Then Sings My Soul!

Dear Familia & friends,

So surprise transfer? On Wednesday Sister Godwin & I got a call from
President Cusick with the news that we were to pack up & meet the
downtown STL's at the mission office. From there we were to be taken
to our new areas in new companionship's/tripanionships. It was quite
the surprise & while hearing the news I had to stay strong & not cry.
I really love Brooksville & I miss the people very much & I wish I
could have said goodbye to a lot of people & set a baptism date with
Brother DaCosta but I just get to trust in God that it will happen.

So we packed up Wednesday & Sister Godwin was dropped off in Hudson
with Hermana Rasmussen & White, they are wonderful Sisters, I love
them & it was Great to see them when we dropped off Sister Godwin. I
spent the night with the downtown Sisters in Tampa & in the morning
the senior missionaries Elder & Sister Severinson picked me up & off
to Sebring we went. I love the Severinson's, their daughter in law had
once been my orchestra teacher while Ms. Hen was on sabbatical & she
also taught me violin for a short while too. We had a fun drive with
them & they always make me feel so loved.

So it was quite the surprise but I am deeply grateful. Sister Godwin
had made some goals to be happier & kinder, she had noticed & had
mentioned she has had problems before because of her tone if voice.
She was working on it & things were getting better but I am happy to
have had the change happen & am surprised by how God answers prayers
in unexpected ways. I was willing to work hard with the challenge of
it all but woot now I can focus on the work rather then an unified
companionship. Not meaning that in a mean way, I just think that this
is so much better for Sister Godwin & I. And overall I have walked
away learning so much especially about the atonement in way I didn't
realize or expect.

I am learning to let things go faster & to focus on today as a new
day & focus/live in the present. Forgive now because the moment has
already come & it's gone so let the anger or hurt or whatever go with
it. With Sister Godwin I was constantly having to deal with hurtful
things & it really gave me good practice in helping me let things go &
decide not to fight, for what pride? I don't need it. I'm excited for
her because she is now two really good & hard working Hermanas & it
will be good for her.

So I've found more of the positive reasons why I served with sister
Godwin rather then the negative. I'm also seeing/ learning my
strengths as well from when things get hard or challenging. So it's a
positive boost for me, I am lucky I know how to work through things &
communicate my feelings & not run away from them, i give that credit
of dealing with things healthy like from my parents. Thank you again
mom & dad for teaching basic human treatment & I feel so much more
stronger.

ALL because of God I now serve with two of the most upstanding &
outstanding Sisters in the mission. Oh I didn't tell ya'll ha ha I am
now in a trio with Sister Westburg & drum roll Sister BECK :D I love
these two so much & crazy & awesome, Sister Beck knows Aunt Penny &
our Ellsworth family/ most of them. She is a delight & I have found a
new best friend. Sister Westburg is cool to, not to dismiss her, ha ha
it's just neat that my parents friends the Becks daughter & I are
companions & aw it's great. These two are amazing, they are hard
working & I really really reeeeaaaallllyyy missed a hard working
companion  & I didn't feel like I was my best. Now I have
two hard working companions who by the way have 10 baptism dates.
Yessum, there is a family they have been working with that is about 7
people & our neighbors. I love how are days are full of work & if not
we are diligently finding & walking to find people. It's been such a
blessing, I love them.

It was a little hard this week with the surprise change & oh let me
apologize if I have ever said anything mean about my mission
President. He really does love us missionaries & he sometimes is harsh
because he sees our potential & I guess the way to see his love is the
fact that he is willing to have the courage to be blunt. Sister Beck &
Westburg are Sister training leaders & at MLC President talked about
his love for the missionaries & put it this way, "who loves you more
those willing to pretend there is nothing wrong & tell you your
perfect or those willing to let you know how you can improve to become
your highest potential." So even though he has a little more of a
blunt way of doing things I see more clearly His love & I support him
:) we are on good terms now & he is a pretty awesome mission
president. Our mission is experiencing miracles left & right & like he
says we are to hastening the work not maintain it, these are the last
days it's time to pull it together & invite EVERYONE to Christ.

Really, thank heavens for revelations from Heavenly Father, I love
Him very much. I love repentance & having a clearer perspective on
things. I am changing/ purifying my heart to being a better
missionary, a better person, a better daughter of God. I care about my
Heavenly Father, I need to show Him more respect & not disregard His
loving & wise voice. He knows what's good for me, it's time for me to
listen & to DO. By the way Thank you mama for seeing me as a human
doing not being. :) For I greatly need to & I get it now.

In chapter 8 of preach my gospel under the section of accountability
it hit me hard, I have so much to improve on & I had Blamed my
previous companions for the lack of progress. I can not do that,
having stellar companion's like sister Beck & Westburg makes a huge
difference & helps but I started to slack off before them & it's time
to step it up. Alma 5:15-19 & D&C 137:9. I had a few painful moments
this week where I realized that the mountain I prayed for, the trial
of faith turned out to be me. I am my own mountain & it's been very
painful but good to cut/be brought down to the depths of humility &
work on facing my flaws & getting rid of anything that is not of God.
I have learned so much of finally letting the Atonement heal me. I had
written President explaining that I didn't know how to use the
Atonement, I didn't sin in any extreme way just that I needed to be
healed through Christ by letting things go from the past & I didn't
know how. He sent a nice response back & I like how simple it was. He
had said the Atonement is a powerful thing & can heal overnight if you
let it. I like that he didn't tell me how to, that is something I had
to figure out on my own through prayer. I prayed a lot for it & to
understand more & it was sweet in church the speakers spoke on the
Atonement. Also in Relief Society someone had mentioned the need to
remember who we really are. We are daughters of God of a Heavenly King
& we have His genes.

It hit me hard & as I pondered things through out the day as we three
amigos were teaching I didn't fully feel it until a lesson with the
Crawfords. We had watched the Joseph Smith movie with them & were all
crying after & I read from 3 Nephi 11:14&15. I just cried as I read
those verses to them & I felt so much of God's love & I felt it, I
felt that power of the Atonement. I remember earlier I my mission to,
the atonement's fullest capacity comes through helping others & bearing
testimony of truth. It is healing & I love that feeling of love. I
love the Crawford's & they are visiting the Fields, Sister Field &
Sister Crawford are sisters & sister field is a member & introduced us
to the Crawfords who aren't members. We will be teaching them before
they go back home but we should have them set with a baptismal date
before they go :) I love my companions, I love their testimonies, they
are powerful & this is the best trio I have ever been in. It's only
been a few days but we really getting along & i love how much I am
learning from their teaching skills! hard work ethic & humor. Ha ha
they are so funny & are an answer to prayer.

So random scripture time...

Jacob 5:11-13, 61-64, 74-75

In Helaman 8:13&14 it stuck out it me that he called the past prophets
our fathers, I like that comparison of the prophet representing our
Heavenly Father & Christ. They are our fathers & shouldn't we listen
more. When we deny what our prophet has said present & past we deny
God. Verse 14 & 15 love love lovvveeeee, look to God and live. Verse
22, 24 life is a witness itself of the truth of God.

Getting people motivated & excited to share the gospel, have I ever
testified of it more fully? So everyone What missionaries need from
the ward, not their food :) We need their testimonies to bring friends
& others to the gospel, to meet with us missionaries. Thank you to
Chelsea! I am so proud of my Sister, she is diligently trying &
working with the missionaries in finding opportunities to build
relationships with others to eventually introduce the gospel. Woot we
can do it!

By the way hymn 221 dear to the heart of the shepherd talks about
Hasten the work wowa it's in a lot of hymns & it's standing out to me
a lot, epic.

Sometimes I feel like smacking my head against the wall when in ward
counsel out here on my mission, I am baffled the things adults waste
time talking about. Out of all the wards Tampa 1st has been the best
in talking about things that matter. But even they once had a silly
small thing for an activity that the discussion went on longer then
what was necessary. It cracks me up. Oh & the things that upset people
& what they make a big deal over, argggggg it is tiring, too many
opinions & all on matters that are the least of concerns that really
matter. Anywho random complaint over.

Ok, have fun, bah ha ha ha another long email oh & here's my new address...

1015 West Bell Street Apt #40
Avon Park FL 33825

Don't worry if you've already sent your letter mom & dad I had texted
my new address to the missionaries who are in that apartment so hey
can mail it to me.

Alright much love on & enjoy this scripture too!

"They did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in
their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the
filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the
purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification
cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God" (Helaman
3:35).

LOVVVVVVEEEEEE so much LOVE,

Sister Bush

P.s. The hymn How Great Thou Art was how I was feeling this morning to
God & best depicts how I feel today, I love God!!!!