A Fire in Northern Italy! Apr 25, 2012

Man, this week has been straight up crazy! Friday we took a 40 min bus up to Opera where we would start a part-day exchange with the Lodi missionaries so I could do some baptismal interviews for them, but with them being in the office, their schedule is often unpredictable, and they were an hour late to the office and thus an hour late to get the exchange started and whatnot and domino affect and we didn't get back into Opera (where the Lodi missionaries have their apartment, still 40 min away from Pavia) until 11pm. So, President Wolfgramm suggested that we stay the night there and we left in the morning. This normally would have been fine, but the next morning was saturday morning, which was the day of the baptism. I don't know if it's this crazy in America, but a lot of the churches out here in Italy don't have built in baptismal fonts, so setting up the font and filling it up often turns in to quite the big deal. Not to mention we also had a lunch appointment with some members, so yeah, we were pretty beat this weekend.

Oh, and then also, we've been trying to work with our landlord to get the gas company to hook up our gas, and the conclusion is that we will probably be moving =(   but it's also pretty exciting! The apartment is not in the best location, so we spend upwards of an hour biking into and from the city each day, so it would save a LOT of time if we lived closer. And we'd have gas, so we'd be able to make all kinds of delicious food =) 

BUT, the baptism was super awesome!!!! We didn't have a ton of people there, but we did have a new investigator their who absolutely loved the baptism, couldn't stop saying how we looked like angels, and took all kinds of pictures for each of us! Her name is Wendy, and we actually had our first lesson with her after she had already been to church once, and also a baptism. So, kind of out of the usual order, but still super cool! We talked with her about the restoration, and she 100% agreed on everything, including the fact that authority to do baptism was lost, and that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and that now the authority  (cioè the priesthood) is now restored. BUT she still doesn't quite understand that she needs to be baptized in this church. She's very much looking for a church though, and Lizbeth and Yuri are only 3-4 yrs older than her, and they're also all Peruvian, so we're hoping to create some friendships there! 

Yeah, and we found a couch! Hahahah it was on the road one day near our house, so we told ourselves that if it was still there on our way back, we'd take it home (we have NO furniture at all) and we did! Hahah you can check out the pictures I sent if you want to understand a little more about how awesome we are. 

Well, that's about it for this week. Just one last thing I'd like to mention, there's been some kinda infection going on around the mission, and at first I thought it was just me, but then at district meeting our zone leaders were there visiting, and turns out all of northern Italy is getting it. And I'm not sure what it's called, or if it even has a name, but it's crazy. The only way I can describe it is as a fire. There is something going on with all the missionaries, that all of the sudden we just have this fire, and an overpowering desire to do the Lord's work. It's awesome! And we all can just feel that something big is about to happen.. We're all doing our best to follow our leaders' counsel, and it's awesome! I am so glad to be right where I am! =) 

Well, that's it for now, I love you all! Take care!

Anziano Bushman

Anz Pitt, Yuri, Lizabeth and Me!!!

Yuri and Lizbeth with Wendy, who will be the next to get baptized =)

We got a new couch =) just like I got my leather couch, only this time I didn't have a riding lawn mower to carry it home for me, so we improvised =)

Guess who's getting baptized!! Apr 18, 2012

Guess who's getting baptized on saturday?? Yup, Yuri and Lizbeth are!!! They asked Anz Pitt and I to baptize them, and also do the confirmation, which is super exciting!!! But at the same time, I wish they had a strong enough relationship with a ward member so that they would ask one of them to perform these ordinances... But!!! I'm still super excited!

Transfers are this week, but me and my comp are both staying here in Pavia, and we are both very grateful (mainly because we have this baptism on saturday) 

I know last week I said this email would be better, and longer, but once again we are on the run.... 

Not much else happened this week though. I was pretty sick sunday/monday so that was fun. I read a LOT from the bible, just trying to get to know the scriptures better, and it is super confusing (at least the old testament is) but I like it.

Last night we went with Yuri and Lizbeth to a dinner appointment with a member family, and had a great time! It was super good for Yuri and Lizbeth as well to be able to start building relationships with people in the ward.

Well, we'll have baptismal pictures for next week! Take care!

Anziano Bushman

 Eating at Yuri and Lizbeth's house - we made them a traditional american meal: mashed potatos, baked beans, and steak =)

 I look relatively fat in this picture... maybe I should fix that.... but these are the two pastiere napolitane that the Donatone's gave us for Easter!!!

Eating last night with Yuri and Lizbeth at a member's house.

There is Sunshine in my Soul Today! Apr 11, 2012

Hey everyone!

This week has been pretty awesome. Easter was fun- we got to go over to our Ward Mission Leader's house and after lunch it was pretty windy, so we went outside to attempt to fly a kite. But our faith was apparently lacking that day, because we could not get that kite to fly to save our lives.

We're starting to make some cuts in our investigator pool. So much time has been wasted by people who set up appointments with us and then don't show up. But at the same time, we've also been finding some pretty cool people. We met Wendy (from Peru) last week, and invited her to english class, and then church, and now we're meeting with her again on Friday to teach her about the restoration! So, yeah!

Lizbeth and Yuri are right on track! We taught the last principle on monday, which was the Word of Wisdom, which prohibits the drinking of coffee, tea, alcohol, smoking, and taking drugs, and also commands us that we need to be healthy and stay in shape. And Lizbeth, who up until now has been perfect, struggled a little bit. Which I think was a very good thing for Yuri, because Yuri was willing to give up these things relatively quickly, and this then gave him an opportunity to testify to his wife, and help strengthen her, thus also strengthening his own testimony! So, yeah! They're solid! The only trick now is getting their baptismal interview scheduled, because the zone leaders have to come down, and it's getting rather difficult to schedule a time when they can come, and also Yuri and Lizbeth are both home.... BUT it's without a doubt going to happen, and we are stoked!!!

Other than that there wasn't too much that happened this week. It's pouring rain right now. But oh well. There is sunshine in my soul today!

So, yeah. Take care everyone! And next week I promise I'll have an exciting story or two!

-vi voglio bene!

Anziano Bushman

Just a Flesh Wound! Apr 4, 2012

Alright, story time!!!

So we'll start with some background info real quick. 

In the last couple missionary conferences, Pres Wolfgramm has bee emphasizing this phrase "get in the way to get out of the way" and I have been SUPER confused. And kinda just been nodding my head and smiling, you know the drill. Well, I'm am going to explain to you how I finally capito this crazy concept.

Also, Anz Jenson in the last training called biddone's (when an appointment falls through) "biddone sharks" and explained to us how we need to not let these biddone sharks tear us apart, but to keep going on with the week looking for miracles.

So this last week, we've been in some pretty shark infested waters. The biddone sharks were ripping our limbs off, rather literally. They were especially ferocious last thursday. Thursday we were super excited for our lessons. we had three super great lessons planned out, and we were ready to blow their socks off! But, unfortunately, Ilaria did not understand when we said 10:15, that we meant that we would be there at 10:15, so she came to the church at 10, and left at 10:05. Ouch. But we went on. The sharks were only able to get an arm. Just a flesh wound, right? So then after lunch we had another lesson at 3:30, who got called into work. So we fixed up our bikes real quick, and kept going. Still got an arm and a leg. That's all you really need anyways. And then just when you think that the sharks would be full, our 4:30 had family issues, and the sharks grabbed the remaining leg. Now inching across town, the remaining arm was barely able to drag us to a nearby gelateria to try and rejuvinate us a little bit. So after the gelato, we went out again, more or less just wandering. Feeling pretty depressed, but trying to be productive. And all the time that phrase kept wandering in my head "get in the way to get out of the way" and I thought to myself, "alright, we planned, we got in the way, and we are definitely out of the way, now what?". And then someone came up to us and said "So are you the two new missionaries?" We turned around to find a convert of 2 years that the missionaries have been trying to contact for upwards of 4 months! She told us that she was going through a rough time, but that she really wants to come back to church , and she reassured us several times that she wasn't lost yet, she just has to fix some things before she comes back to church. Sweet!!!! So back to the shark analogy, we were able to find a wooden peg to use as a second arm, and kinda hobbled along così. Kept going and we got stopped by a young couple asking us for directions, who we not only were able to help, but who also gave us their phone numbers and asked us to come visit them sometime and share our message with them! The third miracle then came when our 4:30 appointment (Creusa and Jack and Stefania) were able to see us later than night, and we had a super awesome lesson with them, which left them struggling harder than ever before to set up a next appointment as soon as possible so that we could teach the rest of the Plan of Salvation!!!! And then I finally understood. President wanted us to plan and do everything we could to be ready for our investigators, but then if and when something happens to change the plans, he wanted us to realize that it is God's will, and that we need to be looking for the miracles that will undoubtedly come when God is directing our work. It was super awesome. So yeah. 

This is the work of God, and I am so SO very grateful to all those who have supported me in helping me be ready to come out to the mission field, and to all those who ancora support and sustain me out here! vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!!!!

Oh, and before I forget, here's some fun new vocab I learned: the verb "fulminare" (fool-mee-nahr-ay) means "to strike with lightning". Thus, if you are angry with someone, just say "ti fulmino" and they won't have a clue as to what you said, but then when you strike them with lightning later on, you can say "hey, I warned you".  So yeah, there's Anz Bushman's Italian 101 for today. =)

-Anziano Bushman

Miracle Time! March 28, 2012

Well, they say out of the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses shall every word be established. If that's the case, then I've got some news for you all. First, I am apparently blonde, and do not have brown hair. Second, I am not American, because my english is too perfect, and thus I am English. Yeah, bugiardi, tutti due, I know. But that just goes to show you how crazy people are out here... lol. 


Alright, time for the good stuff. Sunday in church we had a girl show up that no one knew. I can't remember if that ever happened in the states, but I have never seen this happen in any other city, let alone twice in the same month (diego and mariarosa as well) but yeah, she showed up for gospel principles when we were talking about the Spirit World. How's that for a first impression? hahaha BUT! She's super awesome! All the things that were taught she said that she already believed in, in fact she kept testifying about all the things that were being taught, to the point that even Lizbeth was looking over at me all surprised and impressed! It was awesome!!! She also said that for some reason she just felt a strong need to come to church today! Holy Ghost! We're seeing her tomorrow morning right after studies! We're stoked!!!


Quick update on some old investigators, we've been semi seeing a family from Santo Domingo for a couple months now, who's biggest problem is that they don't see a need to come to church, nor to see us more than once every 15 days, in order to know that the church is true or not. They're reading everyonce in a while, but it's hard to help them make progress. Well, we had a pretty cool lesson yesterday, and at one point Marino asked how often there are baptisms in our church. We told him that it just depends, but that there will be one in about 2-3 weeks. He immediately got all excited and pointed out to us saying "oh, see and I bet you've been seeing them for a long time then haven't you? How long have they been attending your church?" Our response, "yeah, I guess. We met them 2 weeks ago." hahahah! He then asked how it was that they got their answer so fast, and so we told him how they meet with us 3 times a week, and come to church each week. It definitely made him realize the importance of our meetings, and we were able to set up the next appointment for the following week, instead of 15 days later! Progress!!!


Miracle time! So, we've been talking a lot about the importance of planning, and how we need to "spiritually create" things before they can happen. Like in Moses 3:5...
       
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth...

 So, we really wanted to give this a try. As we planned monday night, we hoped to set up an appointment the next morning with a young man who would be able to receive the priesthood, because our ward is in dire need of priesthood holders. The next morning didn't go so well. Companionship study didn't start off too hot, and we had to make up for it later, because we had several lessons that needed to be planned for that day, so it took an extra 30 min to get out. And with lunch being moved earlier because of one of our appointments, we would have only had 30-40 min of time once we got out into the city, so we decided to work on our area book, as there was a lot to catch up on. Short story even shorter, the first appointment we set up was with an former investigator, who at one point in time had a baptismal date, and he's a perspective priesthood holder too. I then reminded my companion of our plans from the night before, and we realized even further that this work is directed by the hand of God. 


Okay, but my favorite part about this week was with Yuri and Lizbeth. They are awesome. But have not been reading. But I didn't worry too much about that. We were too focused on how we were going to get all the lessons in before this weekend, so that they could get their baptismal interview at general conference, and then get baptized the following week. But I learned a very important lesson this last weekend that will help me for the rest of my life... So, saturday we were supposed to teach tithing to Lizbeth and Yuri. We were on an exchange with the zone leaders, and I stayed in Pavia with Anziano Baliff, and he and I had prepared a pretty good lesson, and felt very confident, that despite Yuri's concerns, he would feel the spirit, and commit to pay tithing after baptism. So, we went off. We got to the lesson, and started off with the usual stuff, asked about work, and everything, and started with a prayer, then we asked if they had read the book of mormon lately. - Yuri said no, that he still had not read, and Lizbeth had still only read the one chapter. - And something hit me, in the pit of my stomach. Words from Elder Caussé at a recent conference came ringing in my ears "You can't go on if they haven't read the Book of Mormon". But there was no time, there was no way we were going to be able to teach the remaining lessons if we decided to skip tithing tonight! Not even our crazy idea of teaching Yuri over the phone while he's down in Rome this week would be enough if we didn't teach tithing tonight! We've got to keep going! But I managed to turn to my zone leader sitting next to me, and asked him if he thought we should read with them. He nodded his head, and we opened up to Alma 32:26 and read a couple verses about the importance of acting, and then recomitted them to read the book of mormon, and we left. Not a word about tithing. It was painful, but I knew we had to do it. The next day was church, and later that night we had a lesson scheduled with them. When we got there we found them with both their copies of the Book of Mormon out, and learned that they had read all of the introductions and testimonies, and even up to the middle of the first chapter of Nephi. I know that these things may seem small, but they mean so much! That lesson sunday night went so much better than the previous ones, and they have a much more full concept now of how important this message is that we bring! That saturday night lesson was just what I needed to brake this terribly wrong mindset I had of trying to get them to a specific baptismal date, and has helped me as well realize the importance of this message, this salvation that we are helping people move towards. 


This church is the true church of God. There is none other. If someone says otherwise, they have not heeded the promise given in Moroni 10:4-5 which reads...

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.   
                                                                                                
I love the gospel, and the many opportunities that we are given to repent and to change. I am excited beyond description for General Conference this weekend! Whether I watch it in italian or english, I know that I am going to learn exactly what I need to learn! I strongly urge all of you that read this to be ready for General Conference, and to be open to the words of the prophet and his apostles, because they're exactly what we need to hear to find the peace and happiness that we're all looking for.

Take care! Vi voglio tutti un sacco di bene!


-Anziano Bushman