Week 22: We're Working Hard

Hey family and friends! 

Things went well this week! ... All except the baptism we were going to have. That was the bummer of the week. More on that below. It's getting quite hot now with the weather changing a ton and the time change. It's 5:00 p.m. here now so when we Skype for Christmas, there will be a 4 hour time difference... But everything is good! :) We're working hard and helping lots of people so that's really good!

Congratulations to Allyson on her mission call! Independence Missouri, wow, my companion's mom went there on her mission. What a coincidence :) Mom, when does she leave? Give her my best :D Haha, yup, technically 5 months out into the mission today...the time is flying when I look at it from behind, but slightly intimidating when I look at it into the future. I try not to think about the time but it's hard sometimes. Oh well, I'm enjoying myself and I'm concentrated on the work! :) Wow, crazy about Ben P's mission! How's he doing? How is Hannah P doing? She's coming up on 9 months, halfway through her mission!!!! CRAZY :S Haha! Nope...I didn't get any mail, no letters, packages, nothing :( Hopefully this week. I did talk to Sister Wright and she told me to get some stuff from the pharmacy, so I did. I haven't seen many results yet from the stuff she told me to do but I'm just trying to be patient. (Problems with his feet) There is only one sector that uses bikes in my mission and it is where my buddy is, Elder Paxman. In my sector we walk everywhere. Often times when going to district classes or other places of that nature we use the Micro (or the bus) and the Metro (the Subway). Public transportation is very nice and updated here but the drivers are nuts and there are SOOOOO many people...it's crazy at times! I've almost fallen over in buses before :S Elder Frost is doing good! He hits one year in three days!!! He's pretty excited for that! Spanish is okay... I'm not dreaming in Spanish yet. Elder Frost says I'm getting better and that I would cruise through Spanish classes back home, but every day there is something new I didn't understand, someone new I didn't understand, and something new I messed up on and didn't know. But I'm working hard to learn it so maybe I'm just not meant to have a very expansive knowledge of Spanish... Idk... but if they have any questions, tell them to email me and I'll do my best (his siblings) :) Yeah I'm warm...too warm, haha! The shoes and clothes and everything are great! The hardest thing is to keep my white shirts clean. But I might have found a really good way to wash them... We'll see! :)

So we were all set for the baptism of J. this week but on Monday when we did a family home evening she said she didn't feel prepared, ready, or that she had received an answer to her prayer...the complete OPPOSITE of what she said the last time we went to her house. We tried to work through it with her but in the end we just told her she's going to have to make the decision. We haven't talked to her since (she hasn't been home) but we're going to try again today! Anyways, after that lesson I felt very discouraged because I was wondering what I did wrong in teaching her...what I need to work on and could've done better to help her get baptized. Then I realized that Elder Frost and I taught her everything she would have to know and do to be baptized, she just didn't put in all of the work necessary... Hopefully people will be better prepared in the future.

One funny thing that happened today was when a dog almost gobbled me up. We were walking down the sidewalk and all of the sudden a big German Shepherd stuck his head and arms through the bars of the fence and about took off my right arm. Whew, it was scary. I jumped back and mumbled, "Judas Priest!" My comp busted out laughing because the same thing happened to him about a week before, haha! The dogs down here are CRAZY! 

Well, that's about all for the week! Take care everyone, love you!

Elder Adam Bushman

 

And more personally he wrote in response to our letters:

HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! I was laughing so hard during the letter! The letter was awesome! I love reading the weekly letters :) The Jell-O story is classic, freaking John, hahaha! Ben is just soooooo hilarious! Ah, how cool, you all are doing so very well it makes me so happy that my prayers are being answered :) Love you all! Well mom, count on my help for lots of stuff when I get back. I've been getting a much clearer view of things out here and I feel very bad for some of the grief that I gave you guys about doing stuff and that I didn't help out more... I guarantee you'll see a difference in me when I come back home :) A difference for the better! Keep on trucking mom, you are soooo great!

"Missionary activity is the responsibility of all members. My brothers and sisters, I call upon you to organize yourselves and your families and bring the gospel to your neighbors and your friends."  - Spencer W. Kimball