Week 20: She Felt the Spirit so Strong!

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks so much for everything you all sent me for my birthday!!! :) I had a fantastic birthday; honestly one of the most different but fun birthdays of my life! I'll relate a little bit of what we did for the rest of my birthday:

We went out and worked later that day and had a good lesson with our long time investigator Jacquelin. She has been off coffee for almost 2 weeks right now, so we are way, way stoked about that! It's really been cool to see how much better she looks and how much help she is receiving for her studies. Anyways, we talked about a September 1st baptismal date with her and she said she would pray about it. Later that week she told us she couldn't come to church and that she didn't receive an answer to her prayer so she doesn't want to be baptized on the 1st. Ugh...that was really frustrating...and unfortunately it set the tone for our week. After that, we dropped by David Tani's house. We were going to drop by and see if our investigator José was home but David said he had to grab a jacket. Anyways, we went inside, they flipped on the lights, and they had a surprise birthday party waiting for me! :) It was really fun!!! We had Inca Cola (a Peruvian soda drink, kinda like Cream Soda) and a good dish that I don't remember the name of! Haha, they had a cake and everything, really, really fun! David and his brother Christian have tons of photos that they're going to get me so that I can send them to you! Anyways, later that night Elder Pineda (an elder from our district) from the ward Tobalaba (a ward in our Zone) called me up to wish me a happy birthday! It was really cool, a really good guy :) So all in all, an amazing birthday!!!

Sounds like Ammon is doing really, really well! What a good guy, I love him! :D Can't wait to get his package, that'll be really cool!!! Hahaha, I love him! :) Thanks for going down to see him Mom and Dad and family! Way to go Evan, glad he is getting prepared and everything! Congrats to Christopher Holmstead also, he'll be a really good missionary, I'm really excited for him :D I'm glad you are all getting involved in the missionary work! It's really an important work and everybody talks about how much responsibility the members have in addition to the full time missionaries! It makes me really proud to know that my family is doing their part :)

The rest of my week was really up and down... We didn't have a single investigator come to the chapel yesterday. Boy it was frustrating! Several of them have baptismal dates and it is horrible when they don't come to church because we then have to move back their baptismal date... Ugh!! The hardest thing was not seeing our investigator, Marta, come to church. We went to her house on Wednesday and we felt impressed to talk about baptism with her. She said that she had been thinking about that all week long and that she knew she had to be baptized and start this path. She accepted a September 8th baptismal date and we were really excited! We also took her to the temple last Saturday and did a temple tour with the sister missionaries over there! She felt the spirit so strong! After the tour she said she was prepared and excited to be baptized. She commented that her experience during the tour was "more than beautiful." :) We were STOKED, we thought for sure that we'd have a baptism on the 8th of September. But...she didn't come to church and it broke our hearts, honestly. Anyways, hopefully this week will be better and we can work closer with Jacquelin, Marta, and our 10 year old investigator, Osvaldo.

Well, today I got a call from the mission president's wife. She asked me if I would sing a solo for our Zone Conference coming up on the 18th of September! CRAZY!!! :S I have to sing a solo and sing in Spanish...in front of a member of the Quorum of Seventy. Elder Ceballos, a member of the 70 is going to be there for our Zone Conference...no pressure :S It's a song from like this Joseph Smith cantada or something ... IDK. I get the music tomorrow! Haha, hopefully everything will go well! I'm excited but also really nervous.

Right now the mail strike is still going on :( They have been on strike now for more than a month!!! My feet are doing okay! The other day while we were walking they were hurting me quite a bit. Thankfully I was able to just ignore it and keep walking!

So that was pretty much my week, everything has been going fairly well. I'm over 5 months out now! Whoot! :D Time is going pretty quickly, I cannot believe that almost a fourth of my mission time is complete. That is just nuts... I'm going to be home before I know it :S

Love you all, take care!

Elder Adam Bushman

Completos

"The first convert you want to  make in this church is yourself. When you are sure you have him/her converted, then you start on somebody else."  - Harold B. Lee

Week 19: The Most Successful Week

Dear Fam Fam and Friends,

Well, first off, thank you ALL so much for all of the wonderful things you have given me, all of the love and support you have shown me on my BIRTHDAY :) It truly has been probably the most different birthday ever, but also one of the best. Thank you so much. Here's a little bit about my day:

Last night I was in bed, probably a couple seconds away from really drifting off and going to sleep for good that night, when all of the sudden, Elder Frost jumped on me as I lay in my bed and started singing Happy Birthday, then, Elder Cuadros and Elder Pagalo came in and jumped on me too and started to sing, Feliz Cumpleaños. Haha, it was way cool! Then, Elder Cuadros asked me if I was going to open my gifts, and I said in the morning, then they all said, "Yaaaa, po! Vamos!" Haha, so I jumped out of bed and we opened my stuff and had treats and listened to music (obviously appropriate music) and had a ball! It was sweet! I went to bed and the next morning I enjoyed some more of my presents, read some more of my letters, and listened to more music.

As for the gifts, I received some amazing gifts (I'll say the Spanish word in parenthesis): I received a wonderful new watch (reloj), a new journal (diario), a bunch of new pens (lápices), scripture marking pencils (lápiz de marcar), an iPod to play church music (iPod), a speaker to play music (parlante), treats (dulces), etc. It was fantastic!!! I also hung the banner up on my wall in our apartment! It's awesome!!!! 

Elder Frost and I studied a bit then took off for the mall. I got a Colo Colo jersey at the mall and Elder Frost got one too and a Chilean National practice jersey.  I'm grateful for the jersey as it symbolizes sacrifices from my friends, family, and myself so it's cool :) I'll send a photo of the jersey next week, yeah?

This week has probably been the most successful week of Elder Frost and my companionship. We got some great numbers and helped a ton of people. One lady we are preparing for baptism said that she cannot give up coffee, that she is "forced to drink it" and that her "hands are tied." We bore powerful testimony and committed her to give it up last Monday. We talked to her during the week and at church yesterday. She hasn't had coffee since that night :) AWESOME HUH!!! Tonight we have an appointment with her and we are going to set a baptismal date! :)

Thanks so much for everything! Thanks Dad, Mom, Nicole, Eden, Olivia, Ben, Spencer, Bethany, John, Anna, and the rest of my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends for everything you do, all your support, all your donations, and everything you do for me! I'm making you guys proud out here by working hard and being obedient!!! :) I love you all, until next week!

Love,

Elder Adam Bushman

From Mom: So we got to chat a bit back and forth. Here are some of his responses...

"Hey mom!!! :) How are you doing? Haha, thanks so much for everything! Thanks so much for the package, wonderful gifts, and letters :D YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!!! WOW, thanks so much mom for the collages! I've changed a lot! :) Thank you for making all of those photos and colloges and everything!! It's realy cool to roll down memory lane a bit!!!"

We partied it up for his birthday....a lunch BBQ and pie for dessert. We even lit candles and sang Happy Birthday to him. Yes, we miss him but we're happy he's in Chile!

Birthday Wishes and photos of the past on the post below....

Happy 19th, Elder Bushman!

What a big milestone today for Elder Bushman. 19 Years old on the 19th week of his mission on August 19th. With him thousands of miles away, I decided to create some quick photo collages of past birthdays. Because his pre-8 year old photos are not digital, I didn't include those. So, here are some glimpses of his birthdays from the last eleven years. He has always been such a happy birthday boy...giving hugs and thanks after every gift received. Literally! He has never been grouchy or unappreciative.

It's been fun reflecting on the memories of past birthdays for this Super-Elder. How thankful we are for his goodness, diligence, obedience, and desire to serve the Lord. He has blessed our family immensely. We love you Elder B. May your birthday in Chile be a fabulous one. We will be eating pie in your honor!

Birthdays 8 - 12

Birthdays 13 - 16

Birthdays 16 - 18

"Membership in the Lord's Church is a gift and a blessing which the Lord has given us in mortality, and He expects us to share that blessing with those who do not have it." - Ezra Taft Benson

Week 18: Three investigators came; it was AWESOME!

Dear Family and Friends! 

I'm quickly running out of time to email, so let me highlight the week for you.

The first part of the week stunk or how we would say here, "Fome." Anyways, the last part of the week picked up and we were able to teach some more and help out some less actives and investigators. Anyways, our highlight was at Church when three investigators came. It was AWESOME! One kid whom we went to pick up, "forgot" and we ended up waking him up. He came out saying he was tired and that he couldn't come because he forgot. We told him we were tired too, but that he said he would come, so he had to come. He went inside, got dressed, and came with us. When he left church, he said that he didn't want to go at the start but now he felt good, he had a desire to go more, and that he is excited for his upcoming baptism. That was amazing!!!

This week we had to make my Carnet run, or apply for my Visa and Chile identification card. We had to wake up at 4 a.m. and go to a Metro Station called Plaza de Armas in order to get it. We were standing in lines forever, talking to TONS of people, waiting in the cold and standing in lines that weren't moving at all. The only thing worse than government lines in America are government lines in Chile. Anyways, we got back at about 2:30 and went to lunch and then just got right to work. I was so dead by the end of the day and when I woke up the next morning, I felt just as tired as when I went to bed. My comp always says that from the start of your mission to the end of your life you'll be deprived of sleep, so we should all just get used to it.

The rest of the week was decent. We had changes today but everyone in my sector is staying, so there's nothing new. I'm excited Elder Frost is still here with me, it'll be fun :) We've been together almost 3 months! :) The only crazy thing is that the sector next to mine, "Las Viñas" is getting whitewashed, meaning that all of the missionaries are being replaced with other missionaries. Four new Sister Missionaries are going to replace them, so that should be good. Things haven't really been progressing in that sector for a while. Anyways, that's pretty much the only new thing about this change.

 

The mail hasn't started yet. I am pretty sure that the pouch has to go through the Chile Mail system just to get into Chile, but I'm not sure. I didn't get Susie's package yet. I did open y'alls package! It's awesome, I haven't cheated so don't worry :) hahaha! Thanks so much!!! Nope, nobody opened it. Good on ya for putting those photos on the package :D Nobody will open the package if you keep that up!! (photos of the Savior and Mary - I tried attaching them to the outside of the package this time and it wasn't even opened by customs)

Good on ya Suz!!! :) Haha, that is the worst thing ever, ugh!!! (people flaking when doing member missionary work)

Very good with the ward! That is awesome! :) The most important thing for the youth to come back is to see the other youth making an effort. When the youth show real excitement about Mutual and activities and church and show that their group isn't complete without the other person, it is really powerful.

 

Thanks so much mom, you are the best! Even though I'm 7,000 miles away from you, I STILL need all of your help and wisdom :) (helping with his sore feet - the doTerra oils are helping!)

 

Anyways, my birthday is coming up and I'm getting really excited! We're going to do some really sweet stuff! I'll send lots of photos next week and a bigger email. Take care everyone!

Love,

Elder Adam Bushman

 

"We have a mission in the world: each man, each woman, each child who has grown to understanding or to the years of accountability, ought to be qualified to preach the truth, to bear testimony of the truth." - Joseph F. Smith

Week 17: They've Returned to Complete Activity in the Church

Dear Family and Friends,

"How sweet it is to...HAVE P-DAY!" :) Hahahaha!!! I love P-day, just so I can talk to you all and get some cool communication. It's really neat! 

Anyways, first, a shout-out to my companion, Elder Frost! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :D His birthday was this last Saturday, August 3rd, and boy did we have fun. First off, at 12:00 a.m. I jumped on his bed and started singing happy birthday (he was still awake mind you). Elder Cuadros and Elder Pagalo came it and started singing and having fun with Elder Frost. My comp finally broke down and opened up all of his presents. We even lit candles and blew them out over some brownies he got. We went to the temple and did a session together early that morning. It was really, really neat! :) Just really fun! We had a cake at a members house later that day, then went to another member's place for a surprise dinner and cake. We even did a Peruvian tradition where they crack three eggs on top of the birthday boy's head with flour. Haha, fun stuff :) I love that Peruvian family! We went to the mall today and I bought Elder Frost some sweet socks for his birthday (he wanted those socks so it was a good gift!).

That was the big thing for the week!! The other good things that have happened is that we've reactivated about 5 families/people over the past 2-3 weeks. They've returned to complete activity in the church. Now we are just strengthening them! The only part that I don't like is that people think that sacrament meeting is the only important part. We're trying to change that, so hopefully!!

So about Spanish... At times I think I am doing terrible... At other times I think I am doing pretty good... Honestly I don't know. Elder Frost says I can speak and understand better than he could when he had the same time in the mission (and he had a Chilean companion as a trainer). Our Peruvian friend, David, says I speak very well and says that I should really take off and get good this next change. Other members have complimented me on my Spanish and our Zone Leaders said they were talking about how good I am with so little time in the mission. So I believe I am doing good but I don't want to just be good, I want to be really good. It's hard to have patience with myself. But, I'm trying and trying and trying!! :)

This weekend is changes and we don't know who will stay or who will go or if we'll both stay or if we'll both go. So, we'll just have to see. I'm actually just going to accept whatever. If Elder Frost stays here, I'll be really happy and excited for another change with him and the opportunity to be together for his year mark and for my b-day! If I get a new companion, I hope he is a latino so I can get better at Spanish. Anyways, come what may :)

One cool thing I have learned out here is a scripture from 3 Nephi 14. Christ talks about prayer and how it is a commandment to ask for things from our Father in Heaven. He likens it unto gifts. He says that nobody would give their child a stone if they asked for a bread. That would be stupid and horrible. Also, nobody would give their child a serpent if they asked for a fish. That's just cruel and wouldn't make sense. So now if we, imperfect human beings, know how to give good, rational, beautiful gifts to our children when they ask for them, how much more is God, a perfect, immortal being, willing to give us amazing gifts and bless us when we just need the faith to ask. NEVER be afraid to ask... :) It's a commandment!

I'm a little worried because the Chilean Mail system is closing down. They are going on strike... Don't know when they will reopen, when I will get mail next, nothing... They shut down on Tuesday until they get stuff sorted out :S

Well, I am glad everyone is safe and doing well! Take care, study the scriptures, improve your prayers, and never look for an excuse to get out of Church...ALWAYS look for the excuses to go and participate :)

Love you all!

Elder Adam Robert Bushman

Happy Birthday, Elder!

THE TEMPLE

 "Our Peruvian Buddy"  with Elder Bushman

Bowling!

"Each of us is responsible to bear witness of the gospel truths that we have been given. We all have relatives, neighbors, friends, and fellow workmen, and it is our responsibility to pass the truths of the gospel on to them, by example as well as by precept"  - Spencer W. Kimball