Week 11: I'm "Catching the Wave"

Dear Family and Friends,

Here's just a few things about this past week:

We had a big broadcast last night (Sunday) for missionaries and ward members. I learned so much and was so invigorated throughout the meeting. My companion and I, along with the other missionaries in our pension, were so pumped to go back to our ward and begin to turn everything around, work with members, strengthen the ward, bring back the less actives, and bring to the fold new sheep. The videos were just fantastic. I'm seriously just getting the mission fever, or, as Elder Russell M. Nelson would say, I'm "Catching the Wave." 

Next, we had our Zone Conference... Wow, can you say LONG... It started at 9:00 a.m. and ended a little after 4:00 p.m. Yeah, it was an eternity. However, I learned so much and felt the spirit so strong. I realized we need to do a better job of working with the ward leaders and helping the members to be involved. I learned a ton about the importance of the temple and how we as missionaries are to point the investigators to the covenant of baptism first and then, once baptized, we point them to the covenants in the temple. Really neat! :D 

Two nights ago, on Saturday, we had a crazy experience. Our investigator hadn't come to church last week. She made up an excuse and we knew it. We taught her the following Saturday and I could tell that something was up, she was different, strange. Anyways, she kept saying she was fine so we just took her word for it. About 20 min. into the lesson she finally told us about her concern. We put aside the lesson we were going to teach and began to teach her and show her the things she needed to hear at that time. It was a real testimony to me of the power and necessity of teaching the people and not the lessons. Anyways, we resolved her concern and helped her to see the importance of praying, reading the scriptures, and coming to church. She felt much better afterward. The next day we waited for her at church and she came. It was awesome! We talked to her afterwards and she told us how great she felt. She told us that she could have come the previous time but she made up an excuse. She now understands and has a testimony of the power of church. Her baptism is this Sunday...I'll send photos of it later!

One funny experience was when we were over at these people's house, David and Cristian Tani. They are two really cool brothers. We were talking to David, an RM and 23, and then all the sudden, Elder Frost grabbed my leg, then I grabbed his back and we started like ... IDK ... wrestling/fighting ... Anyways, that went on for a bit and then we looked up at David and his face was just shocked. Then he pulled out his phone and said, "Ustedes pueden continuar si quieran." or, "You guys can continue if you want." Then we all burst out laughing! Haha, he is really chill! 

 

(Haha, yeah it was way random and funny. That's just kinda how Elder Frost and I role! We are so alike. All the time we'll be talking about something and one of us will say something exactly the way the other was about to say it... It's weird, cool, and funny! :) hahaha!)

Anyways, glad Anna is safe...tell her to stop going all freaky! :S 

Those are the biggest things that happened this week! I'm really glad the Father's Day program was a big success. I'm sad I missed it and everything that happened but I'm glad it has all been fantastic. Give my best to everyone and tell them I miss them! :) Way to go on getting more involved with the missionaries. Honestly, that is the most irksome thing when members just aren't willing to help in the processes of conversion and retention. Thank you for your great example!!! 

Tell Layna Haymond congrats on the mission call! Haha, there are two places that speak the fastest spanish in the world: some parts of Spain and Chile. In chile, Concepcion speaks the fastest spanish! Tell her good luck and everything :)  Also, two weeks ago I sent Nicole a letter, let her know it is on the way! And yes mom, you can send photos printed on a page through the pouch :)

The thing about the letters through the pouch is they usually take about 3-4 weeks. I just got the ones from Anna and John and Nicole and You :) No, keep them long, that's fine with me :) :) :) 

We don't work with any couples, THE BROADCAST WAS AWESOME, had to watch it in spanish but oh well... :) Super excited to better this ward! No, the food is okay...we just don't eat much... Usually no breakfast or dinner, just a huge lunch. Not sure if that is healthy or not.

Love you all!

Elder Adam Robert Bushman

 

 

 

"SO WHERE WERE YOU SUNDAY AT 11:00 DURING SACRAMENT MEETING?!"

From Mom:  It was a weird Monday! I heard from Elder B. at 10:40 AM when he responded to some photos and email I sent. However, we didn't receive his letter until three hours later. I thought he wasn't going to write but then he told me that they worked online for 45 minutes, took a break, and came back for another 45. He had me worried there for a bit! That is the caption he told me to put with the photo. He also sent me a long list of things he could use for his birthday. Yes, it's still two months away but I need to get it out mid-July so he for sure gets it on time. His second item was Swiss Rolls and Oatmeal Cream Pies...funny!! That would be a good angle for Little Debbie advertising - LDS Missionary requests Little Debbie snacks for his birthday - second item on the list. First item was more scripture marking pencils. Love Mondays and getting to "talk" with him each week. It truly is a blessing!

 

Week 10: Maybe that's some Peruvian Technique!

Dear Family and Friends,

First off, here are some of the questions I have received that I'm going to answer back:

How have things gone with Nicole and Carolina? 

     First off, we only met with Nicole at the start. We set up another appointment to meet with her and her mom but it fell through. We kept trying to set up another appointment but for some reason they kept avoiding us. We haven't taught them since that first time...it's a bummer. They are ignoring us for some reason. I just wish people would tell us if they aren't interested so we aren't wasting our time.

What about the mother and her son? 

     The mother and son referred to here is our investigators, Patricia and Vicente. We are still actively teaching Patricia but her son has kind of lost interest. We are attempting to rekindle the interest... We had a great lesson with Patricia and set up a new date for her baptism. She also attended church, which means only once more until she can be baptized. We brought a member with us to our last lesson and he suggested that she should be an example to her sons and not wait for her son to catch interest before she is baptized. She agreed to do that! 

What kinds of food are you eating? 

     We eat a lot of rice, salad, meat, pasta, and empanadas. They put mayonnaise and ketchup on everything! It's sooooooooo good! Also, they have this sauce called, Ajì! Dad, you would love it! It's got a GREAT kick and flavor. I'll bring some home for you. 

Do people do your laundry or do you do your own? 

     We are responsible for doing our own laundry. We don't have a dryer (too much energy to run it) so we hang up our clothes to dry. It takes about a day or two to get all of the clothes dry.

Does your area only cover one ward?

     My sector, or area you could say, is one ward yes, Consistorial. The sector is divided in half, which means Elder Frost and I are in the bottom half and Elder Pagalo and Elder Cuadros are in the top half.

What is the Bishop like and ward mission leader? 

     The Bishop here is Obispo (which means Bishop in Spanish) Quintero. He has been Bishop for about 9 years. Long time eh? Haha, anyways, he's a good guy and he does his best to strengthen the less actives, care for the actives, and take care of his family through his work. Good guy! Hermano Moreno (ward mission leader) is a recent convert of about 2 years. The rest of his family is inactive, but he is there every week at church. He's a good guy too, very helpful and caring. Also patient with my spanish! :)

Are there some members that have taken you under their wing? 

     Umm...I'm not really sure about the meaning of this question. There are some good members in the ward but none are ... how should I say this ... I guess "under the wing" takers!?

Do you do a lot of tracting or do you have more referrals via member missionary work?

     We've been tracting a bit lately, trying to get some new investigators. The members are afraid to talk to their neighbors about the gospel and always say, "No, I can't really think of anyone who is interested."

Are you getting along well with your companion?

     Elder Frost and I are getting along great. He and I are really really alike and every day we find out something new. Sometimes our personalities clash because we are so alike but it never lasts more than a minute or two before we are off on something else again. We work together well and he's really patient with me. 

Are you cold at night? 

     It's getting a lot colder here! My sleeping bag is really keeping me warm and we have our space heater :) Don't worry mom, I'm doing good!

How are the shoes holding up? 

     The shoes are good! Laces are kind of falling apart but other than that good. My feet always hurt and I've developed some good blisters. Elder Cuadros said he had a way to help my blisters. He poured hot wax on them...didn't feel too good and I don't think it helped any... Oh well, he had good intentions :) haha! Maybe that's some Peruvian technique!

How often do you get to the mission home? 

     Never...ha!

Do you pick up your mail there or is it sent to you? 

     The mail is delivered once a week to our district meetings. The mail and packages and anything we ask for gets delivered then!

Are you doing any cooking? 

     We don't do much cooking. Basically Elder Frost and I, and actually most every missionary, just eats Lunch. Lunch is the big meal here and breakfast and dinner (which they call Once) are really small. So we usually grab a piece of bread with this stuff called Manjar for breakfast and for dinner sometimes another piece of bread with Manjar and juice...

Do you have any thoughts about what you need or would like for your birthday? 

     Need or would like...hmmmm... I'll be thinking about it and I'll let you know Mom :) Thanks!

Do you meet with other missionaries much? 

     Others than our roommates, no. We see them everyday. We see the other missionaries from our District and Zone once a week. On P-days we can ask President for "Permisos" to go and visit places in our mission. We can meet up with other missionaries from all over our mission. We do that every once in a while.

Have you seen the North American elders from your MTC district? 

     We have training meetings every two weeks and I see them. The stories we all tell are nuts. (I left out the stories...he can tell you about it when he gets home)

Now a little about my photos. Today Elder Frost and I went to the temple and to Providencia. We took photos, ate, and kinda chilled. Those are all the photos you see there. The other photos are from last P-day when we played soccer with our Zone. WAY FUN! The other one is a Berlin, one of the favorite pastries of Elder Frost and I. YUM! The other ones are Elder Frost and I's (??) reaction to P-day... I said, "Show me your p-day face Elder." Then I showed mine! Then just some random ones of me :)))

The hardest thing here is getting your investigators to really come to church. UGH! It stinks. Anyways, a couple of our investigators said they would come but didn't...hopefully they'll come next week. 

Spanish is still kinda tough...whew... :S

Anyways, that's all for this week! LOVE YOU ALL :)

Elder Adam Robert Bushman

A 1/4 eaten Berlin

Sunset in Santiago

Hmmmmmmm

Santiago Temple #1

Santiago Temple #2

PDAY!!!!!

PDAY!!!!!!

  

Look at those mountains...it almost looks like Utah!!

SOCCER!!!

From Mom: Elder Bushman was bummed that we didn't do our Father's Day program on Sunday. He sent a letter to his Dad to be read for the program and he wanted to hear his reaction. Oh well....he'll have to wait until next week! It was nice to get some answers to our questions...we got more detail than ever because of it! The stories he told were pretty wild and about specific elders in the mission so I opted to leave them out.


"Remember, brothers and sisters, we're not marketing a product. We're not selling anything. We're not trying to impress anyone with our numbers or our growth. We are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, empowered and sent forth by the Lord Himself to find, nourish, and bring safely into His Church those who are seeking to know the truth." ~ M. Russell Ballard

Week 9: It's Personal, so Take the Time!

Hello Family and Friends,

The week has been good! I've been having some really, really good personal studies of late where I have learned a ton and gotten some good stuff that I can apply to my life! I love the personal study time. I used to think that 10 minutes was sufficient for some study...now one hour isn't enough, AH, when 10 o'clock hits I just groan because I am right in the middle of some really, really good stuff. Take your personal study more seriously, it's personal, so take the time! 

We have an investigator with a baptismal date, her name is Rubi. She is timid and shy and really insecure, but it really helps to have some friends of hers there. The two boys and their mom who are her friends are really helpful. The older brother, David, is an RM and is super, duper helpful at explaining things from a different perspective that help her understand. The youngest boy has been inactive with his mom for a while, but since teaching Rubi has gone back to church and talked to the Bishop about a mission. He is preparing to leave in February! Anyways, all three of them came to church. We talked with Rubi after and she said how much she loved it and loved her feelings. She said it was way better than she thought and she is excited to come back next week. She also got a "Teachings of the Prophet Lorenzo Snow" book from sunday school. She held it up to us and said, "I gotta head home and study for next week!" We have a date with her for the 23rd! I am confident that she will be ready!!!

Spanish is coming...I hope! Ha, but no worries, I'm doing great and Elder Frost is helping me a lot :) Elder Frost and I are so much alike and it is so awesome to find our differences and likes. We are even starting to talk and make some of the same jokes. It is hilarious. I'm kinda sad because we might not be together long and when he leaves I will have to lead the sector, meaning help the new comp who comes in to know what's up and who everyone is and things like that. I'm scared for that to happen.

The other guys in our room are pretty cool, Elder Cuadros (Peru) and Elder Pagalo (Ecuador). They talk fast and use a lot of slang, but they are chill with me and fairly patient. 

We played soccer today for our Zone activity. Way fun, because it was on a professional sized field with real soccer turf. I felt like I did pretty good and my and Elder Frost's team won. My legs are killing me... But it was way fun and I have some photos. Right now the stupid computer wont bring up my photos...UGH! Anyways, you'll have to wait yet another week to get some, ugh, I am so sorry! :S 

Well that's the jist of the week. Things are going good. Patience with the language is probably my biggest fault. Haha :) But I am trying!

Anyways, love you all and thanks for your support and encouragement to me :)

Love,

Elder Adam Bushman

 

PS - Wow, sounds like things are freaking AWESOME THERE!....Sorry, not as awesome as things down here :) 

 

 

Photos Below are Courtesy of Elder Frost's Family:

 

Rain gotcha down?

Looks like he is gaining some weight! :)

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Yes that is me! And those are boots that were just lying around our pention ever since Elder Frost has been there...which is almost 8 months...they fit so he said to take them! Like the photo???? Put it on my blog"

This is Elder Frost with a Berline - Adam talked about these in his last letter.

 “Each of us, whatever our talents, has service to give. And to do it well always involves learning, not once or for a limited time, but continually.” 

–Henry B. Eyring

Week 8: I'm putting my trust in God

DEAR FAM FAM!!!

"The Lord is my light, then why should I fear??" Seriously, don't fear! :) 

Haha, I am having a great time down here, teaching, preaching, serving, and helping God's children down here in Santiago Chile. Here are some of my experiences:

First off, Spanish is still a struggle but I have kinda accepted the fact that I have been out in the field only 2 weeks and that I shouldn't know Spanish by now... I just need to work hard and be patient. But here is why it's hard. Down here in Chile they speak Spanish and another dialect called Castillano. They have different words and a slightly different way of saying stuff... That's super difficult. And only the old people speak it...and they are hard enough already to understand! Also, the young people speak what is called flaete, or gangster pretty much. They have different conjugations, phrases, and words. My comp is helping me learn it but it is still hard to understand! But I'm putting my trust in God...see 2 Nephi 4:34...

We got a reference the other day and checked it out. We went there and asked for the reference, a Nicole and Carolina. The person said she didn't know who we were talking about and we were about to leave, discouraged that the reference wasn't there, but then a girl passed by and was about to go into the house. Elder Frost asked her if she knew the reference...she said that she was Nicole!! What perfect timing! :) Anyways, she and her mom, Carolina, are interested in our message. We went back and taught Nicole the first half of the Restoration... We already have another appointment :) Whoot! 

So one of the things we love here are Berlines. They are a big bun sort of thing that is warm and sweet, with a cut in the middle and filled with cream or a carmel sort of thing called Manjar. They are also covered in powdered sugar...ugh!!! Love them! I'lll send photos!

I have been following some of Mark's missionary reminders and one of them is to read a chapter of Proverbs every day. I'm doing it and it is really cool! 

Well there's more to say but I got to go! Ill send the photos next time! LOVE YOU ALLL!

Elder Adam Bushman

 

PS: Hey mom! Sorry, we're probably gonna be emailing this late from now on... There's nothing I really need, just to say hello and tell you all about my experiences! Haha :) Say hello to everyone and tell them I miss them ... But I'm having a great time here :D Thanks MOM :) Man I love you!

 

Good luck on Trek MOM DAD and LIV and BEN! It will be fun and I know you guys will just love it! Be safe and send me a good letter in the pouch on your experience.

 

Tornado in Missouri, dad's place! Wow.... I am so relieved that he is safe and that all those he was with were as well... Just goes to show the Lord is looking out for us and that my family along with me are being blessed for being out here! Love you all! :)

Tell Liv congrats on the award! Wow! Whoot for her! :) (Young Womanhood Recognition)

I loved your fast mom and also your spiritual experience with PMG. I really have a testimony of extending commitments and we're putting it in practice with numerous investigators :)

Say hello to everyone, LOVE YOU :)

Elder Adam Bushman

 

"If the Holy Ghost does not bear witness to the things we say, we cannot and we will not be successful in our missionary work." - Harold B. Lee