Just another week in paradise....

Dear family and friends,

This week has been a long and hard week, so I am grateful to be starting over a new one haha Well the week started off great with N. saying he wanted to get baptized and we set a date for this next Sunday which was awesome, and this happened on Tuesday. It was kind of cool too because he came to us and said he wanted to get baptized. He just texted us Monday night and said he wanted to because he was thinking about it, and it gave him the chills and he felt really good and he said he knew it would bring him greater happiness. So we told him everything that needed to happen for him to get baptized and planned it all. However through out the whole week we couldn't get to him and finally on Saturday we had everything lined up for him to come to a baptism, and he bailed on us. He had to go look for a place to live because his lease is up in 30 days at the place he is living at. And so he didn’t come to church and I'm not sure what we can do for him. Its a sick feeling when you care and worry about someone and their life isn’t going the right way. I imagine its somewhat similar to how parents feel when their kids go astray, but probably not quite as much. So yeah that’s N's story so far.

On Wednesday I had district meeting and it was good. We had the ward mission leader show us how to do a church tour and then I had a training on the role of the holy ghost and how we can use it to be more confident and have more power and Authority to spread the gospel. I love talking about the Holy ghost because to me there is nothing greater than the gift and companionship of the Holy Ghost. To me the Holy Ghost symbolizes  a PERFECT FRIEND. He's there to comfort us (John 14:26-27) he's there to lead us, guide us, protect us, prepare us, calm us, give us strength, and so on and so forth. Aren't those the perfect attributes we would want in a friend? So I think its ironic when we do things to push him away haha but we aren't perfect, that’s what the atonement is for. But you know I really do know there is nothing more loyal to us than the holy Ghost, It truly is an amazing gift we have, and when we have the Holy ghost it brings us confidence, not confidence in pride, but confidence in sharing the gospel with others. So how do we help others feel the spirit that comes from us, well we love them, we serve them, and we bear our testimony. There is nothing more powerful than a simple testimony that is sincere and heart felt. Its what brings the convincing power of God to help us and others feel his love. There's a quote by President Thomas S. Monson that I love and it says, "Regarding one's testimony, remember, that which one willingly shares he keeps, while that which he selfishly keeps he loses." what better way to build our own testimony than by sharing it with others. D&C 121: 45-46 is a super powerful scripture on how we can do and have all these things I talked about.

Well there's my spiritual speal but back to the rest of the week. So all week we tried to get a lesson with A. and C. and couldn't get one. Oh but I did get to go on a trade off  with Elder J. which was fun, its a crazy place. And he had a membership at a gym and oh did it feel good to get a solid work out in, I was in heaven being back in a real gym again haha. But yeah the rest of the week we just got doors closed in our face, had to ride bikes all week, and got drenched by rain while riding our bikes on Friday. So this week has just been really hard and yesterday I had to stay home from church with Elder R. because his is really sick, so its now been two weeks in a row I've missed the sacrament which really stinks. But you know what, there are always better days ahead and I am fortunate enough to have my best friend, the Holy Ghost, to help me through. So like I said, I am grateful to begin a new week and I feel really good about this week, its going to be great! I hope you all have a good week and I'll talk to ya later!  Love,  Elder Garrett Bushman

So very excited!!!!

Dear Family,  So Elder D. and I had an amazing week, but before I get to that I guess I'll answer some questions first. So yes dad I do get your letters, thank you so much for them they are awesome and I also get your emails. I wish I understood more about law because in your last letter I had no idea what you were talking about haha but it sounds like you are way super busy with work right now, which is probably good and bad yeah?

Ok so first off I just got to let you guys know something really cool...................ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING TO SPEAK TO OUR MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that not the coolest thing EVER! I am so excited!!!!! I can't begin to describe to you all how happy I am haha I get to meet an apostle! Especially Jeffery R. Holland, he is one of the most powerful speakers, I love listening to him talk. Also the week before we have a seventy who is going to come speak to our zone and the Jax west zone so its going to be awesome! oh and Elder Holland is coming to speak to us on August 13, it's going to be so amazing.

Ok so now for the week. Elder D. and I are having a blast right now, we are being so blessed. On Monday we went and saw this former investigator named C. We just started talking to him and some how started talking about Christ and the atonement, and really had a way spiritual, powerful lesson. It was so spirit led too, its amazing how the spirit can just guide you on what to ask and when to say something and when to listen. Anyway he invited us back over for the next day to do some service for him. While we were there we really made good friends with his son A. and his grandson S. After service C. went to go get some food for us, so we went back out and worked some more, went and saw some people and then came back. We got back before C. got home and I had the thought to go watch the restoration with A. and S.  So we went in there and we were like "hey you guys want to watch a movie with us?" and they said "sure, is it about Jesus" we were like "yeah a little bit" haha so we explained it to them and then watched it, and they were glued to that TV! It was so awesome.  C. came back and we ate dinner, then we had a short lesson with them and invited them to church. C. was a little unsure, but A, said yes right away and so did S.  haha so that was awesome!

On Wednesday I had leadership training which was really good, we went over some things that could benefit the mission and how to become more effective leaders, I loved it, President Barry really is called of God to lead this mission, I just love learning from that man and also from the other leaders. On Thursday I had district meeting and pretty much just went over everything that we went over in leadership training and it was good. My district is awesome, there are only four of us in it, and the zone leaders so it’s a very tight knit unit and we all get a long great. We also had a way sweet lesson with this guy named M. that night and invited him to be baptized at the end and he just sat there for like 3 minutes thinking and said "well that’s hard to say no too" then thought some more and then said " I'll have to get back to you, I can't answer right now" oh man he was so close to saying yes! but we are excited to keep working with him.

Friday and Saturday were kind of stinky days though. It rained all day both days and nobody even opened a door for us, it was terrible. But finally Saturday night we got into C's door and I can't tell you all that went on but basically we offered him a blessing and told him what it is and he said he would like one. He took us out to dinner first, which was awesome and by then it was 9:00 so we didn't get to give the blessing that night but we re-invited them to church and of course A. said yes right away again haha

Sunday was our culminating day this week, it was amazing! We went with some members to go pick up some investigators, A. and a kid named N, C. didn't come. But we arrived late to sacrament meeting which really stunk but we had 4 investigators at church! I kind of took A. around to all of his classes and stuff and he absolutely loved church! He was asking me all sorts of questions about the atonement, and what it meant that the son of man descended below them all, it was so cool! Then after church we went and gave C. a blessing, and it was just way super spiritual and we had a member who spoke Spanish with us which was even better. We also gave A. a Book of Mormon and he said he would read it every night. Oh man it is just so exciting! Our goal is to set a date with them this week so its going to be good. So yeah we had a great week!

So Hunter's team took second huh (at state)? Well that’s cool, they made it a long way I bet that was exciting, and Mom you'll have to send me pictures of Big Sky Montana I want to see what it looks like. Oh by the way that was so weird getting Austin and Libby's wedding announcement in the mail, SO WEIRD! But I guess its good that Austin is finally growing up and becoming a man, ITS ABOUT TIME!  hahaha Well I can't really think of much else to say, so I guess I'll say goodbye and I love you all, Have a great week!  Love, Elder Garrett Bushman

Leadership Training Meeting

Dear Family,

Oh wow! it has been an eventful week. A lot has gone on and I am just having wonderful experiences and feeling really good, I love the spirit so much, I've just been feeling it really strong all morning so hopefully I can put my words together.

Well my new area is called _____, I actually got transferred to the area that Elder A came from haha kind of funny. My new companion is Elder D. He is from Mesa, Arizona and a big funny guy and he has been out 8 months. We are already getting along very well, however he is kind of shy, so I've been doing most of the door approaches and talking to people and teaching. So I am really working with him on having him overcome his shyness, I know really weird coming from me right? haha But I've just been really working hard on trying to have him speak up more in lessons and what not, so we are really going to have a great transfer, its going to be fun! My new area is super wealthy - everything looks like the K. neighborhood in this area. I've already tracted more this last week than I did all of last transfer because we pretty much have no investigators.  Elder D. and I are pretty much white washing this area. We found one new guy this week who is pretty cool, and we set a baptismal date for the 30th of July but it isn't way super solid so we are going back to see im today. Other than that we are really trying to work with the members and get them on our side so that they will be willing to give us referrals because we are going to need their help more than anything. There are also a ton of part member families and formers that we are planning on going to see, so I just have a great feeling that this area is just about to explode and that we are going to get a lot of good work done here, so I'm way super excited!

So I had my first district meeting on Thursday and it went pretty well. I trained on working in unity and how we all need to have the same goal and the same purpose in mind and not contradict each other. I talked about how God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are our perfect examples of working in unity, they all work for the same purpose which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. In all reality, that is our same purpose as missionaries and member missionaries, we are all working together to bring people unto Christ and receive the restored gospel so that they can receive eternal life. As I planned for this I really realized how great our calling is and how great of a responsibility as members of this church that we have to share the gospel, it was a really great eye opener for me. It's also kind of funny how nervous I was when I got the calling to be a district leader but its really not that bad, I don't mind getting up there and talking, I've actually gained a greater love for my mission as I've started to serve my fellow missionaries as well as the people in my area, it feels really good.

On Sunday the 2nd counselor in the bishopric asked me to get up and bear my testimony, which I was actually grateful for because I got to bear my testimony on the importance of missionary work and how it’s the Lords work not ours and that we all need to be involved. I didn't quite phrase it like that but I hope that the ward now realizes that we are serious about this work and that it’s important.

So I want to tell you all about why I have had such a spiritual morning, it’s really been a great blessing to me. So last night I had to report to the zone leaders our numbers for the district. As I talked with them they asked me if I had any specific plans I wanted to set for the district on how we could achieve our baptism goal. I thought about it and I just really couldn't think about anything, or anything that I thought could help. I got some very profound advice, and they told me that as I begin to sincerely pray for my district and how I can best help them that the inspiration will come and that ideas will just stop popping into my head. I thought to myself, well I sure hope so because I've been doing that all week and nothing has happened so far. But I took the advice and I really prayed hard for ideas on how I can best help the district. Last night as I laid in bed, ideas just started popping into my head just like they said it would and then this morning even more ideas came, and I just felt and overwhelming feeling of the spirit. I think I am finally really starting to grasp hold on what missionary work is all about, because right now I just feel like going out and knocking on every door in Jacksonville. That’s why I said earlier that I love the spirit!  It's amazing, it’s what brings true joy and true happiness.  I am so grateful for this gospel and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to grow up in it and have such a wonderful supporting family and friends.

Well there's my little spiritual shpeal for today, I hope you all have a wonderful week, oh and by the way I finished the Book of Mormon on Monday and it was awesome! So I hope you all are still reading it, ok well...big gulps huh? well cya later!  Love, Elder Garrett Bushman

L's Baptism

What the Heck?

Dear Family,  So this week was one of the best weeks of my mission.  Elder A. and I decided at the beginning of the week that we were going to set the example for the district and that we were going to do everything in our power to reach all of our goals and get a baptism.  However my thoughts are extremely jumbled right now because I am really nervous for this next transfer but I'll let you know more about that later. 

So last Sunday Elder A. and I fasted for a miracle, we fasted that we could help with the zone goal of ten baptisms for this weekend.  We had a really good feeling going into it and something amazing did happen. So on Tuesday we were at the Library because Elder A. has an online missionary assignment, and I called this lady that had befriended L. at church that Sunday. I thanked her for being a good friend to L. and then asked her if he had said anything about the church to her and she said “Yeah! He wants to get baptized!”  I was shocked! I don’t think I have ever been so happy in my life, I guess something finally clicked with him. We went over there that night without him knowing because we just had a feeling we needed to go over there. The lady I had talked to was there and we started talking and ended up teaching the third lesson. At the end we were like "so L. we heard you wanted to get baptized?" and he was like "yeah when can I do it?" We asked him when he would like to get baptized and he said this Saturday! Yeah L. got baptized on Saturday!!!! hahaha What a testimony booster to Elder A. and I on the power of fasting and prayer.  So for the rest of the week we prepared for his baptism, we finished teaching him the lessons and he stopped drinking that day, and stopped everything. He even had a lot of opposition that week but he just kept telling us that he had a goal in mind and that nothing would stop him, and that even if Satan himself showed up to try and stop him that, that wouldn't even work hahaha He is such a stud! Then the baptism on Saturday was amazing, However he did have to be baptized three times because Brother W. couldn't get him under haha But as they were walking out of the font you could just hear those two laughing and joking about it.  I called him later and talked about it, and he said that he loved it and that he had a great time. Then on Sunday it was crazy because we had 3 baby blessing and 3 confirmations.  L. was the last one to get confirmed and later he told me that we was sad when it was over because he liked it so much, he is just so solid and so awesome, there isn't much more to say about it.

Oh and guess who else we ran into again....yeah we ran into T. and L. again while we were at the Library. We met with them that night and set a date for the 17th with them.  It was a way powerful lesson, we read 3 Nephi 11 with them about Christ coming and they absolutely loved it.  Later in the week we watched the restoration with them and they loved that as well. They also read the pamphlet on the plan of salvation and they were just so excited about how we lived with god before we came to this earth. So we set up everything for them to come to church with us this Sunday and even got them a ride.  But at 9:30 we get a call from their ride and they told us that they were late and couldn't find them.  So that was a big bummer until T. and L. just randomly showed up at church. They figured out a way over there and they told us they did it because it was something that was important to them and that it was a priority. The only problem is that they might get evicted from their apartment, so we are just praying they don’t. 

So all these amazing things were going on, we have 3 dates set for this month and then I get a call Saturday night......and I'm getting transferred. I was shocked, I thought for sure I was staying, I mean I haven't even had a companion for longer than one transfer yet and Elder A. and I were doing such good work. Then I get a call this morning from President Barry asking me if I could be a district leader.  Yeah that is why I am nervous as junk, I haven't even hit six months yet.  I'm not nervous about being a district leader so much as I'm nervous that the missionaries I will be serving with won’t respect me because I am so young.  But I know that the Lord's hand is in everything and that this is what I need to be doing. I don't know where I am going yet, I won’t find out till Tuesday but I hope its not too far so I can come back for the baptisms.  Jake, Austin, and Dad if you have any good ideas for me about leadership or being a district leader I would really appreciate it, I'm going to need all the help I can get haha.

Oh by the way I finished the Book of Mormon today and what an amazing experience it was!  Oh man it was crazy, especially reading about the destruction of the people.  I can't believe how stubborn they were. However I love Moroni's testimony at the end of the Book of Mormon, he basically says that the Book of Mormon is true and all those that don't believe in it will see him at the judgment and he'll be like "I told you so" haha it was awesome! I hope you are all still reading and having a great experience like I did. Oh also Sister H. texted me the other day and told me that she went to church this weekend and that she is doing a lot better so that was good to hear, and thank you for keeping her in your prayers. 

Well I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July, it sounds like you are going to have a really fun day. We don’t really have anything fun planned; we are just going to go say goodbye to some people.  Sorry if my letter isn't as long this week, but like I said my thoughts are all over the place right now, so its really hard putting it all into words.  But I love you all and thank you for your support and your prayers they help out a lot.

Love,  Elder Garrett Bushman