2.20.11

Hey!!

This week has been pretty fun!! Kinda crazy cause we taught a lot of less active members and a lot of inactives...which are always fun cause they always have some reason they are not coming to church so its fun to see all the random reasons. I am constantly reminded of the story of the cup of milk and cream or whatever it is. Or the poor simons ryder fella who flipped cause someone spelled his name wrong. Its fun though!

It has been POURING here as well! We were out tracting and got POURED on but no worries I was a good boy scout and was prepared with my assassin jacket (with a hood)...that GIGANTIC thing we bought at mr. mac. But today is super warm and back to the normal Algarve temperature always right about 70-75 in the day time and down to like 65 at night. Really I am telling you most of the bad stuff that is happening. I am not telling you about the little things like about how we found bug shell things in our kitchen the other day.I think they are weird bugs which actually are called book bugs here. We sprayed poison stuff so all is well.

I am glad the computer survived! that is good news! I did get the book and I really like it! It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but its great. I was thinking like of the old testament manual things. This one is super cool though and I have already read a TON of it! I will let you know if the pants fit and everything. I am sure they do! I probably will start wearing one of the suit pants here pretty soon! Thanks for sending that stuff to me!! Your the bestest!!

The work this week was a lot of work on reactivation as I already kinda said but we also met with Dora and Paula and we found Dora has a little problem with deciding if we are true or if the JW´s are right. She just has friends in that church. She knows ours is true. Her dad died this past weekend and we still haven´t been able to talk to her yet cause she is traveling or something. Paula just wants a head free of stresses before she is married. She wants to be able to only think in how important that day is and not be worrying about family or work or other things. We are going to talk to them on Wednesday about how the time may not be the best but Satan will always be putting stuff in the way to keep us from getting on the straight and narrow path!

Everything is going super well and we are going to have interviews with Pres. this Friday which is always fun! Love you all!!

Elder Bushnell

2.14.11

p.s. I forgot to tell you i found hunting scriptures this week!! Look up D&C 59:5-15 which is what we need to do to receive blessings while we are hunting. then in verses 16-19 it talks about the blessings we can receive if we are doing the things! :) I like the part about pleasing the eye and gladdening the heart! :)

hey daddio!!

Things are going super great!! I am sorry you broke your tooth! Luckily, when i broke mine it didn't hurt at all! I just heard a super crazy rumor that I don´t want to believe...is it true Jerry Sloan retired?! I just heard that from Elder Roundy but we don´t know if its really true. He can´t retire...he doesn't have a championship yet...what is this world coming to!

I am glad Tyler and Kyle are really pressing forward it really is amazing to see this work in action and be a part of it! I will write Scott a letter this week and mail it to you guys cause I can´t remember which house number is his. You guys can just deliver it to him!

We are doing a ton of procura...we found 8 new people on Saturday which was a pretty good day. We unfortunately didn't have anyone new in church...we had like 5 inactive members which was super cool! Hopefully they still keep coming! Elder Roundy and I are finding fun ways to stay positive...we make super good goals and if we complete them all before 9:30 at night we go get ice cream or we window shop or we do something cause at 9:30 we need to be in the house so normally we have like 15 minutes or so to do that kinda stuff cause our goals are always good and improve everyday. its pretty fun actually! I just had to do the math in my head cause Roundy and I can´t believe we are 1/3 of the way done...that is so crazy! Its gone so quick!!

Thanks for putting me in!! I am super excited to come back and hunt a LOT! cause I won´t ever have another time like this in my life...I will have just finished with my mission and before life actually starts I will have a little bit of time to goof off! :) I don´t remember if I was with you guys in 95...I remember seeing pictures of the time by the lake but I don´t know if I was there ever for it. I like 93 it payed out pretty well this last year!

I bet mom wasn't any to excited about me not going to school but she will miss me so much by then she probably will let me do whatever i want for one semester! :) We will see and I will keep thinking about it! :)

This week was a lot of less active lessons and procura...we didn't teach any super strong lessons...we were super close to having Paula and Dora baptized but they decided it was important to tell their families and invite them all...its a good reason cause we will get lots of referalls as well if they come to the baptism so it hopefully will happen this upcoming week! I will let you know!!

Thanks for everything dad!!

Love you!



Feliz Dia dos Namorados!

Oh man that is sad news...our computer at home died? That is cool that we are getting a new one!! Try if possible to save that extra memory and video card we put in if they didn´t die as well!! We probably could use them later!

I have heard that BYU is doing really well! All because of Jimmer! He is a stud! That is super cool that those Huntsman and Romney are going to run for president...here everyone LOVES Obama and I always just sit there and don´t say anything...if you ask them they couldn´t tell you one thing he has done..he is just very liked for no reason! I think I want Mitt Romney to be president! I told dad a little about the work here and hopefully Paula and Dora will be baptized this week! We are praying super hard for that to happen!

Good to hear you and barb are basically just playing and not really working...of course! You two have always left during the most interesting times. Remember how in high school you would always go to st. george or somewhere during the dances...so i always had to do everything myself...i had to ask sister pratt how to work the tuxedo things cause i had never done it and you were gone!! :)

I bet cleaning the pantry was a blast with those 2 goof balls!! They are going to be so stinking big by the time i get home! its super crazy! Carter better know who i am when i get home! If he is scared of me i will be sorta sad! I was talking to Elder Rich who goes home this june and he was planning funny ways to get off the airplane but you guys are coming to get me so i won´t be able to do anything super funny like that. I am excited to show you guys all of these areas and stuff! Portimão has some super cool areas!! :) The branch in Loulé is better i think though. they just seem more united...here its like at home, you only talk on sundays and don´t see each other during the week! Loule was like one tight family!

Which mission is Jordan in? Brett Huntington is in Texas! I wonder if they are close to each other or if they know each other. It doesn't really matter but its interesting!

haha that is funny about the package i sent...I wondered how it would do and apparently it didn´t make it any to safely. I am using the acne medicine...don´t know if its working but i am sorta using it! It dries my face out sometimes but its all good! Thanks for filling those for me!! Also for sending that stuff! I will let you know when i get it!

Have a great week!! I love you a ton!!

Elder Bushnell

2.7.11

Yeah I am excited as well that all of Portugal will be one mission. It will be very interesting but it will be cool to be able to see all of Portugal. So far I have only been in the Algarve but that is fine by me cause its a HUGE golf place. People come from everywhere to play the courses here! Its cool to see them...never will be able to play them because they cost so much but its cool!! As for up north it´s cold but they have super awesome castles and stuff. The mission office will be in Lisbon still cause it will be the Portugal Lisbon Mission. I think that the Porto mission has like 60 missionaries and we have like double that. I think about that challenge a lot actually!

I think the dentist just put the cavity wax stuff in and then used the blue light to harden it then shaved it to look normal and then had me bit so it feels fine but not the EXACT same so when i get back Dr. White can fix it all up! I already got the reimbursement and put it in my special belt for a really rainy day!

Thanks for sending the package I will start looking out for it. Roundy´s girlfriend sent him a package for christmas that hasn't ever shown up...its a little sketchy. But I am sure this one will come!

As for Paula and Dora we are thinking that Dora´s job has moved or something and now she can come to church...hopefully....and last night we had a cool experience and will see how it plays out...we were praying to see who should be baptized this week and after the prayer i turned to roundy and said..."this might sound weird cause it seems impossible but i kept having a name that started with Pau...i was like...uh we have a less active member Paulo but he is already baptized...then it hit me...Paula." and he was like i kept thinking the same thing but was scared to say anything cause it seems so impossible...but we will do all we can and see if it really was the Lord giving us and answer or just us and wishful thinking. But it could have been the Lord giving us and answer but Paula still has her free agency so...we will see!

So something pretty cool that elder roundy and i were talking about...we were talking about Provo and Orem and what those words mean in Portuguese. Provo is from the verb provar which is "to prove or try" so its like saying "i try or prove" Orem is super cool its the verb Orar which is "to pray" and its like commanding to pray but plurally. so like commanding a group of people to pray!

Thank you!! Love you all!!

Elder Bushnell

2.1.11

Hi Mommy Dear!!

My week has been absolutely NUTS!!!!

I will go day-by-day for you. First on p-day I broke my tooth, its one on the top and left side, 2nd to the back (for me). So I had the opportunity to go to a Portuguese dentist, that was an adventure! :) It was $60.00 which is why it looks like I took a TON of money out. I broke my tooth later in the day eating a candy thing...basically a mamba...so then used my card to pay for that. So i broke it on Monday...we also found out our sink is leaking that day also...still is but its not bad.

Tuesday we went to the dentist first thing in the morning and marked a visit at 3 then we did work and stuff with out sink a little then went back and he just looked at it and put funny wax stuff in it...and we recheduled for Wednesday.

Wednesday...we got my tooth fixed at 11 then went to lunch with a member then went to teach Dora and Paula who accepted ALL the commandments but they work Sundays now so they don´t want to be baptized since they can´t keep that commandment. So we are working with them...but then right after we went to the bus stop and went to Lisbon for a half the mission zone meeting with Elder Caussé of the 70.

Thursday...we had the cool zone conference in which we learned a lot but the craziest thing happened!!! Nice we are going to have a temple and since we are the highest baptizing mission in Europe....well first let me tell you a cool fact. In the past 2 years the number of missionaries in this mission has decreased 30% but baptisms have quadrupled! man i want to break this news in a super exciting way but basically since our mission is awesome we are expanding and will be ONE mission and will eat the Porto mission!! Starting on July 1st i could be called to serve in ANY part of PORTUGAL or in Madeira (the islands)!! Its mainly because the 12 want all of Portugal to be as awesome as our mission is so they are putting President Torgan over ALL the country!! Its super cool cause i will have 1 full year in my own mission then will get to storm Porto´s mission and see ALL of this amazing country!! I am super excited! But next winter will be a white one if i am up north!!

So basically the rest of the week was just a breeze and wasn't anything super duper exciting! We contacted some good people but only had 3 in church which isn´t great but not terrible!

As for our transfer calls today...Elder Roundy and I will stay together so you can send whatever you have planned now :) We are super excited and we are going to baptize at least twice! i have started a pattern...2 in my 1st transfer then 0 then 2 then 0 so now we are on a 2!

Sounds like you have been having a crazy week!! That is super good to stay busy cause if not the days seem LONG! which makes weeks seem like forever!! which is not a good thing!

Well i hope all is going well!! I love you TONS!!!

Elder Bushnell