Yr. 2, Week 28: Here's the Catch...He's Not With me Right Now

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, Elder Thomas is getting into his grave and Elder Frost is adjusting the top on his coffin. I cannot believe that it's over for them. I'm happy that they finished the mission 100% and that they are starting another stage. But I'm going to miss them! :S

So I know you all are probably DYING to know about my new companion...well, that's actually quite a story. Now get comfortable, this is gonna take half your evening ;) Haha! So my new companion is named Elder Laurentino... He is from Fortaleza, Brazil! :) He was in the same zone as me in La Florida and was also in my district for one change! We did divisions and he is great. I love that guy! HOWEVER, here's the catch...He's not with me right now. Two days ago, Elder Laurentino contracted the Chicken Pox and is now just dying (because he's super sick, not really dying). The problem is Elder Nelson, one of our pension roommates, has never had the chicken pox. So, in order to avoid getting Elder Nelson also sick, they are leaving Elder Laurentino is his sector for two weeks until he is fully recovered and I am going to be with the missionary that is replacing Elder Laurentino for two weeks. So, a little about the replacement elder and in two weeks I'll tell ya'll more about Elder Laurentino: Elder Pirir. From Eagle Mountain, Utah. He has a few more months in the mission than me but he is a good guy, a little quiet, but funny and very pleasant. These two weeks are going to go by real quick with him!!! :D Anyways, I'm happy about this change. Elder Laurentino is probably going to be my last companion in the mission...I'm happy about that! :D Haha!

Responses to Dad's questions:

     The leadership positions in the mission are senior companion, trainer, district leader, zone leader, and assistant to the president. I have been a senior companion for most of the mission, I was a trainer for two changes when Elder Kern was my companion, I was a district leader for seven changes, and I am going on my third change as a zone leader. 

     I did get to watch conference, LIVE and IN ENGLISH! It was sweet, I really liked it. Like you dad, one of my favorite talks was "Which Way do you Face?" because it talked a lot about things that people say EVERY DAY here in Chile and he also came down here and we had a conference with Elder Robbins. I also LOVED Elder Holland's talk. It showed me that I can ALWAYS be doing something to lift the spirits of the poor and lighten their burden. I need to put them in Christ's shoes because Christ spent the majority of his life...homeless. There's a song I like called homeless and one of the verses says, "He came down to earth to lead us, I know He'll never leave us, Homeless, Homeless, For in His love there is a home."

Responses to Mom's questions:

     1. How many miles do I walk per day? ... Hmmm, in Gabriela, we probably walk 3-4 miles but in La Florida 3 we walked probably close to 6-7.

     2. I think my Spanish is doing pretty good. I'm almost finished with the practices in the book you sent me and there is another grammar book that I found burried in the pension and I decided to do the practices in that one as well. I speak well, I write well, I read well, but I don't translate very well. My goal is to be able to speak good, write good, read good, and translate good in Spanish. I have six months (kinda) to do it. I'm going to have a latin companion for the rest of the time so I'm going to try and get the most out of it as possible. I want to be able to get maybe a minor in Spanish at BYU and pair that up with whatever I'm going to be studying. I'm also going to try and get a headstart on Portugese with Elder Laurentino! 

     3. F. is still going strong in her testimony but N. is kinda having a tough time. F. says that her mom is getting better and in the near future will probably let her get baptized. Also, Elder Thomas and his parents are going to have dinner with their family Wednesday night so that also might help some things out :)

     4. It is starting to get warmer down here. Today was very hot but it's good. The winter wasn't too mild but I already knew what was coming so I guess that's why I didn't make a big deal about it :) Haha! This summer is going to be SUPER HOT though, I'm probably going to get home with a missionary tan :S

     5. I'm not sure if the vitamins made a difference... I couldn't really tell so for that reason I would say not to send another box. Maybe my body is beyond repair, maybe you need more than 30 days to see a difference, IDK... I feel bad that you sent me those and I didn't even notice the difference... Sorry :S

     6. I was thinking about Christmas and I think I would like it if you didn't send me anything. Use the money that you would've used on the package and the supplies you would've sent down and give it to someone less fortunate. Maybe you could put the money in the fast offerings, or ask the bishop about a struggling family, or buy things with it to give to people, IDK. However, I want to answer to someone's pleas just as Christ answers mine (Elder Holland). Then, give me a report for Christmas of what you guys did :) And, if you all send me sweet letters I would be stoked :D

Well, there's not much to report about. Things are going good, investigators are progressing SLOWLY, the converts are great, and I loved conference! Next one will be at home :S

LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Bushman

Elder Frost Heading Home

Big V at Changes

Reunited with Elder McGary

This is Elder Frost's posterity: Elder Frost...Elder Bushman...Elder Kern...Elder Prens...Elder Brown                                                                                                             ...Elder Hulet

This is the four people that were in Consistorial/Violeta Cousiño and the Farias family from that sector :D

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

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 14: My Spanish is "Incredible"

Dear Family and Friends,

Haha, glad to see that everyone is doing great!!! :) Congrats to my little brother Spencer on becoming a deacon! Way to go bud, you're making me proud!!! :) Also, glad everything is going well with Girls Camp and good luck to Dad out there in Missouri! Watch out for those Tornadoes...whew!!! Hello to everyone else, love you all, keep doing what the man up stairs wants for you, and don't be LAZY! That's the biggest problem we face out here, lazy people! Do what needs gettin' done!  :D

So today for P-day we went to mall Catorce and mall Florida! It was fun, and I got to meet my Grandpa, Elder Cofré! Basically, your first companion is your dad, your second companion is your mom. If you train someone, that is your kid. Elder Cofré trained Elder Frost and Elder Frost is training me. He's a good guy and it was fun to meet him. Also had some fun hanging out with Elder McGary and Elder Hunt. Elder Hunt is training my buddy Elder McGary. When E' McGary and I hit a year, Elder Hunt will have two months left in the mission... Nuts! Anyways, Elder Frost was going to get some things to finish off his whole Real Madrid (soccer team in Spain) kit. He has a jersey, cleats, and a warmup sweater now and he's going to get socks and shorts! Then he'll be done. We couldn't get it today so hopefully next week! I'll send pics once it's complete!! :D

Right now we only have one progressing investigator...still. Her name is Jacquelin, she turned 34 yesterday (that through us for a loop, we thought she was like 27 :S). Anyways, we have almost taught her everything. She is praying morning and night, reading everything we leave her, and is almost off coffee. She is off for about 6 days, then drinks a cup, then goes off for like 4-5 more days. Once she gives it up and comes to church three times she can be baptized. She is completing all the requirements and we're helping her a ton. This Thursday we have a family home evening wit her and a young couple in the ward!! It should be awesome! :) 

Not much else is new! We got a new investigator, the boyfriend of a member's son's exwife ... yeah, just swallow that one for a second :S Read it slow, then again, write it out, Google it, then read it again...you should be able to figure out the relationship by then! Anyways, he doesn't live in our sector but he wants us to teach him at the member's home. We are going to and we'll eventually get his address (he wouldn't give it to us at the start) and put him down for a reference to other missionaries... Too bad we can't progress with him :( 

In one week I complete 4 months! Crazy! Elder Frost's birthday is in about 3 weeks, then mine is 2 weeks after that, then I'll have 5 months out! Freaking crazy... The mission is going quick, sometimes it seems like I just got out here...!!! Cameron is almost at a year, nuts! Drew is at 7 months already and Jenz Bunnell is already a month over his year mark! Things are going by really, really quick.

Well, not much else is new. We're going to be doing a two week English fast starting tomorrow. Should be fun. Hopefully my language skills will be taken to the next level. After my last English fast it was slightly hard to talk in English and I was feeling comfortable always talking in Spanish... Now not to make you think I knew everything that they were saying or that I could say everything I wanted to. I couldn't! But it was feeling kinda comfortable. Hopefully that will get even better this next week! Elder Frost told me the other day that several people have said that my Spanish is "incredible" for how long I've been out! It hasn't gone to my head or anything, but that compliment has made me want to work even harder and get better and better and better! The promise in 1 Nephi 3:7 is coming to pass :)

I love you all, talk to you next week!

Elder Adam Bushman

PS - This place we go to email has weird USB's ... sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... Can't send any photos today either, sorry! :(  

Can't wait to get the package!!

"What a responsibility we have. The whole fate of the world depends on us, according to the revelations of the Almighty. We cannot waste time. We cannot be unrighteous in our living. We cannot let our thoughts dwell on immoral things. We have to be the very best that we can be, you and I, because the very relationship of God our Eternal Father to His children on the earth depends on their accepting what we have come to teach according to His magnificent word."

 - Gordon B. Hinckley

From Mom: He says he has 4 months out because of his return date. He really left three months and a week ago.  

Week 7: Instant Friends

(Photos Below)

Hey Family,

So I am almost out of time...sorry. But basically here's the most important things:

1. We're teaching a mom and son the lessons. They are Patricia and Vicente. We extended a baptismal invitation last night and they accepted. We got a date with them in the middle of June. Hopefully all goes well and we'll get them baptized!!! :)

2. Our area is big and ghetto. But cool! There's lots of really amazing people here and tons of work to be done. I'm excited to get down to business and begin to work and change some lives man.

3. I am so tired. This 16 hrs. everyday is wiping me out. But I am getting used to it and getting past the blisters and sore legs and fatigue. What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger...that's kinda been true out here on my mission, ahah! :)=

4. Elder Frost is awesome. He is helping me get adjusted, he is giving me opportunities, helping me with Spanish, and is just a great companion. We are supposed to work together and get work done. I am glad he wants to work and wants to make a difference and be the best missionary he can. That's my goal too! Whoot!

5. So the days before I left the MTC: I lead all of the meetings, sacrament meeting, priesthood, and devotional. Those were some of my duties as a zone leader. It was all in Spanish and kinda tough but it worked out okay. Also, Elder McGary and I did a duet, Nearer My God to Thee. We did a duet on the piano and sang together, switching off melody and tenor harmony. We killed it, it was awesome! Sister Allred, MTC president's wife, LOVED it...McGary is awesome. I have a feeling we could be comps later!

6. We have a good ward here, lots of good members...there is a bit more than 1100 members here! But on a good day, our sacrament meeting is about 80 people...shows how much work there is to be done. Elder Frost and I are gonna be busy!!! :)

7. Right now it is raining in Santiago, it's kinda cool. Different, because normally you wouldn't think of it raining in a Latin American country.

8. Elder Frost said that it is likely, very likely that we could be companions for three or more changes. So as in, companions until like September or October. He was with his trainer that long and President Wright is extending the time of companions with trainers and time with the same companion in general. I would be totally fine with that! :)

9. Here are some photos!!!! One is our whole group, the whole group and President and Sister Wright. These are the people that came into the mission. LOTS OF PEOPLE! The other one is me on the day into the mission field going to get my trainer. The other is me and Elder Frost... I don't know why it doesn't look good ... We'll get some better ones later.

Some Addendums (separate emails):

I did get the package, AMAZING! Thank you for the calendar, the hoodie, the goodies, photos, and the sweet letters! 


So about the letters. I have an hour in a half to email out here in the mission field. So I can get to pretty much everything. Send longer updates through the pouch, preferably typed letters and sent yourself because Dear Elder takes FOREVER :S Anyways, keep sending stuff through the pouch, longer updates and spiritual insights everyone has.
The new companionship is awesome! Elder Frost and I are so much alike and we became instant friends. He's teaching me a lot and he says I am teaching him which doesn't make any sense but whatever. We've already planned some stuff to do when we get back from the mission. He'll get home about October of 2014 which is about 5 months before I get back. He's awesome and we're kicking butt down here ... spiritually speaking of course ;) Our area is north east of Santiago, about 15  minutes away from down town in a ward called Consistorial. It's nice, pretty ghetto if that makes sense, haha! The first week has been a hard adjustment but very very rewarding. I really am enjoying the work here! We've been having some success and some disappointing things happen. But overall, we're doing really well. President and Sister Wright are awesome, really cool people and I like how they do things. REally cool people!!!
I'll send a bigger letter in a sec! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Elder A.B. 

Entering the Mission Field

Companions! They look more like TWINS!

Here are some photos of me and Elder Frost... This is a grafiti wall here in Santiago Chile. One of the soccer teams, Colo Colo is really big here. They are the "Crazy Indians"...both me and Elder Frost are "Colo Colinos", meaning we are big fans!!!! :)= So here is a wall for Colo Colo, our team!!!

Elder Frost

Elder Bushman

From Mom: We found out so much information this week! It is so nice that I can "talk" to him each week as I'm usually working on my computer in the morning or afternoon when he checks in. And finally, he got the package we sent! It's exciting to hear about the work and that his companion is such a blessing to him. He had to go 6000 miles away to meet the guy that lives a mile away in AF. With only 80 in Sacrament meeting out of 1500, they really have a lot of work ahead of them. I think these two Elders are going to ROCK!
 

"Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work." - Gordon B. Hinckley

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 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 2: I Can't Wait to Actually Teach REAL People!

See Photos Below...

Hey Everyone,

Lots of stuff has happened this week so I'm just gonna jump right in. First off, the Latino missionaries left yesterday; they are just in here for two weeks. I loved our roommates and I'm gonna miss them a ton! I am excited for the new missionaries and the new North American ones. Next, we watched elder Hollands talk to the MTC. I have renewed vigor and excitement for my mission! I cannot wait to get out into the field! Sundays are my absolute favorite day! Ah, I love the videos we watch and the discussions and the sacrament meetings. It's so spiritual, so relaxed and all out AMAZING. 

Apparently our mission president for the east mission, President Wright, is SUPER awesome. I cannot wait to meet him and experience all of what he will bring to our mission! The food here is still making me sick but I'm getting used to it. At breakfast they put yogurt on their cereal instead of milk. Apparently milk is too expensive here...who knew? They always have potatoes too and I'm sick of them, but I love their meats and jello! haha! 

So one of the guys in our district, Elder Nelson, is totally TJs twin. His facial expressions and the way he says stuff is totally like TJ. It's awesome....he doesn't look a thing like him though so don't get confused! Me and Elder Mcgary sing and quote psych all the time. We are a ton alike and we have tons of fun together. We're probably gonna do a musical number sometime soon! Some of the elders are having trouble. One almost went home because he was so homesick. He's since decided to stay but the other is having trouble with his testimony.... I'm trying to help and pray for them! I hope my efforts are doing some good. 

So I found out that I leave on March 24, 2015 from the field....a good two and a half weeks early. Anyways, I'm not thinking about the end so much anymore, just the end of this boring MTC. Forgive my poor attitude but the MTC for six weeks is starting to wear away my patience and brain cells... I have been experiencing great spiritual moments during church, when praying, giving lessons in Spanish, and when listing to people sing. It is amazing to feel this spirit. The other night I just started singing Be Still my Soul and I began to cry because I was so happy and joyful and full of the spirit. Boy it is amazing. I can't wait to actually teach REAL people! 

My teachers are leaving to teach the new North American missionaries and we are getting new ones. It's kinda sad because I love Hermano Cerda and Arraya so much; they are great! I've been working on my Spanish and I feel weird. My head is about to explode trying to translate what I am hearing, to English, reading in English, and translating what I want to say back to Spanish. I am absolutely going CRAZY! haha! But it is cool to see my language learning progressing, and it has only been two weeks! and in only an MTC! The lord is certainly blessing me completely! Cuando nosotros servimos Dios, recibiremos bendiciones internes. I've been writing in my journal a ton so there's a great record of everything. Anyways, I gotta go! I love you all and I look forward to next week and writing you all!!!!
Send this to everyone!

Elder Adam Robert Bushman

THE NAMETAG!!!

Elder Pinel - Roommate that just left the MTC

Elder Pinel, Elder Gonzales, Elder Bushman, Elder Holsclaw, Elder Lee

The Elders...

Chile MTC

 From Mom: I was able to talk back and forth with him via email a bit today. He says "everything is FANTASTIC now! WOOOHOOO!" He has replaced all of his country singing with hymns. "Be Still my Soul is my new shower song!!!" Also, when I asked him if he needed anything he said, "Don't worry about the ear plugs; I'm now so exhausted he doesn't wake me up anymore..." He will be able to Skype or call on Mother's Day - he's not sure which, but one or the other! LOVE the photos!!

"No man can teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the living God and with power from on high unless he is living it."
~ Heber J. Grant

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