Week 7: Instant Friends

(Photos Below)

Hey Family,

So I am almost out of time...sorry. But basically here's the most important things:

1. We're teaching a mom and son the lessons. They are Patricia and Vicente. We extended a baptismal invitation last night and they accepted. We got a date with them in the middle of June. Hopefully all goes well and we'll get them baptized!!! :)

2. Our area is big and ghetto. But cool! There's lots of really amazing people here and tons of work to be done. I'm excited to get down to business and begin to work and change some lives man.

3. I am so tired. This 16 hrs. everyday is wiping me out. But I am getting used to it and getting past the blisters and sore legs and fatigue. What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger...that's kinda been true out here on my mission, ahah! :)=

4. Elder Frost is awesome. He is helping me get adjusted, he is giving me opportunities, helping me with Spanish, and is just a great companion. We are supposed to work together and get work done. I am glad he wants to work and wants to make a difference and be the best missionary he can. That's my goal too! Whoot!

5. So the days before I left the MTC: I lead all of the meetings, sacrament meeting, priesthood, and devotional. Those were some of my duties as a zone leader. It was all in Spanish and kinda tough but it worked out okay. Also, Elder McGary and I did a duet, Nearer My God to Thee. We did a duet on the piano and sang together, switching off melody and tenor harmony. We killed it, it was awesome! Sister Allred, MTC president's wife, LOVED it...McGary is awesome. I have a feeling we could be comps later!

6. We have a good ward here, lots of good members...there is a bit more than 1100 members here! But on a good day, our sacrament meeting is about 80 people...shows how much work there is to be done. Elder Frost and I are gonna be busy!!! :)

7. Right now it is raining in Santiago, it's kinda cool. Different, because normally you wouldn't think of it raining in a Latin American country.

8. Elder Frost said that it is likely, very likely that we could be companions for three or more changes. So as in, companions until like September or October. He was with his trainer that long and President Wright is extending the time of companions with trainers and time with the same companion in general. I would be totally fine with that! :)

9. Here are some photos!!!! One is our whole group, the whole group and President and Sister Wright. These are the people that came into the mission. LOTS OF PEOPLE! The other one is me on the day into the mission field going to get my trainer. The other is me and Elder Frost... I don't know why it doesn't look good ... We'll get some better ones later.

Some Addendums (separate emails):

I did get the package, AMAZING! Thank you for the calendar, the hoodie, the goodies, photos, and the sweet letters! 


So about the letters. I have an hour in a half to email out here in the mission field. So I can get to pretty much everything. Send longer updates through the pouch, preferably typed letters and sent yourself because Dear Elder takes FOREVER :S Anyways, keep sending stuff through the pouch, longer updates and spiritual insights everyone has.
The new companionship is awesome! Elder Frost and I are so much alike and we became instant friends. He's teaching me a lot and he says I am teaching him which doesn't make any sense but whatever. We've already planned some stuff to do when we get back from the mission. He'll get home about October of 2014 which is about 5 months before I get back. He's awesome and we're kicking butt down here ... spiritually speaking of course ;) Our area is north east of Santiago, about 15  minutes away from down town in a ward called Consistorial. It's nice, pretty ghetto if that makes sense, haha! The first week has been a hard adjustment but very very rewarding. I really am enjoying the work here! We've been having some success and some disappointing things happen. But overall, we're doing really well. President and Sister Wright are awesome, really cool people and I like how they do things. REally cool people!!!
I'll send a bigger letter in a sec! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Elder A.B. 

Entering the Mission Field

Companions! They look more like TWINS!

Here are some photos of me and Elder Frost... This is a grafiti wall here in Santiago Chile. One of the soccer teams, Colo Colo is really big here. They are the "Crazy Indians"...both me and Elder Frost are "Colo Colinos", meaning we are big fans!!!! :)= So here is a wall for Colo Colo, our team!!!

Elder Frost

Elder Bushman

From Mom: We found out so much information this week! It is so nice that I can "talk" to him each week as I'm usually working on my computer in the morning or afternoon when he checks in. And finally, he got the package we sent! It's exciting to hear about the work and that his companion is such a blessing to him. He had to go 6000 miles away to meet the guy that lives a mile away in AF. With only 80 in Sacrament meeting out of 1500, they really have a lot of work ahead of them. I think these two Elders are going to ROCK!
 

"Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Week 6: I am Officially Here

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well, I am officially here, in Chile, in the Santiago East Mission with my new companion! There is a lot to say and there are amazingly cool things that have happened. I'm not sure when I can write, but I know I will begin to have P-days on Monday, so expect to hear from me then. Anyways, my new companion is Elder Frost, Zach Frost, from American Fork! Can you believe it? Haha, I'm so happy and so excited :)

So just to let you know I am alive and I'm in the mission field. I am really excited to get to work and to work with my companion. He is really pumping me up! Anyways, take care, say hello and "I love you" to everyone and I will write via email as soon as I can!

Love,
Elder Adam Bushman

Elder Bushman with President and Sister Wright

The new Santiago Chile East Missionaries

Missionaries with their new trainers

From Mom: I saw on Facebook (I'm friends with Sister Wright) that he arrived to the mission, as she posted photos of the new missionary arrivals. Not that he had very far to go! But, it was so good to get that tidbit. The mission secretary emailed me today with a scanned, handwritten letter from Adam. How exciting to have a trainer that he can really relate to and have some familiarity with, after being so immersed in the Spanish language and culture. We are excited to hear from him going forward on Mondays.

Week 5: The Lord will Prepare a Way for Me

(Photos Below)

Hello Family, 

Wow, there is much to tell!!!! First off, a special thing to everyone: (He wrote a note to each member of the family, but I'll leave that out).

So this week has been crazy. I got revoked as being district leader and was made zone leader for these last two weeks at the MTC. President said he really wanted me as one. Second, I am out of district 5 with all of the North Americans and am now in a district with ALL Latinos; just me, two Latin companions who don't speak English and no teachers that speak English. 

I was also moved from the MTC to Alcantara, an old Swedish home. They house missionaries here. It's cool but my whole world has been flipped upside down here. I am having to rely a ton on the Lord. I fasted for each one of you this week, every member of our family! I fasted for all of your needs. It was very powerful! Haha, down here there is a missionary who is seriously the Latin version of JongSu. HAHAH! So funny!!! So by next Tuesday, counting the weeks taken off of my service at the end, there are 2 months completely done of my mission. Crazy huh!!! Anyways, another thing, Elder Egg, Tyler Egg, is a missionary going to the North mission. He was a buddy of mine at BYU, lived across from me at Wyview. He is here at the MTC! Crazy. 

Well Satan has been working on me really hard, giving me bad feelings and depressing thoughts. I have really relied on the Lord to help me overcome all of these challenges. I've really received strength from him! I'm doing better than I was 4 days ago, I was pretty depressed because of the challenges. But the Lord knows me and I know him! Don't worry about me. Like Nephi, the Lord will prepare a way for me!
Love you all,

Elder Adam Bushman

His old district and teacher

His new housing - Alcantara - Gorgeous but COLD

Elder Bushman with his new companions - Elder Garcia and ??

Adam with Elder Bennett; good friends

From Mom: Yes, I was waiting all day for a letter yesterday. When it never came, I figured a change had been made. He says it is very cold in the house but he is warm at nights - thanks to the amazing sleeping bag he took down with him. I sent him a package...tracking showed it delivered on Friday, 5/10, but he doesn't have it. Hopefully, it's because he isn't living at the MTC anymore. I told him to go by there and pick it up. Miss this boy! He has a big load...pray for him and ALL the missionaries!!

"You may heal the sick, the blind may see by the power that you hold, but I want to say, brothers and sisters, you have done little in restoring sight to the blind as compared to that which you do when you bring the light of the gospel to the blind spiritually."  - Spencer W. Kimball

No Mother's Day Call :(

I just received a Happy Mother's Day Email from Elder Bushman. However, no Mother's Day Call or Skype session, unfortunately. Because the Chile MTC has only been housing native speaking missionaries for two weeks at a time, they have not had a need for international phone plans or broadband Internet. Thus, they don't have the infrastructure in place for fostering the Mother/Missionary relationship. Sad Day!

" I am so sorry. Happy Mother's Day Mom. I love you!!!!!! <3  Elder Adam Bushman"

Mother's Day Photos through the Years...
 

 

"No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man."

~ Thomas S. Monson

I think he was talking about Mothers!

Week 4: The ultimate tongue twister…Spanish!

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Hello everyone! 

Wow, it has already been another week, haha, crazy!! Anyways, here's some stuff from this last week. Today and yesterday the latest group of Latinos just left for their missions…ah, it was so sad. I love them all and they are all so fun and loving and just amazing people. I am really privileged to know all of them! It's also really sad that I know I am not going to see any of these people for the rest of this life…it’s a sad feeling but one that is obviously going to be prevalent throughout my whole mission! 

Anyways, today marks four weeks out here, a whole month!!! Wow the time sure has passed as I am sure it has for all of you back home. The weeks are starting to go quicker and I am getting more and more settled in. I'm still getting used to it all but it is good and I am starting to enjoy it all and think a lot less of home. So lately Ive been getting pretty frustrated with the ultimate tongue twister…Spanish! Hahaha, I am only frustrated because it feels like I have stalled in the language, that I am not getting better at understanding and that I cannot say things easier. My mind hasn’t switched over to Spanish yet and I honestly feel that I am not going to be progressing a lot until I do. I am still learning a lot but it seems that I am not applying it for some reason…anyways, it’s a struggle. But I am keeping a good attitude about it.

I’m continually learning teaching tactics and ways to get better at teaching. President MacArthur from the Rancagua mission came and did a fireside, taught us an amazing way to teach, the way the elders taught him the gospel. We used a little bit when we taught one of our investigators a while ago. I can really hold my own in the lessons though. I feel like I can explain things, testify of principles, promise blessings, sympathize with the investigator, answer their questions, and do the main things you would do in a lesson. I am still learning little skills and techniques but it is coming along great! The days are really monotonous here … It is really repetitive but I am finding ways to mix it up. We´ve been pranking each other every once in a while and we sing hymns in the stairwell, etc., stuff like that! HAHA! The other day we practiced teaching and contacting with the Latino missionaries. They didn’t know hardly any English so we had to do everything in Spanish. It was awesome! I learned a lot, practiced a lot, and got some good examples of how to teach with unity!! Those missionaries were awesome examples. 

Glad to hear my package is coming, I am totally stoked for it! Say Hi to everyone!!! Chelsea is dating! Let's hope that works out J haha! Tell Sis. Beeson I didn’t have time to respond to her email but that I read it and Ill send a reply next week. Tell her sorry about the kidney stones and that I hope she gets better. Also tell Frances that I hope she gets better and that my prayers are with them both!!!!

Love you!

Elder Adam Robert Bushman

 

Happy Elders in the Dining Room!

And even more Happy Elders in the Dining Room!

YES! He did learn some household skills!!!

"Check out my desk?????? Hahaha!!! :)"

From Mom: Little stinker didn't say anything about Mother's Day so who knows? Considering we're going to be gone most of the day....it will be a stretch if we get to communicate with him.  

"Missionary work is not easy. It is the most demanding, the most compelling, the most exhausting, and yet, with it all, the most happy and most joyful work in all the world." - Ezra Taft Benson