Tasha on Facebook

*Tasha's opening remarks below are in reference to forwarded email Mumsie sent her about Chelsea's butterfly wall.

Oh my goodness that is soooooooooo awesome!!! Good grief that is beautiful! Thank you so much for sending that, I really hope you know how much I love the updates and emails you send me mama. And also feel free to give my email to anyone, it's totally fine for friends and family to email me. Just don't give it to any creepers :D Like certain ward members from home... or ex-boyfriends... just saying, ha ha! 

Also I was there when President read your response, ha ha it made me laugh and he probably didn't respond because he was in the middle of interviews and they were timed so yessum, loved hearing from you and I totally teared up but I stayed strong and didn't cry... came close to it thought :)  

Exciting news from that meeting with President, He's going to have us use facebook for missionary work. We can't talk to anyone from home because it's strictly missionary purposes but he wants us to go through and clean it up, make it look nice, delete an photos that are questionable and then have us send him the facebook link to our page. If he approves it then he wants us to post our missionary photos and add members here to our facebook and have the members work with their nonmember friends on facebook and get them involved. And so we would get an extra hour a week for facebook. So cool! Ha ha, oh can you let emily know, that I'll be on my facebook again, so no one freaks out that I'm not breaking mission rules it's from President. Oh and President Cusick said that he doen't want our family updating our facebook page that this is our facebook now and yes. So cool huh?!

Oh and to answer your question that picture of me on in the bedroom, it's a ctr ring that emmett had colored by my head. And Ha ha I decided to grow my hair out again while one the mission and then cut it again when I get home. I love it short but I figured it'd be smart to grow it out while out here because while it goes through the ugly stages of growing out long again it doesn't matter out here because I'm not trying to attract any one :) Plus I kind of miss playing with my long hair. 

I love you so much mama! Did I miss any of your questions? How's california? Oh and I'm so sorry to hear about your thumb :( sad day indeed, what are you going to do without me calling you gimpy and teasing you? Sniffle, I'll pray a miracle to happen, lame surgery. 

Love you!!

Love Little Duck who loves you more then a flower loves water! Ha!

Barry Got Baptized

Hello, hello familia,

We had a beautiful baptism service for our deaf investigator, Barry Winters Vrable, and wow!!! I am again just so incredibly grateful and honored to have met such an amazing individual. President Cusick and his family came, and we're just really lucky. I'm so proud of our branch, a lot of people came and supported him and we had a surprise musical number for him of "Families Can Be Together Forever," we had some of the children in our branch sign the song and then had the adults come up and sign it for him and his spirit is so strong.

A lot of branch members were crying, I was crying and Barry was crying and just beaming, it was so sweet. We had a nice testimony meeting after he was baptized and I had the opportunity to sign my testimony. Tears continually streamed down my face as I signed my testimony in the little ASL that I knew but I could feel it expressed a lot more fluently through the love I felt and the spirit of gratitude as I simply stated I know that God loved Barry greatly. I know that God was happy and proud and it is true. That Christ lives and the Book of Mormon is true. It's amazing how much you can connect to another child of God without saying a word. I am so grateful I am on a mission, I am so grateful I was able to have this opportunity to meet Barry and what he taught me. I am so grateful right now. Oh and Barry was able to receive the Holy Ghost right after his baptism. He is going to be able to receive the Priesthood soon and he can't wait to got to the temple to do the work for his son, he misses him so much but just radiated God's love. 

Please go on a mission if you can, even if things aren't perfect because they will become perfect! I am continually growing and learning and (ha ha) that includes companionship's that are not easy but are growing. Sister Howard and I get along really well and Sister Jenkins and I are doing much better but ha ha it does take work. Either way I love God and just strive to have the Atonement at the head of any relationship :) 

It's a short email this week but I'm going to try to send more snail mail today. I am doing much better, the baptism really lifted and encouraged my spirit and I am happy to be on a mission. God is good and I know that if we center our lives in Christ that is where true happiness and peace is found. 

Love you, love you, looovveee you!

Sister Tasha C. Bush  

Text from President Cusick and Picture from Brother Warren Beck

Received this from some branch members in Gulfport, as well as a fun picture and very positive text message from Tasha's new Mission President (Cusick) on Thursday and Friday of this last week.  I couldn't forward the text but he said, "No homesickness here!  Your daughter is an ALL STAR Missionary and wonderful example.  She says to tell you she loves you.  Love, Pres. Cusick

From: Warren Beck <warrenkbeck@hotmail.com>
Date: July 26, 2013, 5:50:30 PM MDT
Subject: Three beautiful young ladies

A special treat for us today was having three lovely young ladies visit us for lunch. They are working really hard,and we in Gulfport Branch really love and appreciate having them here. THANKS for raising such wonderful daughters and sharing them with us!

Love

Warren and Marva Beck 

Not positive what to write, so this equals a very random email

Hello, helllooo loved ones!

I have no idea what to write this week. So hopefully this will be a short email but knowing me... tee hee! 

So Barry Vrable should be getting baptized this Sunday, we're going to finish up teaching him everything and this amazing man should be good to go! He's our deaf investigator and is such probably one of the most dedicated investigators we've had. As you have already heard a lot about him just one more quick note that I'm so proud of him for he puts people to shame who decide not to come to church. He has corns or corns on his feet? Not for sure how to spell that but it's worst then ingrown toe nails and yet with the pain he has walked to church before and it isn't that close to where he lives plus it's hot and humid here. He also has liver failure and is in pain from that and yet he will ride the bus, walk, do whatever he has to and comes to church. It's beautiful. I really pray that we all don't take church for granite, God always has a message awaiting us and for our hearts if we will listen. 

This week has been good and bad and funny altogether. We had exchanges on Wednesday and I got to go see my Hermanas! Oh I love them and the Hermana's are a trio companionship too. So I was with Hermana Gillett and Hermana Howard (another Sister Howard in the mission but she's going to Argentina when her visa comes) and Hermana Duong went to my area which by the way, Hermana Duong is such a Christlike example. She is incredible and just loves people and is ahhh so insightful and stellar! I love the Hermanas! It was a needed exchange because things were getting a tad difficult with my companions. But things are much better now but earlier this week it was hard. I am so grateful to God though, I prayed for stronger faith and this is a beautiful way He is teaching me to work on all attributes of faith, hope, and charity. It's been a great challenge! Anywho I was very grateful for the Hermana's and their insight on things and they just do things at a very nice pace that allows the spirit to really work. And I was able to see that this trio companionship is a good opportunity to learn how to work with other people's paces and find balance. The Hermana's trio is working out really well because they are different enough personalities that it works where as our trio presents a tad challenge because we all are similar so it's a little harder. I am really excited though and happy because last night and this morning we seem to be finding that balance a lot more.

Speaking of balance, I am so grateful to my mama and papa! I had written a letter to them a while ago about being worried about my bubbly side of my personality in if it was Christlike or not. I am so grateful for what they wrote and it was sweet timing because before I read either of my amazing parents letters I was able to see this for myself in action. When I wrote that letter I tried sacrificing that part of my personality, I tired to be more serious and "mature" and I was really sad at the end of the day. I constantly still felt the spirit but something was off. So at our district zone meeting (which the spirit was really strong at) and when I was with the Hermana's it was very freeing because I just felt loved and accepted and was so grateful to everyone and the Hermana's because it brought that bubbly side out of me. I couldn't contain it and I couldn't stifle it any longer, and when I just allowed myself to be me and bubbly, I was free! I just felt so much happier, I felt life was more vibrant and I felt alive in Christ. After exchanges I was debating if it was ok or not and I felt the spirit so much stronger and I was happy. And it was perfect timing when I got my dad's letter and was reconfirmed when I read my mom's sweet words, I will cherish that forever. It was really cool as well to hear after exchanges from my Sister's that one of our returning member family's, the Benally's that they really missed me. It made me feel so good to hear that because I love them dearly and Alicia Benally doesn't like people but I have felt like we have really bonded and it just made my day to hear that they really missed me! 

Anywho I'm embarrassed to write about me, it's just really nice to start seeing the reasons of why I was chosen for a mission and specifically for this area and the people I am so grateful to have met and continue to meet and to see things about myself I never realized. It's weird and cool, my companions have mentioned that I have the ability to connect with people and it's cool for me to finally start witnessing this for myself how others really do open up to me. So woot, I will continue to be bubbly, in case any of you were stressing, ha ha but even more then being bubbly I will continue to strive to reflect God's love and have that love. 

I'll have to write more about the Benally's and the Herrera's they are fantastic, I'll save it for next time. Oh and ha ha while I was on exchanges I met this funniest little Spanish kid name Alex, oh my hilarious. He is only 4 but it HUGE for his age and has the most energy I have ever seen. He was so funny running around the little apartment with his little chubbiness shaking. He was doing this really funny voice and singing and high pitched squealing when he'd get excited. He also did this really impressive horse neighs, seriously it was legit and sounded like a real horse, I couldn't stop laughing with that kiddo. Ha, especially when he climbed up on his dad, stood on his legs and started shaking his bum and making Tarzan noises. Oh man, if only I had a video to send you all. 

Anywho, wow, I mostly just babbled this email and sorry for not really having any cool miracles to write, tee hee we have a lot happen that it's hard to know what to write and a lot of weird things to. Ha! 

I love you all and oh read The Ensign :) they have a really cool article about a 53 year old man who went to law school, it's an awesome story. And also the Looking into the Eternities, I'm so thrilled for the life after this! Woot! Aren't you all just excited to be apart of laying the foundation for Christ's 2nd coming?!!! So cool!!!!!

I love you, I love you, I lovvvveeeee you and know that I'm praying for what you'll have asked for! 

So MUCH LOVE and Gratitude for you,

Love Sister Tasha C. Bush

P.S. I have the BEST parents in the world! Seriously! 

MAILING ADDRESS CHANGE

Hey Everyone,

You'll want to make note of this new mailing policy.  Letters to Tasha should now go to her actual apartment rather than the Mission Office.  Please take note!

Love, 

Mumsie   

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tasha Bush <tasha.bush@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 10:23 AM
Subject: Oh mail address changes
To: Cathy Bush <mumsiebush@gmail.com>

Oh by the way, we got this email from the mission office,

"Memo to all Missionaries:  Effective immediately all mail coming to missionaries should be directed to individual apartment addresses, rather than the Mission Office.  With Holiday Seasons approaching, please ask your family to mail direct.  When transfers come request family members to hold mail a couple of days.  Then on Monday after transfers send them your new address.  If you get mail for a transferred missionary, please write FORWARD, black out bar codes on front and back and put the mail back in your mailbox.  Thank you so much for your help.  Sister Keyes."

So here is our address...

4938 26th Ave S. Apt # A

Gulfport, FL 33707

can't wait for your letters! Love you!

Sister Baby Duck

P.S.

I forgot to include with the super long email!

I have found a new talent of mine :) I am really good with dealing with drunk people. Seriously, I didn't know it was a talent but one of our investigators (Chrissy) is usually drunk and I can help calm her down way easily and get her focused and it makes me laugh but both Sister Jenkins and Howard and Hermana Gillett ( she is serving in the spanish area) have all complemented me on my skills that I do really well with drunk people and I handle the situations great! 

Anywho that's fun! And woot I can eat mangos :) I know I already told you but it just makes me super happy, I have missed this fruit. Woot woot! 

I love you, I love you, I looooovvvvveeee you!

Love, 

Sister Tasha C. Bush

With Rain, Things Grow

Familia!

What a beautiful time of life to strive to become like the Savior. Yesterday we (Sister Jenkins, Howard, and myself) had the opportunity and honor to witness just that as sweet Christine G. Pitts was baptized. She is a celestial soul and it was a really neat and sacred experience to be in person for, I am grateful. She really is such an example, before her baptism she read all of the "Gospel Principles" book in only a matter of 2 weeks and she finished all of 1st Nephi and reread all of the pamphlets we had given her. Like I said, it was an honor to be at her baptism and I feel very lucky to have taught her, such a privilege! It's amazing how someone so quiet can powerfully move a room without even a saying a word. I am so grateful to her!

Other exciting news,  our new companion is Sister Howard! She is 20 years old and from Park City Utah and is a short, red head, and is a delight, I adore her :) She is so prepared and she knows and uses Preach My Gospel. I'm so proud of her and she says things in a perfect, concise, short and sweet simple manner. She's great! 

So, things are going well, we unfortunately had to drop one of our investigators, Jamie, she wasn't following through with commitments and her mom and dad are kind, but they aren't really doing their part and we'll be seeing the mom one more time, but it looks like that baptism isn't going to happen. I know it's because of the dad because Jamie does know it's true, but ever since he came back home things have changed. I know Jamie will have another opportunity in life when she becomes an adult and I just pray that Ina (the mom) will pray and read and then hopefully we won't have to drop them. I'm not sad about it though, I feel strong and confident that the Lord will have us where He needs us and we've done our part. 

Things have been a little challenging with Sister Jenkins these last few days unfortunately. It is sad because we have had a good relationship but she has changed, well I guess not changed.  It's just more apparent to me that I'm finding a rift between us. Sister Jenkins is good at being obedient, my one concern for her is she goes a little too far and strives for extreme obedience. Being exactly obedient is a great and good thing, but my fear is she has gone from exactly obedient to nit picky and meticulous obedience and it does effect the spirit. She tends to interpret the rules in her way and that way is usually overboard. For example for studies she'll get upset if my shoes are off because we should be fully dressed for studies. Or she'll always say the phrase "we can't do that"  and usually in terms of things that are not in the white handbook or in preach my gospel which are small matters like which library counter we should go to to ask a question,  and she'll insist that we need to go to the one that has the information sign over it. Sigh, it's tough because I have tried to talk to her about things and it will always come down to me. I have been fine with adjusting to meet her needs and just going with it but it makes it difficult when trying to train a new missionary and balancing out who trains and it's not very fun for my trainer to be right there judging my training. Yes, Haha, this is going to take work but I know the Lord has us together for a reason and there is a lot to learn. It is fun to think about, wow, how do the 3 Nephites do it? Are they always together? Teaching hasn't been hard, we've been able to find a good balance of taking turns and that's fine, it's just the training. 

Anywho enough on that! I have loved the last few days even with the hardships, I have really been striving to have my focus on my relationship with Heavenly Father and our savior Jesus Christ more. I am really striving to learn more about faith in Christ and I'm focusing my studies on this because if we want to become like Christ we need to learn of Christ. It was hard earlier in the week because I was stressing out because I felt like I had so much to change and work on and I realized that part of faith is accepting where you are and that that is ok. God will help you change but you first need to accept the place you are in life and use the enabling power of the Atonement to become more. It's so key to just accept and love yourself where you are now and to pray to Heavenly Father to see you as He see's you! It makes the process a lot more enjoyable when we can accept His time. 

Anywho, the scripture I've been pondering this week is Matt 6:33 in correlation to 1 Nephi 8:10 in correlation to Faith. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. It's beautiful that the first principle of the gospel is Faith and we should be putting God first. So by apply faith and putting faith first we are seeking the kingdom of God. And Lehi's dream might seem random, but woot, I found a cool connection. The tree of life is the love of God and Faith is compared to a little seed in Alma 32 that eventually grows into a tree which has the fruit of eternal life which is desirable above all other fruit :) See the connection? Beautiful right?! It makes me really giddy, so I highly encourage you all to read 1 Nep 8 and Alma 32 and go do a session in the Salt Lake Temple and be extra observant of trees while your there :D 

I love you all so much and just know that rain will make things grow! So if you're struggling with any stress or trials, know that it will always allow a beautiful opportunity for things to eventually grow and blossom and become a cheesy metaphor or remind you of a super awesome but gets you crying musical song, way to go "Les Miserable," Rainnnnnn will make the flllloooooowwwweerrrrsss.....arggg not mission approved music, sniffle I love it! And I love you! 

So much love and wondering what scripture you'll are pondering,

Sister Tasha C. Bush

By the mouth of two or three witnesses aka The Three Amigos or Three Musketeers

Woot Familia do I have exciting news for you!

 

Sister Jenkins and I get to have another transfer together, woot to the woot! Tee hee we were both praying for it but it was funny because we both felt like if someone was going to get transferred it would be me but guess what? EVEN BETTER!!! WE are training a Newbie Sister!!!! Yaahoooo we are going to be a trio! Ha ha, crazy eh? It cracks me up to imagine it, the three of us riding our bikes everywhere (oh which by the way we got this week, yay). Oh and I guess I never explained Mom and Pops, we switch off with the car every other week with the elders, so one week we're on car and the next bike. She should be here already and we will be picking her up tomorrow, I am super excited if you couldn't tell. What a tender mercy from the Lord! Sister Jenkins and I just adore and love each other, we seriously have an awesome companionship and relationship and are just really unified and we have seen it progress our work like crazy, we hardly know what to do with ourselves. It is such a blessing and an honor to get to train with her and have another missionary so that way we can do splits and get twice as much work done.

 

Other great news I forgot to mention was we got to meet President Cusick and his family last week and they are amazing.  Oh and before I share more about that, fantastic news! Robert and Chrissy are doing so much better, they have been to every church activity we have invited them to and supported the YW's auction to raise money for Girls Camp more then anyone else at the activity and they have been to church 2 weeks in a row now and brought more appropriate food (ha ha) - I'm so proud of them. They had a difficult situation where they had Child Protective Services called on them but luckily were able to keep the kids and Chrissy now has a warning that if they ever catch her drunk again when they check up randomly then she will be taken away and put into rehab. When we talked with Chrissy, she called it her rude awakening but she knows it's what she needs. She really does love us so much and kept reassuring Sister Jenkins and I (even when she was drunk) that we are making a difference and to not think that we're wasting our time. She says that she can feel our spirits and that she can feel our happiness and that it definitely makes a difference and has an influence on their family. We testified that she can have it to and will if she puts forth the effort of scriptures and prayers.  They are doing so much better. And Robert has such a strong testimony, he's already a missionary and has been sharing it with his neighbors and friends. They are amazing, we just pray that they will make the decision to be married so they can make the steps to baptism. As tough as it has been it is beautiful to see the spirit of God changing their lives. Slowly but surely! :)

 

Oh and another tender mercy that just testify's of the amazing difference member's make! I love our branch, they are getting a lot more involved and finally stepping it up. Although they have always been super sweet to us when after our first baptism we found a note in our mail box that said, "Gulfport Branch loves her Sisters." We don't know who it was from but it really helped lift our spirits. Anywho, the cool tender mercy is Christine Pitt's is getting baptized this Sunday. She is one of our member's girlfriend and he told her that he was only going to marry someone in the temple and so she took time on her own and started looking up stuff and loved it and asked to meet with the missionaries. So we met her about 2 weeks ago with her boyfriend and the 2nd week she wanted to be baptized. It is amazing what members can do because when we weren't teaching her, she was learning more with Peter about the church. I can also reassure you all that she has found out for herself and not for Peter. She's the most golden investigator we've had.  Well, Sister Sloat was amazing as well, but she already knew it was all true before we even met with her, ha ha. Christine read every pamphlet 3 times and more, she read up to 1 Nep 17 and decided to re-read what she already read, and she read the Gospel Principles book Peter gave her. She is stellar and we were going to have her baptism on July 20th and she asked to move it to the 14th. She is, as President Cusick described her (after he interviewed her), "an absolute angel." She is in her 40s or 50s and is very soft spoken, and just so sweet and gentle that the description of angel fits her perfectly. I have been stunned with her, she just is the perfect example of someone striving to be a celestial being. 

 

I can't wait for her baptism this week and it truly is a night and day's difference of finding an investigator on our own and teaching them for months and they know it's all true but for some reason won't pick a baptismal date and they don't have any fears compared to an investigator who hears a small portion about the gospel through a friend and then meets with us with and their friend and in the 2nd week asks their friend when they can get baptized. Please find an opportunity to have your friends over to meet the missionaries!!! It is what is moving the work forward and if you have fears call the missionaries and ask them to help you create a mission plan to overcome any concerns. The nice part is members have the easiest part, you do the friend-shipping and us missionaries do the teaching and little do you realize you already have done most of the teaching by your love and example to your friend! There are some awesome quotes I would ask you all to read in Preach my gospel, page 12 and 13. IT is SO COOL! read read! From our prophets.

Ok, I'm running out of time and will get off my soap box :) Oh one more thing READ YOUR SCRIPTURES AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS. It is crucial and essential that we take time for those daily and not many people realize, praying and reading your scriptures are commandments of God. Ok I'll stop, I love you all!

 

Oh and some nice thoughts from President Cusick, he talked about the vision of the south that President Kimball had and I don't have the whole quote but look it up, it really got me pumped up and grateful to be serving here in the south and the excitment to look forward to, of having in the future as many temples here as in Utah. I pray and hope to see it before I come home. Also a beautiful theme that President Cusick had was understanding our potential and what we can become. His vision is... "My calling is too look into the future and see the mission not as it is...but as it can become." May we all see the Lord's vision and take time to see it, read your scriptures!!! :D So, who is in charge, the Lord is!!! Oh and he had 3 nice thoughts about companionship unity:

1. What do I love about my companion?  

2. What have I learned today? 

3. What am I willing to change?  Oh and 3 Nep. 7:16-26.

 

Well, I love you all so much and thank you so much for the birthday package and love :) It was a great birthday and sweet Sister Jenkins made me breakfast and made enough to last the whole day, it was delightful.

 

I love you all and oh mama the scripture I'm pondering today....hmmm, I will get back to you on that! Ha ha, hopefully through snail mail, I love that question, What scripture are you pondering today?! I'll bring a scripture next email if you will?

 

Love you, love you lovvvveeee you!

 

Sister Tasha Cosette Bush

Life Is Easy

Helloa Hello Familia! 

Well it has been a fun week of ups and downs once more, Yay! Luckily today I am happy and encouraged with a brighter perspective for the week and for life. Last night we had an awesome thunder and lightening storm which is something I absolutely love about Florida. Lightening storms here are crazy and I'm not kidding when I say they light up the WHOLE sky. It is an incredible sight and leaves you in awe at the beauty of it all but also the danger.  I love it.  It's possibly one of  my favorite things about Florida. The thunder was LOUD last night, it was cool but hard to sleep. When I say loud I'm talking about rattling our dishes in our dish washer loud - we could hear them rattling from our bedroom!  It was Booming! It helped me feel that God loves me, I know that sounds strange, but I really was happy. 

I did have a hard day yesterday at church. However, a good thing was that two of our investigators with the baptismal date for came to church, Robert and Chrissy Janjanin with their 2 kids Maria and Luke. It was great to have them come but very hard. Chrissy kept leaving to go outside to smoke and it was just embarrassing to be sitting next to them during sacrament meeting when all of the sudden Chrissy pulls out a plastic bag with a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil and hands it to her 3 year old (Luke). I just sat there stunned not positive what to do as she loudly moved the crinkly tinfoil with the sandwich and I got more mortified as she pulled out one for Maria and I saw that there were 2 more in the bag. The whole time in my head I just kept saying, "Just love, just love, just love," and prayed that the people in the branch would as well and luckily they did, I think. :) I whispered to Chrissy it'd probably be better next time to bring a cup of Cherrios instead but not to worry since she didn't know. But how can a person not know,especially since she had grown up Catholic, pretty sure they don't bring picnics to church during communion either. Argggg!  It is really hard though to deal with the lack of etiquette here. People are just rude,have a lack of manners and basic common courtesy does not exist here. It amazes me. As aggravating and frustrating as it can be, it is also hilarious. For example, some of the excuses we get from people when we ask to pray or teach about Christ are... "Oh, I can't I'm really busy, I need to take my pills," or "I can't, I'm changing clothes, I'm busy," or one of the best, "I'm in my underwear." In my head I'm saying, "Why yes, we can see that.  Remind me again why you answered the door then old man?" Oh America, we are proud of our citizens :) 

I find it is much better to laugh and find humor in things then to get discourage as I did yesterday. I was having a hard time because I was discouraged from Robert and Chrissy. I am thrilled because Robert knows it's all true and really wants to be baptized, but Chrissy isn't so sure and she has only gone 3 days without drinking before she gives in again and it's so sad because they aren't married so if Robert wants to get baptized then he needs to get married, but I don't blame him for debating about marriage when his partner is really not showing the effort with her drinking and smoking. I have prayed many times that Chrissy won't desire them any longer.  It is hard as we try to help her with 12 Step Addiction Recovery Program, she's struggling with the desire to change and doesn't love herself. We have tried a lot and I'm glad they are starting to pray together and read scriptures together as a family and I am really looking forward to see it start to take effect and change their lives. And before I go on, I'm just giving a warning to all you parents who might be reading this email out loud to the little ones, I'll be sharing some stories that are a little intense and I don't think that'd be best for the kiddos to hear. It's sad to see and teach in the Janjanin's home, it is a wreck and stinks of all sorts of smells. It's been super frustrating to go over and teach when Chrissy is drunk.  The situation is getting better and Robert is great to teach, but it is ridiculous how he doesn't really do anything to clean and he's retired already. Anywho it's a slow progress, but there is progress. It just breaks my heart to see Maria and Luke living in an apartment like that. I would say home but I can't use the sacred word of home to describe the way they're living and the environment the kids are being raised in. 

That's probably one of the hardest things here that I see a lot of.  It's hard to see a sweet little toddler just sobbing at the park and their mom tells them to shut up among other not so choice words. The basic mother instincts I have within me wants to run over and pick up the sobbing child wipe their tears and just hold them, let them know they are loved and God loves them  and just hold them. I see a lot of hard things out here, a lot of unhealthy family environments and many other unfortunate things. I don't mean to be a downer or to be negative but to express my deep love for the gospel, for the good in life and for my parents and family. Please celebrate the upcoming holiday full of love and joy! Tell your friends and family how much you love and appreciate them. Be grateful for states like Utah, yes it's not perfect but the majority of the neighborhoods are clean and safe. I don't know why people give Utah such a hard time, they wouldn't if they saw St. Pete, ha ha. Anywho, if anything be grateful for freedom that living the word of wisdom brings and what true freedom is. True freedom will come when Christ comes again. I look forward to the freedom that will come for the Janjanin's when they apply prayer and scriptures to their lives. 

So one more story, Barry Vrable has a baptism date for and he's our deaf investigator and is incredible and has had a very hard life and yet is such a delightful sweet soul. The first time we met him, he opened up to us a ton, his son died (I think at a young age), he hasn't seen his daughter for years and pays child support.  He's barely making getting by and has had many times in his life where he's gone without food for 3 days or longer. (Warning for this next part) He showed us the scars on his stomach where he shot himself 6 times in an attempt to kill himself and he survived. That was a moment for him when he realized more fully that God wants him alive for a reason. It was intense but beautiful for us to testify to him that God does indeed love him and has a specific plan for  him. I'm so grateful Sister Jenkin signs and we're teaching him the plan of salvation right now and he loves it. He also loved the restoration. I don't know much sign but I pray and hope we all take time to learn ASL more, it is greatly needed. I really loved how Barry related the Atonement to an oil spill in our last lesson. He talked/signed and compared us to the birds affected by the oil spill and how they can't clean themselves. We too must be cleaned from sin, like the birds we cannot do it ourselves. Just like them we need to be cleaned off and purified from the gross oil and poison of sin and mistakes in life. Allow the Savior to hold you in His arms and heal, clean, and purify what we cannnot. Allow Him to mend the broken heart. It is so much easier! And it really can be easy, it doesn't have to be hard. 

At our zone district meeting 2 weeks ago, our zone leader, Elder Prigmore shared an awesome thought. He talked about how he hates the quote, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it'd be worth it." He hates it because he said, "No where in the scriptures can you find Christ saying that." He then talked about that Christ said the way would be made easy and the burden light for us when we turn unto Christ. And that can be found in Matthew 11:28-30. Where Christ invites us to come unto Him and He'll give us rest and in verse 30, "For my yoke is easy and my burden light." And I can testify that I personally know that is true. I got very stressed yesterday and started having heart palpitations from it, Sister Jenkins was understanding and kind and let me lay down during studies. I was exhausted and I thought the sleep would help and it did but when I awoke I soon realized I was wiped out emotionally as well. I am so grateful for our branch president who we visited and were able to get blessings from and it helped immensely. I was just stressed from being discouraged and overwhelmed from it all and just missed home and just wanted to be home and be an awesome member who could help the missionaries out like they described from the worldwide training, which we still haven't yet finished because the internet connection that failed at the branch :( oh cool side note, Sister Jenkins was serving there when the 32 Priesthood holders stood up from that awesome story, Sorry Dad, they filmed that just barely before I came :) Anywho, I was fine after a good cry and talk and a Priesthood blessing (which are the best) and although it's hard at times, I am grateful that the Lord called and chose me to serve a mission and it can be made easy and light. I know that God loves me and you and I know that this mission was to help find me. I know that I was that one lost sheep brought back to the fold. That now I have the privilege to bring the 99 back as well. We all are, in a sense, the one lost sheep and we can only be found and truly converted when we turn to Christ, give our thanks to God, and then when we are found we are to focus on Christ and get to work on the 99. I am thrilled to hear Mom and Dad are already getting to work! woot! The time is now, Zion is here! 

I'm writing too much but I love you all and you are in my prayers,. Please continue to pray for Chrissy Janjanin to overcome her addictions, the devil is working on her hard but we can work even more with God. Keep up the missionary work in your lives, I love you all so much.  On a random happy note, I tried a mango recently to see if I am allergic and guess what? I didn't die! I can eat mangos again, ha ha!!!!

Love you,

Sister Tasha Cosette Bush