7.18.11 Dad's letter

Hey daddio!!

We are teaching some awesome families this week from Cape Verde in Africa...the 3 kids came to church it was super awesome! umm other quotes from president one thing he said that was super weird to me was when he said "it is 100 times harder for a person to accept the gospel in the next life than in this life" i guess he was quoting that from Joseph Fielding Smith. We get a lot of members who say they are scared or don´t think their family members will accept here so they will wait till they die and baptize them after. President destroyed them with that quote.

It is super crazy how fast time is going...i will be going to Gaia which is was up north and i don´t know anything about it! I just know its cool looking. I already feel like i am getting near the end of my mission! it is super crazy fast!

As for Tyler, August 17 is super soon man! wow he is going to be great....it will be shock going into the mtc then from the mtc to the field, but he just has gotta hang on tight!

This next week will be funny of adventures i feel like! I am excited but kinda nervous!

Love you!
Elder Bushnell

7.18.11 Mom's Letter

Hey Mommy!!

This week was pretty good. It was rough because I knew it was going to be my last transfer here in Setubal. I think I want to go to church here when you come pick me up! It is a great ward and the recent converts are doing great!! That is exciting that Matt is back and that everything is going to be the same...I doubt it will all be the exact same. I talked to Chris and he was saying how he can understand the crazy accents and stuff but hasn´t really been picking it up very much. I don´t think i have an accent but I do forget a lot of Engish words and speak kinda a funny English/Portuguese mix. It will be funny when I get home! haah Yesterday I was talking to my comp in English and I conjugated the English verbs into Portuguese without thinking....i was saying how the kids probably think we ``speakamos`` funny. It was great.

I got a email from bishop and it sounded like Youth Conference was super great! I haven´t ever been to the cemetery and i think it would be cool. I have the Joseph Smith movie on my jump drive to watch on PDAYS it is a super good one! That sounds super awesome! The mission feels like a break from life so when people ask how old I am i always have to think for a long time about it to respond and sometimes when people say oh i am 18 i always think...neat so am i....wait no i am not....silly me.

I read that talk just last week it comes from the talk in the ensign!! It is a really good talk!

Oh so cool think....i didn´t tell you...i am getting TRANSFERED to Vila Nova de Gaia i think....it is still not confirmed but that is the strong rumor. My comp will stay and the irmas will be pink washed...one is going to the north the other to the açores. Crazy stuff!!

Thanks for everything mommy!!! I will do some pushups but i want good bands cause i think i might start P90X...look it up on google if you want to know more about it!! :)

Love you mommy!!

Elder Bushnell

7.4.11

Hey!!

It is still pretty hot but its funny hear cause its hot one day and rains the next...it is still hot but like yesterday wasn´t sunny...just hot and overcast and humid. Its weird. Have they made those fireworks legal just for this year or forever now? That is super cool that they are legal now!! haha i am sorta jealous...of course the year i am gone they become legal. Next year i will be home though its all good!

That is cool that you guys are going out to Vernon Reservoir is there a reason you picked there? Where does your elk area include? I was talking to Sister Morrisons brother yesterday cause she ended her mission so part of her family came and he is a big hunter and he was telling me he did some elk hunting in utah and shot a fairly good sized 5x5 with his bow. It was nice to talk to someone else who really understands the hunting language...it really is like its own language...i was talking to him and he was saying how he wants to shoot antelope but doesn´t have any idea how to hunt them...he has tried with a blind on water and has tried with the decoy walking up and everything...even with a rifle he can´t seem to get close enough to a big enough one to shoot. It made me laugh...then i told him about the last one i shot...15.5 inches and he was like "How the crap did you get even within 300 yards of one that big" I guess he has seen some big ones but they are always running a million miles and hour from a million miles away. He said he hunted more up north western wyoming.

Ailton is still with his dad...he gets back today or tomorrow. Debora´s dad has started being a problem but he will come to church next sunday to see if it is something he really wants his daughter to be doing.

Will you send a new cool journal with the next package if it fits? Mine is almost full.

Was yesterday fast Sunday for you? That is a super cool story!! I like hearing cool stories like that! I have heard a few like that. District meeting was super easy....we have a checklist we got from president so every companionship fills it out and gives them to me so then we just talk about how to improve some of the lower numbers on the lists. Then we normal get training from president that i have to share...then we make goals and it ends..not anything super hard. The missions are now offically combined...President Torgan in is the North right now giving trainings and getting everything prepared for transfers...which are on the 18th. i think.

That is super cool about Kyle and Victor. I hope Aaron gets his butt in gear and goes...he still has some time but he better do it...it would change him so much! It is weird that Matt finished this week...does that make me second on the list to come home? That is weird!!!!!! I am not exited at all to have to give another talk in English...i wish it could be in Portuguese...my English is getting super bad while i am out here.

I am feeling pretty good...its getting hot and i am starting to get some chaffing, heat rash stuff. I also have a cough that won´t go away but i am feeling good other that that! I am eating really well! We have been eating with lots of members recently! My comp and I get along great i believe...he hasn´t made me want to punch him and he hasn´t punched me yet..except when we see yellow cars...or smart cars. It is a game we play.

Thanks for everything !! Love you!

Elder Bushnell

6.26.11

Hey from hot and sunny PORTUGAL!!

It was like 104 yesterday here and it was also like 100 percent humidity...super duper hot! This last week was a battle and unfortunately we were unable to win..the irmas had 3 baptisms though. I got to perform 1 for a little girl that is 8...she is the sister of a young man in the ward and he isn´t old enough to baptize her yet. But the mom was there and she loved it...she cried through it all and she will try to do everything she can to get baptized. She wants her son to baptize her! But we are talking to a girl named Deborah who should be baptized here soon. She is progressing really well. We just need to talk to her parents and get permission to baptize her. But they are cool so it should be good. She is 16 and lived in England for 4 years so she speaks English really well.

Ailton was at his dads this weekend so he wasn´t able to come to church.

Haha some members have ipads here and they all have cool cases with keyboards on them...they all use them during sacrament meeting...its a great distraction!

Sounds like the Halm´s have had a super crazy weekend! That is weird that Jackson and Talia are sealed now. Its weird how fast life changes. I am sure they can make it just fine as long as they keep doing what the gospel teaches. Wow that sounds like an intense job he has...i thought he was working at the paint store...but cool. haha i am sure dad wasn´t any too mad you were going to be gone for so long...he and Ned are probably goofing off while you are gone!

I did get the package and the shirt seems to work just great...its kinda long but that just means it will never come untucked. also i will have funnier sleeve tan lines cause the sleeves go all the way to my elbow but the collar seems to be about right. You can go ahead and send the other one...it was just late because of the holidays...this time of the year is called "santos populares" or in English i think that is like famous saints...and they have TONS of holidays celebrating like every saint that ever lived....it is super catholic and weird.

I will send the memory card with pictures that I have. It's not really filled up but i do need to send some home to you guys! We are like in the middle of transfers so i don´t know exactly when it is that we will have transfers...the last ones were the 6th of June so 6 weeks after that...whenever that is. Pres. Torgan takes over the other mission on the 1st...so yeah in a few days.They are going to have a 9 week transfer then be transferred with us on the next one...so I probably am going up north somewhere. Thanks a bunch for all the prayers mom!! I know you pray for me a lot!

Love you!!

Elder Bushnell

p.s. Something super funny...there is a new elder in my mission named Elder Quilter...he is from Orem, but closer to Lindon....he knows and hung out with Brittany and Tiffany...i guess they met at some hike or something? Then he was going to Dixie when they were down there as well...weird huh!!!? Super small world.

6.20.11

Hey!!

This week was super crazy!! It has calmed way down now that Elder Bauman knows what is going on and where he is and stuff. We had Ailton marked for Sunday but he didn´t come to church. Actually this week was stake conference so we got to hear from Pres. Torgan and from Elder Teixeira (70) and Elder Boom? (70) I don´t know how to spell his name but they all gave great talks. We had a bus leave our church at 8:45 and none of our investigators were able to wake up or something...it was super lame. We had no one investigators but we had our recent converts. It was a supoer great conference! We have found some other people that we need to pass again to see if they have been keeping our commitments we left. We will see! A few seem to have a lot of potential

That is awesome that Shane got married. Wow the Kellems are going to Kenya? That is super cool...how long are they serving? I heard the church changed the policy and now they can choose to serve how long they want?

I am super happy for Jackson and Talia.

I feel like the first year went really quick...everyone says now that I can handle Portuguese time goes even faster!

Haha Ellie is a goofball!! The world is changing sooo fast...when i have kids i will tell them i lived before the iphone and they will think of me the same way i think of you and dad....older than dirt! ;) tell Ellie i miss her and love her too!

Love you mommy!!!

Elder Bushnell

p.s. i still haven´t seen the package...i don´t know what happened to it!

6.13.11 Mom's Letter

Hey mommy!!

Haha I am pretty sure hump week is more exciting for you as my mommy than for me! :) It kinda scares me to think about home and real life and growing up.Good thing I still got a little time in the mission. That is super awesome for Kyle...how are his papers going? That is weird that Matt Ashby is coming home. That means I will be 2nd again on the list right? Behind Sister Park? That is weird!

This week was fine..nothing super exciting happened. The first week of transfers are always super calm and stuff. We have got to do some new finding. Susana is being a little stubborn but we will continue with her. Ailton the 8 yr old is having all sorts of family stuff so we haven´t been able to talk to him really but we have a lesson marked for tonight with him.

I have not gotten the package with the shirt yet but Friday was a holiday here and I think today might be one as well but I am not exactly sure. It's like Saint Antonio Day or something weird but we don´t know if its a holiday or not, so it might take a little while longer. I need to get better at switching my contacts, I think I still have TONS but I will trade today and then see how I am doing for reals. My new companion is Elder Bauman from Glennis Ferry, Idaho. I lived with him when I was in Loulé. He is super awesome and it will be a lot easier to work with him. We get along pretty good I think...we haven´t had any arguments or anything yet. He likes golfing and hunting so its all going be great!

You don´t need to be freaked out cause he got attacked. It wasn't anything bad...he was eating McDonalds the next day. Thanks for adding him on Facebook. we are going to start finding people this week cause we slacked off in the past and now we don´t have many people. This ward is feeding me a TON!! my comp has a scale cause he is trying to get ripped. But I weighed myself and I am like 157.

Are you guys going down for Jackson's wedding? Tell Uncle Rusty that he is going to need to let me bring friends to swim in his pool? I hope this up coming week will be a nice relaxing one!!

Thanks for everything mommy!! Love you!!

Elder Bushnell

6.13.11 Dad's Letter

Yeah that week was nuts but this last week was super calm and nothing exciting happened really. We knocked doors and tried to find new people. I am not really sure what the responsibilities for DL are exactly. I think that I just have to deal with numbers and then do district meeting. Which will not be cool but its fine cause I have sisters and zone leaders in my district and they like to talk a lot!

Ass for the crazy guy...we don´t know exactly what happened. He was smoking something more that tobacco and he also has metal problems. But its all good! We already have seen him on the street twice but always on the other side of a fairly bit road or in a coffee shop. We were just talking about church and why he wasn't at church, I don´t know why he flipped. When I grabbed his arm as he was going to hit Levirte the 2nd time he swung his arm around and tried to hit me but I saw it coming and ducked. Then I pushed him so iI could get on the other side of the parked cars then ran around to help my comp. It was super funny actually, it was like all slow motion. My new companion and I are going to do great! He is from Glennis Ferry, Idaho. I am not sure where that is but it is a super small town and he is a big duck hunter. and golfs a little bit.

Susana is kinda being a stinker...she will be baptized but only when the time is right for her. Hopefully that will be soon! Also the 8yr old kid is having all sorts of family issues so its been hard to talk to him but we will pass by tonight at 6:30 and talk to him and his family. We are focusing a lot on finding new people to teach.

I will try not to forget my hump party....i think you should have one for mom I bet she is more excited!! :)

Thanks dad! Love you!

Elder Bushnell

6.6.11 Dad's Letter

Hey Daddio!!

Carlos´ story is cool...he had some small doubts about things but the biggest problem was that he was feeling like a terrible person. Just full of badness, so he went to the Book of Mormon to find the answers. He found Alma 32 about the seed. He drew a line that I had never heard of, he said that we get to pick what we have planted inside of us. He realized our purpose was only to plant a good seed in his heart and through following invitations he would nourish and help the seed to grow until he was filled with a good seed instead of the bad seed he has had all his life. It was super awesome!!! His wife Susana is marked for Saturday!!

Mom will probably be freaking out cause I told her the story of my companion getting punched in the face twice but really everything is great...we are joking and laughing about it already. The guy that hit him was smoking drugs and has some mental issues and he snapped but its all good! It will be interesting to see him again in the road in the future...i don´t know how that will work out...we will see! :)

So for transfers, I will stay and will be District Leader. I will serve with Elder Bauman who is a huge hunter from Idaho, its going to be great! He lived with my in Loulé when I was serving in Albufeira. The missions will join the first of July, so transfers are going to be like the middle of July and it is VERY possible I will go up north. I probably will for sure leave this area so to the north is super likely! I am stoked! They got like 11 missionaries this transfer but I think in the next few months we aren't going to get very many...like 3 or 4 every transfer. So we will be shrinking the number of missionaries a little.


Thanks for everything dad!! Love you!!

Elder Bushnell