And then there was smoke......

Dear Family,                                                              

So yes mom there have been fires going out here like crazy! I guess Jacksonville is surrounded by them and the last couple weeks the smoke has been terrible. We have been riding our bikes and there will be ash falling from the sky, but this weekend hasn't been too bad we've been having a lot of rain so the Lord has been watching out from us. But its funny because every time we go over to the M___'s when we are on our bikes, Sister M____ asks me how many packs of cigarettes I've smoked that day because of the smoke and I always say like two haha But yeah On Wednesday the smoke was so bad that we could only see like 50 feet in front of us, its been crazy!  Well this week has been really good and kind of a bummer as well and I'll explain more about that.

So on Tuesday I get a call from Elder P. telling me that Sister H. is really struggling. I was shocked! I gave her a call up and started talking to her and I guess everything is just seeming to fall apart for her. She's been struggling with why we need the word of wisdom, she went online and looked it up and read a lot about it. She thinks that it was just guidelines. I guess someone saw her drinking one night and they told the missionaries and so she got way mad about that because they didn't tell her to her face. Also she found out that she can't be sealed to her kids because she isn't married, and just a whole bunch of other stuff. I felt so sick because she was just so confused and so angry, I tried to reason with her and tell her why things were the way they were and what not but I realized in the end I just had to tell her I loved and cared about her and let her figure it out. So that was really stressful at the beginning of my week but I’ve been praying really hard for her all week and I feel everything will be ok.

On Thursday we had a way awesome day because we got to go eat at the M's! It was awesome because Sister M___'s mom came in from Hawaii and they made us Kalua pork and all this other wonderful food oh I loved it!!!!!! Then sister M____ and I had a way intense ping pong game, she is so competitive, its so much fun! Every time we play we just go at it and have a blast. She won the first game, she absolutely destroyed me haha but then I beat her the second game, its always going back and forth. The kids are awesome too, they are always wrestling with me and stuff and it just reminds me of Hunter and I always wrestling around and having pillow fights and what not, its so much fun. They really do feel like family to me. We also watched the Testaments with them that night and Sister M had a non-member friend over who watched it with us and I guess she got pretty emotional through it but she left right after the movie and we didn't have a chance to bear testimony about it. However, Sister M's mom is a non-member so it was sweet being able to bear testimony to her and she already loves us its awesome.

L. is also doing very well. We watched the Testaments with him over at the W. on Tuesday and he was glued to that TV the whole time and he got teary eyed too. But he is so stubborn he won’t admit he felt the spirit for anything, it’s so funny. We try so hard but he just won’t do it, but he's been reading the Book of Mormon like crazy! He's already into second Nephi and he remembers everything he reads because he reads over it twice. We have just figured that he will come to us when he decides to get baptized because every time we ask him he just says he has more reading to do haha but he knows its true, I can tell because he loves coming to church and he loves reading and he loves meeting with us, so its just a matter of time.

We haven't been able to get a hold of L. this whole week, but we do have an appointment with him tomorrow so hopefully he is there and doesn't bail on us again.

We also got two new investigators that moved in from a different area. The missionaries called us and told us they were moving in, so we went and helped them move in, and it’s this elderly couple, L. and T. They have been investigating the church for a while and are considering getting baptized so that was kind of sweet miracle. Then on the way back from that we saw T. and L. walking on the Sidewalk!  We pulled over and started talking to them and set up an appointment but when we went back they left us a note saying they had to go somewhere, so we are going to try and contact them today. But that was just a way sweet miracle because I had thought they had moved or something.

That’s basically all that went on this week. But I just want to let you all know how proud I am of you for reading the book of Mormon. I myself am in 3rd Nephi right now and am planning on finishing the book of Mormon this week. Transfer meeting is next Tuesday and I made a goal to finish it before then and I'm just about to get into some of the best parts of the book of Mormon where Christ comes and visits the people. As I read those chapters I always just think to myself how wonderful it would have been to be there, to have seen him and felt the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. I would have loved to have heard his sermons and to have seen him heal people.  There are so many things that they saw that aren't written and I just can't wait for the day when I will get to see him, when I'll get to wash his feet with my tears. (even though I don't like feet but I think his will be alright haha) but I just pray every day that I will be ready for that day, and I am so grateful that I have been given the path to get there and that I have been give all the instruments I need to be successful. The book of Mormon is true, Christ really did appear to them and its awesome being able to tell people that, and I hope you all feel the same.

Well I wish everyone a wonderful week and thank you for everything, Love ya!  Love, Elder Garrett Bushman

Ft. Caroline District Meeting

Elders Durfee, Allred, Bushman, Frizzell, Clements and Crawford.

And all these things shall give thee strength.......

Dear Family,   

It's good to hear all is going well back home and that everyone of you are still being awesome people haha but this week was pretty good, it wasn't the best week but I learned a lot from it and am trying to learn what the Lord is trying to teach me.

So on Monday we went and played ultimate Frisbee at the stake center, and we played for three hours, my legs hurt for like the next three days, but it was a ton of fun.

On Tuesday we went out to Golden Corral for lunch with some members, and I just want to let you guys know that I've regained my vigor for eating, I eat so much food, it’s ridiculous. It's a really good thing that I'm on bike and that I exercise. After Golden Corral we got a call from M. and she told us that she needed to talk to us about something in our appointment on Wednesday and that she hoped we would understand. I had a really sick feeling after that and Elder A. made preparations for what we could say to her. The Lord knows our situations though and right after that as we went to see some less actives we went up a wrong flight of stairs and we decided to knock a few doors while we were there and the second door we knocked on a guy named L.  He let us in and offered us some water. He was really cool, he was asking us questions and we taught him and he said he wanted to read the Book of Mormon. Everything seemed to make a lot of sense to him, he was just a way humble and open guy and he was just amazed that we were out doing what we are doing at nineteen. So that experience made me feel a lot better.

So on Wednesday we went to see M. and we talked and she told us about this dream that she had and it was really similar to Lehi's dream. The spirit was there as she talked about it, so we read 1 Nephi 8 with her and pretty much interpreted her dream with the scriptures. But then she began to tell us how God had told her that what her mother had done for her as a child, her baptism, was sufficient and that she needed to go back to her old church and teach her family what we had been teaching her. The spirit left right then, and Elder A. and I did everything we could to bring her back, but nothing worked.  She even knows the Book of Mormon is true and I asked her if any other churches use it and she said no. But she still wouldn't budge. It was probably one of the saddest experiences I have ever had in my life, it is so hard when you come to love someone and come to know that this is the only way to eternal life, and they've had a spiritual witness, and they still reject it.  But I know the Lord will provide a way and I just hope and pray that she will accept it sometime down the road.

We also found out that I___'s dad won’t let him get baptized and it has been really hard on the M. family, which is really sad to see because they are some of the most amazing people in the world.  Mom Sister M. reminds me a lot of you, she is just so warm and loving and one of the most unselfish people I have ever met.  I just feel so bad for all the stuff she has to go through, and yet she has such a strong faith and such a strong testimony it’s amazing.

On Saturday I got to go on a trade-off with Elder C., another Elder in our district. We went and did service for this guy named A, who isn't a member. It was a lot of fun we did yard work for 3 hours and then he made us some of the most amazing food in the world, it really brightened up the week. It just really feels good to get out and do some yard work sometimes. Elder C. and I get a long really well too, he is hilarious and we just talked about all sorts of stuff all day, we have a lot of the same interests.

On Sunday none of our investigators showed up to church which was kind of a bummer. However Sister M. showed up and that was awesome! Also yesterday as we were tracting in this apartment complex we saw a bunch of poly's out in the courtyard having a bbq and they told us to come over and join them. It was awesome! One of them was a member and we just talked and had a good time and ate some really good food. So you know even though it was a rough week, the Lord was looking out for us and lifting our spirits by giving us little acts of kindness through people.

I am so grateful for this gospel and for charity, I love it when people do good thing for others, it makes the world a better place and it helps brighten people’s day. This last month I’ve really come to know how important this gospel is, it's not just another church, but it is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is the only true church and the only way of getting back to live with our Heavenly Father again. I hope I don't ever take another day where I miss an opportunity of sharing the gospel with someone, and I hope all of you do the same. I hope you all have a wonderful week and Dad Happy Father's day!!!!!!!   Love ya'll,  Elder Garrett Bushman

Yeah - Pictures!

Garrett finally sent some pictures home.  I've decided to include a few of my favorites from Brunswick to Jacksonville.....

Just another day in Paradise.... 

Service with a smile (or a game called Initiate the Greenie) 

 They conquered the tree but NOT the Gnats!

Elders Bushman, Wadsworth and Pelo pondering life........

A. and Y.'s baptisms

 Garrett's new "sweet" bike!

The District in Jacksonville - Elders Crawford, Tenny, Zabriskie, Bushman, Clements and Bass

Sending Elder Zabriskie home.....

A week of Miracles....

Dear Family,  It’s good to hear all is going well. Everything out here in Florida is going great.  Elder A. and I have been very blessed this past week. We had 3 investigators show up at church this week and they all loved it and I had some powerful experiences I would like to share with you.

I first want to start off with the story of Maria and how everything is going with her, and I'll start from the beginning. A week and a half ago on Wednesday we were riding our bikes down Monument Rd. and stopped at the bus stop and started talking to these two people, M. and F. As we talked to them Maria was getting really excited and said she could feel the spirit as she talked to us. We gave her a finding faith in Christ DVD and got her address and phone number and she said she would watch the movie. So we called her the next day and she said she loved the movie and that she wanted to meet with us. She said she would call us. Well she didn't call so we went over there and knocked on her door. She came out and she said she was busy but she wanted to show us something. She then came out with a Gospel Principles Book.  She said she had been reading it for 7 years every night along with her bible and that she absolutely loved it!  She however didn't understand the whole D&C scriptures in it and Book of Mormon. We told her we would explain when we came over next. Well we went over there on Wednesday and she began to tell us how she had prayed the night before we stopped her at the bus stop. She prayed that two people would come to her and talk to her about Jesus.  She said when she saw us that we looked like angels flying toward her.  We testified that it was no coincidence and she knew it wasn't. She was crying the whole time. She also watched the restoration DVD and she said she believed it. She talked about how she was baptized once and how she didn't feel any difference. I testified to her about priesthood authority and then committed her to be baptized and she said yes! She was one of the people that came to church yesterday and she absolutely loved it.

The next experience I would like to talk about is about a guy named Justin. So Saturday evening we decided to go see J. J is an Eternal investigator that hasn't progressed in a long time and doesn't understand why he needs to be baptized into our church. He had just gotten home from being out to sea and we started talking about his experience. He said that while he was out to sea he started reading this book about Islam. He said how he was just so shocked at how similar they were with Christianity and he just wondered why we don't all just unite, why is there so much confusion?  He wondered why God would bring forth another book when it would just cause more confusion. We read some scriptures about how the Book of Mormon was here to clear up confusion, but he just wasn't grasping it. We debated about how all churches have truth but we have the fullness of it.  But he was just confused because he had seen miracles wrought by someone who didn't hold the priesthood. I then read to him about why authority was important; because without it you cannot have eternal life and live with God.  I read 2 Nephi 31:16-17, 20-21 and then 3 Nephi 11:24-25 and then said let’s pray right now and ask if this is true. So we knelt down and he prayed, he pleaded to know and the spirit was so strong, it was amazing! He was teary eyed afterwards and I asked him how he felt and he said he felt good.  We bore testimony that it was the spirit and he said that maybe he had known the answer the whole time and that he was just looking for a bigger answer.  He also came to church on Sunday!  We are going over there tonight to talk to him and commit him to baptism.

The third person that came to church is a guy named L. He is 63 years old and a retired marine who was in Vietnam.  He is a really cool guy and will probably get baptized as well.  But now I want to share with you all a spiritual thought.

So I was studying holiness this morning and I first looked in the Bible Dictionary. The basic definition is someone holding a sacred office or something that is set apart as holy. The word holy came to refer to moral character. I then asked myself “How can I increase my moral character or how can I fulfill my office and sacred calling?”  In D&C 20:69 its talking about how we must walk with a Godly walk and be worthy of our calling that our works will be agreeable to the scriptures walking in holiness before the Lord.  So how do we become more holy?  Well we live as Christ would live; we live the Doctrine of Christ.  When we are living the Doctrine of Christ and striving to achieve Christ-like attributes then we can walk with holiness before the Lord, then we can stand before Him at the last day without guilt knowing that we fulfilled our calling.  We need to become consecrated and be exactly obedient. But to dwell in the presence of the Lord we must go through trials and we must rely on God and never push Him away and through our pain we shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord. (D&C 133: 35)  In Leviticus 20:7 it says "Sanctify yourselves therefore and be holy; for I am the Lord your God."  So how I take that is that we need to give ourselves to the Lord, give everything and when we do, then we can become holy.  In Ezekiel 20:41 it also says that the Lord will sanctify himself in us before the heathen.  So when we promise to give ourselves to the Lord the Lord also gives himself to us if we are holy.  So when we are sanctified we will be able to withstand our enemies and most importantly Satan and his temptations. So becoming Holy all together like I said before, is to become more Christ like and live the Doctrine of Christ.

Well I'm almost out of time but I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Love, Elder Bushman

For Elder Bass' mom......

And so it goes......

Dear Family,

So alright I have about twenty eight minutes to feel you all in on this crazy week of mine so I hope that I can get a good letter in this week.

So we actually had a really disappointing week this week. On Monday Elder A. and one of the zone leaders went to go see E. and K. I went on a trade off with the Assistants, but luckily it was just because they needed another elder because they had two lessons haha but Elder A. told me the lesson went well and that K. was going to talk to her husband about getting married. Well I got a call the next day from K. telling me that her husband won’t let E. get baptized anymore because he thinks that she was going to be getting baptized for the dead. I carefully explained to her that she was getting baptized for herself and not for the dead. She said she understood but that she didn't want to go against her husband’s wishes. They said they still wanted to keep learning but we've been trying to get a hold of them all week and haven’t been able to. So since the zone leaders are Spanish speaking we are going to turn them over to them. I know everything will work out because the spirit confirmed to me that it would, but I just don't know when it will happen, its all in the Lords time.

On Wednesday I went on a trade off with Elder F., another elder in our district.  Elder F. and I biked over 30 miles on Wednesday, it was crazy, and we only had a 30 minute break in the day to eat dinner, so we worked our tails off. We also ran into this lesbian couple that had actually been taught before, and let me tell you that was a real interesting conversation. They didn't understand why homo-sexuality was a sin when it wasn't part of the Ten Commandments. I explained to them about how god planned for his children to be able to come to this earth and that can only happen between a man and a woman, but they still didn't understand. She said she would read the Book of Mormon though and said that if she came to know it was true that she would change so yeah we are going back and teaching her haha But I told her basically that it will be hard to get a spiritual witness while she is living in sin, so we'll see how it all works out.

On Thursday we had zone conference and it was really good!  We talked about our culture as missionaries, and it's not being like the missionaries in the past or doing this or doing that, but that it is living the Doctrine of Christ. It was just way super powerful and spiritual and I loved it. Afterwards Elder M. came on a trade off with us, he's one of the zone leaders. We had a pretty good day, we talked with a lot of people and we were able to learn a lot from him. That night we were tracting and we knocked on this guys door who said he didn't want to talk with us, so we went on and knocked some more. Well after a little while he came out and he said that he wanted to talk with us and listen to our "pitch" So we went in and started talking, and he was asking us a lot of question about why we were out on a mission and what not and what we believed. We then asked why he wanted us to come back, which ended up being a very bad question. He then began to tell us that soon we will begin to question our faith and other things, and then starts bashing us saying how we are arrogant for believing that we are the only true church, and he through out a couple of f-bombs. As soon as he started that the spirit left the room immediately and I got very angry.  However we just sat there and listened and let him rant on about how organized religion is just ridiculous. We ended up leaving him with a Book of Mormon but I just left that place being ticked off. That night I had to pray really hard for forgiveness for getting so angry, and I felt a lot better afterwards.

Even though all this bad stuff happened this week we also had some awesome stuff happen!  We set a baptismal date with a kid named I, he is an unbaptized child and they just have an awesome family, I'll have to tell you all about them later. We also ran into this lady named M. on the street and she said we could come back. We went back and she came out with a gospel principles book and she said that she had been reading it every night for 7 years and that she loves it! What a miracle so we are hoping to see her again soon and get her baptized.

On Sunday our ward got split. Our ward was already small as it is, and now it just got a lot smaller, our area is still big but we don’t have a lot of active members, so we have a lot of reactivating to do and finding. We then had dinner at Mamma's house and she served us Ribs, coleslaw, baked beans, hot dogs, macaroni, and ice cream cake. I was in Heaven! We had just gotten done with a 24 hour fast too so I ate a ton!  Then later that night we had another meal, so I had to get up this morning and I jump roped for like 40 minutes with a sweat shirt on and sweat pants. haha

Well that was my week; I hope you all had a good week and thank you for all that you do. Wish Jake a happy birthday for me, even though I’ll be sending him a card. Well love you all and have a wonderful week. Love, Elder Garrett Bushman