January 30, 2017

So it's been a couple of weeks. I've slacked at my weekly emails, but
repentance is real, and I am going to attempt to write a good one
today.

It's been a great couple of weeks- like I said earlier, we got to go
to the temple, which was super awesome! My new companion, Elder
Callahan and I get along great. We work hard and strive to be faithful
in keeping the rules. A lot of good things are happening in the two
wards we cover. We have been teaching a lot of awesome people
recently, but sadly, they all moved away this week. Except for one. So
that was awesome, but we are still excited because the wards are
really trying to work with us and do missionary work.

Something else that was cool this week was the missionary broadcast.
They announced changes to the missionary schedule and to the key
indicators. I am really excited about that because it is already
changing the way I view missionary work. Sometimes I would get trapped
in thinking that just because we taught lessons, we were a success.
Now, I'm focused on what happens in the lessons we teach. I'm more
focused on the people, which has really helped me a lot. I seriously
love missionary work. Inviting and helping people to come unto Christ
is the most joyful work in the whole entire universe. True story.

This week as I have studied the Book of Mormon I have learned about
how important it is to strive to be faithful in keeping the
commandments. But what does that even mean? As I have studied 1 Nephi
3-4, I have learned that being faithful in keeping the commandments
doesn't mean that you are always perfect. Nephi and his brothers had
to try 3 times to get the plates. Each time they failed, Nephi
exhorted his brothers to "be faithful in keeping the commandments".  A
large part of being faithful in keeping the commandments is trying
over and over and over again, through repentance and the sacrament.

So this week, I want to encourage everyone to be faithful in keeping
the commandments! Let's keep trying! As Elder Bednar said in the
missionary broadcast, "You just have to be as good as you can be!"

You all are awesome. Thank you for your prayers and your support. 
I  pray that you are all blessed for that.

Appropriate love to you all,Elder Bush
Pictures!