Miracles and such....

Dear Family,  We had a great week this week with a miracle Baptism! I told you about BW last week, one of our baptismal dates that was supposed to get baptized this weekend, well he didn't come to church last week so we weren't planning on having his baptism this week. We went by on Tuesday to go and tell him that we had to hold it, but when we got there we were completely surprised as his attitude. He seemed a lot more mature and apologized for missing church. Elder G and I were very impressed at his determination to get baptized, he was willing to do whatever it took to do it, even sleep out in a tent if necessary so that he could live the law of chastity. So we went over to his house earlier in the week to help him get this RV that he was going to move into working. We got into our regular clothes and went over to fix this piece of junk up. This RV was like a 1970 model and hadn't been driven in over a year. It was in someone's backyard and the wheels were partially sunk into the ground. We needed to replace the battery and get it out of this person’s yard. Well we tried replacing the battery but for some reason it just wasn't working so then he and Elder G got underneath the thing to look at the starter. I felt completely useless since I knew nothing about engines or starters or anything. So for 3 hours we try to get this thing working and they even rewired the starter, it was quite the epic thing to watch. In the end we weren't able to get the thing working.  So on Sunday he came to church dressed in his Sunday best and was baptized after church. It was a beautiful service with many people there, one thing that the YSA are good at is fellowship, and we had a musical number and lots of food afterwards. On Saturday before the baptism one of the members came by and dropped off a ton of treats: cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, cookies and one 3 foot long subway sandwich. We were able to take that to the baptism and have plenty of refreshments, it was perfect!

That was the highlight of our week but there was other good stuff that happened as well. On Thursday we had the wonderful opportunity to take President B out with us. We first went to see B and President Interviewed him, then we went to go see two more of our investigators named K and S. We had one of the most interesting lessons I have ever had. They were on their way to the gym to go to a work out class that their room mate who is a member held, so we went in there and taught them at the gym, with President Barry haha it was very interesting but the lesson went very well. Then we went to see E, another one of our investigators who is getting baptized on August 4th. We had a really good lesson and she basically set her own baptismal date, since August was the earliest time that her parents would be in town, so yeah it was a great night. 

Right now we are really struggling to find though because like I said before, finding the YSA's here is like finding a needle in a haystack, it's incredibly hard. But we are hoping to get some referrals from the assistants with some YSA aged people that came to one of their baptisms on Sunday, so we are excited about that. other than that there isn't much going on. I am having a terrible time at getting to know the area, since it is all of Jacksonville! None-the-less I am loving every minute of it and it is going by way to fast right now. It's already been 3 weeks since transfer meeting which means we only have 3 weeks left and I do not like that one bit! However I am looking forward to the cooler weather in the fall already as well since it is starting to get a lot warmer. Well I love you all, thank you for all you do, and have a wonderful week!  Love, Elder Bushman

Back to Florida.....

Dear Family,  Well I am glad all is going well and it is really weird to be looking
at the pictures of Elder Bass being home, it really feels like
yesterday that I met him my first day in the mission and got a picture
with all the Farmington Elders. Well I'm sure glad it's him and not
me! Haha.   Well like you know I have been transferred back to
Jacksonville, my companions name is Elder G and we are over the
YSA branch here in Jacksonville. I don't know what President Barry was
thinking to put me over the Young Single Adults but I guess there is a
purpose. Because we are over the YSA's our area covers all 3
Jacksonville zones or stakes, which I've served in all 3 so I know a
lot of the areas. It is Elder G’s last transfer so he will be the
second missionary that I have killed off, thank goodness he's not
trunky at all, he is a really good missionary and we are getting a
long great!  Elder N actually served with him for 3 months before
he served with me so, we are basically switching companions.

I wanted to answer Dad's questions before I get into any thing else so
I don't forget. So I believe you asked me to share 3 things that
happened before my mission that really influenced me and maintained me
on my mission.

1. I would say one of the things for sure would be the sport I played
growing up. Sports really taught me to work hard and be strong.
Especially when everyone was outgrowing me and I wasn't as good as I
had been, it taught me a lot of patience and perseverance. I remember
those many times that I wanted to quit playing baseball because I
wasn't playing that well anymore or all those long gasers that we used
to have at football practice and my breathing was terrible. So many
times I wanted to give up and just quit but I couldn't ever let myself
do it and I believe that has been a great strength to me on my
mission.

2. I believe the way you raised me to be honest and obedient in all
that I do. Back home I was mostly obedient and honest out of fear
rather than love, but now I understand the purpose and why it is so
important. All the little rules you gave me growing up really prepared
me for a mission because we have so many rules out here, but to me
they seem like nothing because I am used to it, and I understand the
principle of obedience and integrity since you always pounded it into
my head. So thank you for that.

3. Then obviously the 3rd experience would be Iowa. In Iowa I learned
the importance of a lot of things. I learned to rely on the Lord. I
gained a strong testimony about the importance of church and the
Sacrament. I learned the importance of patience and endurance. I truly
believe that, that was the culminating experience that I needed to
prepare for my mission. It taught me many things that I have needed
while I have been out here and it’s been something I have been able to
share with others when they are having a hard time or feel like they
are alone. I still look back often on that experience and wonder how I
ever got through it and I know it was only because of the strength of
the Lord, there was nothing else that could have pulled me through. It
was the worst, best thing that could have happened to me, if that
makes sense at all.

So yeah there are the 3 biggest things that first popped into my head,
I hope it satisfies. Oh and Mom you taught me to love others and look
for their good qualities, and you taught me how to listen. So don't
feel left out I learned more from you than you could ever imagine.
Anyway so we had a really good week this week. We had this kid named
C that we have been working with. We didn't have the chance to
meet with him all week until Sunday when he came to church for the
first time. He called us Sunday morning in tears because of some
trials that he has been facing in his life and we told him to just
come to church and he said he would. So he showed up to church and all
the YSA's welcomed him in so amazingly. I was blown away, we never had
that kind of welcoming in Savannah. Afterwards he told me how he
planned to stay and that he wants to be involved in a lot of the
activities. So tonight we are having FHE at President and Sister
Barry's house and we are bringing him and a lot of other
investigators. Every month they hold a FHE at their home and I've
never been able to go to it because I am always so far away but now I
get to go, I am so excited!!!! Being in the YSA is really weird though
because there are a lot of the kids that were in the Julington Creek
ward that come to the YSA now and so it's like I never left, it's
interesting.

Oh Also I got to go on a power trade with the Fort Caroline Elders
this week. That is where I served a year ago by the way, and we went
and saw one of my favorite Families in the world. I don't know if you
remember me telling you about the M family, but they are amazing
and we almost baptized her son I. They are Hawaiian. But anyway I
got to see them and they all remembered me, it was such an amazing
thing, I love that family so much! Anyway that was really the jest of
our week since it was so short because of transfers, so.......yeah
that's all I got. Oh tell Jake happy birthday for me, I would have
made him a card but I will when he writes me haha I'm just kidding I
just forgot to do it. So happy Birthday Jake even though it was 4 days
ago. Ok I think that's it, well I love you all and have a wonderful
week,  Love,  Elder Bushman

Here we go again.....

Dear Family,

I am getting transferred, after 6 wonderful months here in Savannah, Georgia I will be heading out again, I think to head back to Florida, I am quite saddened actually. I would have loved to stay here for another transfer, but these have been probably the best 6 months of my mission. I had experiences here in Savannah that have changed my life forever and I am so grateful for them. I don't know where I will be moving to yet but I'm sure Mom will find out somehow before I can tell you. This week has really been the culmination of all these six months and I am really excited to share with you what happened this week.

So the reason why we are having p-day on Tuesday is because we didn't get transfer calls until last night. Usually we get them on Saturday but the problem with that was that missionaries would not work as hard if they knew they were getting transferred, so President moved the calls until Monday and P-day on Tuesday so that we would work harder throughout the remainder of the week before transfers.  This week has been really good, we had zone leader council on Wednesday which I always love to go to. They are always so motivating and so uplifting. I'm learning more and more about the importance of being yourself though. The longer I am in leadership the more I see of missionaries who try to be someone they are not and who think they are so much more than they are. And I don't mean that as a bad thing upon the missionaries here, I love them all. But these last 6 months I've just learned that I need to be Elder Bushman and use the tools that Heavenly Father has given me and learn how to refine them and make them better. I shouldn't try to be someone else, I need to be the man that Heavenly Father intends me to be.  So I have been really grateful for this calling for teaching me that and I hope it is not something I am just being prideful about.  

On Thursday Elder N and I were running really short on miles so we had the great blessing to ride our bikes. It was the first time I have ridden a bike in Savannah haha It was a lot of fun and we were able to talk to a lot of people and we even got rained on a little bit. I hate wearing a helmet though I think it is one of the goofiest things, but I know it is there for a reason. One of the people we talked to was a Seventh Day Adventist and it was a great contact. We approached her and just started talking about Jesus and all the blessings that he gives us in our lives and we were having a great conversation. Then we started talking about agency a little bit and of course 2 Nephi 2:27 popped into my head and I said, "You know I have actually been reading an amazing book lately that talks a lot about that topic, do you mind if I share something from it?" She was thrilled to hear it, so I opened up the Book of Mormon and started reading. As I read I was getting some mmhhmms and amens, she absolutely loved it. Then when I finished she asked me where that was in the Bible and I told her it wasn't so she asked what book was it, so I told her. Immediately when I said Book of Mormon she said, "Oh Lord!" and put her hands up and said 'No, No" hahaha it was hilarious. Just a few seconds earlier she was agreeing with everything that was being read, I even called her out on it but she wasn't having it. She started hugging her Bible like the book itself was going to save her, so we just laughed and walked away. Oh the fun experiences that you have in the South.

The rest of the week was kind of boring, not a whole lot to talk about but Sunday was really the culminating event of all that has gone on in Savannah. As sacrament meeting started I was a little bummed because we didn't have any investigators there but then I got to witness BG actually blessing the sacrament and it just filled my soul with joy. Then J got up and bore an amazing testimony and my joy was even fuller. Then as I was sitting there thinking and pondering about all the blessings that I have received a lady walks in and sits in front of me. She turns around and looks at me and I looked at her and then a light bulb goes off in my head. I recognized her and then it hit me.....It was the same lady that Elder Zabriski and I had contacted into a year ago in Jacksonville and gave her a Book of Mormon, that sent Elder Tenney a letter a couple of months ago saying that she was getting baptized! I think I told you all about her a couple of months ago, but there she was sitting in front of me in Savannah Georgia. I was blown away and all she said was "you" at that moment I don't think I have ever been so happy in my life. She was on her way back from Jacksonville getting things out of storage and heading back to Iowa and just decided to stop in Savannah and go to church. I immediately got up and bore my testimony. Sitting in that chapel with me were four people that I had taught at one point or another, the Lord is truly merciful. She got up and bore her testimony after me and told her story, which was absolutely incredible by the way. Everywhere she went she just kept running into missionaries. After church I talked with her for probably an hour and got a picture and then we went our separate ways.  I have decided that seeing people get baptized is a wonderful thing, but even more joyous than that is to see those you have taught embrace the gospel and share it with the world. And that was the culmination of my week, the culmination of these last 6 months and it was amazing!

So yeah that was my week, and thank you mom for the package, I appreciate it. I am really glad to hear that everything is going so well back home, I can't believe Devin is getting married, that is just.....weird. I am so happy Tyler is going on a mission I prayed so long that it would happen. I love you all and have a wonderful week. Love, Elder Bushman