Yr. 2, Week 38: The Spirit was Outstanding

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a really cool week. We had a lot of sweet stuff happen. I'm just gonna dive right in:

We had a sweet experience with the new family we found, D, F, A & A. They are really really awesome because they are soo willing to pray and ask God if what we are saying is true!!! They are so receptive and we have had amazing conversations and lessons. They are reading what we leave and they discuss it :D They also went to stake conference yesterday. It was so amazing because so many people said hi and introduced themselves, the talks were just amazing, and the spirit was OUTSTANDING!!! Anyways, they had some questions and things but we had a great lesson with them yesterday after conference. I think they are going to be baptized pretty soon. I'm sending a photo of them! 

We had some other good experiences this week with O and M and R.  They decided to all get baptized on the same day, the 28th of December. It'll be good because we are going to be able to teach them EVERYTHING. It's going to be nice! Anyways, we had a great FHE with them in which they shared their testimonies and some of their experiences and it was neat. 

C & Y. Ya know, I think they are making progress. Y more than anything, but C is getting there I think. Ya know, I think he has trouble recognizing the spirit because it's really difficult for him to understand the concept of testimony! That's what we are going to be talking about tonight!!! Anyways, things are going well. Their baby got out of the hospital safe and sound, photo attached...

I'm excited for the chance to skype you all. Just 10 days, haha!!! 

Answers to questions:

Christmas Skype call: 3.00 your time, could you send me the info again?

About changes, I think that I'm going to stay with Elder Laurentino until the end...I hope so, he's helping me a lot and we can really see some long term progress if we say together :D

I loved the digital photo book you guys sent me! It's definitely been a highlight, thank you so much. I appreciate all the people who helped :) TELL THEM MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!

Thank you so much for the letters and cards and scripture studies...They are amazing! I'm learning a ton and I appreciate the love you express to me through those!!! 

Our plans for Christmas include hanging out with our zone, having Christmas dinner with the G. family, and visiting a few people after the skype call :D 

Thanks so much for everything guys! I really appreciate it!!

Elder Bushman

Photos at Cajon del Maipo:

A Christmas tree in our sector:

This is a stand we put in the street market in our sector...we did it with a few other elders, it was SOOO FUN :D

My comp's haircut:

A Sweet Lunch:

 M&O!

This was the Christmas Concert at the temple!!! :D

During the Week:

 Mate!

Yr. 2, Week 37: LOTS OF PROGRESS

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a great week! We had several awesome things happen! First off, an update on the investigators that are progressing most:

R: she is doing great! She has really been getting involved with the church and doing FHE's and just loving it. She is getting to know so many people and she loves church and they all love going. Anyways, she has been thinking if she wants to get baptized the 28th or the 21st or a bit later. And yesterday she said that she would like to be baptized the 21st, that she feels ready, and that she would like to be baptized the same day as O and M! :D We are excited and we still got a bit to teach but we're confident that we can do it! It's so awesome because all three have testimonies.

O and M: This week we had a sweet FHE with another family in the ward. The L. family invited them over and Sister L. is the primary president. She and her husband are really fun and they made an instant relationship with O and M. Both of them are excited for the baptismal date and lots of the ward members know them and are excited for them! Also, O's husband, L. doesn't really listen to us because he's "atheist" but O. commented that these last few weeks he has been making references to God and also told O and M that if they reallly wanted to be baptized, that he would support them and help them and even go to church with them if they needed him to....LOTS OF PROGRESS :) Also, M's little brother, B. is really excited and he could be the next baptism. 

Anyways, things are good, we enjoying everything, we are healthy and we are suffering SO MUCH HEAT!!!!!!! :S But everythhing's good.

We were thinking about doing the skype at about 7 our time, or at about 3 your guys' time...would that work?? Or no? I got the package, we loved it, we are going to be doing the Nativity with the G. family and probably O. and her family. We are stoked for the cards, I'M STOKED WITH THE BBQ SAUCE, I'm going to use it on the BBQ we have Christmas day :) thanks so much for the presents and everything, I love you all, you're the best! Here's some photos and recordings!!!

Love you guys, ELDER BUSHMAN

 

 Making Empanadas...

Christmas Package - 6 days from Utah to Chile!

Sweet Members and Investigators!

Yr. 2, Week 36: It is just the Greatest Experience Ever

Dear Family and Friends,

A cool miracle from this week:

About 2 months ago when I went on a division with Elder Jara in our zone, we contacted a young guy by the name of A. He was cool and we had a good conversation. He gave us his contact information and we tried to go back that week but we weren't able. Turns out we weren't able to visit him for about a month and a half because we never found him at home, he never answered his phone, etc. Anyways, I still kept trying with Laurentino. Then a few weeks ago we had a lesson with him and it went really well and he seemed pretty excited to read the BofM. Then again, we lost contact. However, yesterday, we decided to pass by and we met with him and his mom and younger sister!! It was sweet because his mom, D and his sister, F, were AWESOME! We had a sick lesson and we have a return visit for this Saturday. D said she also wanted her other daughter, A, to get to know us so we are really, really excited because she could also be a new investigator :D Anyways, it was an answer to prayer and I believe they could be our next baptisms after R, O, and M :)

Another cool thing from this week was a lesson we were able to have with C and Y last night. We've been talking A LOT about the lesson of the Restoration with them because it is just SO HARD for C to grasp... We explain it as simple as possible with scriptures and everything but it's just HARD for him, haha, to put it simply! Anyways, when we were there Y said that she just couldn't keep it in any longer, but that for a few weeks she has been feeling the spirit when she prays, reads, and is with us and that she KNOWS and received another CONFIRMATION that the church is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet! It was awesome because she has also had lots of doubts. Now we just gotta work more with C and help him soften his heart. But it was a really cool experience and it just let me know that it's the feeling, nothing us, that helps us change and feel a surety that these things are true!

Another cool visit we had this week was with O and M. We set back their date for the 21st just because it's going to take a bit more time to teach them all the lessons. They both love church, they love reading the BofM, they pray, the love FHE, and they are excited for their baptism. O says she wants to feel a bit more prepared and she feels like praying and asking forgiveness will help here with that! I thought it was awesome and she is definitely going to be baptized on the 21st along with her daughter :D THEY ARE FABULOUS, a true example of a miracle in one family! 

Another absolute miracle from this week was R and P. This week they got married!!!!! Sort of. Haha, so weird thing about Chile, when you get married you go twice. One time to sign the paperwork, swear in, etc. And then the next part they do all the formal stuff (dress up, kiss, whatever). So, technically, according to Chile, they are married! We are so stoked. P. was ordained a Priest yesterday and called to be the Young Men's Secretary :D I was so stoked! Also, in a visit we had with them last night, R. stated CLEARLY that she is going to be baptized and that she is looking forward to it. Yesterday she got up and ran around waking everybody up and getting them ready for church :D I'm so very happy for them!

I'm really enjoying being with my companion! He's so awesome, I love him a lot :) Hahaha, he's trying to practice English and so when he says something and I start laughing and I tell him what he said, he just laughs. He's such a good sport about it all and he's just helping me out a ton! Anyways, things are going really good here! I really love this sector and I'm trying to learn a bit more Portuguese! I can say a prayer in Portuguese, so we'll see how much I can get down before going back home. Haha, I'd like to study Portuguese too, since Elder Laurentino wants me to visit Brazil one day (not to mention it wouldn't be bad for work if I knew a bit). 

Anyways, take care everybody! I love you all, you're amazing! I love this work, I'm working hard, I love the scriptures and I think it is just the greatest experience ever being out here. I think it's gonna be a bit hard to go home.

Love,

Elder Bushman