Yr. 2, Week 20: We Were Able to Accompany him to the Temple

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, what a week... 

We had the great opportunity to go to the temple with a recently returned-to-the-church member named L! We had been working on his Family History work this week and he went down to the city hall here in Puente Alto and got all the certificates of death, birth, and marriage for some of his family members. We were also able to accompany him to the temple and he did baptisms and confirmations for his dad and his grandpa. :) He also gave two names to the temple so they could do his mom and his grandma :D It was amazing! The spirit was strong there but more importantly he is starting to become converted as he does this work for his ancestors. 

So we have a lot of investigators but they switch off progressing. One investigator will progress for like a week, then it's another investigator family's turn, then someone else, etc. HOWEVER, our investigators C and J are doing really well. We were able to have a few lessons with them this week and though they aren't retaining all of the information, they have the desire, they are repenting, and they enjoy it. They recognize the importance of the church and the gospel in what they are doing. J has had a problem with drinking tea and coffee but when we visited them the other day it was really neat because he said that he's stopped drinking them. He also said that the other day he was with some friends and they offered him tea but he said, "No thank you, my religion doesn't allow me to drink tea." 'What religion are you from?' "I'm from the mormon church and I can't drink tea or coffee." 'Why not?' "I don't know... One day I'll know but for now, I can't!" :D HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! AWESOME!

We visited the G. family the other day, an investigator family. The daughter, C, is the most interested but the dad is as well. The mom and the oldest son are just kinda there when we go by. However, when we went by this week we asked them what we shared last week... The dad and C didn't know... Then finally the mom told us almost word for word what we had taught. She always is doing things when we teach but we finally realized she's been paying a lot of attention the whole time! We helped them understand the RESTORATION better. We invited them to church but didn't end up going :S ERRR.... Oh well, at least C and J and their family went! 

Our other investigator I is doing fairly well. She really wants a testimony and said that she'll be baptized right off the bat when she feels more sure of her answer. She has had some experiences that are helping her and we invited her to read 2 Nephi 31 and to study it with her new desire. 

Answers to questions:

1. I enjoy teaching about repentance and the atonement the most I think

2. Our goals are to have 5 investigators with a baptismal date, 8 invest. in the chapel, have 8 lessons with invest. with members present, and have 2 new invest. (those are our basic goals)! 

3. Elder Thomas is hard working, CRAZY, really hyper, very loving, way fun, super funny, a great teacher. His first name is Markus but he goes by his middle name, Connor. He plays Lacrosse for Utah State Univ. He is a big music fan!}

4. We take the numbers every week, give the DLs the announcements, teach a zone class every month, do divisions with the DLs and those that are being trained

5. There are 12 zones in our mission!

6. I´M DEFINITELY COMING BACK TO CHILE ONE DAY....I think I may live here long term actually, a few years...NAH just kidding ;) 

Anyways, that's the week! Take care everybody, love you!

Elder Bushman

LUNCH...

MEXICAN...

San Cristobal...

  Family History, Temple Work, Investigators...

"Is it not time that we sent out a great army, not of uniformed men, but an army of missionaries to preach repentance to a world that is dying?" - Spencer W. Kimball

Yr 2, Week 19: They Both have Baptismal Dates for the 31st of August

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a good one! Elder Thomas and I have been working really hard and we've had quite a bit of success as well as disappointments. However, one of the things that I love about being with Elder Thomas is how light-hearted we can still be during discouraging moments. Even when an investigator drops us and we're feeling down, we are still joking around and helping each other stay excited and happy! :) It's really fun!

One of the really lame things that happened this week was when I went on divisions. Elder Milla and I, along with a youth from the ward, were out contacting and as we passed a little shop a man said hi and asked us how we were. We quickly began to talk to him and I was asking him some questions to find out a little bit about his beliefs when all of the sudden he began to chastise me for not treating him with respect. He asked me how old I was and when I told him he old me his age and told me that I need to be more respectful because he knows more than I do. I tried to explain myself a little bit and try to mend the misunderstanding but then he began to say that we are wrong, that we don't know what we're talking about, etc. It was really surprising. I finished up by sharing my testimony but as I started he just began to shake his head in disagreement and quote scriptures to tell me why we needed to study more and then we would see how foolish we were in believing that stuff. We walked away with a pretty bitter taste in our mouths but we knew what we were trying to do and what we were saying was true, so it didn't matter much. 

However, divisions was really fun because I got to know Elder Milla better. He is from Lima, Peru and we got along great. We also made a queque for the FHE we had and it was really fun. We've never made one before but the first try turned out really well. All of the less-actives in the FHE couldn't believe that we made it...good thing we took photos so that we had physical evidence, huh? :)

So we had some really good experiences this week with some investigators. Our investigator J.A. was doing really well. We explained a lot about the BofM and he committed to reading every night before bed. It was awesome and we set a baptismal date with him for the 31st of August. However, he didn't gt to church on Sunday and later that evening he gave us a call saying he wasn't going to be able to receive us in his home anymore. He said he had work obligations. We don't know too much but we are going to talk with him later on and find out more. We worked a little bit with J. this week and C. They both have baptismal dates for the 31st of August and they are progressing nicely. C. really wants to be baptized and hopefully everything works out so that he'll be prepared enough to make that day! Our other investigator family, J and I are doing well. They are still unsure about if the church is true. J is pretty sure, he wants to be more sure, but he believes the church is true. I. however is really hard. She wants to be 100% sure and it's hurting her progress a bit. Anyways, we're still figuring it out a little bit so we'll see. They are doing good, however. 

Last night I tried to teach Elder Thomas how to do the Rubiks cube...hahaha! He was so tired so everything I told him to do he did the opposite, haha! It was really, really funny! :D He's a really good companion!

Well that's all folks; I'll write more about my companion and his weird habits next week ;)

Love you all, Elder Bushman

 

(You'd think he never made a cake before...)

 

 

"A missionary's spiritual preparation will be strengthened by better family home evenings, by improved teaching in the Aaronic Priesthood and auxiliary organizations, by attendance at seminary and institute, by going to the temple to be baptized in behalf of the dead, by encouragement to read the Book of Mormon." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Yr 2, Week 18: Man, I Like it Here

Dear Family and Friends,

Man, I like it here. I'm getting a lot more comfortable, I love our pension, my companion is awesome, we have lots of investigators, we're getting some good exercise in, everything is great :) Obviously there are some challenges with investigators and sometimes we cannot find new people to teach but we are having a lot of success regardless. 

So we are teaching this guy named A. He is great! He's an older guy who is buck skinny and has a bit of a swearing problem :) Haha, he's a really funny guy and  he's really starting to get spiritual. A few months ago he had an accident and he fell into a coma for like 2 1/2 months. They all thought he was going to die but every week Elder Thomas and his old companion went to give him a blessing at the hospital. Finally he woke up and recovered and since then he's been getting a lot closer to Christ. We had a really good lesson in the chapel with him this week in which we showed him a video of baptism, talked about repentance and the Holy Ghost and then we showed him the font. We committed him to baptism for the 24th of August. We invited him to read the Restoration pamphlet and he read it and we had a great followup lesson with him on it. He's good at understanding and he's patient. When we had the lesson in the chapel he promised to get better about swearing and as we were walking out of the chapel he started telling us about his sore ankle and he started swearing and Elder Thomas and I couldn't stop laughing :) 

This week we went out with a priest in our ward named B. He's great! I called him and asked him if he could go out with us and he said let me check my schedule... He then said yeah I can, I'll go with you guys for the day. So he was with us from 5 until 10 :) Haha, it was so fun. He's really nice and really awesome. He's pretty good at English and so it's really fun talking with him and all! We had some good lessons with him. We visited one lady and had a really good lesson with her about the Holy Ghost and everything. She committed to going to church...but she didn't go. Oh well, maybe next time :) We also visited a less-active and taught her about family history work and vicarious work. It really helped her understand why we are helping her out with FAMILY SEARCH and why she needs to get a temple recommend soon :D

We are visiting a part member family. P (less active), R. (investigator), C. (investigator), and M. (5 yrs.) have been going to church and getting back in the swing of stuff. They went to the city hall today to ask for a wedding date so that they can get married and baptized. I think their date is going to be in October so hopefully everything works out well. They are a great family, the ward needs them, and they need the church :)

This week Elder Thomas and I have been getting a little more serious with our exercise. We bought a ton of eggs and have been going a lot more hard core on our exercises. I sent photos of one night were we drank three raw eggs each...they actually weren't that bad! I'd do it again in a heartbeat ;)

Well folks, that's all for the week! Take care, love you, congrats to Nicole and Eden :D I'm super proud of you guys!

Elder Bushman

 

Last Time at White Box:

 

 

 

Saying Goodbye to my old Pension, District and Companion:

 

 

 

Photos of the new Pension:

 

 

 Raw Eggs:

"We grow by sharing the gospel. Let a man remember that there are others that are in darkness and that have not advanced so far in knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence, and let him impart that knowledge, intelligence, and power unto his friends and brethren, inasmuch as he is farther advanced than they are, and by so doing he will soon discover that his mind will expand, and that light and knowledge which he had gained would increase and multiply more rapidly." - Lorenzo Snow

Yr 2 - Week 17: Sunday, a Day of Miracles

Dear Family and friends, 

What a week! It was a really sweet week and lots of cool stuff happened so I'm just gonna jump in right away!!!

So this week I went on divisions with Elder Deal, another elder in the zone. He was the missionary I replaced in La Florida 3. He trained Elder Muzante and I went to be Elder Muzante's companion right after Elder Deal. Anyways, so it was pretty fun and interesting being on divisions with Elder Deal. One of the coolest things from divisions was a sweet experience we had with a less-active youth in the ward. He is the only member in his family and it was pretty neat to talk to him. He asked us some questions about the WofW and we taught him a bit and then invited him to obey it. He accepted the invitation immediately and for some reason I thought to ask him if he had the priesthood. He asked us, "what's the priesthood." We explained it to him, provided a few examples, and then showed him a mormon message about priesthood blessings and being prepared and worthy to give them. At the end we asked him what he thought of the priesthood and he said that it is a really beautiful and sacred way to serve. We invited him to talk to the bishop the very next Sunday and to ask for an interview so that he could get the priesthood. He was really stoked and he said he would instantly. I thought to myself, this kid is 16. In two years he can be ready for missionary service. He needs the priesthood to begin to prepare. I wasn't sure why I asked that random question at the time but now I'm so glad I did because I guarantee it was guided by the spirit :)

So a few days before I came to this sector, Elder Thomas and his old companion Elder Hill contacted a guy on the street named J. He invited them to eat lunch in his house and to talk for a while. They couldn't find him again so when I got here we passed by a few times without finding him. We finally caught him at home once and we talked for about a half an hour. He is REALLY AWESOME. He loves the United States and loves speaking and learning English. He is really religious though doesn't belong to any specific religion. We explained our purpose, what we are expecting in our visits with him, and what he can do himself. He loved it and was absolutely ecstatic to have us in his house. We left him with the pamphlet on the Restoration and we set up a new visit. Elder Thomas and I are pretty sure he will be baptized fairly soon, he seems really prepared :)

Our pension is absolutely SWEET. I cannot believe the amount of luck I've had during the mission. I've had just awesome pensions!!! It's an actual house, it's two stories, and the second story was just built about 2 years ago. It was the house of a member who just moved out of the ward. Elder Thomas and I sleep and study in a big room upstairs with just a fabulous bathroom, really it's spectacular. There's a really big kitchen and living area downstairs. It's about 4 times as big as my last pension and maybe twice as big as my first. Easily the best pension of the three that I've had!!! :) I took lots of photos of the house :D We live with Elder Nelson and Elder Canedo! Elder Nelson is from Idaho and he was actually in the group I came down with to Chile. He was Elder McGary's companion in the MTC. Elder Canedo is Chilean from Osorno, in the south part. He is a convert of almost three years. He finishes the mission at the same time as Elder Thomas. They're sweet!!! :D Geographically, my sector now is maybe 1/3 of the size as my last one and about 2/3 the size as my first sector. We work in pure condos. There are about 5 big condo areas where we work and have a lot of investigators. As far as the ward, there's no ward secretary so Elder Thomas and I fill that role. There are a lot of good members, lots of good youth, and I was received with a very warm welcome. Also, there are many people to teach and we're going to have lots of success. Geographically, La Reina is the northmost zone of the three. If you go down south two comunas (communities) you reach La Florida. La Florida and Puente Alto touch, but both are really big comunas. Our ward is in Puente Alto but I would say that the distance between La Reina and La Florida is smaller than La Florida and Gabriela. 

Sunday was a day of a few miracles. The first miracle was a family we are teaching, JC and his wife I. and their three kids. We taught them about how the gospel blesses families and we invited them to church. They said they would go but at church, even a half an hour into sacrament meeting, they still weren't there. Finally, they walked in and we were soooooooo stoked. They went to the classes and though it was really hectic I think they liked it. We went to the elders quorum and we started talking about priesthood keys. Kinda a tough subject for an investigator in his first time in the chapel. However, with the help of some members and the missionaries we had an entire elders quorum class on ordinances, the organization of the church, and other things related to these subjects, ALL guided by what he was interested in and what questions he had. It was really a great class!!! The second miracle was L, the husband of a member who is not a member himself. Elder Thomas had been teaching him a lot but he seemed really disinterested and uncommitted. This Sunday at church and in our lesson with him yesterday, he showed some real humility and a lot of desire to change and be a new person. He might actually be ready for his baptism date on the third of August. 

That's everything for today, take care guys, love YA'LL!!! :D

 

"No man or woman can teach the gospel if he doesn't live it. The first act to qualify yourself to be a missionary is to live the principles which you teach." - Harold B. Lee

Yr 2 - Week 16: I got Changed

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, for starters, this has been a really, really crazy week. Full  of changes and new things and great experiences :) So first things first...I got changed. I'm no longer in La Florida 3 but in a new stake called Gabriela. I'm really excited and my new companion is great, Elder Thomas. He is from West Jordan, Utah. He's got about 20 months in the mission and he's great. I'm excited to be with him and to learn from him, especially since he's got more time than me in the mission. Anyways, more to come about my new sector shortly. 

J. (even though I'm not there) is doing VERY well. He went to church this last Sunday as well and brought along his less-active friend, I. We had a FHE with him and the L family this last week and it was great. We showed the Restoration and used the whole family to help us teach. We also have visited with him several other times this week with other members who have helped us help him to understand better the Book of Mormon,. He's been reading faithfully and believes that it is true. He also accepted a baptismal date for the 3rd of August. Elder Muzante and his new companion will be having a FHE with him and the C. family tonight. The other families that we were teaching weren't progressing very well because we couldn't visit with them. They weren't home or they had to cancel. But it's all good because J. is doing great and there is another guy named H. who should be starting to progress nicely. :D We focused a lot on the Book of Mormon with him. 

This week Elder Muzante and I were focusing a lot on eternal families and God's love and things. I read a scripture in Romans 8, the last few verses that talked about how nothing can hide us from God's love. I thought about that as my companion and I had big discussions about the spirit world. I've just been reflecting a lot on how we can literally seal (we have to think about the word literally and compare it to other things) our families together. Anyways, I've been edified thinking that we can be eternal families by following the gospel of Jesus Christ, making covenants by priesthood power. Also, in Malachai 4 I think, verse 7 it talks about how Christ will come back to us as we come back to him BY MAKING (RENEWING) COVENANTS... Interesting! :D

I saw a miracle while Elder Lloyd and I were on divisions. We were visiting some people but they weren't home and our backup plans failed as well. We were trying to figure out where to go and, I wouldn't have said at the time that I was guided, but now I can say that we were guided to talk with a certain woman. Later on we knocked on a less-active's door, wasn't home but we were guided to knock the next door neighbors house. Both are future investigators and I'm not sure if they are going to end up getting baptized, but it was a little miracle :) 

Love you all, that's all for this week!!!

Elder Bushman

My new comp - Elder Thomas

"I wish to invite members of the Church to consider anew the great mandate given by the Lord to all who desire to be known as his disciples. It is a mandate we cannot dodge, and one from which we cannot shrink. That mandate is to teach the gospel to the nations and peoples of the earth." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Yr. 2 - Week 15: He Says he Wants to Join our "Congregation"

Dear Family and Friends,

Just a quick email here:

We found a new investigator: J. He is about 75 years old but he's really awesome. We found him while visiting with a less active member. He is really interested in the BofM and the priesthood, and everything. He has lots of questions about the sealing ordinance in the temple. His wife passed away 9 years ago. We invited him to church and he accepted. He went for all three hours, loved the principles of the gospel class. He sat with a member all 3 hours and even went to the high priest class :) We have a visit with him and the L. family tonight so we are really excited. He says he wants to join our "congregation" :) Maybe we'll set a baptismal date tonight as well! 

The other day we walked and walked and walked. Literally we didn't enter a single house. We had a lesson in the street but it was just pure walking. At about 9:45 we were close to our pension and we probably could've just gone in early and called it a day but we decided to go yet another step. We went to another person's house...not there so we went home and on the way we passed by this college student who was selling burgers. He handed us one each and said, "A gift for you guys." It was really awesome, a tender mercy! :) We took it as a sign that God was pleased with the work we did that day!!! 

Happy birthday to Dad! Elder Vorwaller and I woke up on the 4th by singing the Star Spangled Banner and saying the pledge of allegiance. It was awesome! I felt so patriotic and proud to be an American! :) I was thinking about all the BBQ's and the fireworks and the sports and everything; it made me a little homesick but oh well :D Haha! 

Anyways, that's pretty much it! :) Thanks for everything! BYE! :D

Elder Bushman

 

**Photos from the service project last week

"Even a tiny seed of faith in Jesus Christ invites the Spirit."
~ Henry B. Eyring

Yr 2 - Week 14: Joseph in Egypt...He's a Beast!

Life in Chile is going well. It's really cold here and my feet especially have been very cold of late. Everybody is sad because Chile has been knocked out of the World Cup. They almost beat Brazil like 4 times but stroke after stroke of bad luck did them in. At least America is still going :D We've had a lot of good lunches this week and I feel hungry all the time. I love sopaipillas...I love pastel de choclo...I love mayo and ketchup. I love eating!

This week I've been studying about Joseph in Egypt. He's a beast! I love him. He and Nephi are literally my scripture heroes. :D I've been studying his story, marking personal applications and connections to the life of Jesus Christ. :D These last few months I think I have gotten a lot more tuned into the gospel. I've been having great studies and I'm more converted to the scriptures. I find a lot of strength in the stories that they contain. Also, I'm learning more about Christ's life which is helping me grow spiritually. I've become more like Christ in many aspects. Sometimes I feel inmature (in the sense that I act really silly) but I suppose in many other senses I'm A LOT more mature. Elder Frost is doing great! He's still a ZL up in the rich sector and yes he's going to head home in November. Elder Kern is making me proud! He's leading our old sector like a beast and is just doing a great job. I would love to be in his same zone in a few changes :D I still like Basketball more than Soccer but it's literally just barely. It'll never change but I really like Soccer!

Yesterday we met with the family we found last week. We had a great lesson with them last night about the Restoration. They've commited to reading and praying as a family. We have a return appointment for this Thursday. They are really cool people and are really interested about the temple! We need to go by with members and encourage them to go to church. I really hope they get baptized! Seriously, they are a perfect family for the church! 

J.G. (the oldest boy) got ordained a teacher yesterday. He is going to go to church early every sunday to help out with the sacrament and everything. 

Here are some photos of the service project we did the other day for some recent converts. It brought back a ton of memories of mowing lawns :) Also, mom, this pen I took a photo of is a scripture marking pencil they sell at DESERET BOOK. The brand is PENTEL. The markers you sent me are great but a few of them have broken in half as I use them. Anyways, if you could send me one it would be awesome!!! :D

Well that's everything! Bye!