Wowa Powa

Dear Familia and Friends,

Before I foget HAPPY BIRTHDAY to DIXON! On MARCH 3rdddddddddddddddddddd! Sinnnggginginginging :D Happy birthday on that day! Ha ha you're the best from the west in the east! Wacha! :)

So, wowa what an interesting week. I have found the happiness of the miracles that come forth when you have a unified companionship...which mine isn't... didn't discovered how truly frustrating it has been until recently. On Monday we went downtown Tampa for 3 days. It's a thing the whole mission is doing, they are having all the missionaries do this over these last few transfers. They have about 3 sets of missionaries come stay with the downtown sister training leaders, who are Hermana Birch and Larsen (love them!) and it's a nice apartment, ha ha random. Ok, so the Elders do this as well with the APs. Its a mission joke among the missionaries that Hermana Birch and Larsen are the girl AP's because they are clearly President Cusick's favorite missionaries. It makes sense they are both gorgeous and just flat out rockin Sister Missionaries, they are incredible examples and again are the best examples of what Sister Missionaries should be like/ disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Anywho, we went down from Monday to Wednesday to do a fast training on Street Contacting/ fast quick interactions with people in handing out pass along/ mormon.org cards. If lucky have an engaged conversation and get their contact info to pass on to other missionaries. I was really grateful that it was my old area so I didn't have to stress out about the city :) I felt like I had a nice head start because a little bit of practice from the transfer I had spent serving there. I think it's awesome and genius that they are doing this. They also start out any new missionaries there as well, super smart and again awesome! So, this experience was very eye opening. Not only did I learned a lot, I did enjoy myself quite a bit. My confidence was really boosted up in realizing that I was a lot more comfortable and good at it then I realized. Oh and the other cool thing, they had different "stations" of where missionaries were required to be certain times of the day so we weren't all in the same places, for the most part. For example, some were assigned to go on the bus while others were assigned a certain park or block of town. It's cool because some people are starting to have a lot of interactions with the missionaries in the city and starting to get to know "the mormons." 

I was grateful to be able to stop by one of the restaurants Sister Burton and I had gone to when we served together there for dinner. I was very happy to see Victoria still working at Peta's Republic which is one of my favorites, it is delicious! Anywho, again I was really happy to see Victoria, she is one of those people that I feel like we were friends before this life and connect too. She was going through a lot and it was nice to hear that she is praying more and reading her bible (which is a good start ;) ) I encouraged her to read the book of mormon and to check out the church in town. It was nice to be able to write down scriptures for her and to have a really good conversation with her. 

Downtown Tampa was a valuable experience that needed to happen. Like I said earlier it was eye opening. It is a astonishing difference to see what a unified companionship can accomplish which I discovered on splits with Hermana Larsen. Let me explain/give an example. On Tuesday we were assigned for our station for the first half of the day to ride the bus which is a great way to teach people lessons and what not. So on the bus Sister Godwin sat in the front of the bus and I went to the back. I met a man named Mike, had a great conversation and got his phone number to give to the STL's. I was pumped up from the positive encounter and conversation as he left with a mormon.org card and smile on his face. It was disheartening then to look down at the front of the bus to see my companion asleep. It really just made my heart drop. I was going to wake her up but she is always doing this. Every Sunday in church she falls asleep. We have talked about it and she knows what she needs to do but she doesn't care. We have had conversations on caring more, again she knows what she needs to do, this is a before the mission thing as well and yet she just won't do it. It seems miserable to be miserable and to know what you need to do but to just continue on and for what pride? What a lame thing. Anywho, she wasn't happy with herself either and as we got off the bus around downtown I tried to encourage her. She had the good idea to go on spilts with the STL's to have them help out.

We met them at the park and she went with Hermana Birch and I went with Hermana Larsen. Hermana Larsen and I in that short amount of time that we did splits had miracles left and right and the spirit was so strong. I missed that soooo much. It was nice to be with someone who gets it and who loves the Lord in putting His will first and putting aside any selfish concerns. We talked to a lot of people, said a prayer with a man who was probably homeless but I felt we needed to it was sweet, and the best was this couple we met who were sitting at this table. They were my favorite. We talked with them and they were asking a ton of stuff so we sat down and had a great discussion and by the end of it while the man was talking to me the woman leaned to Hermana Larsen and said. "I really want to read that book." In reference to the book of mormon we just had given her. It was AWESOME and the man was so prepared as well, he had a lot of questions and good points about how incorrect the bible was and it was exciting to testify of the power and truth of the Book of Mormon being not only a second witness but a accurate correct witness of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Oh goodness it was a great experience. So, take that miracle happiness of support from Hermana Larsen who was willing and always talking to people and how we were balanced to getting back to Sister Godwin who is just pushing through. It was hard. 

I love her but was stunned to see what I've been putting up with this whole transfer and it was more stunning in comparing at the end of the downtown experience I had passed out over 100 cards and she had passed our 18 or 20. When you care God will help you succeed more then what you can do. Grant it I will give her the credit that what she did was a Huge improvement of how she has been. And she did a great job on the bus the 2nd day and engaged in conversations with people and was friendly and smiley. So it went a lot better. 

I was also grateful for when we got back Wednesday night, we had a text from our STL's for out area, Sister Goodmen and Trabatitch letting us know we were going on exchanges with them for Thursday and Friday. Good thing that that happened because with all that I realized and was able to report to Hermana Larsen it was nice to have exchanges with Sister T to be able to talk about everything else. I've notice that obedience to the written rules mean nothing when you're heart isn't being obedient to what we should be doing in living the higher law. Sister Godwin is good at being obedient to the written rules as to caring and loving God's children that's a whole other story. I know she does and I have seen her care but she puts up such a fight. It's not worth the fight, loving is so much better even though it is harder!!!!

I love Sister Trabatitch and I feel bad because that's the wrong spelling. She is incredible though and is a convert herself and is one of the best missionaries I have ever seen. I am touched by her dedicated service even though more then half of her family is not supporting her and her own father hardly rights her because of her decision to serve a mission. She loves being a missionary with all of the opposition she has and that is a missionary who gets it. I am blessed to have gotten to know her and am grateful for what she has done for me.

Anywho, all this to say, that I get that I'm not the problem and how I never want pride to be my problem. I've worked through what I needed to and I am happy and from earlier this week seeing the difference in myself and the difference in other missionaries good or bad it just re motivated me to do better. My heart has been purified and I just feel this energy and urgency of the work. There is not any time to waste time over our petty selves. The bigger picture is so much more then us being selfish! I loved a scripture I discovered in John 17:3, life eternal is to know God and Jesus Christ. How do we get to know them? Take the time to. Put God first in our lives. It just doesn't make sense not to.  

Ha ha, I have felt like I've been through a lot but I know I really haven't. I am grateful for everything I have experienced thus far even with companionship struggles. We are all so much better then what we choose to be at times and I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ in every detail of our lives to help us fulfill more of who we really are. We can do that if we soften our hearts and let Christ help us out. Pride is NOT worth it. 

Anywho, I am excited, when Elder L. Tom Perry was here ( I heard this from the STL's) he had told President Cusick that there needs to be 8 baptisms per missionary happening for our mission. I know if an apostle of God says this that is what needs to happen and will happen. Frustrating thing is when the Stake Presidents were told this they all said that that's too much and not possible. Grrrrrrrrr Seriously people, you are going to question direction from and Apostle? I don't get it. Anywho, they agreed on by October 4th to have I think 4 or 6 baptisms and then December 6th up to 6 or 8. All because of the lack of faith from Stake Presidents in this mission. I was grateful to hear though that our Stake President, President Thompson was in support of what Elder Perry said. I know that faith precedes the miracle and that it will happen if we do our part and BELIEVE. 

Sister T and I had a lot of great experiences together, President Cusick had asked us a while back to walk once a week. Sister Godwin complained about it and will bike but wouldn't do the walking. On exchanges Sister T was awesome and we were able to do it together and even in the broad area of Brooksville, because of our faith the Lord put people in our path. It was wonderful. Sister Godwin and I finally did it recently, I was grateful for the change she was making and ha ha not as awesome the results that Sister T and I had but it is a start and will continue to be brighter and better. 

This work is true, it is hard but it is worth it and it IS FUN. :) I love this time and I hope each of you do to, it Is indeed the last days let's live it up in the best way by preparing! 

I love you so much, I don't know if I express it enough but I am grateful for the family I was brought up in. I am grateful to know my heart finds relief in knowing that my parents and my siblings are doing what they should be. I am so blessed to be apart of such a wonderful group of people who listen to the Lord and are following the spirit. I am so grateful for my friends in how supportive they have been in my life and such a positive piece in my life and heart. I love you all so very much.

Thank you for everything and keep it up, every effort counts and is beautiful!

MUCH LOVE,

Sister Bush

p.s. D&C 58:27, 2 Nep 2:26-29, Alma 37:47, Deut 30:19-20