Baptism!

Dear Loved Ones, 

The highlight for the week was Sister Dawn Sloat baptism!!! Yeah! It was so sweet to see her husband baptize her, he's been waiting 9 years and on June 15th 2013 she was baptized! It was such a joy to have them both in church (Brother Sloat hasn't been to church for a while but he was worthy to baptize and confirm her, now we just need to get him back to the temple) and just seeing the spirit touch them during sacrament was beautiful. Sister Sloat is one of my favorite people ever and I felt so strong that I knew before in the preexistence. I can't wait for them as they plan to go to the temple together in a year to be sealed for time and all eternity. And Sister Sloat is dying to go for baptisms at the temple but it's closed until July 13, I think?  But she's planning on getting her patriarchal blessing as soon as possible. Anywho, it was really sweet to meet with her at her house before the baptism (she insisted on us driving with her and her husband, that made me super happy) and I love the memory of Sister Jenkins braiding her hair and seeing Sister Sloat just beaming. She's been wanting to get baptized for quite a while now! It felt like home away from home and ha ha they love us, they have had a couple of missionaries. It was cool because the first set of missionaries they had were sisters and then they had a lot of elders and then us! I got it out of them that we are their favorites but it was sweet they started and ended with Sisters, cool huh? It was also cut how one of the Elders (who had taught her) asked her what it was that the sisters had that they didn't? And she said "I don't know, it's just different with them." I can't answer the questions either but it makes me feel happy that Heavenly Father let it be us. Anywho I love her! Now we just need to convert her son Chris and get the missionaries to him in Hong Kong (he's in the military). She's already teasing him about setting him up with Mormon girls. Oh and Sister Sloat was such a good sport, the water in the font ended up being cold when she went in but she went in with a smile on her face the whole time! 

It was also really neat to realize she was the cleanest and most perfect person in the room after her baptism. I can testify that when we repent with a sincere heart and with real intent, God truly remembers our sins no more. He Himself says so in Hebrews that He remembers our sins no more, so know and believe that God will forget, So shouldn't we learn and move forward from the past if God does? Let whatever is troubling you from the past GO and LOOK FORWARD to the future if you have already made amends with God; for your mistakes and sins do not exist anymore. How great is that? Another thing I loved from Sister Sloat's baptism was the musical number she choose and had us do which was, "As Sisters in Zion." How sweet is that, ah I love her! 

Ok, other cool thing from the week was our specialized mission training, sniffle it was our last mission training with President and Sister Summerhays and good grief I'm going to miss them, they are amazing. I do know that it is the timing of the Lord and the new President will be just as great just in a different way. So what I loved about this training was what I usually love, how much of Christ's love and the spirit that resides there. I learned so much ! And cool fun facts we learn like the prophet and 12 apostles pray for the missionaries every Thursday in the temple and on June 23 there will be, and I quote from Elder Nelson, " the most important missionary meeting of the last dispensation." If that doesn't catch your attention or desire to watch, I don't know what will, if it doesn't... I'd say you have no soul :) tee hee Just saying,I really can't wait for it!!!  

So a lot of cool stories from the training that I'll try to tell or in other words prepare yourselves for another long email, muah ha ha ha..... 

First one= Golf story from President Summerhays, yay! They had a question/answer session for us to ask President and Sister Summerhays anything we wanted. And Elder Russell asked, "How do you stay successful and humble? or how do you gain success and stay humble?" Prepare yourself's for an awesome answer, bah! President responded with a story about how he grew up with the mentality of wanting to always win in sports and hoping the other team would lose. A classic competitive spirit in high school and through out his life but he realized how he didn't like having that attitude of being in a game and always thinking, "Don't make it, don't make it." So he sincerely prayed to Heavenly Father to have a change in attitude and for the help to practice the attitude of wanting the other players to win. Of course he continued to work his hardest to win but more and more he strove to have the attitude of saying in his head, "Make the putt," to whomever he was playing against. In one particular tournament, he and everyone else had already played and their was one last guy to go. If this guy didn't make his last putt, then President Summerhays would win but if he did this man would. President Summerhays sincerely said over and over again in his head, "Make the putt, make the putt, come on make it!" And the other man did and won and President Summerhays about shouted for joy, people could tell that his smile was sincere and handshake when he congratulated this man. And yet others didn't. Either way it came around again where President Summerhays had the last putt in another tournament and guess what, he made it and won the tournament. He discovered how much more joy is felt when wanting and rooting for other's success as well. So how do you stay humble while being successful? You cheer and pray for other people's success along yours! Doesn't mean you don't try your hardest and work your best, you just can relax and see others as children of God trying their best too. I loved that story! So love your neighbors and be your best! I loved how President said it, when you knock someone down pick them up, ha ha. 

Another neat thing about the Summerhays is how well rounded they are. I love that they love sports and musicals, they are huge into musicals and plays and art and I just think it's neat that they appreciate all sides of life. It was cool how they talked about creating a family plan to stay solid in the gospel because they are in the world a lot and they have to stand as that standard. It was apparent that family came first when Sister Summerhays shared how President once flew home for his daughter's finals basketball game in high school watched the game and then flew back out to the tournament he was in. They talked about the most important work you'll do is in your home, careers will take you away from home, so you'll have to learn to keep home sacred. Thank you mom and dad for doing just that, I seriously have the best parents ever! 

It was sweet too how when any missionary asked a question the whole time while answering the question, they looked directly at the missionary and I don't know why but I just thought it was cool how they made you feel like it was just a conversation between you and them. Needless to say they are wonderful and are people that just love. Oh and how they gained their testimonies was for President it was scriptures and he actually was a less active growing up and was reactivated when he was 17 years old. And Sister Summerhays said she gained her testimony from her first baby, she said she felt that she had a bit of heaven when she held her daughter in her arms for the first time. 

Wow, this email is getting longer and longer. One last story, that I loved! It's a native american analogy, where a grandpa is telling his grandson about how there's a war going on inside everyone, with a good wolf and a bad wolf and how it's a constant battle. The grandson ask's which one wins and the grandfather's response is, "The wolf you feed." 

AWESOME Right?!! Oh I love it! Anywho, they then did a skit about 3 different voices people hear, the critic, the stressed, and the deeper self (our spiritual true self). It was a very powerful skit and they talked about how Satan= critic, he poses as God because he's desperate to be like God but with Satan he destroys. The spirit= light, love, and gives us energy. Feed the good voice! When you criticize yourself and others, that's only coming from one voice, not yours but Satan's. Who you really are, isn't that. I'm loved this training because it helped me breathe and accept where I am and it's ok that I'm not perfect and to learn to love myself. To feed that good wolf :) Look for the good in the day, there is always 1 good thing in a day. We can't serve to masters choose today to be grateful or not.

Oh and one last thing, I love what another missionary said, "God loves us the way we are but He loves us too much to let us stay that way." Isn't that great?! YaY! We are God's finest creations, know it and believe it, I know that in my prayers I've been praying to see me as God sees me. God loves us, so shouldn't we as well? 

Oh and two last quotes President sent in his letter this week. 

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught,
"In this work there must be commitment. There must be devotion. We are engaged in a great eternal struggle that concerns the very souls of the sons and daughters of God. We are not losing. We are winning. We will continue to win if we will be faithful and true. We can do it. We must do it. We will do it. There is nothing the Lord has asked of us that in faith we cannot accomplish."

President Monson adds,
“On occasion we need to make a second effort - and a third effort, and a fourth effort, and as many degrees of effort as may be required to accomplish what we strive to achieve.” 

I love you all so much, I believe in you, and I believe in Christ and God,

Love you love you looooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee you!!!!!! 

My Eternal Love,

Sister Tasha C. Bush 

P.S. Our bikes got stolen last week, ha ha no joke, and we had them locked up to a big palm tree and when we came out of the lesson they were gone. Also we reported it to the police and had a case number for it, called them to see if there was any update and they didn't even put anyone on the case yet. So yessum, I'll be calling the CTR bike shop, yay for bike insurance. 

P.S.S I love Sister Jenkins and I really don't want either of us to transfer this next transfer, we both really want one more transfer together because we feel like there's so much more work to do to build up the area and we have found a ton of unity together. 

P.S.S.S If you can keep the Sister and Brother Sloat's in your prayers and to keep coming to church, I know Satan will attack and work hard on them for choosing the right. And if you can pray for Tamika, we haven't been able to teach her any of the lessons yet, so if you can pray that we might be able to have a chance to teach a lesson with her. Thank you so much! And let me know if there's ever anything I can pray for. Love you all!