Yr. 2 - Week 4: New Sector and New Companion

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, the big news of the week is that I received a call from President Wright on Friday night saying I was heading to a new sector and receiving a new companion. I'm now in the ward La Florida 3, stake La Florida. :) I'm really excited! My companion is Elder Muzante, from Peru. He is 25 years old, he has 5 months in the mission, and I'm his second companion. This zone is really awesome, I'm in the same zone with Elder Rice and Elder Holsclaw (two of the guys from my MTC group! I'm also with Elder Wilson, Elder Gowdy, Elder Skousen, Elder Vorwaller, and others. Just REALLY great missionaries :) I feel as though it will be a powerhouse zone these next few changes! :D

This last week was a pretty good week. We had a lot of lessons with members, we really stepped it up with working with the bishop and our ward mission leader. Haha, it was really funny, in sacrament meeting, the second counselor said, "Well now we are going to give a little time to Elder Bushman to bare his testimony since he will be finishing his mission." I got up there and said, "I hope nobody goes to the temple because I'm not going to be there." I was trying to say in a funny way that I was not going home... But after the meeting, more than 10 people ran up to me and said, "Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you are leaving, how did you mission end so fast?" Etc.  etc.! Haha, I had to tell them that I was not going home but just to another sector! :) Hahaha! 

We used the "Because of Him" video a lot this week to teach about the Resurrection. We taught the M. family the Plan of Salvation using the video and the pamphlet. They understood it completely and it was awesome! We also shared it with a completo shop owner and he really loved it, saying he was going to check out mormon.org and stuff. 

Anyways, there isn't much else to report on account that I am in a new sector, without photos, and I haven't even hit the sector yet. But, things are great, I am excited, and we'll see you next week! Take care, love you all!

Elder Bushman

 

"Sharing the gospel brings eternal rewards. That is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to labor without a salary, to labor without the comforts that we sometimes have at home, but to labor for the salvation of the human family, to bring our Father's other children to a knowledge of the truth." - George Albert Smith

Week 32: Are we God's Golden Investigators?

Dear Family and Friends,

What a week! In some ways it was crazy fast and in other ways it was a little slow. There were soooo many meetings, so many crazy experiences, etc. Anyways, it was been a week to remember :) Thank you soooo much mom for sending those packages to me! AH, I feel so blessed to have such an amazing and supportive family and I am looking forward to talking at Christmas =)

Haha, first off, I'll start to talk about Elder Holland's visit to Santiago, Chile :) So last Tuesday, Elder Lee, Elder Cottrell, Elder Kern, and I all got up at 4:00 a.m...we took showers the previous night so all we had to do was get dressed, call the taxi, and leave... We got to the stake center at 4:45 a.m...the meeting started at 10:00 :D Haha, the sector in which is located the church is called La Reina and there are two sister missionaries who are in my district that work there and had keys, so they opened it up at 4:30 and so we got front row seats right by the door Elder Holland would enter in through. So we waited a whole long time but it was so worth it. About an hour before Elder Holland showed up they told us we had to evacuate our bench because it was "reserved"...I thought, you got to be kidding me. So, the sisters in our district let us squeeze in on their bench...which was on the first row too. Anyways, Elder Holland showed up and it was fantastic!!!! :) He came quick and left quick so we didn't get handshakes or photos or anything. But, we got his words and the spirit, so that was dope! Here are some of his thoughts:

He opened his talk saying, "Wow, I'm really pumped up right now! I'm, I'm ready to go, I'm like bouncing off the walls and flying through the roof right now!" Haha, he gave us some good laughs! Some other things he said were, "I'm really old. I helped Noah build the Ark, okay. I got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, so, I don't have much time left!" HAHAHAHA!!!! He was talking a bit about how we do not stop the mission when the mission stops, we keep going. He said that if any of us stopped, he said, "I'll hunt you down, I'll let the air out of your tires, I'll put pepper in your empanadas, alright! You won't like it, I promise." :) haha, there were many, many more funny things he said and it was fantastic. Now, a couple of spiritual thoughts and inspirations: 

He said that the power to translate the Book of Mormon was the first great gift Joseph Smith received and he wasn't able to receive any more tools or gifts until he learned to appreciate, use, and complete the task of the girft of translating he received. It is the same way for us as members of the church. Until we learn to appreciate, use, and fulfill the purpose of the Book of Mormon in our own lives, we will not receive any more tools or gifts. He also said that the church is at a vertical slope right now, it's progressing, it's getting better at a vertical slope!!! We as members and missionaries need to progress and get better at the same slope or we will be left behind in the dust and will forfeit the blessings that come. He made us a promise that if we forfeit these blessings, chances are the Lord will never give us a second opportunity to receive and enjoy them. He talked a little bit about why it is so hard in the work of salvation and missionary work. Why don't people flock to the font? Why doesn't everyone just run to the missionaries? Why isn't the only worry we have in the mission field that of getting pneumonia from being in the water all of the time? The answer is this: "Salvation is not a cheap experience." He said, "How can we expect it to be easy for us if it was never easy for Christ. All of us will have to pass through Gethsemane, even for a moment, and experience a little bit of what Christ did." Elder Holland said that that is a price that most people aren't willing to pay. Just as we get frustrated with investigators who don't progress, we are God's investigators and He gets frustrated when we don't progress. We must ask ourselves: "Are we God's golden investigators??" It was a fantastic meeting and I have had a lot to think about and improve! It was amazing :)

After Elder Holland's talk we ended and I got to talk with Elder Frost for a bit, Elder Hunt (awesome guy who used to be in my pension and was Elder McGary's trainer), all the guys from the MTC especially Elder Paxman! He is training along with Elder Rice and are just amazing guys! They are doing so well in their missions :) Haha, it makes me soooo happy! Anyways, I also got to talk with Elder Cruz from the MTC, Elder Pagalo, Elder Cuadros, etc. Anyways, it was really, really fun but we've been dead this whole week from getting up so early on Tuesday. The good thing is we wake up on time every day and today I took a little nap so I could catch up. Haha, anyways, AWESOME!

So, in our news, I got my FIRST KISS in the mission field!!! Now don't get alarmed, I will explain. We went to a future investigator family's house and as well yelled at the gate, it swung open and this random guy walked out with a huge smile on and his arms out wide! He walked quickly toward me saying, "HOLA! ¿CÓMO ESTAI MI ROSITO?" -- That pretty much means he was asking how his little cute boy or something was. Anyways, wierd right...not even. He then grabbed my face and planted a huge, wet, drunk kiss right on my cheek and walked away laughing. UGH! Gross...... Anyways, that was lame :S Hahaha!!! But, it makes for a pretty good story I suppose.

Everything is going well for our baptism coming up on the 24th of November with D. so we are really excited about that! We had a sweet lesson with O. where we invited her to be baptized. Again she said she wanted to but she wasn't sure on the date...it was a fantastic lesson and Elder Kern and I are both convinced that she will accept a date very soon! :) Anyways, there wasn't much other stuff that went on this week, a few things here and there but not a TON of stuff. 

Anyways, right now I'm studying the goodness of God,or La Bondad de Dios and how that applies to the Book of Mormon and why we need to read it... Look up these scriptures and see what I've been studying: 1 Nephi 1:1, 1 Nephi 5:4, 1 Nephi 6:3-4, and Alma 26:3. :) Really cool stuff and it has been fun reading and studying and writing my thoughts in all Spanish and stuff!! :) Whohoo! 

Anyways, that's all for this week! Hope you all enjoy everything that's happened! Love you!

Elder Adam Bushman

PS - Wow...everyone is just getting so big and growing up! Haha, I'm excited to see everyone for our Skype call :). I got Susie's package! Haha, yup, it went through WW1, WW2, and WW3 on the way over...but I got it! The package was wrecked but the stuff inside was fine :)= WHOOHOO!!! Well, there are only one pair of pants that fit me really well...all the others are big on the waist. I feel like I've lost weight and muscle. I'm just a little shrimp out here, haha! :)

Elder Bushman and Elder Kern at 5:00 AM :D

The stake center with over 1,000 missionaries 

Four generations: Elder Kern, Bushman, Frost, and Cofré

Week 31: Elder Garcia was Using MY Suit Coat

Dear Family and Friends,

So this was the first week of changes and there were lots of changes in our zone and a little bit in our pension. Elder Pagalo was called to go train and be a DL in a stake called Javiera Carrera so he left but the cool thing is that Elder Rice (buddy from the MTC) was also training so he and Elder P did divisions and stayed the night with us on Monday. Haha, it was so much fun and it was so good to catch up with him after being in the field almost 6 months. It was so awesome to be with him and Elder Lee all together, haha! :) So Elder Lee's new companion's name is Elder Cottrell, good guy who went to BYU before the mission so it's really fun to talk about. Elder Kern lives right by BYU, Elder Lee went there too, as well as I, so we all just have so much fun talking. Also, he is a great missionary and really helping out! :) So our zone has changed soooooo much. There were roughly 9 new people in our zone, including two new district leaders and a new zone leader. Almost half of the zone left this change so it was super weird. Right now we got some really awesome, obedient leaders in the zone and really cool, seasoned missionaries who are just going to help us kill it this change as a zone. I'm so very excited :)

So in less than 2 weeks I will mark 6 months in my sector! Haha, crazy. The time has just flown. I really feel like it has not been that much time, but that I JUST got to this sector and began to work with these people :D I expect to be here for about 2 or 3 more months :) WHOOHOO!!!! I'm in no hurry to leave!

So our baptism that's coming up, D., O's older brother, is REALLY progressing. He is obeying the Word of Wisdom, reading and praying every day, going to church all three hours, and keeps on talking about how he can endure to the end. I cannot wait until after his baptism when we can ordain him to be a Priest and have him start blessing the sacrament and doing other things! :) Haha, I'm so very excited for him...but, on a sad note, we have to wait until the 24th of November for him to be baptized. He can't be baptized this Sunday because of the voting that will take place right after Sacrament Meeting. Ugh! He is progressing a lot right now! :) Our other investigators aren't really doing much right now. O. canceled...again, F. doesn't want to be so pressured, R. says he can't come to church, etc. etc. etc. We have a lot of investigators but not too many are progressing. It kinda stinks! That is why we are trying to find new investigators. We've been praying for the opportunity to find a family who is prepared to hear the gospel and accept it. We are praying, searching, and talking to a lot of people! We contacted 4 familes the other day and talked about the restored gospel and families. All of them accepted a return visit so we are praying that they will be there...at least one. 

So today we went to a sector called El Valle to play basketball with some other Elders and an investigator of some missionaries in my district. It was really fun but I was HORRIBLE. Ugh, I've gotten so bad. That was the first time I played basketball in over 7 months...ugh! Anyways, we played soccer after and that was really, really fun! :) It was soooooo hot today and I got sunburned a little bit so that wasn't too fun!...

So on the October Ensign, the one that has a latino on the front standing in front of the temple, that is my companion from the MTC, Elder Garcia from Colombia. Haha, Elder Gutierrez and I were standing right behind the photographer when he took that photo! Elder Garcia was using my suit coat :) Haha! Legit huh? I thought that was the coolest thing when I saw it! 

Elder Holland is coming tomorrow - we are going to get to the church way early because it is with 4 missions and over 1000 missionaries. And, it is at our stake center so we are the closest of the close pretty much! :)

 

So the other day we got a random call from an old investigator of mine...J. She called and asked if we could come by! We did and talked about some of her problems and how she could fix them. We taught an amazing lesson and the importance and role of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can resolve the problems in our lives if we follow His docrine. Anyways, we talked about how everything else we teach helps us understand, follow, and know that the GofJesus Christ is true. Anyways, it was a fantastic lesson and we'll be going by her house tomorrow :)

So that's about everything for this week! Thanks so much for all of the Utah Jazz updates, the package, and the weekly letters! :) Love you all!!!

Elder Adam Bushman

Elder Kern, Elder Frost, and Elder Bushman (3 GENERATIONS :)

Elder Madox from Montana and I (both trainers, both DL's :)

Elder Kern and I defrosting the freezer and cleaning the refrigerator! Haha!

Me and Elder Pagalo doing a girly pic the day he left!

Elder Cottrell and I right before getting my cut :S

THE HAIRCUT IS GOING!!!!!

My old Zone right before changes...over half of the people left :'(

Elder Lee, Elder Rice, and Elder Bushman -- back together again, whoohoo! (more in my letter)

Elder Cottrell calling his district and taking the dats! :)

Elder Lee and Elder Kern...right before they got BUTCHED

Me cutting Elder Lee's hair for Elder Holland on Tuesday :) Haha, we didn't spend a single cent on our haircuts :) WHOOHOO!!!

"If you want your boys to go on missions, have them pray for the missionaries every time they pray. They will love the things they pray for." - Spencer W. Kimball

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

Week 4: The ultimate tongue twister…Spanish!

(Photos Below)

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 

Week 3: Bore my Testimony - all in Spanish

Photos Below...

Hello All,

Thank you for the letter you sent, the advice you gave, and the awesome details about everyone's status! It's awesome to see that everyone is doing well, growing in different ways, and just having a great time! The time is starting to go quick when I look back on it, hahaha! Here is some stuff from the past week:

First off, I love one of the elders here. He's actually right next to me, Elder McGary. You remember meeting his parents right? Anyways, he is awesome and we are so much alike! I was really hoping to have him as a comp but it wasn't meant to be. Anyways, he is a really awesome singer and we sing a lot together, mostly hymns. He's a base but can sing tenor and I sing tenor and so we just mess around with different songs and singing them. He also plays the piano so we switch off for different events and make up stuff when we have some free time! I love it and he is also really good at Spanish, so we always talk to each other and practice. It's really, really neat and I think he is just great. He also loves Psych so we make jokes and references sometimes... LOVE IT :) 

Anyways, yesterday was fast Sunday and I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting, all in Spanish. I bore testimony of the things I knew were true and shared a little of my experience in my first week here, how hard it was and how I turned to the Lord. I was really really nervous to bear my testimony all in Spanish and share that experience, but I felt super good afterward. The other day while practicing teaching an investigator, she said that she was worried about joining the church because of the traditions of her family and how catholic she was. I shared 2 Nephi 33:10. It is a sweet scripture and I am memorizing it in Spanish, whooot! We're working with her on the Book of Mormon! 

We got new roommates! Elder Muñoz and Elder Lopez. Cool, very nice guys! I love them! Will  send photos soon :) We've been playing soccer everyday this week with the guys down here....they...are...insanely good! It's crazy, these two guys just absolutely put me and the other elders to shame, it's really sad....but so AWESOME! Haha, Ive actually been getting good at goalie, whoot! 

I'm getting frustrated with the language a little...I feel like I cannot understand what people are saying and it is hard to formulate what I want to say. Translating back and forth in my mind and thinking and analyzing back and forth in Spanish is exhausting...I just need my mind to flip to Spanish, then I should be able to make progress...so far it hasn't happened yet... I found out that the biggest part of our efforts down here will be reactivation. My teacher said that 90% of the members here are inactive...NINETY PERCENT. How does that happen, I asked him. He said that elders down here baptize like crazy, but they aren´t completely rooted in the gospel, so they fall away. Kinda like the smart and the foolish man... Anyways, I promised myself that I would make sure the investigators were really ready when I taught them!

Anyways, gotta go! Love you all!

Elder Bushman

Elder Bushman over the Pedro de Valdivia Bridge

A CRAZY HUGE 6-story mall in Santiago

Elders Paxman, Bushman, Rice - Deep in Thought

From Mom: We were surprised to get a letter from him today! It turns out that the temple is closed on Wednesday so they are going to the temple on Tuesday which pushes P-Day to Monday! I told him he looked Happy, Healthy, and Handsome. He responded with, "I like the alliteration!"

"Every time you bring a convert into this Church you bless a life. Not one life, if he or she remains faithful, but many lives. For that which you do becomes the work of generations yet to come." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Week 1: We are Literally Making History!

Hello everybody!!!!!

OMG this day is honestly better than Christmas!!! I have been looking forward to writing home since I wrote my first letter, haha! I and all the other Elders and Sisters were so ecstatic to get on their email and see what their family wrote. I'm so happy I get this opportunity; there is so much to say. 

A couple things first…I cant send or view photos in the MTC because their internet is slow and there's not much bandwidth to send stuff. I'll send tons of photos when I can.

First off, the language is going pretty well. I along with Elder McGary and Sister Phelps are the best speakers in our class and in our companionships, share most of the teaching load. I feel I'm getting pretty good at organizing my thoughts and memorizing phrases. Spanish is coming along great and it's only the first week! Our roommates are Elder Piñel and Elder Gonzalez. Awesome guys who are fun and with great testimonies. They talk to us a whole lot, though they don't know English. I'll send photos of everyone later. My companions, Elder Holsclaw and Elder Lee... both are good guys and they're pretty cool to be with. The schedule here is tough…we wake up, do personal study for an hour, then exercise for a while. We then prepare for the day and work until 9:30 pm. It's a tough schedule and learning the gospel just makes me all the more tired. Sometimes I'm so exhausted I can barely write in my journal but I gotta so I'll remember everything. 

Last Wednesday I broke down. I missed home and I wanted to see my family and friends. I missed everything … since then I've prayed for strength and received lots from the scriptures, prayer, and other district members. Haha, it's also WAY tough to fall asleep because Elder Lee snores like the Dickens!! Good night, it's insane. I feel like Bro. Bishop when he would bang pots together to wake up his comp so he could fall asleep again before his companion snored again, haha! It's really weird calling everyone Elder and Sister…I've gotten used to it now and when I get other people's real first name, I only think of them as Sister Sommerfeld or Elder Rice, etc. Haha!!! I love it! 

The food here in the MTC is making me sick though. I have to put Digestzen on my stomach every night (thanks Stephen and Jenny)! Were having tons of fun here too! We talk to everyone in Spanish and everyone is making jokes. All of the district members have their own little things. Elder Nelson is the FUNNIEST story teller ever, hahahahaha! It's awesome. I love Elder Rice. He and I are way close. We have very similar situations and we talk about it and buoy each other up all the time! Elder McGary and I love tons of the same things and are way good friends. Elder Paxman is way good at sports and we always play. And it goes on and on for everyone in our district. OHHHH, which reminds me. I was called to be the district leader of my district. There are 5 districts and one zone here at the MTC. All of the districts have latino district leaders and all of the zone leaders are latino. I am the only white guy in the meetings and I preside over my district. It's intimidating but my whole district is very supportive and loving, they respect me a lot. It reminds me of my patriarchal blessing that said I would hold leadership positions. It's a really good experience. I FEEL SO MUCH JOY AND LOVE FOR EVERYONE WHO IS READING MY LETTERS NOW!!! 

Anyways, we are also the first North American missionaries to ever come to and learn here in the Santiago MTC. We are literally making history! Last night Elder Rice asked me for a blessing, not his companion, not his roommates, me. I was super humbled. The blessing was one of strength and it taught me a whole lot and gave me lots of strength. Oh and mom, haha, I have been playing the piano a ton. Once they found out I play the piano, people want me to play for sacrament meeting, FHE, priesthood, everything. It's been spreading like crazy. I played I am a child of God, as a musical number for some latino sisters down here while they sang. I also did a spontaneous arrangement of A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief for a musical number! I didn't do a bunch of fancy stuff, just played it three times with different octaves, repeated some parts, and played it loud and soft. Everyone loved it and the spirit was soooo strong. I gotta go but I love you all and I miss every single one of you! Be sure to post this letter on the blog!

From the Chile!

Elder Bushman

From Mom: I didn't realize they were the first North American missionaries to be at the Chile MTC. Exciting! He sounds so much better than last week. Wonderful to hear that the piano skills are being put to good use! What a blessing to hear such great news this week! Love this boy... Oh, and he told me in a separate email that he will be in the MTC for 6 Weeks.

"It follows that if we have more missionaries, there will be more converts. It also follows that if missionaries are better prepared, they will be more effective."

 - Gordon B. Hinckley