicious and I got the chance to do a comparison between Russian Snickers and American. I think American won despite the fact that the Russian one was gooier and seemed fresher. That was probably on account of the 3 month delay. So, thank you Grandma! :) I LOVE YOU!
Tomorrow is a holiday here in Russia. It's women's day! Or something like that. So, we're going to have a culture activity and we're planning on going to a museum with some of the members from the branch. Apparently, it's a really cool museum so we'll see. If I haven't already mentioned, I love the members in this branch. I love all the members here in the Far East. They truly are pioneers. Modern pioneers.
Well, I'm not really sure what else to tell you all. I know lately, I haven't told you all us much about the culture or the country or interesting things that I see. I'll try to do better. :) I love you all a ton and I'm super grateful to have all of your support.
Tell everyone back home that I say hello and I wish everyone well.
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, February 28, 2011
Happy Birthday, Matt!
Hey there everyone!
First of all, I'd like to start off my letter with a message to Matt... Hey Bud! Happy, Happy Birthday!!!!! I miss you so much! It sure sounds like you've had an awesome weekend! I hope you have a great birthday and you enjoy being 9. :)
This week has been a fun one. (What week on the mission isn't a fun one?) My companion was in Korea for his second trip (he proved I was right, the second trip always is better than the first) and so I was with Elder Waltman and Phillips like I already told you I would be. It was fun. Always interesting to be in a new city where you have not a clue where you are, where you're going, which bus to take, and which bus stop you need. All thanks to maps, nice people on the bus, and cell phones, such problems can thankfully be solved. I set up a lesson with a woman that the elders had met with previously and we were excited to get a chance to have a lesson with someone since lessons are a little harder to come by here in Khab. However, by evening time, we were still in the north/center of the city and the woman lives deeper in the south. (Khab is a very long city... you can look it up on a map if you'd like. It just takes a long time to get to things due to how the city is set up) So, we had to find a bus stop that would have the right bus that would take us into the south and get to her bus stop. I thought I knew where it was and in the end, got us a little lost. Thankfully we found it eventually and got on a bus that once again, thankfully took us to her bus stop. There was a super nice lady that explained to me which bus stop to get off at and then our investigator guided me from the bus stop to her apartment (cell phones are great). Basically, we were an hour late but made it in the end and had a good lesson.
Earlier in the week, I ended up on English club. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this a couple times now but we stopped doing English club a while ago, back when I was in Usserisk. But, Khabarovsk has started doing it because we've been struggling to find people interested in our message and such a form of service can be a great tool to do so. First of all, I had forgotten how much I didn't like English club because people just don't talk and if you don't have a great topic and people don’t get involved, it becomes a very awkward hour. However, I also came into English club this time with a very different perspective. I didn't see it just as a cool service opportunity where I could get a break from Russian. I saw an opportunity to touch the lives of people with our message and to invite them to know more about their Savior. I truly saw it as an activity for which it was intended. I ended up translating too since there were some people there that couldn't understand a lot of what we shared and I realized how much the Lord has blessed me with the language. He truly has taken me and turned me into an instrument calculated to work with the Russian people of the Far East. He has blessed me immensely with the gift of tongues because I feel I truly can express myself in another language. He also has immensely blessed me with the gift of the interpretation of tongues because I am often able to understand a lot of what people say. And just as Ammon boasts in his God, I too feel I must boast in my God and testify that the Lord does make more of us that we ever dreamed possible. I honestly feel that my language abilities have soared thanks to the Lord's abundant blessings. I think he's blessed me too much. I sincerely apologize if I'm not making any sense due to my poor English. Russian has ruined several of my abilities to communicate in English, the first being vocabulary and the second being my sentence structure.
After English club, I stayed in the north with Elder Williams and Spjut and had cake batter ice cream (thanks to cake batter from Korea). It was soooo good. The next day, we met with a super awesome member here in Khab. Her name is Galia and she just makes me so happy to meet with her. She's rock solid and a definite pioneer here in Khab. We then taught institute that night (sounds like that's going to now be the south elder's assignment (me and Elder Steed)) and it was so cool! Two members from Moscow came and visited and sat in on Institute! A mother and son; she came to visit her son who is serving in the army located just outside of Khab. The lesson was so cool and super awesome and I just love learning from other people! We actually ran into them again in the airport on Sat when I picked up Elder Steed. She was heading back to Moscow.
So yesterday, I spoke in church on love and charity and it went well. Church attendance at the start of sacrament I think was 12 including 6 missionaries. As I sat there, I thought about what makes a sacrament meeting a sacrament meeting. I looked around at such awesome members of the church here, such a small yet solid gathering of saints, and at such awesome missionaries. And I thought to myself, we're so blessed to have a branch in this city. It may be really small right now. But, the members here have the chance to meet together, to learn from one another, and to partake of the sacrament which is so vital to our week. I loved the Spirit I felt there in our little branch.
This next week should be an exciting one. :) My companion wants to SYL (Speak Your Language- Just speak Russian) for the rest of the transfer and I'm excited to help him. :) Hey dad, if you have any advice as a former missionary regarding being a senior companion, I would love some. I'm not too stressed out but I'm feeling the pressure and I would love to here if you have any experience or advice on how to be a better leader. I've learned a lot the past year and yet I still feel extremely inadequate. But like I said, the Lord qualifies all those He calls.
I love you all. I hope each of you have a fantastic week! Dominate on the field Trev. Just dominate at life for that matter. ;) Thank you so much for your prayers and support. :)
Love,
Elder Bush
First of all, I'd like to start off my letter with a message to Matt... Hey Bud! Happy, Happy Birthday!!!!! I miss you so much! It sure sounds like you've had an awesome weekend! I hope you have a great birthday and you enjoy being 9. :)
This week has been a fun one. (What week on the mission isn't a fun one?) My companion was in Korea for his second trip (he proved I was right, the second trip always is better than the first) and so I was with Elder Waltman and Phillips like I already told you I would be. It was fun. Always interesting to be in a new city where you have not a clue where you are, where you're going, which bus to take, and which bus stop you need. All thanks to maps, nice people on the bus, and cell phones, such problems can thankfully be solved. I set up a lesson with a woman that the elders had met with previously and we were excited to get a chance to have a lesson with someone since lessons are a little harder to come by here in Khab. However, by evening time, we were still in the north/center of the city and the woman lives deeper in the south. (Khab is a very long city... you can look it up on a map if you'd like. It just takes a long time to get to things due to how the city is set up) So, we had to find a bus stop that would have the right bus that would take us into the south and get to her bus stop. I thought I knew where it was and in the end, got us a little lost. Thankfully we found it eventually and got on a bus that once again, thankfully took us to her bus stop. There was a super nice lady that explained to me which bus stop to get off at and then our investigator guided me from the bus stop to her apartment (cell phones are great). Basically, we were an hour late but made it in the end and had a good lesson.
Earlier in the week, I ended up on English club. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this a couple times now but we stopped doing English club a while ago, back when I was in Usserisk. But, Khabarovsk has started doing it because we've been struggling to find people interested in our message and such a form of service can be a great tool to do so. First of all, I had forgotten how much I didn't like English club because people just don't talk and if you don't have a great topic and people don’t get involved, it becomes a very awkward hour. However, I also came into English club this time with a very different perspective. I didn't see it just as a cool service opportunity where I could get a break from Russian. I saw an opportunity to touch the lives of people with our message and to invite them to know more about their Savior. I truly saw it as an activity for which it was intended. I ended up translating too since there were some people there that couldn't understand a lot of what we shared and I realized how much the Lord has blessed me with the language. He truly has taken me and turned me into an instrument calculated to work with the Russian people of the Far East. He has blessed me immensely with the gift of tongues because I feel I truly can express myself in another language. He also has immensely blessed me with the gift of the interpretation of tongues because I am often able to understand a lot of what people say. And just as Ammon boasts in his God, I too feel I must boast in my God and testify that the Lord does make more of us that we ever dreamed possible. I honestly feel that my language abilities have soared thanks to the Lord's abundant blessings. I think he's blessed me too much. I sincerely apologize if I'm not making any sense due to my poor English. Russian has ruined several of my abilities to communicate in English, the first being vocabulary and the second being my sentence structure.
After English club, I stayed in the north with Elder Williams and Spjut and had cake batter ice cream (thanks to cake batter from Korea). It was soooo good. The next day, we met with a super awesome member here in Khab. Her name is Galia and she just makes me so happy to meet with her. She's rock solid and a definite pioneer here in Khab. We then taught institute that night (sounds like that's going to now be the south elder's assignment (me and Elder Steed)) and it was so cool! Two members from Moscow came and visited and sat in on Institute! A mother and son; she came to visit her son who is serving in the army located just outside of Khab. The lesson was so cool and super awesome and I just love learning from other people! We actually ran into them again in the airport on Sat when I picked up Elder Steed. She was heading back to Moscow.
So yesterday, I spoke in church on love and charity and it went well. Church attendance at the start of sacrament I think was 12 including 6 missionaries. As I sat there, I thought about what makes a sacrament meeting a sacrament meeting. I looked around at such awesome members of the church here, such a small yet solid gathering of saints, and at such awesome missionaries. And I thought to myself, we're so blessed to have a branch in this city. It may be really small right now. But, the members here have the chance to meet together, to learn from one another, and to partake of the sacrament which is so vital to our week. I loved the Spirit I felt there in our little branch.
This next week should be an exciting one. :) My companion wants to SYL (Speak Your Language- Just speak Russian) for the rest of the transfer and I'm excited to help him. :) Hey dad, if you have any advice as a former missionary regarding being a senior companion, I would love some. I'm not too stressed out but I'm feeling the pressure and I would love to here if you have any experience or advice on how to be a better leader. I've learned a lot the past year and yet I still feel extremely inadequate. But like I said, the Lord qualifies all those He calls.
I love you all. I hope each of you have a fantastic week! Dominate on the field Trev. Just dominate at life for that matter. ;) Thank you so much for your prayers and support. :)
Love,
Elder Bush
Sunday, February 20, 2011
I have been transferred to Khabarovsk!
Hello to everyone on the other side of the globe!
How is everyone doing? As always, thanks for the update. First, tell Elder Hale/Kendric (I guess he is released now) that I love him and to keep his chin up. Being home will be pretty hard for me as well (I already know it), but as one of my MTC teachers, the great Brother Savage told us, life keeps getting better after the mission.
As you can tell, the subject of this letter home brings news of transfers... I'm no longer on the island... I have been transferred to Khabarovsk! The coldest city in the mission although it is beginning to get a little warmer. Today is actually quite warm. The worst it ever has gotten here that I've heard from missionaries was -52 C (-61.6 F). This past month, it would be anywhere between -45 and -20 (-49 to -4 F). Right now, it's probably around -10ish (14 F), which feels great! When I first got here, the wind was going and it felt a lot colder. I realized I should have never, not once, complained on Sakhalin, not even in my mind. But things should be getting warmer from here on out (or so I'm told), and spring is supposedly the best season here in Khabarovsk. My new companion is Elder Steed! He's from Idaho! He has an older brother and sister, loves to play the French horn (also played the saxophone and tuba) and he's just awesome! He'll be heading on his second visa trip this next week (I told him his second visa trip will be even better than the first). So I'll probably be with Elders Waltman and Phillips. Which I certainly can't complain about. I love both of them. Elder Waltman was called to be the branch president here in Khabarovsk yesterday and will serve here as branch president probably until the end of his mission. (He has two transfers left). Yesterday, as I looked up at him during the meeting, I could see a change had come over him. It's interesting how the mantle of a calling can almost physically change a person and their outward appearance.
I got a great letter yesterday from Sister Jolyn Metro! It was great to hear from her and to know she's doing so well in France! I'm going to try to write to her now that I have her address. Fallon sent me a postcard from Harry Potter world! That place looks so COOL!!! I hope I'll get to see it in about a year, but I pray this year doesn't fly by as quickly as the first.
This past week was sucked up a little by looking for a new apartment on Sakhalin. That's always fun. And I may have to end up doing that here in Khabarovsk. The apartment we have here right now is super nice! And if we have to end up moving, that will be a bummer. (I may have already mentioned something about this apartment to you all when I came for zone conference last time.) But anyways, we'll see what the future holds. My favorite part of the apartment is heated bathroom and kitchen floors. :)
It was hard to leave Sakhalin because I've really come to love the people of the island. I love the members so much! There are so many great members, great examples, and great families and awesome investigators that it was hard to leave. Who knows, maybe someday I will have the opportunity to return.
So, real quick about Khabarovsk... The branch here is struggling. But the people are awesome! Attendance at church isn't as high as it once was. Missionaries do a lot here. I may have already mentioned that, but the work here is certainly struggling. It's a great city though. It reminds me a lot more of Vlad. It's bigger like Vlad; it has beautiful buildings, larger streets than Vlad, and all around, a nice city. From those I've met thus far, there are nice people here in Khabarovsk and there are also not such nice people, but that happens everywhere. I was sitting on the bus yesterday and eventually heard some guy speaking to my companion sitting behind me. Needless to say, this guy wasn't the nicest I've ever come across. Once I understood he had been speaking to my companion, I turned around and was about to say something but something told me it would be better if I didn't. This guy was clearly not in favor of the church or the fact that we were here in Russia. So I bit my lip and kept my mouth shut because I felt if I said anything, it wouldn't lead to good. After the bus ride, I doubted that feeling I had had because I felt I should have defended my companion, since he didn't understand what the guy said to him. I still don't know if I did the right thing. And as always, I usually think far too much about stuff after the fact. But I continued to pray for that man after the bus ride, that his heart would be softened. I later met a really cool guy on the bus who was the taxi driver that had taken the other elders to the airport the day earlier. He loved my name. (I love the name Bush because no one ever forgets it.) I met a guy on the street this last week that I had run into earlier in December who was a drug addict. I could never get a hold of him before, but he and I immediately recognized one another. I really hope he's able to meet this next week with the elders on Sakh.
Well, I'm about out of time. Hopefully, this next week will be an exciting one with a lot to report to you all back home. I'm mindful of you all in my prayers. I'm also mindful of all the promised blessings that lay in store for each of us if we will just remain faithful and do all we can to fulfill the Lord's will. You all are awesome and I'm super grateful for your support.
Love,
Elder Bush
p.s. Grandma and Grandpa Bush and Grandma Gee, I got letters from you too!! THANK YOU! I'll try to reply soon.
How is everyone doing? As always, thanks for the update. First, tell Elder Hale/Kendric (I guess he is released now) that I love him and to keep his chin up. Being home will be pretty hard for me as well (I already know it), but as one of my MTC teachers, the great Brother Savage told us, life keeps getting better after the mission.
As you can tell, the subject of this letter home brings news of transfers... I'm no longer on the island... I have been transferred to Khabarovsk! The coldest city in the mission although it is beginning to get a little warmer. Today is actually quite warm. The worst it ever has gotten here that I've heard from missionaries was -52 C (-61.6 F). This past month, it would be anywhere between -45 and -20 (-49 to -4 F). Right now, it's probably around -10ish (14 F), which feels great! When I first got here, the wind was going and it felt a lot colder. I realized I should have never, not once, complained on Sakhalin, not even in my mind. But things should be getting warmer from here on out (or so I'm told), and spring is supposedly the best season here in Khabarovsk. My new companion is Elder Steed! He's from Idaho! He has an older brother and sister, loves to play the French horn (also played the saxophone and tuba) and he's just awesome! He'll be heading on his second visa trip this next week (I told him his second visa trip will be even better than the first). So I'll probably be with Elders Waltman and Phillips. Which I certainly can't complain about. I love both of them. Elder Waltman was called to be the branch president here in Khabarovsk yesterday and will serve here as branch president probably until the end of his mission. (He has two transfers left). Yesterday, as I looked up at him during the meeting, I could see a change had come over him. It's interesting how the mantle of a calling can almost physically change a person and their outward appearance.
I got a great letter yesterday from Sister Jolyn Metro! It was great to hear from her and to know she's doing so well in France! I'm going to try to write to her now that I have her address. Fallon sent me a postcard from Harry Potter world! That place looks so COOL!!! I hope I'll get to see it in about a year, but I pray this year doesn't fly by as quickly as the first.
This past week was sucked up a little by looking for a new apartment on Sakhalin. That's always fun. And I may have to end up doing that here in Khabarovsk. The apartment we have here right now is super nice! And if we have to end up moving, that will be a bummer. (I may have already mentioned something about this apartment to you all when I came for zone conference last time.) But anyways, we'll see what the future holds. My favorite part of the apartment is heated bathroom and kitchen floors. :)
It was hard to leave Sakhalin because I've really come to love the people of the island. I love the members so much! There are so many great members, great examples, and great families and awesome investigators that it was hard to leave. Who knows, maybe someday I will have the opportunity to return.
So, real quick about Khabarovsk... The branch here is struggling. But the people are awesome! Attendance at church isn't as high as it once was. Missionaries do a lot here. I may have already mentioned that, but the work here is certainly struggling. It's a great city though. It reminds me a lot more of Vlad. It's bigger like Vlad; it has beautiful buildings, larger streets than Vlad, and all around, a nice city. From those I've met thus far, there are nice people here in Khabarovsk and there are also not such nice people, but that happens everywhere. I was sitting on the bus yesterday and eventually heard some guy speaking to my companion sitting behind me. Needless to say, this guy wasn't the nicest I've ever come across. Once I understood he had been speaking to my companion, I turned around and was about to say something but something told me it would be better if I didn't. This guy was clearly not in favor of the church or the fact that we were here in Russia. So I bit my lip and kept my mouth shut because I felt if I said anything, it wouldn't lead to good. After the bus ride, I doubted that feeling I had had because I felt I should have defended my companion, since he didn't understand what the guy said to him. I still don't know if I did the right thing. And as always, I usually think far too much about stuff after the fact. But I continued to pray for that man after the bus ride, that his heart would be softened. I later met a really cool guy on the bus who was the taxi driver that had taken the other elders to the airport the day earlier. He loved my name. (I love the name Bush because no one ever forgets it.) I met a guy on the street this last week that I had run into earlier in December who was a drug addict. I could never get a hold of him before, but he and I immediately recognized one another. I really hope he's able to meet this next week with the elders on Sakh.
Well, I'm about out of time. Hopefully, this next week will be an exciting one with a lot to report to you all back home. I'm mindful of you all in my prayers. I'm also mindful of all the promised blessings that lay in store for each of us if we will just remain faithful and do all we can to fulfill the Lord's will. You all are awesome and I'm super grateful for your support.
Love,
Elder Bush
p.s. Grandma and Grandpa Bush and Grandma Gee, I got letters from you too!! THANK YOU! I'll try to reply soon.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
One year already gone?
Warm wishes and love to everyone!
It sure sounds like all is well back home! It dumped snow yesterday while we were at church. So this morning, we got a call to help shovel out President Severyoukhin's garage so he could get to work. Thus, I'm writing home a little earlier than usual.
ELDER ZAMORA'S BROTHER JUST GOT HIS MISSION CALL TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!!! WOOOOOOO!!!! Another Spanish speaker in their house going to a Spanish speaking mission. His older brother is finishing up his mission in Anaheim. That's super exciting! Anyways, sorry got a little side tracked. We're all writing home together right now and we're all excited to hear about the BYU basketball player (Kyle Collinsworth) coming here to Vlad! He's going to love it so much! I hope I get to serve with him! I'll look tiny compared to him. There's a huge group of missionaries leaving this summer from our mission, so we'll probably be getting some this next summer to help the work move forward. Dad, thanks for your email about the atonement. The longer I study it, the harder it is to comprehend. How could Christ physically take upon himself our suffering, our pains, our sins, our weaknesses? How, I don't know. But He did. And through Him, we can receive eternal life and a fullness of joy.
It's been a good week. (Seems like I always say that right?) The Zone leaders came to visit so I got to work with my trainer (Elder Waltman) again. I love talking with him and getting to reunite with him to work in the Lord's vineyard. I love serving here in Vlad because you know pretty much everyone in the mission field. You know all the servants of the Lord of the vineyard with whom you are laboring and you truly form so many great friendships, even with those that you haven't personally served with. I just couldn't imagine serving in a mission with 150+ missionaries. Somewhere around 30-40 is nice for me. :) We had some fun tracting this past week. It was actually an interesting experience because the only person that expressed any interest was the last door we knocked on. (And later on in the week when we stopped by, we got cursed at by an indifferent young man that appeared to not be in a stable frame of mind.) But anyway, when we were heading toward that stairwell, a man stood in the way. We spoke with him and he expressed little interest at all. We spoke to him of the Book of Mormon and why it's so important. Because of my lack of faith, I probably would have just walked away to go to another stairwell. But Elder Thellmann (who is super awesome and a great example to me) strengthened my faith by asking the man if he lived there and if he would let us in the stairway to talk to his neighbors. The man thought about it and grabbed his keys and opened the door. You have to have faith in this work or the Lord will be unable to work little miracles each and every day. That may seem like a simple if not trivial example, but to me, it was huge evidence that when we have faith, the Lord softens the hearts of people to help further His work among His children.
We met a really cool Armenian man on the street that met with us once this past week. I hope he continues to meet with us. One thing I learned from that meeting was how important the Spirit is. Shirak (his name) kept returning to the subject of America, wanting to know what it's like there, how is it better than here, etc. It was really hard to help him stay focused on the message of the Book of Mormon and why we wanted to meet with him. Yet, as we spoke and asked him questions, he began to feel of the Spirit and the words we shared regarding the promise behind the Book of Mormon. The fact that we were American no longer interfered. The Spirit took over. That's what doing the Lord's work is all about; letting the Spirit guide and touch the hearts of those that are ready to hear.
It's crazy how time flies (like I mentioned last week). On the tenth, I didn't even remember that it was my year mark until later in the afternoon. I have some big goals this next year and I hope with all my heart to come closer to the Lord with each day, to fulfill His will and do everything He would desire of me. And to bring others up the mountain along with me as I make this climb. I have truly begun to see how much the Lord has blessed me while I've been here. He blesses me so much in speaking the language. I truly am beginning to see how (Stake) President Pratt's words and the Lord's blessing he gave me when setting me apart are being fulfilled. I am so grateful the Lord sent me here. I needed these challenges and I need more in the future to help me grow.
Oh, we met this former investigator this past week who has sisters that are members living in America. I really hope we can touch his heart and he’ll have a desire to learn more. Helping families be brought together in the gospel is what it's all about. He lives out in a separate little house where there's tons of dogs guarding each house. I have seen some bears this past week being out there. :) And by bears, I mean big dogs that could eat me. :) Don't worry, they're usually on chains behind fences. They just make a bunch of noise.
I love you all. I love the Lord. And I know He blesses each of us each and every day. Look for His hand in your life. Take luck! ;)
Love,
Elder Spencer Bush
P.S. ELDER HALE MET ELDER HALES!!!!?? NO WAY!!!!
It sure sounds like all is well back home! It dumped snow yesterday while we were at church. So this morning, we got a call to help shovel out President Severyoukhin's garage so he could get to work. Thus, I'm writing home a little earlier than usual.
ELDER ZAMORA'S BROTHER JUST GOT HIS MISSION CALL TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!!! WOOOOOOO!!!! Another Spanish speaker in their house going to a Spanish speaking mission. His older brother is finishing up his mission in Anaheim. That's super exciting! Anyways, sorry got a little side tracked. We're all writing home together right now and we're all excited to hear about the BYU basketball player (Kyle Collinsworth) coming here to Vlad! He's going to love it so much! I hope I get to serve with him! I'll look tiny compared to him. There's a huge group of missionaries leaving this summer from our mission, so we'll probably be getting some this next summer to help the work move forward. Dad, thanks for your email about the atonement. The longer I study it, the harder it is to comprehend. How could Christ physically take upon himself our suffering, our pains, our sins, our weaknesses? How, I don't know. But He did. And through Him, we can receive eternal life and a fullness of joy.
It's been a good week. (Seems like I always say that right?) The Zone leaders came to visit so I got to work with my trainer (Elder Waltman) again. I love talking with him and getting to reunite with him to work in the Lord's vineyard. I love serving here in Vlad because you know pretty much everyone in the mission field. You know all the servants of the Lord of the vineyard with whom you are laboring and you truly form so many great friendships, even with those that you haven't personally served with. I just couldn't imagine serving in a mission with 150+ missionaries. Somewhere around 30-40 is nice for me. :) We had some fun tracting this past week. It was actually an interesting experience because the only person that expressed any interest was the last door we knocked on. (And later on in the week when we stopped by, we got cursed at by an indifferent young man that appeared to not be in a stable frame of mind.) But anyway, when we were heading toward that stairwell, a man stood in the way. We spoke with him and he expressed little interest at all. We spoke to him of the Book of Mormon and why it's so important. Because of my lack of faith, I probably would have just walked away to go to another stairwell. But Elder Thellmann (who is super awesome and a great example to me) strengthened my faith by asking the man if he lived there and if he would let us in the stairway to talk to his neighbors. The man thought about it and grabbed his keys and opened the door. You have to have faith in this work or the Lord will be unable to work little miracles each and every day. That may seem like a simple if not trivial example, but to me, it was huge evidence that when we have faith, the Lord softens the hearts of people to help further His work among His children.
We met a really cool Armenian man on the street that met with us once this past week. I hope he continues to meet with us. One thing I learned from that meeting was how important the Spirit is. Shirak (his name) kept returning to the subject of America, wanting to know what it's like there, how is it better than here, etc. It was really hard to help him stay focused on the message of the Book of Mormon and why we wanted to meet with him. Yet, as we spoke and asked him questions, he began to feel of the Spirit and the words we shared regarding the promise behind the Book of Mormon. The fact that we were American no longer interfered. The Spirit took over. That's what doing the Lord's work is all about; letting the Spirit guide and touch the hearts of those that are ready to hear.
It's crazy how time flies (like I mentioned last week). On the tenth, I didn't even remember that it was my year mark until later in the afternoon. I have some big goals this next year and I hope with all my heart to come closer to the Lord with each day, to fulfill His will and do everything He would desire of me. And to bring others up the mountain along with me as I make this climb. I have truly begun to see how much the Lord has blessed me while I've been here. He blesses me so much in speaking the language. I truly am beginning to see how (Stake) President Pratt's words and the Lord's blessing he gave me when setting me apart are being fulfilled. I am so grateful the Lord sent me here. I needed these challenges and I need more in the future to help me grow.
Oh, we met this former investigator this past week who has sisters that are members living in America. I really hope we can touch his heart and he’ll have a desire to learn more. Helping families be brought together in the gospel is what it's all about. He lives out in a separate little house where there's tons of dogs guarding each house. I have seen some bears this past week being out there. :) And by bears, I mean big dogs that could eat me. :) Don't worry, they're usually on chains behind fences. They just make a bunch of noise.
I love you all. I love the Lord. And I know He blesses each of us each and every day. Look for His hand in your life. Take luck! ;)
Love,
Elder Spencer Bush
P.S. ELDER HALE MET ELDER HALES!!!!?? NO WAY!!!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Russian Music Concert was Awesome!
Hey there everybody!
What a crazy week! (Seems like I say that all the time right?) Thanks for the emails. And thanks to Sis. Spencer for writing me a letter that I got this last week and to the Hansens for the package they sent! I loved eating Skittles! I haven't had them in a while! Thank you so much for your letter and pictures. It was super nice of all of you! Mom, I'm always surprised that people like my letters home because I'm never really sure if what I'm writing makes any sense at all. Although, the more I think about it, the more I realize that my letters home are sometimes better than my journal entries. So, I'm thinking I might compile a huge binder with all my letters home that I can keep along with my journal entries so I can remember more of my mission.
Well, where to begin? We had a lot of plans fall through this past week, which made our evenings interesting. It's a lot harder to contact people on the street at night. And tracting is not always very liked by many of the people because they don't want to be "bothered" in the evenings. But that's when they're home so...
The highlight of the week was probably getting to participate in a cultural activity this past Saturday. The Jones family (one of the American couples that live here on Sakhalin and work at Exxon) bought tickets for all the missionaries here on Sakhalin as well as the assistants and President and Sister Pratt because they were here visiting this past weekend. It was a concert put on by a group of musicians that play traditional Russian music. It was really, really cool! They were all dressed up in traditional outfits and they had two singers that sang folk songs and it was just awesome. Several of the musicians played an instrument called the balalaika. It's like a triangular guitar, and it comes in different sizes. The base balalaika was ginormous! And the guy that played it was a good match. (You'll see what I mean from the picture I took.) The music they played was outstanding, and we all loved every minute of it. I got some descent photos and a few videos I'll show you in a year.
Saturday actually started out with my losing my passport somewhere in our apartment, which I fortunately found, and as a result we were late to our lesson. On the way, I took a nice tumble on the ice which wasn't exceptionally fun. In fact, my back side thanked me later for it. Then later that day, I got an awesome rejection from a woman on the bus while we were doing some bus contacting. She got tired of me asking her questions trying to have a conversation with her and told me to leave her alone so she could rest. Then that evening, I almost got hit by a car crossing the street. (Don't worry, I'm completely fine) but what a day! Oh and I cut myself shaving to cap it all off.
This last week has once again been filled with some wonderful food! We actually made cupcakes last night while studying, we had snickerdoodles from Sister Noble, we made some delicious marinated chicken yesterday, and an investigator fed us soup and this noodle meatloaf stuff that was pretty good... All in all, it's been a great week full of yummy food, hot chocolate, and some pretty warm weather. Things started melting this past week! It was crazy! Hopefully, it doesn't get too warm too quickly.
It's kind of hard to believe that I have already served for almost a year. Time flies far too fast. I don't want it to run out. Even though it's hard, it's so worth it, and I want to learn as much as I can while I'm here. Don't let one moment pass you by as good old Elder Rogers said in the Best Two Years. Every moment is a chance to serve the Lord and to help those around you come closer to Him. Every moment is one you can learn from to better yourself and overcome your weaknesses.
I love each of you so much. You all are amazing, and I'm super grateful for your support and your examples. Hope each of you has a great week! Stay safe and have fun! And read your scriptures!
Love,
Elder Bush
P.S. The family is the greatest thing on the face of the planet. Never forget that. We met with an awesome family this last week in the center area while Elder Zamora was with us and the mom was asking us a lot about our families, how we were raised and what experiences we had growing up. I'm so grateful to have such a loving family. :) And awesome parents!
What a crazy week! (Seems like I say that all the time right?) Thanks for the emails. And thanks to Sis. Spencer for writing me a letter that I got this last week and to the Hansens for the package they sent! I loved eating Skittles! I haven't had them in a while! Thank you so much for your letter and pictures. It was super nice of all of you! Mom, I'm always surprised that people like my letters home because I'm never really sure if what I'm writing makes any sense at all. Although, the more I think about it, the more I realize that my letters home are sometimes better than my journal entries. So, I'm thinking I might compile a huge binder with all my letters home that I can keep along with my journal entries so I can remember more of my mission.
Well, where to begin? We had a lot of plans fall through this past week, which made our evenings interesting. It's a lot harder to contact people on the street at night. And tracting is not always very liked by many of the people because they don't want to be "bothered" in the evenings. But that's when they're home so...
The highlight of the week was probably getting to participate in a cultural activity this past Saturday. The Jones family (one of the American couples that live here on Sakhalin and work at Exxon) bought tickets for all the missionaries here on Sakhalin as well as the assistants and President and Sister Pratt because they were here visiting this past weekend. It was a concert put on by a group of musicians that play traditional Russian music. It was really, really cool! They were all dressed up in traditional outfits and they had two singers that sang folk songs and it was just awesome. Several of the musicians played an instrument called the balalaika. It's like a triangular guitar, and it comes in different sizes. The base balalaika was ginormous! And the guy that played it was a good match. (You'll see what I mean from the picture I took.) The music they played was outstanding, and we all loved every minute of it. I got some descent photos and a few videos I'll show you in a year.
Saturday actually started out with my losing my passport somewhere in our apartment, which I fortunately found, and as a result we were late to our lesson. On the way, I took a nice tumble on the ice which wasn't exceptionally fun. In fact, my back side thanked me later for it. Then later that day, I got an awesome rejection from a woman on the bus while we were doing some bus contacting. She got tired of me asking her questions trying to have a conversation with her and told me to leave her alone so she could rest. Then that evening, I almost got hit by a car crossing the street. (Don't worry, I'm completely fine) but what a day! Oh and I cut myself shaving to cap it all off.
This last week has once again been filled with some wonderful food! We actually made cupcakes last night while studying, we had snickerdoodles from Sister Noble, we made some delicious marinated chicken yesterday, and an investigator fed us soup and this noodle meatloaf stuff that was pretty good... All in all, it's been a great week full of yummy food, hot chocolate, and some pretty warm weather. Things started melting this past week! It was crazy! Hopefully, it doesn't get too warm too quickly.
It's kind of hard to believe that I have already served for almost a year. Time flies far too fast. I don't want it to run out. Even though it's hard, it's so worth it, and I want to learn as much as I can while I'm here. Don't let one moment pass you by as good old Elder Rogers said in the Best Two Years. Every moment is a chance to serve the Lord and to help those around you come closer to Him. Every moment is one you can learn from to better yourself and overcome your weaknesses.
I love each of you so much. You all are amazing, and I'm super grateful for your support and your examples. Hope each of you has a great week! Stay safe and have fun! And read your scriptures!
Love,
Elder Bush
P.S. The family is the greatest thing on the face of the planet. Never forget that. We met with an awesome family this last week in the center area while Elder Zamora was with us and the mom was asking us a lot about our families, how we were raised and what experiences we had growing up. I'm so grateful to have such a loving family. :) And awesome parents!
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