The last email?!? Dec 20, 2012

Well, seeing as I will be seeing my family on skype next tuesday, I can't imagine I will have anything more to say the day after. Even more so seeing how soon afterwards I will be home. BUT we'll see.

This week really has been awesome but I will apologize in advance, because right now, I am super tired! So bear with me!

So. This week we had the Branch Christmas party. It was super awesome! There was some fiasco-ness in setting up and cleaning up, but it was good. We were kind of the life of the party, seeing as we dressed up as Babbi Natale ( Santa Clause(s) ), so that was pretty awesome. I just realized I don't have any other adjectives in my vocabulary other than "awesome". Is that a problem?

We went caroling!!! AND! After everyone telling us it wasn't going to work, that it's different in Italy, it's not like in America, people will laugh, and after all the negativity, it was awesome. My hands are very cold though. I may actually be risking frostbite. (That was an extreme exaggeration btw, no actual dangers are involved). But yeah, it worked! We didn't have too much time, but in the time we were out there several people stopped to see what our poster said, and then eventually one lady stopped and took a picture, and stood there for a couple of seconds, so we stopped singing and asked her what she thought. Next thing we knew she was asking to sit down and we were engaged in a 30 min conversation about the gospel. In the end, she wasn't very interested, but we're going back out tomorrow and saturday with high hopes!

Venice was awesome!

haha, I don't know what else to add to that. You kinda just have to see it. I took plenty of pictures, so that may help.

Also, two of our investigators are making huge leaps of progress!!! They're very busy people, but they are always talking to each other about our church, and discussing different principles. The part that made me even more excited, was on tuesday at our lesson when she was telling us about her reading of the Book of Mormon, she said that she just "feels more and more like this is the right church". Man, they're awesome!!

well.... 9 days? yup. Thanks for all of the continued support! I love you all!

W

Anziano Bushman

Christmas treats!

In Venezia

Me and my companion in Venezia

We were the life of the Branch Christmas party!

The Gorizia Branch Christmas party

We had some success talking to people as we sang Christmas Carols on the street.

Still Going Strong! Dec 12, 2012

Still going strong this week! All of our investigators are doing pretty well still, and we've even found a few more potentials.

It snowed!!! About 4", and then it kept partially melting and refreezing creating a nice layer of ice to threaten anyone who wanted to walk on the unshovelled sidewalks of Gorizia. I have not, however, fallen yet. I've been having a hard time feeling my toes, ears and fingers, but I'm still goin' as strong as an ox, and as healthy as a bowl of salad! (too corny? probably.) But this snow caused our Branch President to decide to cancel church for the week. So that was weird. We would have been at a loss of what to do, but then a member gave us a call needing their shovel back, so we went and picked some ice from their drive way (meriting a lunch as well) and we got to bless the sacrament for them, so that was fun. Easily the strangest sunday I remember, but it was fun.

Tomorrow we're going to have our caroling test run, so we'll see how it goes. The idea is that people will stop and ask us what we're doing, or why, or something, and thus we'll be able to find the people that want to talk to us and about religion. We'll see how it goes =)

vi voglio bene!
Anziano Bushman

Christmas Season is Here! Dec 5, 2012

Well, we had some more awesome lessons this week! We saw Alice twice this last week, and taught her all about the Plan of Salvation, and things are just going great!

There's also another couple from english class that we've started teaching. It was actually even quite the miracle how they found us! This miracle started a couple of weeks ago when we were walking in a nearby city to the bus stop so we could get home, and this guy pulls over his car in front of us real quick and jumps out of the car to ask us if we still do english class hahah. So we explained when and where it was, and then a couple of weeks later him and his fiancè started coming to the class! They always ask us about our church, and so last thursday we set up a lesson with them to talk about the Restoration of the Church, and it went great!

Really, things couldn't be much better! Christmas Season is here!

vi voglio bene!

Anziano Bushman

A Good Week! Nov 28, 2012

WOOT! This week was awesome. I knew it couldn't be long before I'd get a good week to tell you about!! =)

SO. First. Last Wednesday, right after email, we went to a service project that was pretty far away, and upon coming home, we decided to clean up super quick so we could go back outside and pass by a contact, because they had told me in the past that wednesday nights were the best for them. So, we got over there, and they were home! (already a miracle because the husband is a Military Police, and has crazy work hours) So, seeing as we hadn't gotten to teach them yet, we just expected to pass by for 2 min, and set up an appointment or something, but they had just finished dinner, and so they had plenty of time. The wife (Serena) was super elect! She had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet we had left, and she had looked on the website a bit, so she had already built up a fair amount of questions, and she was sincerely interested in what it would mean for her if this message really is true! So now tonight we have another lesson with them!

Friday (not thursday) we had Thanksgiving. We ate at the Bressan's house. The only catch, was we ended up buying and making (nearly) everything! It was a little stressful, but with the help of Micol (their oldest daughter, soon to get married in Washington State) it went very smoothly! We made mashed potatoes, stuffing, apple pie, homemade rolls, and we had 3 chickens instead of a turkey. Turkey takes too long. But it was super good, and everyone loved it! So, yeah! Success!

Another cool miracle, was from English Class. We had to take over English class this week because the usual teacher was out of town. So we got to the church early to set up, but we weren't the only ones there early. Two of the newer students were also there, even though the class didn't start for another 20 min. side note: recently we've been recognizing that a lot of our english class students could even be interested in the Gospel, we were just having some difficulty moving from teaching them english, to teaching them the Gospel. So first thing they ask us is about coffee. They had heard about some of our beliefs, and they wanted to know what the real story was. They had a lot of questions! And by their comments, we even were able to find out that they had been talking a lot about our church in the last couple days!! So, from there it was really easy to ask if they wanted to learn more (which they did) and to set up an appointment! Go english class!

Another english class success, there's a family that's been very faithful in coming to english class, and they've invited us over for dinner, to have a sort of late thanksgiving! And they are also super great people, so I'm sure they'll be open to the Gospel!!!

Well, I'm really excited for these next couple weeks! I'll definitely have a good update for you all next week! vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!!

Anziano Bushman

The Hastening of the Work! Nov 21, 2012

Welllll my new companion, Anziano Anderson, is a BOSS. He is THE coolest companion I have had yet by far! (if I have any old comps reading this, don't get offended, it wasn't you, it was me) But really. I feel like a lot of the times I've been the one to get on my companion's nerves, but Anz Anderson is just unstoppable!

It's still slow going with the work, but we're working hard! And we have several new finding techniques that we are really excited for.... one of them (of which President whole-heartedly approved) will even involve a guitar =) (inspired by Uncle Mike) I'll give you more details on that one once we actually get it going though =)

It's hard to believe that these two years are coming to an end. I never thought it would be this hard, and my thoughts go to home more and more each day.  But at the same time I have the strangest, unquenchable desire to still help everyone I can while I still have the time. These are important times! President Wolfgramm called these the times of the hastening of the work, what with the huge wave of missionaries coming. It's weird thinking about it too, because I won't be out in the field to see these changes. Instead, I'm probably one of the last missionaries to NOT see those changes (if you catch my drift). In somma, I feel a weird sort of responsibility to do what I can to help these new missionaries get off to a good start. AAAAAAND now I'm just rambling.

Well, I love you all. I hope you all have a great thanksgiving! I'll see you very soon!!!!

Anziano Bushman

Doing My Part Now & When I Go Home! Nov 14, 2012

Well, my last comp, the missionary who will "kill" me, is Anziano Anderson. I have never met him before, and all I've heard is that he's from the farm town of Delta, Utah and he's entering his 5th transfer. I've also heard that he's "pretty chill" so albeit that is one of the most generic descriptions I have ever heard, this could work out pretty well. My emotions haven't really caught up with the reality that I'm entering my last transfer, so I can't exactly say I'm freaking out. But I AM very excited to get things going here in Gorizia! I know I've been saying this for 6 weeks now, but there's a LOT of potential here, and if I don't see any baptisms, the missionary that takes my place here will for sure! With the Christmas season last year the people were a little more open. Not much, just a little. But still, I'm ready.

I am however super excited to come home. It's not the kind of excited where somehow it renders the person unable to think or do anything else, but every time I think about it I remember more and more things I could have done before to help God's Kingdom grow while I was still home. In fact, I strongly believe that a large part of the reason why we serve missions at such a young age, is to help us realize how much it is that members can do for the missionary work, and how they actually have WAY more influence than we do as full-time missionaries. It's true that we have been given the directive to teach, and the spirit will work through us as missionaries when we are teaching the gospel, but members are the ones that help change people's lives. It's the members in the area that will be a part of that person's life for good, and help strengthen them by being a good example. So that's what I wish I had done better, and that's what I can't wait to do when I get home =)  

But for now, I'm preparing to introduce the city to my new companion and start teaching God's children. Until next week! vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!

Anziano Bushman

The Gondola's in Venezia (Venice)

Us and Manlio

Us and the Zuccòn family

The Italy/Slovenia border in Gorizia. It's famous:)

With the Schina family - S.lla Schina is from England, so the whole family speaks both english and italian.

English class!

Me in Venezia (Venice)

Members Make the Difference! Nov 7, 2012

Whoooot! Gorizia!

Well.... Time is running out. We actually have a LOT of "leads" you could call them. And we're being really blessed. We just have to make the next step and move them from "contacted" to "teaching". I feel like in the next 2 weeks though things are going to start getting a lot better. Even with holiday seson around the corner. We've been seeing members a lot lately, trying to get to know everyone, and although it doesn't seem like it's a direct consequence of anything we've done, members are starting to bring all kinds of friends and relatives that actually want to learn more about the gospel, to church! It's exciting!!!!

Well, I feel terrible writing so little, but there's not anything else to report on...

vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!

Anziano Bushman

Nury & Davide are getting BAPTIZED! Oct 31, 2012

Well, it's cold. VERY cold. Saturday and sunday we had a huge storm pass through, and now it just left us freezing cold! But, it's all good, we're surviving.

Still no real progress on the investigator pool. We've been starting to have more success with proselyting though! On sunday we tried knocking doors for the first time in a long time, and almost immediately a couple let us in to talk. Their beliefs were pretty spot on, even though very space doctriney, they just didn't really know how to get there, which is why we have the Gospel of Christ. So we testified, and left them a pamphlet, but they both work more than 2 jobs, and don't have time to meet... Bummer.

SUPER exciting news though!!! You remember Nury and Davide from Pavia??? Well, on monday I got a call from the missionaries who are serving there right now, who had gotten special permission from president to call me. They then passed the phone to Nury and Davide, who told me that they are getting baptized this saturday!!!!!  They are so awesome!!!!! They wanted me to come, but Pres said it was too far away (probably a 4 hr train at least) But still, SUPER exciting!!!!

Also Mattia, friend of our new convert Ivan, came to church for the first time on sunday! Although things are moving very slow with him, he's starting to come to youth activities and be more involved! It's super exciting!

I feel like I have not been in Gorizia a lot yet.... Every monday and tuesday so far I have been on exchange in another city. First Udine, then Trieste, then just barely Pordenone. It's been super cool seeing all these cities, but I still think Gorizia is my favorite =)

Well, no more news for now, vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!!

Anziano bushman

Building our Teaching Pool! Oct 24, 2012

Alrighty! My feet hurt. Not a big deal though. We've turned Gorizia from a biking city to a walking city, mainly because we don't have a pump to pump up my tire, but also because with only 2months left, my suit pants wouldn't be able to handle the wear and tear that comes from riding a bike everyday... ALSO! We can talk to more people if we're on foot!  

So unfortunately, we don't really have any investigators.... But, there are a couple of promising people. 

JeanJacques we found last week, and have only been able to teach once, but he's super cool, comes from Cameroon, and has no religious background but wants to learn about Christ. I don't know about you, but that's just music to my ears! We should be seeing him again this week, and so next week I'll have a better update.

There was also an italian couple we met on sunday which resulted in a rather interesting contact. The wife didn't want to talk to us, but the husband made her wait, and told her to just hear us out basically. They liked our message, and want a copy of the Book of Mormon, so we tried setting up a return appointment. I don't even know how many times the wife tried to say that they're not interested, but the husband won out again when he said thursday they're not doing anything! The coolest part though probably happened on Monday while I was on scambio in Trieste. My companion said that they ran into the wife again on the street. She told them that she looked up the website that was on the pass along card and, well, still didn't seem quite as interested as her husband, but (using the "conversion scale") she went from a 1 (not interested, and even actively against) to about a 5, so I'm super stoked for tomorrow's lesson!!!

The third prospect is a friend of a new convert. This friend's name is Mattia, and he's just like any other 24yr old. Pretty cool, but doesn't have the best standards. Well, his friend and our new convert (Ivan), said that he'd been asking about this new church that Ivan is in, and so on Sunday when we were over for lunch Ivan invited Mattia afterwards, and we got talking about the Plan of Salvation. It didn't seem like much, but yesterday talking with Ivan, Ivan told us that Mattia was asking all kinds of questions about the pamphlet we gave him, and how he wants to learn more! So, yeah!!

That's about the jist of it. I'm loving it here! And I can't wait to see you all when I get home!! vi voglio bene!!

Anziano Bushman

"What I need, Peter, are Disciples!" Oct 17, 2012

So, Gorizia is awesome. Even though I feel like I have been there very little.... In fact, in the last two weeks I have been away from Gorizia at least 6 full days what with exchanges, general conference, and training meetings. The branch is way cool as well! Like the other branches I've been in, there are only two young adults, and one of them is moving to america in march to get married, so they'll be down to one. BUT! They're super cool! We even had a super intense foosball tournament the other day. Our apartment is pretty nice also. Some construction guys just came by today to switch all the heaters in the apartment complex to be able to be controlled individually, instead of like in the past when all of the heaters in the apartment complex were regulated centrally, so that's exciting news! I don't have to wait till november to be warm again (last year the heaters didn't turn on till november, and it had been winter for a month already)! The apartment was pretty  dirty when I got there, and I was trying to clean it up, but it was just demoralizing trying to fight it, but then I got a super awesome surprise when I came back from the exchange last night- my district leader, Anziano Rodriguez (who traded spots with me for a day), stayed up the night before so that he could clean our apartment. And let me tell you, it is not recognizable as the apartment I moved into! It's SUPER clean!!! Man, I already knew that Anz Rodriguez was a boss, but this just confirms it even more!

We had another super awesome zone conference on Monday, this time where President Wolfgramm talked to us about "real intent". He used some great examples of how life would be if we understood what those two words mean. One example in particular that he used was our workout time. A missionary that volunteered commenced working out there in front of us, but being trained/pushed by another missionary (who just happened to have a large football background). President then continued talking to us, and after a couple of minutes when the poor missionary was about to collapse, he stopped them, and had them come look at how much time had passed. It was only 7min. We were then easily able to see how if we really intend on working out, we can make those 30min go very far. We also talked about how without real intent, there's no purpose in a lot of things. And after some self-examination, I recommitted myself for the 'nteenth time to give the rest of myself to the rest of my mission. And it's strange, for the first time it seems like, I feel completely in control! It's awesome!!!

Also, I wanted to note to you guys, that that same talk that Elder Holland gave in General Conference is the same basic talk that I heard several times in the MTC, and then saw live in the MTC, and then saw a recording of the one I saw live in the MTC, a couple of months ago. So that's now the 5th time that I've heard this talk by him, given 4 different ways, and it gets me every time! I especially love the dialogue that Elder Holland adds between Jesus and Peter:

 To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”

This truly is a marvelous work, and I am grateful everyday for the immense fortune I had to be born to two loving parents who had already found their way, so that they could in turn teach it to me. I know why I am here on this earth. I know without a doubt what I have to do to get back to our Heavenly Father, and it's all thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ!

I love you all! Take care! See you soon!

-Anziano Bushman

What A Crazy Week!!! Oct 10, 2012

Heyyyy! How's it goin?? 

This week was definitely one of the crazier weeks I've had in the mission! But before I go into it, let me describe a little bit about my comp and new city here. My companion is great! He's very much trunky though (this is his last transfer). But I have to admit, out of the three missionaries now I've served with in their 16th transfer, he's definitely doing the best! He has a very big desire to finish strong! AND I knew him in the MTC, and a little throughout the mission, so we get along great!!!

Gorizia- Is the second most eastern city, second only to Trieste. Let me tell you real quick though just HOW far east Trieste is. For most of Italy, we have the Ligurian sea on the west, and then the Adriatic sea on the east. Trieste is so far east, that the Adriatic sea is on the west for them. And then Gorizia is right next door. Interesting fact though- the city is physically divided by Italy and Slovenia. So I proselyte within 2km of our mission boundairies. Crazy, huh? Gorizia is also the 2nd prettiest city I've seen. It's not fair to judge against Siena, but Gorizia truly is beautiful!!! And it reminds me a whole lot of Siena in fact. It's a small city, surrounded by beautiful mountains covered in trees that are actually green! One of my favorite parts about Gorizia so far though, is how italian it is. Siena had a lot of culture, but Gorizia doesn't have tourists, so EVERYONE we talk to is italian. It's great!!!!

So, why this week has been so crazy. Well we started off with last thursday. I didn't actaully get to Gorizia until 10:30pm. Despite having left at 1:30. We just ran into all kinds of late trains, and it was not fun.  So no unpacking got done on thursday, as I went straight to bed. Friday I unpacked and we did our weekly planning, went shopping (in some intense rain) and had a little bit of time to do some finding work. Saturday we had no time, because we had to take a train over to Trieste right after lunch so that we could watch general conference. We stayed the night saturday night so we could also  watch sunday's general conference, and got back to Gorizia around 10pm sunday night. Monday we had to take yet another train to Pordenone for a zone meeting, and then we had a scambio with the zone leaders right after, and they only just now left. So, needless to say, I'm a little exhausted. And my companion just informed me that this interrnet point is closing, so I will have to write more next week!

I love you all! take care!

-Anziano Bushman

Jon in his new area, Gorizia, we think...

The Heal Family

I'm Off to Gorizia! Oct 3, 2012

Well, I'm getting transferred to Gorizia, where I will hopefully finish my mission. I will be companions with Anziano Winward, who will be going home after this transfer (I met him in the MTC). I don't know much about Gorizia, other than half of the city is in Slovenia. And it's really, really far away from Milano. BUT! It's also in the same zone as Venezia (Venice) so I'll finally get to go see it!!!!! WHOOT!! Also, Anziano Rockwood is getting transferred to Genova, so two new missionaries will be taking our place, and we have to prepare everything for them now so that they can learn the city quickly. So needless to say, we've been pretty busy today.

It's definitely very bittersweet... I've grown to love Modena a lot in these last 3 months, and I'm really going to miss it. And Anz Rockwood and I have also grown a lot together, and it'll be sad not being with him anymore either. But, as you know, I LOVE change, and I love meeting new people, so this is going to be great! It is very weird however, knowing that I only will have 3 months with these people that I am going to meet... That's always been a guessing game in the past - I would assume I'm in a city to stay, so I would work hard and build relationships with members. But now I know I can't be there more than 3 months. I don't know, it's... weird. Unsettling. BUT! I know I'm going to love it, and I'll find a way to still win their hearts!

Well, on a happier note, Mathias' baptism was AWESOME! Mathias is such a STUD!!!! Man, I can't believe I was lucky enough to be a part of that. Anz Rockwood did the baptism and I did the confirmation.

Also! We got to go back to the Heal's house on Sunday for lunch, and they are just super awesome!!! (I'll send a picture) They're from England, and here in Italy because he's working for Ferrari's Formula 1 division. Sis Heal is from Brazil, but they met in England. They have 4 kids, with the oldest being 9 yrs old and with the coolest name EVER- Jonathan! But it was just nice to have fun with english speakers who weren't dressed up in a white shirt and tie, and also kids that spoke english! It's almost a foreign concept to me, a child being able
to speak english. I'm just used to them speaking some incomprehensible italian!

So, yeah, I'm going to miss this city and everyone in it, but I know the next one will be equally awesome! Thank you all for your continued support! I love you!!
-Anziano Bushman

New Investigators...YIPPEE! Sept 26,2012

Well, this week has just been full of scambi! (exchanges) I think I was only with Anz Rockwood for a total of 3 days last week.... crazy!!! ANYWAYS, this last scambio, yesterday, was super awesome!! We were just seeing miracles left and right! It was a huge blessing, because it's been a while since we've found any new investigators, and Mathias is about to be baptized, so we're not going to have anyone to teach after that. BUT, we just got about a dozen more people from the last two days alone, and a lot of them seem super interested!!! 

One of the guys that was super cool, we met yesterday morning. We were walkin around in a nearby park trying to talk to people about the gospel, and not having any success, at all, and we were just about to go and try a different place. But then we saw a guy sitting on a bench on a little hill, and felt a strong impression that we needed to go talk to him. So, we did. His name is Luigi, and he's pretty awesome! It took some extra explaining on our part to help him understand, but he was honestly very interested in the things we were saying, and we even learned that he was just about to go to a Bible study session (he's young, only about 25, and it's not too common that young people care enough about religion to spend time at a study session) so that's why he was so interested in the things that we were saying. In the end we exchanged phone numbers, and we're going to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon tomorrow!

Even knocking on doors we found a lot of success! We found 3 families in the same building who all set up return appointments with us! It was awesome!!!! 

Probably my favorite part about yesterday though, was how many times we saw people's countenances change. In each of these dozen cases, there was a specific moment when they realized what exactly it is that we're talking about, and then they realized what exactly that means! It means that our purpose really is to return to our Heavenly Father, and there is a sure way to find out how to get there. And that's through prayer. We always explain these things to everyone we talk to, but I think it was the emphasis we put on prayer and the Book of Mormon that really made the difference for these people. And so this week should be full of even more miracles when we go back to see these people again.

This work truly is awesome!!

I love you all! Stay legit!

Anziano Bushman

Pres. Monson is a True Prophet! Sep 19, 2012

Well, this week was pretty cool. Mathias is an All Star. Preparing him for baptism, and going through the lessons, we recognized a trend in our teaching patterns. We noticed that when it comes down to the baptismal interview, and we ask our investigator if they believe that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet, they always respond with doubt. And we can't blame them either, because it's not in the strict missionary script to talk about the teachings of Pres. Monson, so normally at that point we go over a talk or something, but I always feel guilty for not having talked more about him earlier. SO, this time, we caught on. We watched a clip from last General Conference, and then talked about how to know if a prophet is a true prophet or a false prophet, which in the end comes down to prayer. So we challenged him to ask our Heavenly Father that night if President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet or not. A couple of days later we asked him how the prayer went. He told us that when he was walking home that day from the lesson, that he just felt really good inside, and that he recognized that as the answer to his prayer! So he decided that he wants to get baptized on the 29th of September! We're super excited for him!!!! 

Also! The family from 10 yrs ago that the former missionary brought to church when she came back the other week came to english class, and is interested in learning more about the church! In fact, there are several people from english class that are starting to open up to the church! It's awesome!

Well, that's all for this week! I love you all! Take care!

Anziano Bushman

10 years later... Sept 12, 2012

Heyyyy Well, things are starting to get back to their normal, busy schedule. English class is in full swing 2 days a week, and our Family Home Evening dealio is starting to get more and more popular!

Pretty crazy miracle in church on sunday. An former sister missionary was back visiting with her husband, and she came to church this last sunday. And although she hadn't been in italy for the last 10yrs, she was able to convince some people she had met 10yrs ago to come to church that sunday, and the whole family came! It was super cool because the entire ward just swarmed them and was talking to them a lot. Only bad part about that was it was literally impossible for me or my comp to talk to them, and so I didn't even know who they were untill asking the former missionary after everyone left. But her story was pretty cool as she told us how this family was never willing to come to church in the past, but now, 10 yrs later, they finally came! So that was just a cool little miracle. I tried to get contact information, but to no avail. The family has our number, so now it's just up to them.

Other than that, Mattias is making huge progress, and has committed to baptism on the 29th of September! He reminds me a lot of Felix when we were teaching him, so I have very high hopes for Mattias!

Well, that's all for this week. Vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene! Take care and stay safe!!

Anziano Bushman

Do Not Ignore the Holy Ghost! Sept 5, 2012

Hey guys!

This week has been pretty dang awesome! But, before I get started on this week, I forgot to tell you about another thing that happened last week. 

So, last week coming back from District Meeting, we had to buy bus tickets on the bus, because no one else was selling tickets. So after buying my ticket, I pulled out my wallet to keep my ticket in my wallet and, like a dumb, I just left my wallet on my lap. The thought even came to me: don't leave your wallet on your lap, you'll forget it and lose it. But I quickly disregarded that, thinking how could I possibly forget my wallet??? I've never forgotten my wallet in my whole life! Well, after the bus we went to buy train tickets, and no walllet. I checked my backpack super quick about 30 times hoping I had thrown it in there, all the while remembering full well that I had left it on my lap, and therefore it must've fallen when I got up. So I called Anziano Lynch, our Mission Financial Secretary, and we figured out a plan, and he went to go cancel my mission card and was going to call you , Mom, once it was about 7 am AZ time to cancel also my personal card. In the meantime, I was not happy. I recognized that it was the Holy Ghost who had warned me, and who I had completely ignored, and I regretted it. A lot. Our plan was to wait for the bus we were on to come back, and then we would check to see if it was still there. To our complete surprise, it was still there. Someone had turned it in to the bus driver. Although they had taken the 10 euro (13 dollars) that was in it, both of my debit cards, my permesso (card that allows me to be in italy) and everything else was still there. So, first order of business was to call Anz Lynch back super quick to tell him to not cancel the cards (which he hadn't done yet) and then I offered a prayer of thanks, because only by the hand of God would something like that happen. So, needless to say, I will not be ignoring the Holy Ghost again, ever. 

This week- Felix is doing awesome! He has received the Aaronic Priesthood, and is now passing the sacrament every week, and he's a stud! 

We have a new investigator that just showed up in church 2 sundays ago. His name is Mattias. He is from the Ivory Coast, so he speaks french as his native language. At first he wouldn't set up an appointment with us, and so our first appointment wasn't untill this monday, and it went super well! He understands everything very well, and just like Felix he doesn't accept everything right away, but after asking some questions and praying about it, then he knows that it's true. So we had our second lesson with him yesterday, and he accepted baptism! He definitely still has a lot to learn, but he believes these things are true. 

Also Mohammed has made some huge progress. He's been coming to church every week, but we've had to cancel any baptismal plans because he couldn't give up smoking. Well, this last sunday he came up to me and said "Hey, you can set a new baptismal date for me, I'm ready!" and that was all he told me lol, so I imagined he meant he was ready to stop smoking, and after hearing the rest of it that he told my companion, it went down a little like this: So Mohammed likes to flip open to random spots in the Book of Mormon every once in a while and choose a random verse to see what it tells him. This last time he did this he landed in Alma 5. Which for those of you who are not familiar with Alma 5, it is the great self evaluation chapter, that has 37 questions asking if you're ready to meet God. So after reading this random scripture, he decided to read the entire chapter, and verse 37 really hit him...

O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!" 

and he decided then and there to stop smoking, and has been going strong ever since!

So, yeah. Those would be the highlights of this week. Pretty awesome, huh? Yeah. The Lord's work will not, and can not be stopped. And I am eternally grateful for this opportunity I have to be a part of it!

Well, I love you all! Take care, and read the scriptures, as they will tell you all things that which ye must do! =)

-Anziano Bushman

Open your eyes and see the miracles!!! Aug 29, 2012

Hey!! 

What's up?

I'm doin pretty well, thanks for asking! 

So I'm just gonna go straight into miracle time, no more intros.

So I bought a new bike a couple of weeks ago because the one I was riding was falling apart. And then, this last sunday we had 2 other missionaries over on exchanges, so I let one of them use my new bike and I used the old one. Well, after riding all across town all day we were finally heading home, and BAM my back tire blew up. Still pretty far away from home, and with every intention of throwing away the bike once we got back, I decided to just keep on going even with the flat tire. So now this rickety old bike is sounding like two trash can lids bangin' against each other, but we keep going. Then, my back tire just completely stopped. So, I look down to see that the rubber inner tube of the tire had come out of it's thick rubber covering  (that popped) and had caught ahold of the chain, and wrapped itself around the chain enough times to completely stop the wheel, and the last kilometer we just had to walk. Now, the miracles are 2: first, the bike lasted us until our work for the day was completed. Second, I had bought a new bike just in the knick of time! If I were to have ridden that bike another day or two and had had that happen to me, I would not be nearly as patient about it as I am now!

Due to pure exhaustion, this email is going to be very short- just know that I love you all, and I pray for each and every one of you! vi voglio bene!

-Anziano Bushman

Felix got BAPTIZED!!! Aug 22, 2012

WELLLL. Felix got baptized!!!! Felix is such a man! Anz Rockwood performed the baptism, and I did the confirmation on sunday, and it was just awesome! We had a pretty decent turn out- even a couple of Felix's boxing students came to see him get baptized, which was actually super cool, because they were just three kids our age, but about a head taller than us, and probably could have eaten me and Anz Rockwood without much effort. They were huge, but! They came to support their 53yr old teacher. You know what's even cooler? One of them is a less active member. The grandson of one of our active members. And they were all very impressed by the baptism, and definitely felt the spirit. We'll see what happens. Everyone that came to the baptism though knew without a doubt, that Felix knew exactly what he was doing. He understands that baptism is not just an item on a checklist, but the beginning to a change of life. And the whole ceremony was just super awesome! Hahaha Felix came 2hrs early, rushing, cause he thought it was at 5 and not 7. Hahah so luckily there was another baptism (from missionaries in a nearby city) so he got to see a baptism before his own.

There were actually 2 pretty huge miracles that day, besides two awesome baptisms. So, before our baptism, the missionaries from Reggio had a baptism. And, not having a font in Reggio, they come over to Modena for their baptisms. The sister missionaries were also going to come so they could bring an investigator to see the baptism. Well the program got started and the sisters weren't there yet, and then 15min into the program they show up with some random girl, so I assumed that was the investigator they were bringing. Untill, that is, one of the sister missionaries turned to me and told me that they just barely found that girl, and that she lives right across the street. So, they were coming to the baptism, and on their way just invited a random lady to the baptism, and she came! Well let me tell you about this lady. Her name is Manuela, and we met with her again on Monday. She, is awesome. She has always wanted a copy of the book of Mormon, and she's come to church once or twice in the past, but there weren't any copies, and when there were, she didn't know if she had to pay, or how to get one. So, the sister missionaries gave her a copy. So we had a great lesson with her on Monday, and she just felt a huge connection to Joseph Smith and the situation he was in. About 5yrs ago she said that she "felt the call" to start being religious, but for various reasons the catholic church wasn't right for her. Nor were any of the other churches she had gone to, so she just figured that she didn't need a church since there wasn't one. But that was before she met us. Like I said, she felt a huge connection to Joseph Smith, and really felt that his story was true. She believes the Book of Mormon is true, but only because she doesn't think anyone would have the heart to make up a story like this. Which is a good start, but we encouraged her to pray about it still. The coolest part was when we invited her to be baptized. As soon as we asked her the question "When you come to know that these things are true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who hold the Priesthood authority of God?" she just looked stunned, and there was several seconds of just silence. She asked us if she still could be baptized, even though she was already baptized, and even though she had sinned in the past. We then explained to her that Jesus Christ paid for all of our sins, and she was just amazed. She just never really realized that she could still be forgiven, she thought it was too late. So we're going to see her tomorrow and help her on her way to baptism!

The 2nd super awesome baptism miracle, was Paolo. You know, cool thing real quick, both of these super awesome miracle people are italian. That doesn't happen too often. Normally they're foreigners. ANYWAYS Paolo. Paolo is the nonmember husband of Sister Rodriguez (the father of the little boy who is beating me up with a sword in several of my pictures). So Sis Rodriguez and Paolo came to the baptism on saturday to support Felix, and turns out that despite Sis Rodriguez being a member since before they met, this was the first time that Paolo had ever seen a baptism. He was also very impressed with how focused Felix was, and how important all of it was to Felix. So I got talking to Paolo, and we set up a time that we could come by their house. We've actually been trying to see him for a while now, but he often works far from home. But, being the national vacation time of Italy, he's at home now. So we had an awesome lesson with him about the Plan of Salvation, and at the end we were really able to see the desire in him to return to his Father in Heaven. He's awesome! Their family will be coming to the Family Home evening Thursday night, so we're pretty happy with how things are going. 

That's about it for today. I am just super grateful to be here in Modena with Anz Rockwood right now! There's no where else I'd rather be!

Well, vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene! 

Anziano Bushman

Anz Rockwood, Felix and me!

I am Captain Moroni!

Felix is getting BAPTIZED!!! Aug 15, 2012

Oh man, we had a super crazy week this week!!! We finally got new bikes! Our bikes were very much dead, and then last week they finally just collapsed. SO, we bought new ones! Funny enough, I actually found the same exact bike that I had bought in Ravenna a year ago before getting transferred 4 days later! Hahah so, while that may seem like a foreshadow, it's been over a week now, so I feel like I should be safe =)

Big News- Felix is getting baptized!!!! Whoot!!! This saturday! 

Mohammed came to a baptism this last saturday and then also came to church for the first time, and he really enjoyed both, but now he's staring to flake out on us... So hopefully it's not permanent. 

No word on Stefania or Alessandra yet. I guess things are still crazy with the vacation schedule... I'm not sure. 

Guido is starting to open up though!!! We are truly learning why Patience is such a virtue. Obviously, not every situation is going to be resolved with just patience alone. BUT if we follow Pres. Uchtdorf's advice (Continue in Patience 4-10) and endure well then can patience be a super awesome tool. And in this case, with Guido, it is very much needed.  He needs the gospel, and he knows it. He is just afraid. We're not quite sure of what, but that's the feeling we get... 

Well, sorry today is short. There's really not a whole lot of news this week.  

Thanks you all for the birthday wishes! See you soon!

-Anziano Bushman

Felix Is The Man! Aug 8, 2012

Well, we are being SUPER blessed in this usually-dead time of the year! Let me tell you a little bit why.

Felix. Is. THE MAN. Besides having had an overly gruesome/epic near-death war story, he is also a spiritual GIANT! He agrees 100% with all of the commandments of God, but not only. He had decided on his own that coffee, smoking, alcohol, drugs, and EVEN TEA are bad for us, and thus has never used any of them in his 53yrs of life. Except for tea. That one he got sick after his work told him to drink it so he stopped. aaaaaand yeah. We did a mock baptismal interview, and he whipped through it saying it was too easy! And just to put some icing on this beautiful cake, we asked him what he thinks about his baptism and his response: "I think baptism is very important, and an opportunity for us to change our lives. I'm ready to change my life!" I'm not sure exactly what changes he needs to make in his life, as far as I can tell, he's a saint. But yeah. A little tragic side to Felix however, is that he can no longer return to Cuba, his home country, because he's been out of the country for 5yrs and thus considered a traitor. Nor can his family leave Cuba. Cuba doesn't let it's citizens use the internet, and they have very VERY little contact with the outside world, so he just is able to call his family every once in a while, but the calls are $1/minute. He really wants his family to find the church their in Cuba though. We found out that they have a branch there, we just can't get an address.... So, yeah. That's Felix. 

Mohammed is also a stud. He is making huge changes in his life to embrace the gospel, and is meeting with us/coming to activities three times a week!

Guido is a little more stubborn, but he is also making a lot of progress. In fact, I really feel like I have been transferred here to Modena to help him in particular. He's a very smart guy, but he takes a lot of patience. He has this thick outershell that he just hides behind all the time with joking around. But, he's starting to open up. It's trying my patience, and it's taking a lot of firmness, but I've never felt so guided by the spirit as I do when I talk to him. God wants his son back, and he's allowing me to help!

Stefania also just got back on Monday, so we are going to see her tonight.

All in all the work just hasn't slowed down at all! In fact, I kind of forgot that it's august, cause last august was not nearly this awesome!!

Well, that's all I have for you guys today. vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene! 

Anziano Bushman

Not your average horse museum!

They Came to Church! Aug 1, 2012

Well, Modena is legit. Just thought I'd let you know. Also, we're legit. Ok okay, maybe it wasn't ALL us, but the Lord is definitely legit. So, let me explain a little bit as to "why". 

We'll start with Felix. So, last week (10 days ago) Felix didn't come to church, and I immediately lost faith in him. I know, I'm a terrible person. I immediately started assuming that he was just another flaky foreigner. BUT!!! Last wednesday or so, Felix gave us a call on some random number and apologized for not having talked to us lately, but his phone was stolen and so he had to get a new one. Whew! So, we saw him last weekend before church and had an awesome lesson where he showed us his baptismal calendar, and he has not missed a single day with reading the scriptures or praying! He's a stud! and then on Sunday, he came to church!!!! Hahah I may seem like I get excited over the weirdest things, but coming to church for the first time has seemed to be the BIGGEST obstacle in a person's personal conversion. So when they finally make that step, it's so much easier!!! So Felix, Alessandra (and Alessandra's less-active dad), and Guido came to church. It was also Alessandra's first time in church, and she really enjoyed it as well.

I don't know if I've said much about Guido yet, but he was actually found by Anziano Smith (from my MTC group) over a year ago. He is very skeptical about all things religion, and he's had a lot of trials in his life that has led him to ask if there is a God, why are there all these trials??? Some missionaries in the past have dismissed him because he won't get baptized in 3 weeks, and others have kept teaching him to no avail. So hoping not to fall into either of these 2 groups, we started teaching him. We've been very patient with him, and I feel that we've done a good job in responding to his questions but also in helping him see what the important questions actually are (if that made any sense). We're trying to help him understand that God loves us. But to do that, he needs to read the scriptures and come to church. So this last sunday was a big step for him as well!

As for Stefania, she's still super awesome, but she is currently in Sardegna. In fact, I don't quite know what to do with her. We're taught (and I've seen in first hand experience) that without an objective, people normally don't progress in the gospel. That objective more often than not is a baptismal date. But, with her not even able to come to church because her parents won't allow it, I don't know how we're supposed to set a baptismal date! I will definitely be fasting about it this weekend...

Alessandra is also awesome, just a little more unsure of things. Which is completely fine. She's only just beginning to learn about our church. She is also leaving on vacation this weekend. 

As for others, there's Mohammed, who is a non-practicing muslim who wants to better his life. We taught him yesterday in the church about The Word of Wisdom, and he really wants to quit smoking, and knows it's bad (he's already quit drinking). He takes some convincing usually, but he's super diligent about reading the scriptures, we just need him to come to church on sunday!!

Umm... oh! We also found a super awesome chinese kid who was super excited/surprised that we were offering him something for free! Oh man he had THE best chinese accent I have ever heard in my life! When I get home I will imitate it for you. Hahah he also gave us some chinese tea to take with us, and we didn't have the heart to tell him yet that we don't drink tea, so we just accepted it and went our way. 

And for now, that's about it. Nothing else really going on. We went to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello today. And this isn't just any old Ferrari Museum, this is the Ferrari Museum where they make the Ferraris. We wanted to drive one, but it costed 70euro to drive the cheapest one for 10min. So, that clearly didn't happen. One day....

Well, thank you all for all of your prayers and support! I love you all!

Anziano Bushman

Supercharges! July 25, 2012

Well, another week here in Modena. Everything is going great! Unfortunately though, not too much to report. A couple of our investigators are still going strong, like Stefania and Alessandra, but other than that we're on the hunt for new investigators! The weather has been pretty unpredicatble: we had a crazy rainstorm the other day in the middle of summer. But other than that everything's been pretty tranquillo. Only thing that comes to mind is just a cool thing that's happened on my mission several times already. Periodically, without deserving them or earning them in any way, God has given me "supercharges". These "supercharges" fill me with the oddest desire to go out and DO everything I can to build the kingdom of God, and this last week I got the biggest "supercharge" yet. I can't explain why, and in fact part of me still dreads doing finding work, but this "supercharge" easily overpowers the discouragement and fills me with desire to do. And, it's awesome.

This truly is the work of the Lord. The time of his second coming is drawing nearer and nearer. Now more than any other is the time to reflect on the words of Alma in his fifth chapter:  

I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?

The scriptures are real accounts, written by real people and soon enough all those that don't know this are going to find out. Today is the day to choose. And I am SO ridiculously grateful for the tender mercies the Lord has had in sending me off on a mission to gain a testimony of these things! And I thank all of you who have helped me get out here, and who are helping me stay out here. I love you all, and wish the best for each of you!

Anziano Bushman

Modena is Great! July 18, 2012

Well, Anz Rockwood (or StoneTree) is a stud! We get along super well. We've been doing a lot of cleaning this week (and almost finished) but also a lot of teaching. Sunday in fact, we found a man named Felix who gave me another wonderful opportunity to speak spanish (he's from Cuba). Now, a lot of foreigners here in Italy are kind of bums. They normally come "looking for work" but never find it, and end up mooching off some relative, can't ever invite some one to their home because they live in someone else's home, and all of these traits add up to them being weafy. Every once in a while one of these weafy investigators will make it though to the waters of baptism (not to bash on any baptisms that have ever taken place, or to doubt missionary judgement) but they usually don't remain active in the church. Felix has been in Italy less than a year, found a job, has invited us to his house to teach him, and comitted to be baptized on the 11th of August. He's awesome! Our second lesson I even backed off the spanish and he understood all italian just fine! We're now trying to get a member to come with us tomorrow to our 3rd lesson with Felix. He's a stud! 

Besides that, not much has happened with the other investigators. There's Guido, who was found by Anziano Smith (from the MTC with me)  a year and a half ago who is actually making progress. He's pretty upset with God for his trials he's had in his life, but we're managing to maintain a spiritual atmosphere, showing him the answers to his questions, and piano piano he's making progress!

The biggest thing we're doing right now is with our member work. We made a flag of missionary work, and we're committing all the members to sign it, testifying that they will strive to do missionary work see Alma 46:19-20 so that means that we need to pass by all the members! Which is going pretty well. I'll let you know as soon as the miracles start pouring =)

Well, other than that not much is going on. Modena is great! I love it. Just know that I am keeping all of you in my prayers every week, and that vi voglio tutti un fracasso di bene. 

-Anziano Bushman

The Work Moves Forward! July 11, 2012

        Whazzup??? This week has been pretty crazy! I probably say that every week, but that doesn’t diminish the fact at all, the mission is just super intense!

​      Well, I know I sound like a broken record, but…transfers! Anz Strobelt goes home to Philadelphia on Friday. My new comp will be Anz Rockwood, and I’m way excited! I’ve met Anz Rockwood in past conferences and he’s a super cool guy. Pondering on my last 4 transfers, I’m curious as to what will happen… I’ve never stayed in a city more than 5 months (Siena) but it’s not uncommon to stay 6 months. But seeing as I’m getting a new companion, (we’re not going to be together for 6 months) I’ll probably go to yet another city before coming home.
​
      Alright, now to important stuff. Besides the complete geographical layout of the city, I believe I’ve got everything down pretty well. I’ve been very blessed with getting to know the members quickly (the Milano 3 experience helped a lot) and our investigator pool has been cleaned of all those who don’t want to learn, and the investigators that we have now are all super legit!
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      Stefania is a 21 yr old girl who has become very good friends with the youth in our ward. Her parents unfortunately don’t want her learning with us, so the ward organizes youth activities every week so she can have an excuse to come to church during the week, and then we just teach her before the activity. We had a super awesome lesson with her last week where she asked us why she feels strange (different) when she reads or meets with us, and so we had a perfect opportunity to explain to her that it’s normal, and that it’s the Holy Ghost confirming to her that these things are true. As soon as we said that she was so relieved! And now she loves reading even more! She’s awesome!!!
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      There’s also Valeria. We went over to a member’s house on Friday for lunch and they brought a friend, Valeria, who’s also way cool and even came to church with them this Sunday! We won’t be able to see her again this week because she lives far away and we have transfers, but she wants to learn more, so definitely next week!

      ​My favorite experience, pero, was definitely Friday night. The 2nd counselor in the bishopric was having his 24thbirthday and, being a returned missionary, wanted an excuse for his friends to hear the gospel. So he told us to bring 4 copies of the Book of Mormon and invited us and his 4 best friends over for pizza. The lesson went great! Very different reactions from all 4, but they were all somewhat interested. And then on Sunday, Jonathan (2ndCounselor) told us that one of his friends, Davide, wants to learn more! Success!!
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      So, yeah, the member work is going super well, and I’m having a lot of fun! Well, that’s all for this week!
      Vivoglio un fracasso di bene!

      Anz Bushman

At verona, but we were in a rush, so I just snapped a quick picture.

Celebrating Anz Strobelt's 2yr mark!

The Volpe family (Jonathan, next to me, is the one that had his bday recently and invited his 4 friends to learn about the gospel)

Modena is Awesome! July 4, 2012

Well, right now I'm actually in Verona, just finishing a scambio with some of the missionaries over here. Verona is very pretty, but also with all the tourism it's just more commercialized than I would have liked. Siena is still the best =)

My companion is great! He's staying focused and doing his best, even with only a week left. And we get along really well. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Brian Strong, as far as personality goes and what not, so it's nice to have a good friend out here, even if it is only for another week.

We got to play soccer with the members last Pday, and it was awesome! I was definitely rusty, but it was way fun. We played on a calcetto field, which is just a little soccer field, that had turf and was completely enclosed with 20ft high nets, so it was way nice.

We've had some difficulty getting from point A to point B, but I'm starting to learn the city now, so hopefully I'll be ready to go next week! Also, I'm getting better at getting to know the members right away, and talked to nearly every member in church this week and set up appointments with them! The cool part is seeing how excited they all were to have the missionaries over, because I guess the past missionaries didn't see the members too often. And with these members living IN modena, it will be a lot easier than it was in Siena and Pavia where we had to take trains to see them and all kinds of shenanigans.

Other than that we do have some pretty cool investigators. One Stefania who is super legit, but her parents aren't super supportive (but she's 21, so it's her choice). She is also very integrated already into the youth program, so we normally teach her everytime they do an activity.

Well, actually that's about all there is to say for this week. Modena is awesome, and I'm really enjoying it here!

Take care everyone, and stay safe!

Anziano Bushman