Year 2, Week 17: Super Good Food

This week has been very good! I really am loving the mission! We had some good things happen and some not so good things happen!

First, Thanksgiving was great! Our Mission President said we shouldn't tract so we just decided to visit some members! We had our Thanksgiving Dinner with the Rodriguez family and their kids. It was great having some super good food! We went to O, S & R as well to share a scripture with them. They gave us some super good ham and Broccoli. We then hurried to visit another member but she didn't have a man in the house. So we just picked up the food that she wanted to give us and left. Thanksgiving was a great day!

We had a District Leadership Council with all the District Leaders in our Zone. Most missionaries have been really struggling with the work lately and so our purpose was to identify some things that we aren't doing or need to do better. After 2 hours we walked away with a plan to follow the counsel of President Mavromatis more effectively, be better about studying and applying principles from Preach my Gospel, and to develop a stronger love for the people we teach through working to develop Christlike attributes and praying for Charity. It was a super great meeting that was very good and effective. 

We were able to get in contact with J. this week. He has picked up some old habits that aren't good and has started working on Sundays again. We talked with him for a bit and asked if we would be able to come over to share a message with him. We set up a time to go visit him on Friday but when we went and passed by, he wasn't there. His car was out front and lights were on but he didn't pick up the phone or answer the door. It was a little disappointing that he blew us off and wasn't there but we are still trying to help him back. Hopefully he has those same desires! 

We had our Branch Thanksgiving party on Saturday and met some cool people that are friends with members that we will be trying to work with! We have exchanges, MLC, and Zone Conference this week so it will be busy!!

Love you all

Elder Bushman

Year 2, Week 16: What is our River Jordan?

Hello Family!! 

This week was pretty good. We had a super cool lesson with R and A. They are the kids who are in their dad's custody on Sundays so they can't go to church. President Velez, our Branch President, was with us. He was so outgoing and just really helped teach! We talked about what happens at church and discussed things like primary, Young Men, Young Women, Priesthood, and Relief Society. We talked about how they can be blessed by going to church. We are just praying that they will be able to be with their mom on Sundays. 

We had interviews with President Mavromatis this week. He shared a scripture about Joshua leading the Israelites and they came upon the river Jordan. When the people sanctified their hearts they were able to come through on dry ground. He talked about what our river Jordan is personally, in our companionship, in our area, and in our Zone. It was cool.

We have some exciting events coming up soon. We have a District Leader Council where we will be talking about what we can do to cross our Jordan Rivers. 

We have a Zone Conference coming up where President and Sister Bennett, the area Presidency, to talk about how we can receive more miracles and sanctify ourselves further! We have some exciting things coming!! 

Not much else happened this week. Sorry for the short email. 

Love you! 

Elder Bushman 

Year 2, Week 15: Awesome Conversion Story

This week was good. Lots of missed appointments which is sad but it still was a good week.

We tried something new this week. We were trying to help the members of our Branch recognize the blessings of the Restoration. We had 2 member appointments this week. The first one was super good! The member is named Ana Maria. She was baptized by Elder Porritt, one of my companions in Waterbury, but moved to Worcester from Lynn, MA. She has an awesome conversion story. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be baptized and had lots of doubts but then had a dream where she knew the church was true and 4 days later, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She got so excited about it that we invited her to share the blessings of the Gospel with others. She has a friend at work who is struggling and she said that she would share her testimony with her. We role played her sharing her testimony to help her feel comfortable!

The second appointment didn't go so hot. We were visiting a family where the wife Is completely active, but the husband only comes to Sacrament Meeting.

They shared the stories of them finding the church. He shared about his mission experience and how he found the church at the age of 18. Hermana shared about the church she used to attend and how through a family she was living with, found the Church of Jesus Christ .

We invited them to think of a name that they could share the Gospel with. She told us about a friend she has at work who she has already tried to share the Gospel with but didn't accept her invitation. She said that she couldn't think of another person to share the gospel. We asked if we could role play with her to help her feel comfortable. Hermano did not like that.

He shared how members of the church stay within their inner circle of friends and don't branch out. He shared how the responsibility of missionary work is on the missionaries. He expressed how activities can help but missionaries should do it.

He shared how he hasn't read from the Book of Mormon since his mission and that he is considered active as long as he comes to Sacrament Meeting. He shared how he loves to pray and does it everyday. He shared how every missionary comes through and does the same routine of asking for referrals. We concluded with an invitation for him the read the Book of Mormon and he said he would not commit to doing it.

Hermana  shared how she reads, prays, attends the temple, holds a calling, watches conference, and does what she needs to do to gain Salvation. 

We offered service but he wouldn't accept because of past experiences with missionaries missing the service event. So we hurry and concluded with a prayer and left! So that was a sad experience. We'll keep trying though!

We had an appointment with a guy named A but when we went over he wasn't home. His brother, M, was however! We asked if A had a phone and aid, "who is A?? I have a brother named M? Guys, he was probably drunk when he told you his name!" haha well, M wasn't there!! We had a good lesson with M though! 

The Sisters had a baptism of a guy named F this week! They called him months ago and he said," call me on October 10th." so they did and he got baptized on Saturday! So exciting news for them!

We met a guy named Y and he told us to come by his house. We knocked on his door, but a guy named A answered the door and asked us to come in because it was super cold outside. S, his wife, was there and we asked them about their beliefs. They believe in Christ and God but have attend so many churches and are tired of criticism coming from them.

We explained how Joseph Smith also had this question. Which church is true? They asked questions about the name of the Church, who Mormon was, if we believe in Christ or God, if we can marry outside of the church etc.

They accepted Invitations to read and pray. They've seen many missionaries in Puerto Rico and asked if the Church was an American Church because all the missionaries there are Americans! Haha:) they don't work Sundays and have a car so we are looking forward to meeting again with them. At they end, we asked if they knew Y and they have never heard of him! Haha:) fun times!

Nobody came to church again so we will have to consider stopping the teaching of some people.

Not much else happened this week! 

Love you all 

Elder Bushman 

 

 

Year 2, Week 14: We have been talking with literally everyone

Hello family,

This week has been pretty good. We are staying for together for another transfer! On average, most companionship are together for 2 transfers but Elder Fragoso and I will be going for 3. So it looks like we still have some work to do! We are excited for the people we are going to be working with and excited to find more people to work with!

This week we had exchanges with Elder Lund and Elder Merrill. They are the English Elders here in Worcester. I went with Elder Lund in his area. He has just finished his first transfer in the field! It was fun working with someone who has all the ideas from the MTC still running through his mind! He was so prepared to lead throughout the day of what to do and who to visit! It was awesome:) we had some great lessons with people and then had a Baptismal interview with a boy named E that they were teaching!

We had lots of missed appointments and dropped people this week. Lots of contacting however. We have been talking with literally everyone! We talk with lots of people anyway, but because we are looking for more people to start teaching and come to church, we have done a lot more contacts. It's been good! We have had some cool contacts!

On one occasion, we knocked a door and a man named J let us in. J let us in and immediately went to go get his wife so that she could also listen. They have such a cute 3 month old baby named S! 

They've never heard of the BoM before but were willing to read. G, his wife, after having heard the intro, said that through the BoM we may know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. They already knew that prophets were messengers of God! J's dad is a pastor back in Kenya so they are pretty knowledgeable on Christian topics! 

They were willing to listen because just before we stopped by, J had kicked his Brother in Law out of his house because he was causing problems. When we came they saw it as message from God, especially because we taught about families! It was super cool experience!

But other than that... Not much happened this week! Sorry for the short one but I love you all! 

Elder Bushman 

 

 

Year 2, Week 13: Super STUPID Idea

Hello Family! How is everyone??

This week has been pretty good here on my end! The RedSox won the world series so everyone is excited here!

This week has been full of exchanges. Elder Fragoso and I didn't realize how quickly the transfer had gone so we hadn't planned any exchanges until last week so we went on 3 exchanges back to back to back and have another one tomorrow:)

Soo. Tuesday was an exchange with Elder Church! He came over to Worcester and we worked here in the Spanish program. Elder church has been on his mission for 23 1/2 months and is going home on the 9th of November! He talked a lot about his experiences throughout his mission and what he has enjoyed.

We had ZERO things planned in the day so we made lots of phone calls with people and tried to set up times and places for us to come by. We met a family from Ecuador who was taught by missionaries in the past. They weren't progressing so missionaries stopped teaching them. They said we could come over on Friday so we'll see if anything good turns out for them.

Elder Church is also the District Leader so we talked a lot about his District, what they are struggling with, and how he can help them. It was a good exchange. 

The next day I was on an exchange with an Elder named Elder Shkapich. He is from AZ and has been out for about 2 transfers now. He is a Spanish Elder so it was fun working with him. Framingham, MA has a huge Portuguese population so we talked to tons of Brazilians in Spanish and they replied in Portuguese. We communicate pretty well that way which was cool! Elder Shkapich woke up sick so he slept a little while longer so we didn't have tons of time to do stuff but we made good use of our time! It was cool:) he is a great missionary.

Next exchange was with the Assistants! They came over to our area for the exchange. Because it was a Thursday, which is weekly planning day, we had them sit in and watch us plan, give us tips, etc. It was good! We then went to work!! Elder Fragoso and I started an English Class with the church's self reliance program. On exchanges, we met a family from Columbia! We knocked on their window and told them who we were! They said we could stop by and asked if we had an English Class! Just so happened that we did! They didn't come to it because of a conflict but they said they wanted to come to church and be in the class! We are excited to work with them.

And boom! That's the end of exchanges! It's been a long week but, the week isn't over ;) 

So.. Elder Fragoso and I had a super STUPID idea. Saturday morning, we thought to ourselves that we wanted some doughnuts!! So... We each bought a dozen doughnuts! Haha:) then... Being the boys we are, decided to also buy every item off the Taco Bell Dollar menu! Haha:) so, on Saturday, I ate 10 doughnuts and 10 items from Taco Bell. Literally never have felt so sick in my life! Super disgusting. That night, took some Body Cleanse and Apple Cider Vinegar! Sunday morning was rough for us!

O, S & R got called into work so they weren't able to come to church again. It was pretty sad. They can still be baptized on the 10th of November but.. It still was sad. 

We met two guys randomly on the street who just so happen to work in Polar Beverages with our members! So we will be teaching them soon! 

Overall! Great week:) 

Love you all

Elder Bushman 

With the Assistants

Year 2, Week 12: They Want the Blessing of Eternal Life

Hello Family! This week has gone by super fast! Lots of stuff happened but I don't even remember half of it. Let's see...

Monday night we spent trying to look for a less active family with unbaptized children. Their phone number didn't work so we were passing by their house. We knocked and a kid named A. answered. The family that we were looking for wasn't there but we went in and started sharing our message with some others. A., his mom, S, her boyfriend, J., their cousin J and L were all there. J. invited us in to share a message with S., they then asked the entire household to join in. They pulled J out of his room to listen. 

They listened intently and wanted to learn more about the church. They asked about where and when our church met and if there was transportation to get there or if someone could pick them up. They believe in God, and the Son as their Savior.

A. offered the closing prayer; it was really good. He gave lots of thanks... thanks for the trials in his life that make him strong. His mom said as we left that that was the first time she'd ever heard him pray out loud! It was a super sincere and cool prayer. 

Elder Fragoso and I forgot to order more supplies so we had zero Book of Mormons, so we didn't teach the Book of Mormon. We need to teach them that next time! When we came back later in the week we had more stuff. We were able to teach the Book of Mormon and share what it was. We invited them to pray and ask to know if it was true.

Last week I talked about J, J, S, M & M. We had a lesson with them this week and they told us that they are looking for God and don't believe he is in churches. They shared how they wouldn't go to church for 3 hours and that they know everything there is to know. It was pretty sad. Instead of being angry or annoyed, all we felt was love for them and knew that they just needed sometime. We committed them to read and pray and left.

We started teaching O, R & S about the Commandments. Since they started working on Sundays we first taught Sabbath day. They shared that commandments are just rules so we helped them understand it was also to show God we love him and to get blessings. They understood. They want the blessing of eternal life! 

Hno. Jimenez, one of our members, bore strong testimony. He works on Saturday nights from 8 to 5 in the morning and comes to church at 11. He has a super strong testimony that church attendance is key. They enjoyed that. 

When we brought up baptism, O & S smiled and said they were still excited to prepare for baptism. They knew what it meant and the blessings it would bring! 

The spirit was very strong, after 1 Nephi 3:7 and that O. agreed to talk to his new boss and get Sundays off.

C., the sister, shared she felt good and that she felt like what we were saying was true. S.  said that was joy she was feeling because they were gathered as a family. C. mentioned it was the Holy Ghost.

We stopped by a man who had been taught in the past this week! It was super cool. His name is A! He shared with us that he has been looking for a church but hasn't been able to find one. He has felt the Spirit but feels that he loses the Spirit and goes back to his old ways. He wants to get married so his daughter can grow up in a family. He has cancer and so it's hard for him to come to church! 

D., his wife, and R., his niece, joined in after. D was open to receive the message but A. is still hesitant even though he has read from the Book of Mormon, but feels the need to continue reading and searching.

R&D, didn't say much but they seem open to our testimonies and the blessings we promised. A. was open to our testimonies but not so much to logic. A. has some misconceptions about the time-line of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He is a little confused from misunderstanding past missionaries. But we are trying to help him!!

We fasted this week with R, A and Hermana L so that she could have custody of the kids! They said that it was hard for them to do it but they resisted all the food and treats that were placed in front of them. R and A said that they didn't like doing it but did!

When we talked about following the Prophet, they told us some of the responsibilities of prophets and that they were willing to follow him. 

During our discussion of following the law, A. said that she didn't think that obeying the law was a commandment but once we said it was she quickly said that she changed and believes that is a commandment.

During the Word of Wisdom, R and A quoted back to us the 5 things we aren't supposed to put into our bodies. They said that the reason we shouldn't take those things is because we aren't smart and we can be addicted. The are such smart kids! Hermana L. said that R shouldn't be drinking Coke because it's against the Word Of Wisdom! Hahaha! We cleared that up! 

They accepted all commitments and said they would live everything!

We had some other appointments and such this week! It was a good one.

O, S and R's car broke so they didn't come to church:( they won't be able to be baptized this month.. :/

All is well here! 

Love you all! 

Elder Bushman 

 

 

Year 2, Week 11: Ahh! It's the Greatest!

Hello Family! This week has been pretty good. Let's see... What has even happened?? We had a cool experience that will be further detailed below. Happy Birthday to Eden! I know I'm super late but I'm trying:) I can't believe it's already half way through October! It's super nuts!

So O, R and S! The lesson went well! S. remembered a lot from Conference and understood the 2 hour church change. O&R fell asleep during it and missed most of it. They liked what they saw but couldn't tell us what happened. 

During the lesson, S. explained to us what faith was, O. explained what Repentance was, and R. explained to us what Baptism was. They all understand those three things so it was pretty easy to teach the Doctrine of Christ!! 

S. said that they would continue reading with R. We downloaded the Book of Mormon app on their Phone so they could listen to it.

O. got a new job at a Mexican Restaurant. He works as a chef. They didn't come to church because they worked this Sunday. They may not be getting baptized this month if they can't quickly change the schedule and get back to church with a commitment to come every week.

They are doing well however! They are fun to teach because they grasp everything very quickly!! 

R and A! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and started teaching them about the Commandments. They are 11 and 12 so they shouldn't have any major problems but it's still possible. R. wasn't understanding the importance of Church, Pray, and Read so we applied to Fortnite! R. said in Fortnite, you need weapons, materials, and medicine to survive. We said that church is where we get our medicine from the Sacrament, materials is what we read in the scriptures, and our weapon is prayer. It helped it click for him. Thir mom's divorce didn't go through so she doesn't have custody on Sundays so they can't come to church.

We had an awesome lesson with a family this week! M, J, J, S, M

We knocked on their door, they let us in! 

We taught them the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! It was great! We haven't taught a lesson like that in a while! We usually schedule appointments for the future so we can have members and such! 

First it was just three of them.  As we taught about the church of Jesus Christ S asked where it was based and where it is now. She resonated with the idea of the Church today! 

M had a beer at the beginning and said she couldn't stop drinking because it would go bad, but, after the opening prayer she felt the spirit and asked her husband to take it away! Haha! 

Half way through M. walked in with J. M. asked them to join; they both did which was pretty surprising! Usually people come and go and don't care to stay. J. believes in Christ as his Savior. 

S. gave a wonderful closing prayer with some help in the beginning and end, all we did was ask her what she would tell her Heavenly Father, she gave lots of thanks. 

J. M and S. all acknowledged they felt the spirit. We told them they would keep feeling it as they read and prayed

We had another lesson with a man named V. and A. from the Dominican Republic! 

A. believes strongly in God. He is a God-fearing man...he knows the purpose of the commandments and has a desire to follow them, he has been separated from a church for a while and we told him now would be a perfect time to come back! He had some confusion about which Church Christ left behind through Peter. He didn't understand that Peter led the Church of Christ and not some other church. 

A. knew that Israel used to be God's chosen people, he now knows that those blessings are freely given to all through baptism in the restored Church!! He accepted our baptismal invitation and so did V! 

V whipped out a dusty old BoM at the end of the lesson from when missionaries taught him years ago! 

When invited to pray and read for an answer, A. said he wouldn't ask... Until he fasted to receive the answer, he said that through fasting we receive answers from God!! They are incredible! 

Alex gave a wonderful prayer at the end, in proper order, just needs help to say the ending 100% properly! 

It's incredible to see what people already know that is restored truth! When we teach further truth, it's so easy for prepared people to accept it! I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He lived and died for me! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is an inspired writing. I know that our Prophet, Russel M. Nelson is a Prophet! I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change people's life because of His Atonement and Ransom for our souls! 

I love being on a mission! Being a missionary is a great experience that I wouldn't trade for the World!! My favorite part of missionary life is teaching! Days without lessons are the worst!!! When I first came out, I never wanted to teach because I thought it would be boring and scary. Ahh! It's the greatest! 

Not much else to report! I love you all!! 

Elder Bushman