August 28, 2017

Dear everyone, 

This week has been awesome! We have spent a lot of time teaching people of Jesus Christ. We have worked hard and been able to see some cool miracles. 

I will share one today- we tracted into a less active family who hasn't been to church in forever! We talked to her for a little bit and then we broke down. She said that she just didn't feel comfortable going to church. She said she felt unworthy and that she couldn't really go to any church. We immediately pulled out the Book of Mormon, because the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul 👍👍👍

We read 2 Nephi 26:25-27

I will quote them here. 

25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

She loved this scripture. It really impacted her and comforted her. I think it can be a great comfort to all of us to realize that God will never turn us away. He is always asking for us to come to Him and find true peace. The only thing He asks of us is a willing heart. 

I know that when we offer our hearts to God, he can heal us. That's why we have to offer our whole hearts! If we only offer a part of our hearts, then He can only heal part of us. If we offer our whole selves, He will change us and fix us and make us into something infinitely better than we could ever dream. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Everyone has the opportunity to come to Him!

This week, turn yourself more fully to God. Then, help someone else to do so. We do this through repentance. I can promise you your life will be happier. That's a fact.

In other news, I can't stand my companion. He is a scrub. I can barely get him out of the house to do missionary work. Keep us in your prayers 😜

Jk we are actually working super hard. I love being a missionary ❤️❤️❤️

And I love you all. With much propriety. 

Elder Bush

Picture 1: My companion falls asleep everywhere. Even during workouts! It's super funny. 

Picture 2: I ran into someone who served his mission with my grandfather this week! There are no coincidences in the kingdom of God. 

Email to mom:

I think it is crazy how hard Satan works on us right before really good things happen. I'm bummed that I missed his baptism but it's okay- I'm so glad that he chose to be baptized. He looks really happy in all of the pictures. What a cute kid.

Thanks for sharing that experience. Satan works on all of us, and if he can get us to not feel the Spirit, he is happy. Whether that is through disobedience or stress or discouragement or whatever it is, our hearts can't be changed without the Spirit to purify them, so he wants to keep us away from the influence of the Spirit for sure.

That is so true. I feel like my mission has passed by in that same way- like a dream! I can't believe that so much time has passed. It makes me just keep trying to work harder and harder- I don't want to waste a second. 

Today we spent a lot of time playing sports. I am out of shape for real. It's nuts. 

This week we had a lot of cool experiences! Especially the day I had dinner with the Hale family. It was so cool to realize that I was having dinner with someone that Grandpa had served his mission with. That was super duper cool. 

We also had a really awesome lesson with that guy named Tracy Bates. He has been really struggling with the concept of modern day prophets, but something has definitely touched him because he read the wholeBook of Mormon! We taught him the principle of revelation again. We really focused on helping him to receive the revelation he needs in order to progress. The lesson was very spiritual and the member present was our mission president, so naturally that was awesome! Hahaha At the end of the lesson, Tracy prayed and after the prayer he looked at us and said something to the effect of "I have a lot of hurdles to overcome. Thank you guys. I appreciate your visits. I need to do some more reading and a lot of praying." It was super cool! He is sincere and he has real intent, so I have faith that he is going to get his answer. 

We have been working really hard this week to find new people to teach. We have encountered a lot of people who have some potential! I am hoping and praying that we can help many people come unto Christ before I get transferred. 

This week is transfer planning. It is a super sacred experience to be able to sit in the transfer room and help determine what will happen in the lives of the missionaries. It is amazing to realize that God does play a hand in our lives. He will make sure that we will be able to have the best experiences for us. It may not be the best experience, but it will be the best for us. 

Anyways, I love you very much Mom! You are the best. I am so grateful for your example to me. You are truly amazing. 

❤️❤️❤️

Elder Bush