Tuesday, May 17, 2011
No letter this week
Sometimes there is a problem at the place where he uses the internet, and he is not able to send an email. The missionaries are only able to write on their Preparation Day, so we'll have to wait until next week to hear from him.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mother's Day Phone Call
Missionaries get to talk to their families on the telephone twice a year, on Mother’s Day and Christmas, so we had the great joy of talking to Spencer on Sunday night. He asked us to be prepared with questions, so here are some of our questions and his answers:
Q: Grandpa Bush asked: How do the Koreans treat you compared with the Russians?
A: Russians in general are curious and suspicious. Because of their past history, they are a little closed. They are curious to know who you are and what you are doing in Russia. They judge Americans by what they see in the movies, and they think that Americans are all rich and can’t figure out why any Americans would want to come to Russia. They are always looking at us. It takes some adjustment to get used to being stared at. The members are different because they love the missionaries. The more they get to know you, the more they open up.
Koreans are so hospitable. They are very nice and very helpful. If they notice that you’re lost, they want to help you. On our last visit, the Koreans were very concerned about the radiation from Japan and kept telling us that we needed to have an umbrella, so the radiation in the rain wouldn’t get on us. Brother Southerland, a man in the US military stationed there, told us that we didn’t need to worry about it. One time when we were out in the rain, a Korean woman held her umbrella over Sister Brigham to protect her.
Sometimes the first impression of Russians is that they aren’t kind and helpful, but then you find out that they are. For example, I was riding the bus last week and I had my backpack and another bag. It was crowded, and I was trying to keep my bags out of the way. I accidently bumped a woman, and she pushed my arm away. I was thinking to myself that she was a little rude and abrupt. When some seats became available, we sat down next to each other, and I was really trying to keep my bags out of her way. When she saw my struggles, she said, “Just put your bags on my lap.” I had thought that she was rude, but she turned out to be very kind.
Q: What is your favorite food in Russia?
A: I love borscht. It’s just good soup and really filling. I don’t get to eat a lot of Russian food because I usually cook for myself, but one of the members often makes meat pies, which are good. I also like plov, which is a rice dish. My least favorite was blini (like a crape or pancake) with cottage cheese inside. I don’t like cottage cheese, and I did not enjoy the taste of it. I wanted a drink of water to get the taste out of my mouth.
Q: Trevor told Spencer that he is envious of him being able to read classic Russian literature in its native language. (Trevor is reading Crime and Punishment by choice, which I know sounds strange, but he’s planning to major in English and loves literature.) He asked if Russians actually read the Russian classics such as Crime and Punishment and War and Peace.
A: Most Russians read those books in school. They are proud of their heritage, and from what I understand, they are well learned in their literature and their history.
Q: Is writing in Russian weird?
A: Not at all. I absolutely love it. I love working at my handwriting. Many foreigners have difficulty reading Russian cursive, but I think it’s beautiful. (When Spencer sends letters home, his writing is so perfect that it looks like it was done on a computer.)
Q: What is the coolest thing you’ve seen in Russia?
A: The concert with the Russian folk musicians was really cool. When I first got to Khabarovsk, there were some really neat ice sculptures. They were starting to melt, but they were still really neat. Khabarovsk is a beautiful city, the cleanest I’ve seen in Russia. There are a lot of beautiful monuments that I haven’t yet gotten to see. One is the Eternal Flame monument. It has the names of the people from the Far East, who died during World War II. It makes you realize how much the Russian people suffered during and after the war. It’s been difficult to do much site seeing here because Khab is a long city, and it takes a lot of time to travel to different places. We just don’t have enough time on P-day.
By the way, President Pratt called this week to tell us that Elder Steed and I are both being transferred next week. We don’t know yet where we’ll be or with whom. We’ll go to Vlad next week and find out there. I’ll be sad to leave Khabarovsk.
Q: Has the time flown by?
A: Don’t even talk about that! I can’t believe how fast time is going. When Mom wrote last week about coordinating our Mother’s Day call, I was thinking that it can’t possibly be Mother’s Day already. I just talked to you on Christmas.
Q: What is your favorite thing to say in Russian?
A: Russian is a very rich language. In many cases, there is a word that can describe something that would take several words in English. There are also words that mean very specific things. I love to preach the gospel, and I especially love to talk about blessings. People don’t like to hear about general blessings, such as, “If you keep the commandments, you will be blessed.” They want specifics. Sometimes specific blessings are in the scriptures, but the Spirit can also help us to identify and promise specific blessings.
Q: What do you like to do on P-days (Preparation Days)?
A: It’s great when we can do a little site-seeing, but as I said before, it’s been difficult to do in Khab. I like to email family and write letters, and it’s really great when I can get a nap.
Q: What is the best method for proclaiming the message?
A: It’s definitely better to have the members refer their friends. Then the investigators have a friend at church, someone to answer their questions, someone to support them. This way is always more successful. It’s possible for someone we contact on the street to be baptized, but it’s harder for them and for us. Talking to random people on the street is hard. I’ve learned that you have to have a good attitude and be positive and happy. You can’t take it personally when someone doesn’t want to listen to your message. You just try to share some happiness with them.
Q: Which city is doing the most teaching?
A: The missionaries in Sakhalin probably do the most teaching. The members there are very involved. The sister missionaries also seem to do the most teaching. I’m not sure if it’s because they are women or because most of them are native speakers. Obviously, the Russians are better able to converse and teach other Russians. The goal in the mission is to teach 10 lessons a week. That has been difficult to do in Khab. For instance, we had a great week last week, but we only taught 5 lessons. Two of those were with an investigator with a member of the Church present, one was with a man we met on the street, and the other two were institute classes, which we can count because there are less active members who attend.
Last week was the best week in Khab, not that we had a lot of success, but we got to teach two investigators and we worked really hard. The man who we met on the street was very nice, and we had a good lesson with him. We also got to teach an investigator who we haven’t been able to meet with for awhile. Her father is against her meeting with us. The assistants to the President were visiting, so we had exchanges with them. We contacted a lot of people and it felt good to just work hard. We’re here to declare a voice of warning and can’t get discouraged when people don’t want to listen.
Funny story - When I was on exchanges with Elder Williams, he wanted to take me to a pizza restaurant. The name loosely translates to “Senor Tomato”. When the hostess greeted us and realized that we were Americans, she had a look of panic on her face. She looked as though she was trying to remember every work of English that she knew and finally stammered, “Do you speak English?” We answered her in Russian that we spoke English and Russian too. The look of relief that came over her was priceless. I wish I could have captured it on film.
Conclusion by Mom - Spencer and his companion sang “Happy Birthday” to Jessica in Russian. Elder Steed has a beautiful voice. We enjoyed some good laughter and jokes as a family that I would try to relate but they probably wouldn’t be as funny in the retelling. It’s the favorite part of being able to talk on the phone. We concluded the call by singing together and Spencer offered our family prayer in Russian. We couldn’t understand the words, but felt the spirit, and each of the children could recognize their names as he prayed for each member of the family. It was a very tender moment. He sounded happy and loves the work he is doing and the missionaries he is serving with. He loves the Russian people and their language. It’s always a good sign when a missionary isn’t anxious to come home. It’s a wonderful example of “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Email from Elder Bush:
Dear Fam,
I think my favorite part of hearing from you all was getting to laugh again with you all. I miss that the most. I probably will never miss anything more than just sitting around the table or in the family room and laughing with one another. Family is really what it's all about.
About this past week, I really didn't get to tell you all quite how I felt but honestly, this past week was one of the best on my mission, and certainly the best in Khabarovsk. It was just super exciting to actually get to meet with some awesome people and share this message that I love. I also talked with a lot of interesting people on the street, some who were interested and seeking truth in this world in which we live and others that weren't interested at all. One in particular was a little drunk and seemed as though he owned the neighborhood. Elder Steed, Elder Kildew and I spoke with him for a little while until we could tell it was going nowhere and we were certain he was drunk. He used a lot of colorful words. I've unfortunately been on my mission long enough now that I knew all of them and I'm surprised that they actually have that sort of not so pleasant feel to them. I politely asked him to speak without all the language, and I think he was surprised that I actually understood him. He told us about a lot of things that he has done in this life that I'm certain Heavenly Father is saddened by, and I don't know if there's a lot that we as the missionaries could have or can do for him, but I pray he changes his actions and desires and begins to live a life more in harmony with Father's will.
About transfers, we talked with some of the missionaries after I talked with you all on the phone and they had found out a lot through one another. Basically, they know where more of the missionaries are going except for me, Elder Zamora, Elder Steed, Elder Philips, Elder Stewart, and Elder Miller. It will be interesting for sure. Hopefully, we find out tomorrow. I'll let you know all the craziness come next p-day. :)
Well, we moved out of our apartment this afternoon. Our landlord was super nice and took us with all of our stuff to the center elders' apartment. He really is a nice landlord. He has a really sweet old Russian car that he drove us in. Some may see it and think it's on old piece of garbage, but I love it and would love to drive one back home.
It's tough to leave Khabarovsk because I've really come to love the members and this beautiful city, but it will be a good transfer. And maybe, someday, I'll return.
I love my mission. It's hard. But I love it so much. I love each and every one of you so so so much. I am eternally grateful for your love and support from far away. Your prayers are always appreciated. You are such a wonderful family. I know I may not have expressed that all that well today over the phone, but I really am super grateful to have such an awesome, supportive, strong, united, loving family. :) Don't any of you every forget that.
Take it easy and good luck with all you will meet this upcoming week!
Love,
Elder Bush
P.S. This week will probably be a hard one because I'll have to say goodbye finally to my papa (trainer). Elder Waltman goes home this week! Crazy to think that a year ago we were serving and walking the streets of Vlad together. It'll be hard to say goodbye because we've become such good friends. It has been such a great privilege to serve with and near him in different cities. I love my mission. Don't ever forget the friendships you make. They can be worth more than gold or riches.
Q: Grandpa Bush asked: How do the Koreans treat you compared with the Russians?
A: Russians in general are curious and suspicious. Because of their past history, they are a little closed. They are curious to know who you are and what you are doing in Russia. They judge Americans by what they see in the movies, and they think that Americans are all rich and can’t figure out why any Americans would want to come to Russia. They are always looking at us. It takes some adjustment to get used to being stared at. The members are different because they love the missionaries. The more they get to know you, the more they open up.
Koreans are so hospitable. They are very nice and very helpful. If they notice that you’re lost, they want to help you. On our last visit, the Koreans were very concerned about the radiation from Japan and kept telling us that we needed to have an umbrella, so the radiation in the rain wouldn’t get on us. Brother Southerland, a man in the US military stationed there, told us that we didn’t need to worry about it. One time when we were out in the rain, a Korean woman held her umbrella over Sister Brigham to protect her.
Sometimes the first impression of Russians is that they aren’t kind and helpful, but then you find out that they are. For example, I was riding the bus last week and I had my backpack and another bag. It was crowded, and I was trying to keep my bags out of the way. I accidently bumped a woman, and she pushed my arm away. I was thinking to myself that she was a little rude and abrupt. When some seats became available, we sat down next to each other, and I was really trying to keep my bags out of her way. When she saw my struggles, she said, “Just put your bags on my lap.” I had thought that she was rude, but she turned out to be very kind.
Q: What is your favorite food in Russia?
A: I love borscht. It’s just good soup and really filling. I don’t get to eat a lot of Russian food because I usually cook for myself, but one of the members often makes meat pies, which are good. I also like plov, which is a rice dish. My least favorite was blini (like a crape or pancake) with cottage cheese inside. I don’t like cottage cheese, and I did not enjoy the taste of it. I wanted a drink of water to get the taste out of my mouth.
Q: Trevor told Spencer that he is envious of him being able to read classic Russian literature in its native language. (Trevor is reading Crime and Punishment by choice, which I know sounds strange, but he’s planning to major in English and loves literature.) He asked if Russians actually read the Russian classics such as Crime and Punishment and War and Peace.
A: Most Russians read those books in school. They are proud of their heritage, and from what I understand, they are well learned in their literature and their history.
Q: Is writing in Russian weird?
A: Not at all. I absolutely love it. I love working at my handwriting. Many foreigners have difficulty reading Russian cursive, but I think it’s beautiful. (When Spencer sends letters home, his writing is so perfect that it looks like it was done on a computer.)
Q: What is the coolest thing you’ve seen in Russia?
A: The concert with the Russian folk musicians was really cool. When I first got to Khabarovsk, there were some really neat ice sculptures. They were starting to melt, but they were still really neat. Khabarovsk is a beautiful city, the cleanest I’ve seen in Russia. There are a lot of beautiful monuments that I haven’t yet gotten to see. One is the Eternal Flame monument. It has the names of the people from the Far East, who died during World War II. It makes you realize how much the Russian people suffered during and after the war. It’s been difficult to do much site seeing here because Khab is a long city, and it takes a lot of time to travel to different places. We just don’t have enough time on P-day.
By the way, President Pratt called this week to tell us that Elder Steed and I are both being transferred next week. We don’t know yet where we’ll be or with whom. We’ll go to Vlad next week and find out there. I’ll be sad to leave Khabarovsk.
Q: Has the time flown by?
A: Don’t even talk about that! I can’t believe how fast time is going. When Mom wrote last week about coordinating our Mother’s Day call, I was thinking that it can’t possibly be Mother’s Day already. I just talked to you on Christmas.
Q: What is your favorite thing to say in Russian?
A: Russian is a very rich language. In many cases, there is a word that can describe something that would take several words in English. There are also words that mean very specific things. I love to preach the gospel, and I especially love to talk about blessings. People don’t like to hear about general blessings, such as, “If you keep the commandments, you will be blessed.” They want specifics. Sometimes specific blessings are in the scriptures, but the Spirit can also help us to identify and promise specific blessings.
Q: What do you like to do on P-days (Preparation Days)?
A: It’s great when we can do a little site-seeing, but as I said before, it’s been difficult to do in Khab. I like to email family and write letters, and it’s really great when I can get a nap.
Q: What is the best method for proclaiming the message?
A: It’s definitely better to have the members refer their friends. Then the investigators have a friend at church, someone to answer their questions, someone to support them. This way is always more successful. It’s possible for someone we contact on the street to be baptized, but it’s harder for them and for us. Talking to random people on the street is hard. I’ve learned that you have to have a good attitude and be positive and happy. You can’t take it personally when someone doesn’t want to listen to your message. You just try to share some happiness with them.
Q: Which city is doing the most teaching?
A: The missionaries in Sakhalin probably do the most teaching. The members there are very involved. The sister missionaries also seem to do the most teaching. I’m not sure if it’s because they are women or because most of them are native speakers. Obviously, the Russians are better able to converse and teach other Russians. The goal in the mission is to teach 10 lessons a week. That has been difficult to do in Khab. For instance, we had a great week last week, but we only taught 5 lessons. Two of those were with an investigator with a member of the Church present, one was with a man we met on the street, and the other two were institute classes, which we can count because there are less active members who attend.
Last week was the best week in Khab, not that we had a lot of success, but we got to teach two investigators and we worked really hard. The man who we met on the street was very nice, and we had a good lesson with him. We also got to teach an investigator who we haven’t been able to meet with for awhile. Her father is against her meeting with us. The assistants to the President were visiting, so we had exchanges with them. We contacted a lot of people and it felt good to just work hard. We’re here to declare a voice of warning and can’t get discouraged when people don’t want to listen.
Funny story - When I was on exchanges with Elder Williams, he wanted to take me to a pizza restaurant. The name loosely translates to “Senor Tomato”. When the hostess greeted us and realized that we were Americans, she had a look of panic on her face. She looked as though she was trying to remember every work of English that she knew and finally stammered, “Do you speak English?” We answered her in Russian that we spoke English and Russian too. The look of relief that came over her was priceless. I wish I could have captured it on film.
Conclusion by Mom - Spencer and his companion sang “Happy Birthday” to Jessica in Russian. Elder Steed has a beautiful voice. We enjoyed some good laughter and jokes as a family that I would try to relate but they probably wouldn’t be as funny in the retelling. It’s the favorite part of being able to talk on the phone. We concluded the call by singing together and Spencer offered our family prayer in Russian. We couldn’t understand the words, but felt the spirit, and each of the children could recognize their names as he prayed for each member of the family. It was a very tender moment. He sounded happy and loves the work he is doing and the missionaries he is serving with. He loves the Russian people and their language. It’s always a good sign when a missionary isn’t anxious to come home. It’s a wonderful example of “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Email from Elder Bush:
Dear Fam,
I think my favorite part of hearing from you all was getting to laugh again with you all. I miss that the most. I probably will never miss anything more than just sitting around the table or in the family room and laughing with one another. Family is really what it's all about.
About this past week, I really didn't get to tell you all quite how I felt but honestly, this past week was one of the best on my mission, and certainly the best in Khabarovsk. It was just super exciting to actually get to meet with some awesome people and share this message that I love. I also talked with a lot of interesting people on the street, some who were interested and seeking truth in this world in which we live and others that weren't interested at all. One in particular was a little drunk and seemed as though he owned the neighborhood. Elder Steed, Elder Kildew and I spoke with him for a little while until we could tell it was going nowhere and we were certain he was drunk. He used a lot of colorful words. I've unfortunately been on my mission long enough now that I knew all of them and I'm surprised that they actually have that sort of not so pleasant feel to them. I politely asked him to speak without all the language, and I think he was surprised that I actually understood him. He told us about a lot of things that he has done in this life that I'm certain Heavenly Father is saddened by, and I don't know if there's a lot that we as the missionaries could have or can do for him, but I pray he changes his actions and desires and begins to live a life more in harmony with Father's will.
About transfers, we talked with some of the missionaries after I talked with you all on the phone and they had found out a lot through one another. Basically, they know where more of the missionaries are going except for me, Elder Zamora, Elder Steed, Elder Philips, Elder Stewart, and Elder Miller. It will be interesting for sure. Hopefully, we find out tomorrow. I'll let you know all the craziness come next p-day. :)
Well, we moved out of our apartment this afternoon. Our landlord was super nice and took us with all of our stuff to the center elders' apartment. He really is a nice landlord. He has a really sweet old Russian car that he drove us in. Some may see it and think it's on old piece of garbage, but I love it and would love to drive one back home.
It's tough to leave Khabarovsk because I've really come to love the members and this beautiful city, but it will be a good transfer. And maybe, someday, I'll return.
I love my mission. It's hard. But I love it so much. I love each and every one of you so so so much. I am eternally grateful for your love and support from far away. Your prayers are always appreciated. You are such a wonderful family. I know I may not have expressed that all that well today over the phone, but I really am super grateful to have such an awesome, supportive, strong, united, loving family. :) Don't any of you every forget that.
Take it easy and good luck with all you will meet this upcoming week!
Love,
Elder Bush
P.S. This week will probably be a hard one because I'll have to say goodbye finally to my papa (trainer). Elder Waltman goes home this week! Crazy to think that a year ago we were serving and walking the streets of Vlad together. It'll be hard to say goodbye because we've become such good friends. It has been such a great privilege to serve with and near him in different cities. I love my mission. Don't ever forget the friendships you make. They can be worth more than gold or riches.
Monday, May 2, 2011
May Day?
Another hello from Khabarovsk! Thanks Mom and Dad for your letters and updates on the family and the rest of the world. Because it's a holiday in Russia today (May Day I think it's called; not really sure what we're celebrating) it was a little tricky to find an internet place, but thankfully, we did. It took a little bit of a bus ride, but isn't it awesome that I can be on the other side of the globe and write to you and you have my words in light speed? A ginormous blessing I consider it. (A perfect example of me wanting to use Russian sentence structuring) I must add, that was one thing, of many, that is part of the Russian language that I never thought I would understand. I still don't necessarily use it 100% correctly but there are some things in Russian that only come through time and living here. I thank the Lord each day for how richly he has blessed me with this language. When President Pratt (my Stake President back home) set me apart, I had tons of emotions running through my head and honestly, I don't remember all the blessings that he pronounced upon me, but I do remember him blessing me that if I would be faithful and obedient, the Lord would bless me to master this language. I certainly am not there yet, but I can see how much the Lord has blessed me to be well on the way to having a good grip on this language.
About my companion, they just don't come much better than him. If I could meet his parents, and I sure plan on doing that someday if I ever make it up to Idaho, I would thank them for raising such an awesome son who has become a wonderful missionary. His Russian has improved a lot these last two transfers. It's been hard because I haven't really known how to best help him improve. I learn differently than he does and there are some things that he struggles with that I'm not really sure how to help him overcome. But I pray for him daily and do all I can to help him and it really has helped to strengthen our relationship. We work really well together and it has been a great experience working with him, learning so much from him, and realizing all the things I can do to improve as a senior companion.
Oddly enough, I think brothers are somehow connected because I was showing the same symptoms this past week as Trev (a little fever, chills, really really achy, sore throat, cough, and runny nose). Wednesday was my first sick day on the mission. Thankfully, I only had to rest for part of the day so we could teach institute in the evening and got back to work the next day. That was actually a little rough on my body, but I hate taking it easy, especially when very little is happening in our area. We did a lot of contacting this past week and saw a little success. We'll see if we can't reap a little fruit from this area and find those who know not God who are interested and willing to come closer to Christ.
It's been getting a little warmer here lately, which is weird because I've been so used to it being cold/cool and needing a coat on. Soon, we'll be back to hitting the streets in white shirts. I'm going to try really hard to come up with some good things to share with you all during our phone call in a week. Think of Questions!!! I'd love to answer questions. I'll also think of some funny things to share and maybe even some funny sounding Russian words.
To end, I'll share an interesting experience I had yesterday. A member asked us to give her a blessing and I acted as voice. It is an awe inspiring and a bit intimidating experience to pronounce blessings from our Heavenly Father upon his children. Since she's in my area and I know a lot about her and her present situation, I knew she has been searching for some answers to big questions for a long part of her life. I don't know the questions or the answers, but I knew she has been searching and was probably fasting receive such answers. As we laid our hands upon her head, I felt strong promptings to say some specific things, not in answer to her questions but on the contrary, that she must wait a little longer. I shared other things with her throughout the blessing as they came to the forefront of my mind, and I've never felt so many strong impressions before when giving a blessing. As the blessing of comfort came to a close, she was in tears and I could tell she was a little disappointed that she was told she must wait a little longer for answers to her questions. I spent much of sacrament meeting pouring through my mind and heart, at first questioning myself, "Was what I said inspired of the Lord? Was it what I was supposed to say?" I felt confirmation that it was, but it was hard for me because I've really come to love this particular Sister, this stalwart saint here in Khabarovsk, and it was hard to see her upset deep down. Yet, as we spoke afterward, we both were able to rejoice together in the things we do know and that we know the Lord will answer our needs in His due time. The Priesthood is a powerful tool. Use it worthily. It can do miracles.
I love you all and look very much forward to hearing from you all!! :) May Heavenly Father watch and look over you this next week! Good luck with everything!
Love,
Elder Bush
About my companion, they just don't come much better than him. If I could meet his parents, and I sure plan on doing that someday if I ever make it up to Idaho, I would thank them for raising such an awesome son who has become a wonderful missionary. His Russian has improved a lot these last two transfers. It's been hard because I haven't really known how to best help him improve. I learn differently than he does and there are some things that he struggles with that I'm not really sure how to help him overcome. But I pray for him daily and do all I can to help him and it really has helped to strengthen our relationship. We work really well together and it has been a great experience working with him, learning so much from him, and realizing all the things I can do to improve as a senior companion.
Oddly enough, I think brothers are somehow connected because I was showing the same symptoms this past week as Trev (a little fever, chills, really really achy, sore throat, cough, and runny nose). Wednesday was my first sick day on the mission. Thankfully, I only had to rest for part of the day so we could teach institute in the evening and got back to work the next day. That was actually a little rough on my body, but I hate taking it easy, especially when very little is happening in our area. We did a lot of contacting this past week and saw a little success. We'll see if we can't reap a little fruit from this area and find those who know not God who are interested and willing to come closer to Christ.
It's been getting a little warmer here lately, which is weird because I've been so used to it being cold/cool and needing a coat on. Soon, we'll be back to hitting the streets in white shirts. I'm going to try really hard to come up with some good things to share with you all during our phone call in a week. Think of Questions!!! I'd love to answer questions. I'll also think of some funny things to share and maybe even some funny sounding Russian words.
To end, I'll share an interesting experience I had yesterday. A member asked us to give her a blessing and I acted as voice. It is an awe inspiring and a bit intimidating experience to pronounce blessings from our Heavenly Father upon his children. Since she's in my area and I know a lot about her and her present situation, I knew she has been searching for some answers to big questions for a long part of her life. I don't know the questions or the answers, but I knew she has been searching and was probably fasting receive such answers. As we laid our hands upon her head, I felt strong promptings to say some specific things, not in answer to her questions but on the contrary, that she must wait a little longer. I shared other things with her throughout the blessing as they came to the forefront of my mind, and I've never felt so many strong impressions before when giving a blessing. As the blessing of comfort came to a close, she was in tears and I could tell she was a little disappointed that she was told she must wait a little longer for answers to her questions. I spent much of sacrament meeting pouring through my mind and heart, at first questioning myself, "Was what I said inspired of the Lord? Was it what I was supposed to say?" I felt confirmation that it was, but it was hard for me because I've really come to love this particular Sister, this stalwart saint here in Khabarovsk, and it was hard to see her upset deep down. Yet, as we spoke afterward, we both were able to rejoice together in the things we do know and that we know the Lord will answer our needs in His due time. The Priesthood is a powerful tool. Use it worthily. It can do miracles.
I love you all and look very much forward to hearing from you all!! :) May Heavenly Father watch and look over you this next week! Good luck with everything!
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, April 25, 2011
Happy Easter!!
Why hello there everyone!
I know Mondays shouldn't be the focus of my week and I shouldn't just be waiting for each Monday but I must say, I do love Mondays since I get to hear from you all and know how things are going back home where it's warm and doesn't snow in April. For some odd reason, nature can't make up its mind and it has decided to snow on and off here the last week or two. We woke up to snow yesterday morning and snow this morning as well. Not my favorite snow since it's really wet everywhere but looking on the bright side, it's not summer where I'd be sweating all the time.
Well, this past week has been a wonderful spiritual feast. It has blown me away! President and Sister Lawrence came to visit our mission and it was a privilege and wonderful opportunity to meet them, associate with them, and learn from them. Elder Lawrence is in the second quorum of the seventy, he spoke in general conference last fall about parenting (the one about sleepovers that confirmed Dad was always right. :) We missionaries got to talking and we all agree that some of the stupidest things we did as youth was at a sleepover. Let's see, let's get a group of boys or young men together, it's late at night, nothing to do... a recipe for stupidity. I will say, I never really had that problem but I can see what it could lead to.) Anyways, we (the missionaries in Khabarovsk) flew to Sakhalin on Tuesday evening. The next morning, we all met at the branch and had an awesome zone conference with President and Sister Lawrence, and President and Sister Pratt. Elder Lawrence was a mission president in Novosibirsk about 10 years ago (just before the Brethren introduced Preach My Gospel) and is currently a counselor in the Europe East Area Presidency with President Schwitzer. He shared wonderful council with us regarding our missionary work and who we are becoming. Obedience is key. It is fundamental. I can't tell you how many times that theme was repeated. Faith is also a key principle that dictates the likelihood of miracles in our lives. The Lord can only work miracles according to our faith. I immediately knew his wife to be a seminary/institute teacher from the minute she began speaking. She just had a gift for teaching. She shared with all of us about the Abrahamic covenant and we are all heirs of that covenant since we are part of the house of Israel. It was intense. First of all, it was something I was very intrigued to study and learn more of because I've lately been focusing my attention on covenants and all that they entail. They’re extremely serious, very sacred, and bring with them the greatest blessing Heavenly Father has to offer. It's inspiring to realize that with the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ came not only a restoration of priesthood authority but also a restoration of covenant making. That is why this work is so important. We are all about helping people enter into covenants with God. It's not just about getting more members so our church will be bigger than the church down the street. I want others to see the beauty in the blessings that await them when they enter into covenants with God and remain faithful to them. That's a very big part of why I'm here spending all my time on this holy work. I won't share everything that Sister Lawrence shared because it was honestly one of the deepest doctrinal presentations that I've heard on my mission in such a setting. One thing she did mention was that our patriarchal blessing is our license to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is there that we find our lineage to Abraham and we realize our connection to the House of Israel, the Lord's chosen, covenant people. We touched on the topic of "election" (go look in the Bible Dictionary about that) and how we are elected children of Father because we proved faithful in the life before this and we made promises that we would carry forth His work here on this earth. We talked about a lot of things that I will share more about when I get home but it really was a spiritually enlightening experience that helped me to better realize my role in all of this and the role I will continue to play for the rest of my life.
That evening (Wed), the branch had a fireside with the Lawrences speaking and we were able to stay for that which was a real treat because we got to not only learn more from them, but I got to reunite with so many awesome members of the church there on Sakhalin. It was fantastic to see them again even after only 2 months or so. We got to do a little work there on Sakhalin the next day with the Sakhalin elders which consisted of meeting with a member who lives in a retirement home (man, could he talk and talk and talk!) and we then headed back to Khabarovsk that evening.
Friday we did service with Sister Galina and met with one of her students named Stepan. I think I mentioned him to you. I bought him a gift in Korea on my last trip. It was a pack of UNO cards with Cars characters on it. At the end of our visit, we played a few rounds and he loved it. :) He has such a sweet spirit about him. I always love seeing that kid.
Saturday evening, we gathered together as missionaries at the senior couples' apartment and had an Easter dinner that Sister Burnham prepared for us. It was so nice of her and greatly appreciated. :) Yesterday was obviously a very special day. I awoke excited to celebrate Christ's triumphant victory over death. We (Elder Waltman, Elder Steed, and I) sang praise to Christ in sacrament meeting yesterday and I'm certain that angels were there singing along with us as our voices joined together and filled the sacrament hall with the Spirit of the Lord. It was a moving experience that I shall never forget. I taught Sunday School yesterday and since the only investigator that came speaks only a little Russian and is from China, he read from a Chinese PMG and heard some translation from his Chinese friend that is a member of the church named Daniel. It was odd because Daniel speaks better English than Russian, so I taught in English and it's always a strange feeling to go back into English.
I know that my Redeemer lives. I know He has loosed the bands of death and offers all of us the opportunity to return to live in the presence of the Father. He is my Lord, my God, my King. The Prince of Peace. He atoned for all of us. And it is to Him that I humbly bow and worship. I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter! I love you all so much! :)
Love,
Elder Bush
I know Mondays shouldn't be the focus of my week and I shouldn't just be waiting for each Monday but I must say, I do love Mondays since I get to hear from you all and know how things are going back home where it's warm and doesn't snow in April. For some odd reason, nature can't make up its mind and it has decided to snow on and off here the last week or two. We woke up to snow yesterday morning and snow this morning as well. Not my favorite snow since it's really wet everywhere but looking on the bright side, it's not summer where I'd be sweating all the time.
Well, this past week has been a wonderful spiritual feast. It has blown me away! President and Sister Lawrence came to visit our mission and it was a privilege and wonderful opportunity to meet them, associate with them, and learn from them. Elder Lawrence is in the second quorum of the seventy, he spoke in general conference last fall about parenting (the one about sleepovers that confirmed Dad was always right. :) We missionaries got to talking and we all agree that some of the stupidest things we did as youth was at a sleepover. Let's see, let's get a group of boys or young men together, it's late at night, nothing to do... a recipe for stupidity. I will say, I never really had that problem but I can see what it could lead to.) Anyways, we (the missionaries in Khabarovsk) flew to Sakhalin on Tuesday evening. The next morning, we all met at the branch and had an awesome zone conference with President and Sister Lawrence, and President and Sister Pratt. Elder Lawrence was a mission president in Novosibirsk about 10 years ago (just before the Brethren introduced Preach My Gospel) and is currently a counselor in the Europe East Area Presidency with President Schwitzer. He shared wonderful council with us regarding our missionary work and who we are becoming. Obedience is key. It is fundamental. I can't tell you how many times that theme was repeated. Faith is also a key principle that dictates the likelihood of miracles in our lives. The Lord can only work miracles according to our faith. I immediately knew his wife to be a seminary/institute teacher from the minute she began speaking. She just had a gift for teaching. She shared with all of us about the Abrahamic covenant and we are all heirs of that covenant since we are part of the house of Israel. It was intense. First of all, it was something I was very intrigued to study and learn more of because I've lately been focusing my attention on covenants and all that they entail. They’re extremely serious, very sacred, and bring with them the greatest blessing Heavenly Father has to offer. It's inspiring to realize that with the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ came not only a restoration of priesthood authority but also a restoration of covenant making. That is why this work is so important. We are all about helping people enter into covenants with God. It's not just about getting more members so our church will be bigger than the church down the street. I want others to see the beauty in the blessings that await them when they enter into covenants with God and remain faithful to them. That's a very big part of why I'm here spending all my time on this holy work. I won't share everything that Sister Lawrence shared because it was honestly one of the deepest doctrinal presentations that I've heard on my mission in such a setting. One thing she did mention was that our patriarchal blessing is our license to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is there that we find our lineage to Abraham and we realize our connection to the House of Israel, the Lord's chosen, covenant people. We touched on the topic of "election" (go look in the Bible Dictionary about that) and how we are elected children of Father because we proved faithful in the life before this and we made promises that we would carry forth His work here on this earth. We talked about a lot of things that I will share more about when I get home but it really was a spiritually enlightening experience that helped me to better realize my role in all of this and the role I will continue to play for the rest of my life.
That evening (Wed), the branch had a fireside with the Lawrences speaking and we were able to stay for that which was a real treat because we got to not only learn more from them, but I got to reunite with so many awesome members of the church there on Sakhalin. It was fantastic to see them again even after only 2 months or so. We got to do a little work there on Sakhalin the next day with the Sakhalin elders which consisted of meeting with a member who lives in a retirement home (man, could he talk and talk and talk!) and we then headed back to Khabarovsk that evening.
Friday we did service with Sister Galina and met with one of her students named Stepan. I think I mentioned him to you. I bought him a gift in Korea on my last trip. It was a pack of UNO cards with Cars characters on it. At the end of our visit, we played a few rounds and he loved it. :) He has such a sweet spirit about him. I always love seeing that kid.
Saturday evening, we gathered together as missionaries at the senior couples' apartment and had an Easter dinner that Sister Burnham prepared for us. It was so nice of her and greatly appreciated. :) Yesterday was obviously a very special day. I awoke excited to celebrate Christ's triumphant victory over death. We (Elder Waltman, Elder Steed, and I) sang praise to Christ in sacrament meeting yesterday and I'm certain that angels were there singing along with us as our voices joined together and filled the sacrament hall with the Spirit of the Lord. It was a moving experience that I shall never forget. I taught Sunday School yesterday and since the only investigator that came speaks only a little Russian and is from China, he read from a Chinese PMG and heard some translation from his Chinese friend that is a member of the church named Daniel. It was odd because Daniel speaks better English than Russian, so I taught in English and it's always a strange feeling to go back into English.
I know that my Redeemer lives. I know He has loosed the bands of death and offers all of us the opportunity to return to live in the presence of the Father. He is my Lord, my God, my King. The Prince of Peace. He atoned for all of us. And it is to Him that I humbly bow and worship. I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter! I love you all so much! :)
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, April 18, 2011
Why does it snow in April?
Well, I'm doing well and hanging in there. This past week was another unique one and yet the same. As I look back, it's crazy to think about how quickly the weeks go by sometimes. Sometimes, I fear life goes too fast and we can't seem to slow down amongst it all and learn from all the experiences whirling around us. (This keyboard is driving me crazy. Some of the keys don't like to work, especially r!) I guess the keyboards at the post office get used a lot and we can't expect things to last forever.
So, to begin, I just want all at home to remember that I love you all. I’m super grateful for everything each and every one of you does for me, and I’m sorry that I don’t express it enough. I love each of you. Don't forget it. I love the Lord. I have found that love and devotion tried and tested. And I have found myself far from perfection so often in this life. But I know the Lord is the master sculptor. He can make of me that which he desires if I will simply (and it's not so simple all the time) yield myself to His will and do everything He asks. I know His church was restored in our day and that it is true. There's no going back and no changing my mind or doubting or being a little confused. I know it. Just as the hymn "Called to Serve" states, we are "called to know the richness of His blessings, sons and daughters, children of a King." I have experienced and know a portion, a mere fraction of His blessings. And they are rich. I know there are grand blessings that await me if I remain true to my covenants. I am one of His sons. The son of a King. The King of Kings. I am one of his heirs, a joint heir with Christ as Romans 8:17 beautifully puts it. And I am one of His witnesses for two years and for the rest of my life.
This past week has been filled with contacting, tracting, and some more contacting, and I've really begun to see how influential goal setting is in helping us accomplish something versus simply going through the motions. We had a wonderful institute lesson going over Doctrine and Covenants 135 and the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the prophet and Hyrum Smith the patriarch. It was a very powerful lesson where we all felt the Spirit testify to each of us of the divinity of the work of the Prophet Joseph and how his service here on earth pointed all to Christ. Contacting, we met a lot of nice people that may not have been super interested but we helped them feel the love of the Savior, and I pray that a smile we may have shown them, or a kind word, or a small message of hope may have lifted their spirits and sparked future interest.
I was with Elder Waltman again this past Friday and Saturday on an exchange and it was way cool to re-experience the feeling of being with my trainer and have so many memories come back, to laugh about some of the crazy funny things that happened while we were together in Vlad and to just laugh.
Lately, I think the Lord has been teaching me some through my dreams. As I've been studying lately about the plan of salvation, I've been having thoughts and realizing that these thoughts came to me previously in a dream I had a couple days ago. Sometimes, I sit and wonder, "Wait... Did I study that another time or was that in a dream?" I know that if we continually treasure up in our minds and in our hearts the words of life, the Lord will teach us more and more, even through our dreams.
Oh about the title of this blog, it did snow a couple times this past week just out of the blue. It snowed hard. Made contacting fun as always. :) The weather is slowly getting warmer. Which is nice I guess. I've kind of gotten used to the cold and I like it. But all will soon be warm and I'll get used to that too.
This next week, we're all flying to Sakhalin for zone conference. We fly out tomorrow evening and come back Thursday evening. Elder Lawrence, of the second quorum of the seventy, is visiting and will be at our zone conference which will be exciting. He was a former mission president in the Novosibirsk mission (just to the west of us). I'm sure I will learn a lot and recognize a lot of things I can do to improve. It's going to be a great couple days!
Hope everyone is safe and well and healthy. Don't forget to wash behind your ears. Just as one of Elder Waltman's little nieces said one time, "Read you scriptures, say your prayers, and go to church." I really appreciate each of you in my life. Thanks for being exemplary examples to me on the other side of the globe. You never know how much of an influence you have on someone. Take care of each other in your part of the Lord's vineyard. :)
Love you all!
Elder Bush
So, to begin, I just want all at home to remember that I love you all. I’m super grateful for everything each and every one of you does for me, and I’m sorry that I don’t express it enough. I love each of you. Don't forget it. I love the Lord. I have found that love and devotion tried and tested. And I have found myself far from perfection so often in this life. But I know the Lord is the master sculptor. He can make of me that which he desires if I will simply (and it's not so simple all the time) yield myself to His will and do everything He asks. I know His church was restored in our day and that it is true. There's no going back and no changing my mind or doubting or being a little confused. I know it. Just as the hymn "Called to Serve" states, we are "called to know the richness of His blessings, sons and daughters, children of a King." I have experienced and know a portion, a mere fraction of His blessings. And they are rich. I know there are grand blessings that await me if I remain true to my covenants. I am one of His sons. The son of a King. The King of Kings. I am one of his heirs, a joint heir with Christ as Romans 8:17 beautifully puts it. And I am one of His witnesses for two years and for the rest of my life.
This past week has been filled with contacting, tracting, and some more contacting, and I've really begun to see how influential goal setting is in helping us accomplish something versus simply going through the motions. We had a wonderful institute lesson going over Doctrine and Covenants 135 and the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the prophet and Hyrum Smith the patriarch. It was a very powerful lesson where we all felt the Spirit testify to each of us of the divinity of the work of the Prophet Joseph and how his service here on earth pointed all to Christ. Contacting, we met a lot of nice people that may not have been super interested but we helped them feel the love of the Savior, and I pray that a smile we may have shown them, or a kind word, or a small message of hope may have lifted their spirits and sparked future interest.
I was with Elder Waltman again this past Friday and Saturday on an exchange and it was way cool to re-experience the feeling of being with my trainer and have so many memories come back, to laugh about some of the crazy funny things that happened while we were together in Vlad and to just laugh.
Lately, I think the Lord has been teaching me some through my dreams. As I've been studying lately about the plan of salvation, I've been having thoughts and realizing that these thoughts came to me previously in a dream I had a couple days ago. Sometimes, I sit and wonder, "Wait... Did I study that another time or was that in a dream?" I know that if we continually treasure up in our minds and in our hearts the words of life, the Lord will teach us more and more, even through our dreams.
Oh about the title of this blog, it did snow a couple times this past week just out of the blue. It snowed hard. Made contacting fun as always. :) The weather is slowly getting warmer. Which is nice I guess. I've kind of gotten used to the cold and I like it. But all will soon be warm and I'll get used to that too.
This next week, we're all flying to Sakhalin for zone conference. We fly out tomorrow evening and come back Thursday evening. Elder Lawrence, of the second quorum of the seventy, is visiting and will be at our zone conference which will be exciting. He was a former mission president in the Novosibirsk mission (just to the west of us). I'm sure I will learn a lot and recognize a lot of things I can do to improve. It's going to be a great couple days!
Hope everyone is safe and well and healthy. Don't forget to wash behind your ears. Just as one of Elder Waltman's little nieces said one time, "Read you scriptures, say your prayers, and go to church." I really appreciate each of you in my life. Thanks for being exemplary examples to me on the other side of the globe. You never know how much of an influence you have on someone. Take care of each other in your part of the Lord's vineyard. :)
Love you all!
Elder Bush
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Wonderful Week in Seoul
Thank you Mom and Dad for sending such awesome emails this week. Mom, yours reminded me that I have parents who love each other. :) While every child in the history of the world has probably always found parental love or public displays of affection (yes dad, I mean you kissing mom in the kitchen when the kids are watching) :) to be undesirable, I must say that there is comfort to be taken from the fact that I know without a doubt that my parents love each other and are jointly united in the cause of raising our family and taking care of each of their children. Love you both. :)
I loved conference. I missed the two Saturday sessions unfortunately because my flight came into Khabarovsk from Seoul too late, but I'll see them some time and get to hear Elder Oaks’ awesome marriage talk or so that's what I've heard. It's funny watching conference as a missionary with other missionaries because many of the talks apply differently to us as we mature in the mission, just as they apply differently to us in life. From the very get go, I absolutely loved President Uchtdorf's address Sunday morning. It applies very much to those amongst whom I serve. It applies to every single member of God's family. We shouldn't expect a sign or grand answers or visitations or ginormous confirmations. Although we must also remember that they are very real and very possible. It reminded me of teaching institute a few weeks ago and talking about the ministering of angels. Elder Holland had a great quote that basically said something like, we shouldn't be expecting from God heavenly messengers and visitations to help strengthen our faith or give us grand answers to our prayers. Yet we must have faith and be mindful that there are servants of the Lord that serve amongst us that may be unseen and could just as well manifest themselves unto us if the Lord saw fit to do so. This all tides in very well to Elder Bednar's talk about revelation and how we shouldn't overlook the simple pattern the Spirit usually follows in revealing truth to us, line upon line, precept upon precept. That's how it's usually always been. Although it's very possible that the Lord could answer our prayers with an intense, immediate, and very complete revelation, just as comparable to the turning on of a light switch in a dark room, illuminating all that surrounds us. Yet, it is more common that the Lord opens unto us knowledge and truth, for instance regarding the truthfulness of the restoration of Christ's gospel in our day, over a long period of time just as the light begins to creep over the horizon when the sun begins to rise. It's also comparable to a puzzle. Each of us must piece together the pieces of revelation the Lord has blessed us with and then we will see before us the grand picture. I love the perspective the restored gospel gives me. I know without doubt in my mind or heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church once again restored onto the earth in our day. Thomas S. Monson is His beloved prophet who delivers to us the Lord's will. I loved all of the talks I was blessed to hear and I learned much. Now, I just must apply it to my work and use it to help me become better, to develop Christ like attributes, instead of just using it to do better.
I love Seoul. It is a wonderful city. A city blessed with a temple within its bounds and unfortunately, the temple was closed this past week while I was there. We still were able to stay in the dorms but it was simply that time of year when the temple undergoes maintenance and repairs. It was still edifying to be near the temple though and to interact with those that serve there. I flew straight into Seoul from Khabarovsk which was wonderful because it cut out a flight to Vlad and just dealing with that all. I was the last one to fly in and I met up with the other missionaries there. We decided to be a little adventurous and took the Express train from the airport to the temple instead of the bus. It was actually kind of fun although we were a little lost for a bit. Mostly because we took the express train instead of the simple subway which is a straight shot to another station that turned out to be right next to the subway station. Seoul is pretty easy to get around so it all worked out just fine. If you can find a subway entrance and you know where you need to end up, it's pretty easy to find the way to get there. We actually ran into a really nice member in the subway station and he helped us find where we needed to go as well. While in Seoul, we did some shopping and a little site seeing. Elder Conly and I made the trip to Seoul Tower on Friday since we had an extra day and didn't fly back to Russia til Saturday. It was super cool and I took great pictures of the city! It will be great to see the city next time at night because I hear it's beautiful. We also met Chinese members from Taiwan who were visiting Seoul there at the tower. They came up to us and asked kind of jokingly if it was our pday. We then explained we were from Russia and were just waiting to fly back the next day. We even got to help them get a hold of an American member in Seoul so they could attend the English ward this past weekend. Kind of cool how things play out sometimes. :) The day before, I called Brother Southerland from the subway station and we agreed to meet at the temple at 5. He then took us all back to his home and we had dinner with him and his wife. They were so loving, so sweet, and so hospitable! And they had a beautiful apartment. It was wonderful to be amongst such friendly members in a distant land and to feel that close bond we all share in our faith in Christ and His restored gospel. We played a little Apples to Apples (brought back great family memories) and had a small testimony meeting to end the night. I love learning so much from other people and their experiences and hearing of their testimonies. It was such a wonderful evening.
All in all, it was a great Korea trip that will be even better when we have the chance to go to the temple next time. I'm humbled to be a servant of the Lord. He loves each of us so much. Never lose sight of that. Ever.
The work has still been going slowly. Yet, it has been wonderful to serve amongst the Russian people thus far, especially in Khabarovsk. I love this people so much. I may not always understand them and it may be difficult at times but I truly can say I have come to love them. And I know that love will only grow. When they do things that may not always be pleasant or understandable, I have to remember they are children of Heavenly Father, my brothers and sisters. And their behavior is not part of their identity. If I can help them see the need to be as Christ is, they will hopefully grasp the beauty of His example and change to do and be as the Lord would desire each us to become and do. (I hope that makes even a slight bit of sense.)
We played Jeopardy for English club this past week and it was a lot of fun! We afterwards watched How Rare a Possession, a video about the Italian man who found the Book of Mormon in New York. The night before that, my companion and I were prompted to visit a less active member who hasn't opened the door to missionaries in a while. She turned out to be home and let us up to talk for a few minutes. We may not have been able to drastically help her, but we both felt we were prompted to visit her and invite her to conference. I hope we helped.
Well, it's been a good week and it should be another great one ahead of us. Love you all and I'm grateful for all you do on my behalf. Thanks to Grandpa Bush for sending me a letter updating me about march madness. :) I always love hearing from you Gramps. Hope you enjoyed some FL sun this past week. :) Thank you Brother Bates for your letter this past week. Loved the photos (with the exception of your car wreck. I agree a paid off truck is better than a new truck but I know the Lord will take care of you and your family.)
Love you all back home! Good luck this next week!
Elder Bush
I loved conference. I missed the two Saturday sessions unfortunately because my flight came into Khabarovsk from Seoul too late, but I'll see them some time and get to hear Elder Oaks’ awesome marriage talk or so that's what I've heard. It's funny watching conference as a missionary with other missionaries because many of the talks apply differently to us as we mature in the mission, just as they apply differently to us in life. From the very get go, I absolutely loved President Uchtdorf's address Sunday morning. It applies very much to those amongst whom I serve. It applies to every single member of God's family. We shouldn't expect a sign or grand answers or visitations or ginormous confirmations. Although we must also remember that they are very real and very possible. It reminded me of teaching institute a few weeks ago and talking about the ministering of angels. Elder Holland had a great quote that basically said something like, we shouldn't be expecting from God heavenly messengers and visitations to help strengthen our faith or give us grand answers to our prayers. Yet we must have faith and be mindful that there are servants of the Lord that serve amongst us that may be unseen and could just as well manifest themselves unto us if the Lord saw fit to do so. This all tides in very well to Elder Bednar's talk about revelation and how we shouldn't overlook the simple pattern the Spirit usually follows in revealing truth to us, line upon line, precept upon precept. That's how it's usually always been. Although it's very possible that the Lord could answer our prayers with an intense, immediate, and very complete revelation, just as comparable to the turning on of a light switch in a dark room, illuminating all that surrounds us. Yet, it is more common that the Lord opens unto us knowledge and truth, for instance regarding the truthfulness of the restoration of Christ's gospel in our day, over a long period of time just as the light begins to creep over the horizon when the sun begins to rise. It's also comparable to a puzzle. Each of us must piece together the pieces of revelation the Lord has blessed us with and then we will see before us the grand picture. I love the perspective the restored gospel gives me. I know without doubt in my mind or heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church once again restored onto the earth in our day. Thomas S. Monson is His beloved prophet who delivers to us the Lord's will. I loved all of the talks I was blessed to hear and I learned much. Now, I just must apply it to my work and use it to help me become better, to develop Christ like attributes, instead of just using it to do better.
I love Seoul. It is a wonderful city. A city blessed with a temple within its bounds and unfortunately, the temple was closed this past week while I was there. We still were able to stay in the dorms but it was simply that time of year when the temple undergoes maintenance and repairs. It was still edifying to be near the temple though and to interact with those that serve there. I flew straight into Seoul from Khabarovsk which was wonderful because it cut out a flight to Vlad and just dealing with that all. I was the last one to fly in and I met up with the other missionaries there. We decided to be a little adventurous and took the Express train from the airport to the temple instead of the bus. It was actually kind of fun although we were a little lost for a bit. Mostly because we took the express train instead of the simple subway which is a straight shot to another station that turned out to be right next to the subway station. Seoul is pretty easy to get around so it all worked out just fine. If you can find a subway entrance and you know where you need to end up, it's pretty easy to find the way to get there. We actually ran into a really nice member in the subway station and he helped us find where we needed to go as well. While in Seoul, we did some shopping and a little site seeing. Elder Conly and I made the trip to Seoul Tower on Friday since we had an extra day and didn't fly back to Russia til Saturday. It was super cool and I took great pictures of the city! It will be great to see the city next time at night because I hear it's beautiful. We also met Chinese members from Taiwan who were visiting Seoul there at the tower. They came up to us and asked kind of jokingly if it was our pday. We then explained we were from Russia and were just waiting to fly back the next day. We even got to help them get a hold of an American member in Seoul so they could attend the English ward this past weekend. Kind of cool how things play out sometimes. :) The day before, I called Brother Southerland from the subway station and we agreed to meet at the temple at 5. He then took us all back to his home and we had dinner with him and his wife. They were so loving, so sweet, and so hospitable! And they had a beautiful apartment. It was wonderful to be amongst such friendly members in a distant land and to feel that close bond we all share in our faith in Christ and His restored gospel. We played a little Apples to Apples (brought back great family memories) and had a small testimony meeting to end the night. I love learning so much from other people and their experiences and hearing of their testimonies. It was such a wonderful evening.
All in all, it was a great Korea trip that will be even better when we have the chance to go to the temple next time. I'm humbled to be a servant of the Lord. He loves each of us so much. Never lose sight of that. Ever.
The work has still been going slowly. Yet, it has been wonderful to serve amongst the Russian people thus far, especially in Khabarovsk. I love this people so much. I may not always understand them and it may be difficult at times but I truly can say I have come to love them. And I know that love will only grow. When they do things that may not always be pleasant or understandable, I have to remember they are children of Heavenly Father, my brothers and sisters. And their behavior is not part of their identity. If I can help them see the need to be as Christ is, they will hopefully grasp the beauty of His example and change to do and be as the Lord would desire each us to become and do. (I hope that makes even a slight bit of sense.)
We played Jeopardy for English club this past week and it was a lot of fun! We afterwards watched How Rare a Possession, a video about the Italian man who found the Book of Mormon in New York. The night before that, my companion and I were prompted to visit a less active member who hasn't opened the door to missionaries in a while. She turned out to be home and let us up to talk for a few minutes. We may not have been able to drastically help her, but we both felt we were prompted to visit her and invite her to conference. I hope we helped.
Well, it's been a good week and it should be another great one ahead of us. Love you all and I'm grateful for all you do on my behalf. Thanks to Grandpa Bush for sending me a letter updating me about march madness. :) I always love hearing from you Gramps. Hope you enjoyed some FL sun this past week. :) Thank you Brother Bates for your letter this past week. Loved the photos (with the exception of your car wreck. I agree a paid off truck is better than a new truck but I know the Lord will take care of you and your family.)
Love you all back home! Good luck this next week!
Elder Bush
Monday, April 4, 2011
Hello from Kharbarovsk
Hey there everybody!
I can't believe it! I'm already going to be heading back to Korea this week! Crazy, right? Time seems to sure be flying by. This last week has been a good one full of street contacting and lots of prayer. I met some really cool people this past week. No one that was super interested in the message. But there were a few nice people who were fun to talk to and hopefully, they were touched in some way by the Spirit as we spoke with them. Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. I feel as though I'm getting a little bit back in that groove. It takes a lot of work to find those who are interested and have been prepared by the Lord to hear our message,but it's certainly worth every bit. We met a really cool man named Sergei who had an enormous speech impediment. It was so intense at times that I could guess the word he wanted to say before he could get it all out. I couldn't imagine how aggravating that would be to have such an impediment. It drove me crazy the other day when I had to email the secretary over CES in Novosibirsk because typing in Russian isn't easy. All the keys are in a different order and are not placed according to corresponding sounds with English letters. I know apple computers can do that and it makes typing in Russian 100 times easier. It was as though I had all that I wanted to say up in my head and I just couldn't get it out onto the page. Gave me a new appreciation for the blessing of speech and knowing how to type in English. He was the last person that we talked to after contacting for a while. And it was really cool to see his countenance change from a little down (probably had a rough day based on his answer when I asked how he was doing) to excited to talk to us, Americans of all people. It's interesting how that works. Some people love talking to us just because of our nationality. Others, like a man named Victor, wanted very little to do with us and told us to leave Russians alone because we were American. We answered his concern by asking him a simple question. "Who was Christ? Where was He born?" He was Jewish. He wasn't born on Russian soil or off in the distant Americas. Yet, He died for all of us. Suffered for us so that we could have the opportunity to return to Him and the Father, independent of our nationality here while we live on the earth. We are all children of a Heavenly Father. Christ is our brother. We are family. It reminded me of our lineage and our potential. How awesome to know where we came from and where we're going.
I was saddened by the news of Great Grandma Smith and yet I rejoice to know that she is finally home. She has lived a wonderful, long life and I'm sure is happy to return back home and see her beloved after 27 years of separation. I wish I could have met Grandpa Smith. I've heard so much about him. I'm really grateful I had the opportunity to see great Grandma Smith before I left. I had a feeling I wouldn't see her again and while it's saddening to be separated and to know I won't get to see her again, my joy in knowing where she is erases any sadness. Love you grandma. :)
What else exciting has happened this past week? We had a great family home evening last Monday. The senior couple here in Khabarovsk invited us over to have burritos one day this past week and they were delicious!!! She made homemade salsa and it was awesome! They're from Arizona. Something about Arizona people and their amazing salsas...(I’m reminded of Sister Hansen's salsa. yummmmmm!) :) On the note of yummy food, I made pizza last night for dinner! It was great actually. And we have leftovers! I'm super excited to have more later today. I've really come to love cooking lately. Weird huh?
I've been working really hard to recognize the voice of the spirit lately. It's been a great learning adventure seeing how the Spirit works and learning how to better recognize His promptings. I know the Lord teaches us through His spirit and shows us great things pertaining to His will. He is the Master. He is the teacher. But He's more than a teacher. He is the healer. But he's more than a healer. He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. Look to Him and you'll be blessed beyond your comprehension.
I love you all. So, I'm gonna try to buy some souvenirs if I can find any here in Khab. We'll see. If it works, I'll send some home from Korea this next week. If not, maybe next time. Remember to tell me if there's anything in particular you all want.
Love you! Stay safe! Can't wait to see conference next week!
Elder Bush
I can't believe it! I'm already going to be heading back to Korea this week! Crazy, right? Time seems to sure be flying by. This last week has been a good one full of street contacting and lots of prayer. I met some really cool people this past week. No one that was super interested in the message. But there were a few nice people who were fun to talk to and hopefully, they were touched in some way by the Spirit as we spoke with them. Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. I feel as though I'm getting a little bit back in that groove. It takes a lot of work to find those who are interested and have been prepared by the Lord to hear our message,but it's certainly worth every bit. We met a really cool man named Sergei who had an enormous speech impediment. It was so intense at times that I could guess the word he wanted to say before he could get it all out. I couldn't imagine how aggravating that would be to have such an impediment. It drove me crazy the other day when I had to email the secretary over CES in Novosibirsk because typing in Russian isn't easy. All the keys are in a different order and are not placed according to corresponding sounds with English letters. I know apple computers can do that and it makes typing in Russian 100 times easier. It was as though I had all that I wanted to say up in my head and I just couldn't get it out onto the page. Gave me a new appreciation for the blessing of speech and knowing how to type in English. He was the last person that we talked to after contacting for a while. And it was really cool to see his countenance change from a little down (probably had a rough day based on his answer when I asked how he was doing) to excited to talk to us, Americans of all people. It's interesting how that works. Some people love talking to us just because of our nationality. Others, like a man named Victor, wanted very little to do with us and told us to leave Russians alone because we were American. We answered his concern by asking him a simple question. "Who was Christ? Where was He born?" He was Jewish. He wasn't born on Russian soil or off in the distant Americas. Yet, He died for all of us. Suffered for us so that we could have the opportunity to return to Him and the Father, independent of our nationality here while we live on the earth. We are all children of a Heavenly Father. Christ is our brother. We are family. It reminded me of our lineage and our potential. How awesome to know where we came from and where we're going.
I was saddened by the news of Great Grandma Smith and yet I rejoice to know that she is finally home. She has lived a wonderful, long life and I'm sure is happy to return back home and see her beloved after 27 years of separation. I wish I could have met Grandpa Smith. I've heard so much about him. I'm really grateful I had the opportunity to see great Grandma Smith before I left. I had a feeling I wouldn't see her again and while it's saddening to be separated and to know I won't get to see her again, my joy in knowing where she is erases any sadness. Love you grandma. :)
What else exciting has happened this past week? We had a great family home evening last Monday. The senior couple here in Khabarovsk invited us over to have burritos one day this past week and they were delicious!!! She made homemade salsa and it was awesome! They're from Arizona. Something about Arizona people and their amazing salsas...(I’m reminded of Sister Hansen's salsa. yummmmmm!) :) On the note of yummy food, I made pizza last night for dinner! It was great actually. And we have leftovers! I'm super excited to have more later today. I've really come to love cooking lately. Weird huh?
I've been working really hard to recognize the voice of the spirit lately. It's been a great learning adventure seeing how the Spirit works and learning how to better recognize His promptings. I know the Lord teaches us through His spirit and shows us great things pertaining to His will. He is the Master. He is the teacher. But He's more than a teacher. He is the healer. But he's more than a healer. He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. Look to Him and you'll be blessed beyond your comprehension.
I love you all. So, I'm gonna try to buy some souvenirs if I can find any here in Khab. We'll see. If it works, I'll send some home from Korea this next week. If not, maybe next time. Remember to tell me if there's anything in particular you all want.
Love you! Stay safe! Can't wait to see conference next week!
Elder Bush
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