Yr. 2, Week 25: It Looks like a Legit Miracle

Dear Family and Friends,

Man this was a crazy week, a very good one though! All of the converts are doing very well. I. and M. have been talking about the church to lots of people. M. even defended herself and the church from one of her cousins over Facebook who was dissing on her decision to be baptized. Haha, I. showed us the messages...SO FUNNY :) Haha, we got them a really good start to their family history! I. already has found a few names and she'll be going to the Registro Civil this week to find even more! She'll be way prepared to go to the temple here in a week or so to do baptisms and confirmations. They went to the Chilean Independence Day celebration in the stake and had lots of fun! They were confirmed members of the church on Sunday and brought a few non-member friends and family. :)

C. and J. are also doing well! We had a good FHE with them this last week. On Monday we went and showed them the video...Moutain of the Lord...in order to prepare them for family history work and doing ordinances in the temple. They really, really liked it and it made me want to go to the temple SOOO bad! :) haha, I think Elder Thomas and I are going to go after this week ends. Anyways, they also participated in the celebration. C. won the sack hopping contest, so that was pretty sweet! :D They were also confirmed members of the church on Sunday and the elder's quorum president and the high priest assigned to the ward are helping J. start to prepare to receive the Melchezideck priesthood in a few months (both he and C. were ordained to the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday as well)!!! :) Anyways, things are looking great with them, so that's way happy!

Another cool experience from this last week had to do with an investigator that we had dropped a little over a month ago... J.A. For a long time we have been trying to get back in contact with him but nothing happened. Finally we set an appointment with him for yesterday but when we went by his daughter said he wasn`t home... Later that night at 9:00 we had NOTHING TO DO and it was raining and hardly anyone was in the street. I thought, let's try going by J.A. one more time so we did...and he was there. We went inside and he explained how much work he has been having and everything and the big changes in his life. He also shared with us that he wants to be baptized still, he wants to keep going to church, and dedicating more time to the Lord. Anyways, we gave him some assignments and we felt as though we should set another date, so we invited him for the 5 of October and he accepted. He went to church yesteday and in elders quorum he said that he hopes to one day receive the priesthood (because he had seen J. and C.'s ordinations :) Anyways, it looks like a legit miracle :) 

Well, not much happened this week. We are trying to find new investigators, Elder Thomas is on his last 3 weeks of the mission, I just got the paper asking me to confirm the information for my plane ride home (in 6 months...:S), not much to tell! :) Haha!

I love you all, take care!

Elder Bushman

 

Photos from the Stake's Independence Day Celebration:

 

 Anticucho barbeque

 Mote con Huesillo

 M and me (he's I's son, the one who baptized her and M)

 The Celebration:

P-Day Photos - National Park (Quebrada de Macul):

 Scenery from the Quebrada de Macul:

Our Hike:

 Chilean Sunset:

Our group at the Quebrada de Macul (today's pday)

Yr. 2, Week 22: I've Been Drooling Over the Cap'n Crunch all Week!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, what a week! It was filled with lots of stuff what with my birthday and everything and teaching investigators and fulfilling responsibilities. First, I want to thank my family for the wonderful package and presents that they sent me! Seriously I was very happy on my birthday!  I had a great birthday. It didn't even feel like I was turning 20 but I woke up on my birthday and was just thinking as I was getting myself some mate. Haha, my companion made me pancakes, we opened my presents! Elder Thomas and I are loving the mini basketball hoop...we've already done some 1 on 1 matches :) haha! I've been drooling over the cap'n crunch all week! I've eaten about half already and even the other gringo missionaries in the zone are jealous! :D Thanks so much for the photos, the other food and stuff, etc! :D I was very happy with it all thanks! We had district class that day so everybody celebrated a little bit! :) Elder Rice was so awesome and gave me a tie for my birthday! Haha, he's awesome, LOVE HIM! That day we didn't have lunch with anyone in the ward so Elder Thomas and I decided to go home and make the corn bread I had gotten. We cooked it and spread some melted butter on top and it was DIVINE. Seriously, we baked it to perfecction!!! Golden brown! We also ate the cookie dough...all raw! JUST HOW I LIKE IT ;) Hahah!  Later that night we taught some of our investigators (C and J) and my comp told them it was my birthday so we celebrated a little bit and had once :) It was really fun and I was really grateful!

So we decided to do zone jerseys. There were a lot of ideas but Elder Deal wanted to do a design like a shirt and tie. I was a little skeptical but to be a good sport I decided to support it and everything! THEY TURNED OUT AWESOME! We got the tag on the front, a tie, and the collar looks just like a dress shirt collar! :) Hahaha, they look awesome! 

Our investigators are doing well. We've been dropping some investigators who aren't progressing at all but those who are committed have really been stepping up. I and M are doing well. M has been wanting to be baptized for AGES! She believes the Book of Mormon is true, she loves going to church, and she loves learning. I has dropped tea and she is reading the Book of Mormon a lot! They didn't go to church on Sunday so that worries us a little bit. C and J went to church! C went in a shirt and tie so that was cool! Everything is going well well with them and I'm confident they are going to be baptized on the 7th as planned!!! :D 

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

Elder Bushman!!!! 

 

This was my desk that E' Thomas accidentally tiped over...haha!

These three photos are of our pension churrasco date! This is Elder Nelson with his Lomito!

Me with my Lomitos

My Birthday Cake courtesy of Hostess

Birthday Presents!

YAH!!!!!!!!

Corn Bread Models?

Our zone jerseys! :D

We played a little basketball last monday! Here's a photo of me!

Here's a photo that Elder Nelson took of me before district class on my birthday! Mom, you can use this as the photo in the front room! The tie is kinda like the colors you chose!

District class on my birthday! :D

"Who the Lord calls, the Lord will qualify. When you're on the Lord's errand, you're entitled to the Lord's blessings." - Thomas S. Monson

Photos Galore!

L. doing the game in our FHE

The photos that C. drew of E Muzante and I

Me and my comp with our photos

MATE :)

Me and my mate! (Mate? It's herbs, with hot water and sugar that you drink through a special straw... :) It's a brazil, chile, argentina, uruguay thing)

I finally convinced E Vorwaller to drink mate with me! :) These are our mate faces

Me with the mountain range in the backgroud...this was right after a rain storm!

STEPHEN'S :) E' Vorwaller gave it to me

A taste of home

PIZZA...the bishop gave us pizza for lunch the other day

E' V with our pizza

Here's my new agenda for this change... WORLD CUP

Muzante and I on our way up to Cajon de Maipo

Vorwaller and Capuñay on our way up to cajon de maipo

Vorwaller, Muzante, Capuñay, Hermano L, and I

Here I am "on the road again" :)

Elder Muzante and Elder Capuñay in the car

Elder Vorwaller and I in the car

We walked up a skii resort that hadn't opened yet...this is the lift that i'm standing next to

Me, Capuñay, and Muzante

The snow up to my waist!!!

Vorwaller and I

Hermano L. in an old truck we found up there

The climb to the summit

This was the dog that followed us for like 3 hours!

Me at the summit

The View

The View

Elder Muzante and I at the summit

Us jumpíng

Vorwaller and Capuñay jumping

My companion and I at the END OF THE WOR...MISSION! :)

My companion and I at the END OF THE WOR...MISSION! :)