Year 2, Week 47: Excited to Work With Them

Hello! This week has been really good! We had some exciting things happen and some really slow days too!

We had a lesson with R. and O! We focused on if she had read the Book of Mormon which she did. She said she has read a lot but understood little. So we re read it and explained as much as we could. We transition into her praying about it to know if it's true. She said, "yes! I have prayed and I feel like God is still waiting to answer me, but... When I left church last week I felt really at peace. I felt like this was the right place for me and my family. I believe that is part of the answer from God. It was really good! We testified that peace is what will bring the answers and how they just need to keep acting. We invited them to church and they said that they would be there. We'll they came to church and lots of the members are excited for them. Once members start seeing people at church 2-3 times then they get excited about the people. We had lots of members ask if they could help and the Branch Presidency is willing to drive 40+ minutes to come to lessons with us! It was really great! We will be having another lesson with them this week and are going to work on helping them know the importance of the Gospel for them. We are really excited!

We started teaching a member's boyfriend this week! Lol he is 19 and his name in A. He says he isn't very interested in religion but will listen to us if his girlfriend wants him to. So we are planning on trying to help him see why the gospel is important and why he needs it. I feel like that is a lack that so many people have! Nobody understands the Gospel is for them and they think it's just a nice thing if there is time. So we are excited to work with him. We have a church tour set up for Thursday to help him feel comfortable and then hopefully he will come to church. 

We had a lesson a couple weeks ago with the wife of a member. She has helped her husband, kids, cousins, aunts, and friends joking the church but won't join herself. Because of her probably 10-15 people have been baptized but she thinks she doesn't have faith enough to be baptized. We have an appointment this Friday and are hoping to help her see that she can progress and improve. 

The rest of this week was visiting less actives, finding and meeting new people, going to coordination meetings with our Branch, going on exchanges, etc. 

I got a little sick Wednesday and Thursday but am fine now! We have interviews this next week which will be good! But that's about the week!

Love you! 

Elder Bushman

Year 2, Week 46: It Will Take Great Faith

This week has been super super good! We had a great exchange with Elder Chu, a Chinese Elder! We had a lot of appointments with people cancel but still had some great ones none the less. 

We had a lesson R and O. We taught them last week about the Restoration and invited them to church. They didn't come. This past week we had a lesson about the importance of church and they said they would be there. We offered to show them the chapel but they were to busy. But when Sunday came they were there! They were a little nervous because their son is very energized and they didn't want to cause a scene. We reassured them that there are other kids who do the same. They said they would come and they showed up! It was so good! Their boy was a little rowdy during Sacrament meeting but was able to go to nursery for the second hour and have a party with all the other kids.

We had a really good lesson with R and V. R had read again in the Book of Mormon and wrote a great summary of what he learned from the Book of Mormon. He read in 3rd Nephi 18 about Christ instituting the Sacrament. We explained church and the importance of it. He really wants to come but can't. His job won't let him get work off because of his position at the store. We will have to teach a little more about the commandment of keeping the Sabbath day Holy and explain how he should have Sunday as a day of rest. Teach doctrine, testify, and invite to change is what we are going to be doing. It will take great faith on his part. We will for sure be praying he has that faith. We are also going to invite him to fast about what he can do to keep the Sabbath day holy and then act on what he feels. Lots of prayers with that would be appreciated. 

We had a great chapel tour with A. this week! She really like the building and loved the baptismal font. She said she would be baptized and that she would come to church but she hasn't answered our calls lately. So we literally are so confused. We may have to stop teaching her. So we will see. 

This has been such a good week! We figured out a way to locate more Hispanics by getting the voting records, putting them in a excel spreadsheet, and then putting their address into Google maps. We now have all locations of the Hispanics! 

Anyway! It's been a good one! 

Elder Bushman 

 

 

Year 2, Week 45: Have You Found Brazilian Food?

This week has been a good one! Pretty tiring to be honest. Elder Oberman got here on Wednesday and it's been fun being in a trio with him. He is from Tri-Cities, Washington and has been out for about 5ish months. He actually started his mission in Hartford as well so it's been cool to share stories about our time there. It's an interesting dynamic being in a trio. Whenever one companion goes to the bathroom you always have someone else to talk with. Our transfer day was crazy though. President Mavromatis said he wanted missionaries to show up at 1:30 pm at the Weston Chapel and leave before 3:30 pm. Elder Skordas and I weren't going to go but President Mavromatis said he wanted to talk to me so we went. We were there until 4:30 when President could talk with me and when I walked up to him he said, "Elder Bushman, what can I do for you?" I said, "I don't know President... You wanted me to talk with you." he replies, "oh.. Are you doing good?" I say, "yes. I'm doing great!" he says, "OK good. Have you found Brazilian food in Cambridge?" and that was it! That's all he asked me.. Lol! We have no idea if he forgot or if he said it to the wrong person, but it was funny! As you can see from all the pictures I will send, it's been a tiring week. 

Elder Porritt, one of my old companions, went home this last week. He stayed with us on Wednesday night and we were in a 4 Elder. Elder Porritt and I went out that night to a lesson with A....it was a very interesting lesson. She told us a lot of dreams and things she has had and we just tried to explain that our message will help her more than anything else. She said she would be at church on Sunday but wasn't able to come. We aren't sure what is going to have to happen to help her come. We'll see though. Hopefully it was just something random and it won't be an actual problem for her to come.

We also had a really good lesson with R. When we got to his house he said that he had read 3 Nephi 11 and had written a summary of what he had learned. When he read us his summary and he hit all the right points. He understood that the voice spoke thrice and they didn't understand until the last time, that Jesus Christ came down and administered to them, that He called a prophet and gave him the  authority to baptize and lead the church. It was a really good lesson. R. works on Sundays and so he isn't able to come to church but that is what we are currently working on. We invited him to be baptized and he said that he would like that. We didn't plan a date because he still isn't able to come to church but he said that is his goal. It was a really great lesson. We are excited for him and his family. He said he would read 3 Nephi 18 when Christ institutes the Sacrament and write his next summary. 

We had a really good lesson with R. and A. as well. R. prayed right before she read the Book of Mormon and then flipped to a random page and read. She said she received an answer to a question that she had. We also talked about 3 Nephi 11 and she understood a lot. She speaks English as well as Spanish and so she reads well and is able to understand what things are saying. We invited her to be baptized as well and she accepted. We invited her to be baptized on June 29th and she said she would pray about it. She didn't want to accept a date and be a liar if she didn't make it. They also said they would come to church but something came up with A. and he wasn't able to go. R. really wanted to however so we just need to work with him.

We had a couple other lessons this week but nothing too exciting. We have began teaching several people but haven't had return appointments with them. Our biggest struggle is that nobody is coming to church. Maybe they aren't prepared? Maybe their excuses are valid and we need to give them more time? Maybe they need something else? Haha! These are the questions us missionaries have on the daily! I need to do some more praying to find out!!

Well I love you!! Have a great week!

Elder Bushman

Year 2, Week 44: We are going to be a Trio for 2 Weeks

Hello! This week has been a great one! Let me share a few events from the week :)

On Wednesday, we had lesson with a family that we had met several weeks prior. We met him and got his info but kinda forgot about him. Several days later while making calls we spoke with him and set up an appointment. Neither of us could remember who he was. When we got there, him and his wife both came in and sat down to listen. We began with a very comfortable conversation talking about there lives, when they got married, where he works, etc. He works Sundays which is a bummer but we have dealt with that before! Lol! 

We talked a little bit about why they are interested, what they already believe about God, if they are religious, attend church, and other things of that nature. They are from El Salvador and said that being here in the States is a huge blessing from God.

He seemed to understand prophets very well! When we talked about the Priesthood he said, "so if you don't have it then you can't lead God's church." We promised lots of blessings to their family and other things in their lives because of our message. He said he went to church as a child but hasn't gone a lot lately, he knows it's important however.

They accepted the invitations to read and pray with enthusiasm. He loves to read and promised he would read 3 Nephi 11 before our next visit. He also wants an English Class so we will probably be setting up one this week! His name is R. and she is V. He works so they weren't able to go to church. 

We had another lesson this week with a lady named R. Her friend is a recent convert here by the name of A. We are teaching A's mom and now is a friend! We met R. a couple weeks ago and finally got a meeting set up for this past week. We got to know them a bit. As we taught, she seemed to understand a lot. She is fluent in both Spanish and English. When people speak both they always understand better. We taught in Spanish but she really understood! 

While teaching and explaining the Apostasy we asked if she has had the question of, "why are there so many churches?" she said that she has had that question for a long time and didn't know why. She said she wants to know the truth! Super cool lady! 

She prayed before we came over that she could have wisdom and have an open heart to our message. When we read in the Bible she said she followed the counsel in James 1:5 without even knowing! 

She said she would be at church if A. went and A. said he would! Turns out, something came up for A. and he wasn't able to go but was very apologetic about it. So hopefully next week we will be able to get them to church. A. was also supposed to get his mom there so that was a little sad.

We were supposed to have lessons with several others this week but they got canceled. D. had to work, A's mom got sick and went to the hospital, others got called into work and some just weren't there at all!

We got transfer texts this week as well! Elder Skordas and I will be staying together! We are getting back a Zone into our mission June 21st and lots of missionaries needed to be placed in trios until then, so we are going to be in a trio for 2 weeks! Elder Oberman, who is an English missionary will be with us for the next 2 weeks starting on Wednesday! That'll be super fun! 

Well :) love you lots! 

Elder Bushman