Service comes in all shapes & sizes! May 11, 2011

I just found out that anyone can email me, I just can't email anyone but family back. So it may take them a couple weeks to get a response. But at least people can save on postage like this. My address is jonathan.bushman@myldsmail.net.

Well, sounds like everything is goin pretty good over there! I really enjoyed seeing you all on sunday, and although I've been a little trunky lately (only as in I'm remembering how fun everything was back home and what not) I have been able to get myself and my companion moving a lot quicker lately. And on sunday we didn't have any appointments, but we did go out looking for people, and found someone that said we can return later when his wife and baby son are home, so that was exciting.

So, S.lla Amer called us yesterday morning, and then my companion passed the phone to me without telling me anything she said. So I started talking to her, and she asked me if I could speak spanish. I told her no, but that I used to be able to, and that I'm trying to re-teach myself. She then asked if we could help her at the church tonight at 6 pm. I said sure, and then asked what she needed me to do, and after some clarification she told me that I would just need to recite something, because the boy that was going to do it was out of town. So I figured why not, this would be our service for the day. So we got there at 6, and waited 20 min before anyone showed up, and then before S.lla Amer showed up, a young woman from the ward and her mom showed up, and asked which one of us was going to sing with her daughter tonight. So, first surprise, I'm singing. So I told her it was me, and then s.lla amer showed up and started explaining to me more what I was to do. Turns out this was a song between a young man leaving on his mission and his girlfriend, and he's saying stuff like <<I won't judge you if you find someone else>> and she's saying it won't happen, and that she'll wait hor him, because <<tu eres especial>>. SO I had to learn the words, melody, and structure of this song in 20 min (the meeting started at 7, it was like their standards night or something) and then had to act it out with her in front of about 40 of the ward members lol it was pretty great. And then at the end of the song I picked up my luggage and walked down the center of the audience with another youth who was my companion in this skit, and we left all dramatically with our girlfreinds waving at us. Hhahaha it was hilarious. And don't worry, I didn't so much as hold her hand. So we're good. But it was definitely weird lol. So, yeah, that's my story.

So, I know I didn't say much about Uncle Reuben in the last email, but it was kind of hard to hear that he had passed away so suddenly. I know we didn't see him too often, but I have a lot of good memories with him and stuff he would do with us. With riding horses for the first time, and going up to the cabin.. But one thing that was very different, that hasnt ever felt so real, is I felt very much relieved, and although I'm so far away from all of you, I feel like he just came where he can be a little closer to where we are over here. Because he can now see the things we're doing, and help me out when I'm struggling, and it's comforting knowing that there's one more angel in heaven that is watching over me. And I forget that a lot. I forget how many relatives I have that are watching over me, so it was just really nice to be reminded of that. It's still very sad that his time on earth is up, but it's also very comforting having a knowledge of our heavenly father's love and the plan He has for all of us. Just made me remember.....

Allora, non posso pensare di qualcosa di più per dirti, ma ho appena realizzato che dico <<so>> tanto... cioè l'ho scitto al'inizio di ogni paragrafo... haha, va beh.

ti voglio bene!

Anziano Bushman

This is the Duomo in Milano. And that's me in front.

This place is called the skull church by the missionaries. I have now idea why there are so many bones and skulls here, but there are. (Yes, those are skulls behind me...)

When you don't have a mixer and the spoon just won't do...

Added benefit of using your hands...

And, of course, it was worth it!!! 

This basically sums up my companion. I had already done my 30min workout this morning, then I took a shower, and found him in the workout room like this. He didn't quite make it to the bench before he realized how warm he was in his blanket...