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
Monday, April 25, 2011
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
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wonderful to be a servant of the Lord
My dear family,
You may be far away, but I feel your support all the way over here. It's not hard to feel because we share a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mom and Dad, your letters each week have a profound impact on me, so I thank you for everything. To Grandma and Grandpa Bush, I thank you for your love and support. I know I'm often in your thoughts and I hope you know you're often in mine. You're wonderful grandparents and I'll be very excited when we can be reunited after my mission. And to grandpa, I wish a very, very happy belated birthday! I hope it was a good one Gramps! :) To Grandma and Grandpa Gee (yes grandpa Gee, I know you can still hear me) I love you both. Grandma, I'm super happy to hear your surgery went well and I pray all is well with you. I'm so grateful to get your letters and to know you support me and send me your love always. Gramps, I often shake my leg to you just to say a quick "hi" up there. ;) I'm so grateful for family. To everyone, regardless of if your name is on this page, I'm thinking of all your names right now and of each of you individually. You all mean a lot to me. Thanks for all the times we've shared and for your support while I'm temporarily away.
I want you all to know that I feel extremely weak. Not physically. (Although my physical shape has seen its better days... Trev could probably take me in a wrestling match right now. I'd be willing to bet a Heath Bar blast at Brusters on that.) I feel weak as Elder Spencer Bush. I can't do so much. But, when I rely on the Lord, when my prayers become that much more heartfelt and sincere, when I turn to my Father and apply the atonement of Christ to overcome my weakness and inabilities, I see the difference. Khabarovsk has been hard for me. Change is never easy. I have felt very inadequate here and it has left me feeling a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm reminded though of the beginning of my mission where I felt similar yet different feelings. I felt inadequate but I felt in a very real sense lost. I've seen how the Lord has shaped me and molded me and helped me overcome obstacles in the past year. I still have so many rough edges. And I need the Lord's divine help to smooth them out and to refine my discipline, my character, and my countenance. I've learned this past transfer that it's more important to see your inabilities while focusing on your strengths. Never forget of the strengths the Lord has blessed you with and avoid at all costs looking down upon yourself because of your mistakes or imperfections. Realize that we all have them and that if we take them to the Lord, he will build us up into more than we can ever imagine on our own. Like I've said before, His atonement is very real and very applicable. We simply must learn how to turn to him and do that throughout the rest of our mortal probation.
Contacting, like I may have already mentioned, has been harder for me this past transfer. But I’ve just got to do it! How else can I declare the gospel if I don't open my mouth and share the message with everyone?! Please pray for me that I can overcome this, so I will talk with everyone placed in my path. Why would the Lord place the elect in your path if you're only going to talk to some people and not with everyone you possibly could?
Institute was good this past week. I'm in awe of you, Mom. You are such a great teacher. Thank you for your letter and your comments from your talk. I don't know how you do it. It's always so hard to teach some of what is found in Doctrine and Covenants because there is so much! And to try to cram several days worth of classes into 1 night is always fun. But my companion and I are having fun with it and it's been really rewarding to review a lot of what's in the latter end of D&C. Especially the stuff pertaining to the celestial kingdom and temples.
Friday, President Pratt, Sister Pratt, and the assistants arrived on the train to do a training here in Khabarovsk for future potential trainers. The MTC has come out with new material regarding training to help the trainer and trainee better understand how to successfully go through the training process. President ended up inviting everyone in the end because it is all valuable information for all of the elders in the mission. We're right now just over 30 missionaries. This summer, we'll be losing over 10 of those and only gaining 4. Among that 4 is Kyle Collingsworth (BYU basketball player). So our mission will be shrinking a little in numbers. It's also really weird to be entering into the older group of missionaries. Crazy to think I’ll hit my year mark in country this next transfer. It’s flying by far too fast. Basically, the training was phenomenal and I learned so much from President Pratt and everyone that participated, the Spirit being the greatest participant. His influence in the room was almost palpable. I could never deny what I felt in those short hours. I never can deny the testimony of the Spirit. That's why I can't wait for conference! If all works out, it should be a week after all of you. Cross our fingers we get the disks from Moscow in time! After the training, we had to run to meet a member, Sister Galina to go with her to visit one of her students who has health difficulties and can't leave his home really. His name is Stepan and he is such an awesome kid! He’s studying English and so we talked with him in English. (Btw, Khabarovsk was the first city a few transfers ago to start up English club again. We learned this last week that we'll be starting it up again mission wide, Sakhalin included, but we'll do things a little differently. We won't just have a spiritual thought at the end but we'll teach lessons afterward to help others know more about what we believe in. That way, those who are interested will be able to learn more about who we are.) It was an awesome half hour or so of service. We really made him excited about studying English again because he was having struggles wondering why he even studies it if he'll always be homebound. He had a very special spirit about him.
Saturday, we had a sweet fireside about the Book of Mormon put on by President and Sister Pratt. Interestingly enough, I learned about President Pratt's actual relation to Parley P. Pratt. Turns out Parley is President Pratt's great great grandfather. Crazy right?
Well, we'll see what the future holds for transfers this next week. I figure I'll be staying here in Khabarovsk. We'll see. I love this city.
I love you all. Stay safe and enjoy your next week back in school. Learning is worth it. And you've all only got 1 more quarter! WOO!
Love,
Elder Bush
You may be far away, but I feel your support all the way over here. It's not hard to feel because we share a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mom and Dad, your letters each week have a profound impact on me, so I thank you for everything. To Grandma and Grandpa Bush, I thank you for your love and support. I know I'm often in your thoughts and I hope you know you're often in mine. You're wonderful grandparents and I'll be very excited when we can be reunited after my mission. And to grandpa, I wish a very, very happy belated birthday! I hope it was a good one Gramps! :) To Grandma and Grandpa Gee (yes grandpa Gee, I know you can still hear me) I love you both. Grandma, I'm super happy to hear your surgery went well and I pray all is well with you. I'm so grateful to get your letters and to know you support me and send me your love always. Gramps, I often shake my leg to you just to say a quick "hi" up there. ;) I'm so grateful for family. To everyone, regardless of if your name is on this page, I'm thinking of all your names right now and of each of you individually. You all mean a lot to me. Thanks for all the times we've shared and for your support while I'm temporarily away.
I want you all to know that I feel extremely weak. Not physically. (Although my physical shape has seen its better days... Trev could probably take me in a wrestling match right now. I'd be willing to bet a Heath Bar blast at Brusters on that.) I feel weak as Elder Spencer Bush. I can't do so much. But, when I rely on the Lord, when my prayers become that much more heartfelt and sincere, when I turn to my Father and apply the atonement of Christ to overcome my weakness and inabilities, I see the difference. Khabarovsk has been hard for me. Change is never easy. I have felt very inadequate here and it has left me feeling a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm reminded though of the beginning of my mission where I felt similar yet different feelings. I felt inadequate but I felt in a very real sense lost. I've seen how the Lord has shaped me and molded me and helped me overcome obstacles in the past year. I still have so many rough edges. And I need the Lord's divine help to smooth them out and to refine my discipline, my character, and my countenance. I've learned this past transfer that it's more important to see your inabilities while focusing on your strengths. Never forget of the strengths the Lord has blessed you with and avoid at all costs looking down upon yourself because of your mistakes or imperfections. Realize that we all have them and that if we take them to the Lord, he will build us up into more than we can ever imagine on our own. Like I've said before, His atonement is very real and very applicable. We simply must learn how to turn to him and do that throughout the rest of our mortal probation.
Contacting, like I may have already mentioned, has been harder for me this past transfer. But I’ve just got to do it! How else can I declare the gospel if I don't open my mouth and share the message with everyone?! Please pray for me that I can overcome this, so I will talk with everyone placed in my path. Why would the Lord place the elect in your path if you're only going to talk to some people and not with everyone you possibly could?
Institute was good this past week. I'm in awe of you, Mom. You are such a great teacher. Thank you for your letter and your comments from your talk. I don't know how you do it. It's always so hard to teach some of what is found in Doctrine and Covenants because there is so much! And to try to cram several days worth of classes into 1 night is always fun. But my companion and I are having fun with it and it's been really rewarding to review a lot of what's in the latter end of D&C. Especially the stuff pertaining to the celestial kingdom and temples.
Friday, President Pratt, Sister Pratt, and the assistants arrived on the train to do a training here in Khabarovsk for future potential trainers. The MTC has come out with new material regarding training to help the trainer and trainee better understand how to successfully go through the training process. President ended up inviting everyone in the end because it is all valuable information for all of the elders in the mission. We're right now just over 30 missionaries. This summer, we'll be losing over 10 of those and only gaining 4. Among that 4 is Kyle Collingsworth (BYU basketball player). So our mission will be shrinking a little in numbers. It's also really weird to be entering into the older group of missionaries. Crazy to think I’ll hit my year mark in country this next transfer. It’s flying by far too fast. Basically, the training was phenomenal and I learned so much from President Pratt and everyone that participated, the Spirit being the greatest participant. His influence in the room was almost palpable. I could never deny what I felt in those short hours. I never can deny the testimony of the Spirit. That's why I can't wait for conference! If all works out, it should be a week after all of you. Cross our fingers we get the disks from Moscow in time! After the training, we had to run to meet a member, Sister Galina to go with her to visit one of her students who has health difficulties and can't leave his home really. His name is Stepan and he is such an awesome kid! He’s studying English and so we talked with him in English. (Btw, Khabarovsk was the first city a few transfers ago to start up English club again. We learned this last week that we'll be starting it up again mission wide, Sakhalin included, but we'll do things a little differently. We won't just have a spiritual thought at the end but we'll teach lessons afterward to help others know more about what we believe in. That way, those who are interested will be able to learn more about who we are.) It was an awesome half hour or so of service. We really made him excited about studying English again because he was having struggles wondering why he even studies it if he'll always be homebound. He had a very special spirit about him.
Saturday, we had a sweet fireside about the Book of Mormon put on by President and Sister Pratt. Interestingly enough, I learned about President Pratt's actual relation to Parley P. Pratt. Turns out Parley is President Pratt's great great grandfather. Crazy right?
Well, we'll see what the future holds for transfers this next week. I figure I'll be staying here in Khabarovsk. We'll see. I love this city.
I love you all. Stay safe and enjoy your next week back in school. Learning is worth it. And you've all only got 1 more quarter! WOO!
Love,
Elder Bush
Monday, March 21, 2011
Service Project at the Zoo
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
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 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
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