September 24, 2018

Thats right, never! "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved!" 

That is a quote from my friend, President Monson. It has become my life motto. However, this week I discovered more ways to apply it(: You can just fill in the blank with anything. 

Never let your desire to eat that cookie become more important than a person to be loved. 

Never let your phone become more important than a person to be loved. 

Never let your personal goals become more important than a person to be loved. 

Never let your fear or shyness become more important than a person to be loved. 

That's right, you can put lots of things there. Because there is nothing more important that helping a person feel loved! That's the biggest thing I've learned this week. 

I've also had tons of fun! I've spent my time waiting for tours, making Brazilian fudge, diving deep into the Book of Mormon, finding out that my companion is secretly a squirrel and listening to the spirit. All great things! I sure do love this place!

Have a great week everyone (: 

Sister Bush

To the Family:

on tuesday our mission president held a meeting and encouraged us to double up our efforts as missionaries. plus gave us lots of news! (no i dont know where im going on outbound yet haha) he told us that october 22-26 is the mission presidents seminar, happening here in nauvoo. so elder andersen of the 12 as well as other general authorities (70s and others) will be here touring the sites, training these future mission presidents. big deal! president told us we need to make sure our minds and all our efforts are focused on nauvoo, especially for that so even though he has our outbound calls before then, he will not tell us where we are going until a like a few days before we leave.... !!!! some sisters are frustrated with this but im fine with it. i trust that he knows what hes doing. plus this seminar is a big deal! also i think as we work harder to be better missionaries here in nauvoo it will help us when we are outbound. president also made sure we understand that whether we are giving a tour to a general authority or to a member family or to other missionaries or to non-members, we should do it about the same. not memorize a tour, but give the guests, no matter who they are, the same amount of love and respect and thought. which is so important. im glad i get to learn this and have this experience! 

on wednesday, i served for the first time in the print shop! and let me tell you i love that place. i love the process of writing as you know and so it was so neat for me to learn and explain to others how they made writings available to the public back in the 1840s! so much work. but worth it, just as it is today!

also this week some people in our mission started this thing called the Book of Mormon sprint. its to read the book of mormon in a week. 76 pages a day. i was excited about this because ive never read it that fast and i was sure i would get some insights with the big picture. so ive been reading a lot. the first day i got all 76 pages. the next, i didnt finish all of them and the day after that i didnt even do half. at first i was bummed that i hadnt stuck with my page goal, but ive learned a valuble lesson. remember that quote by Pres Monson? "never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved" its kinda my life motto. well these past couple of days there have been a lot of people needing love. and instead of giving them a tiny amount of love so i can speed read through the book of mormon, ive decided to not let a page to be read become more important than a person to be loved. when i did that, i learned that you can subsitute anything in that space! never let _______ become more important than a person to be loved. so actually, im still reading fast to try and get the big picture, but its not about the pages anymore for me! so i think what ive learned most about the big picture is Gods love. 

speaking of opportunities to love people, i have to tell you that many of our sisters (and some seniors too) arent doing too hot. it breaks my heart. some of these sweet sisters have been struggling this week with deciding to go home early or not. to go on outbound or to just go home. they all have different reasons and struggles but no matter what it is, it makes me sad to see so many that i love going through such anguish. i know that it isnt bad to go home early if your mental health wont allow you to stay out, and that it is between you and the Lord. but its so so so hard to make that decision. and if it isnt mental health and its family or its something else that is still super painful! i wont mention anyone by name but please pray for my fellow nauvoo sisters. ive been praying for, fasting for, spending time with, listening to, hugging tight, crying with, making Brazilian fudge for, serving alongside, eating dinner with, and bearing testimony with and to these dear sisters. they really are my sisters. family is family so im asking my other family back home to help with this family. cuz change is always hard and there are going to be a lot of changes around here. some good changes and maybe some not. 

plus also transfers will be taking place on friday, since that is when the 7 sisters who started last summer will be going home! im going to miss them all so much they are my role models. they leave on friday so on wednesday president is going to announce who will be moving where and which companions will be with which and then the transfer will take place on friday. so i might send some pictures as hints on wednesday when i find out haha. also because of transfers on friday, i have no idea when my next pday will be. i think ill be allowed to email pday change on wednesady so you can have a heads up but who knows haha. sorry for the craziness, its just part of Nauvoo!!! 

on thursday i served at Heber C Kimball again! i love that place and i love that family. they have such faith!!! their stories are so inspiring. the only thing was that because it was slow we only gave 1 tour all day hahaha. so we were there from 10am to 5pm and gave one, 10 minute tour during that time. the rest of it, we read the book of mormon, talked, joked around and i faked a tour haha it was great. we are getting along way way better than before. not that we didnt get along but now we have quite a bit of fun together. i have nicknamed her jurassic squirrel because of those random noises she does. also she seems to think its funny when i call her rat goddess for some reason haha she has this thing about rats i dont know hahahahahaha

also on thursday i was a part of a focus group with a researcher from salt lake. we talked about how to improve the site guide here and helped brainstorm some things for the next and improved version that will come out next summer. so that was a really cool experience to be a part of that.  

on friday we served at lucy mac smith with sis Oldroyd, and it was her last day there before going home. she is a powerful person. 

also that day i found out that Heidi had a stroke. she is being as strong as ever but it is physically difficult now, especially to talk. i got to call her for a bit though and help her know that she is loved and we are cheering for her. she definitely reminds me of Job. her integrity is unflinching. 

on saturday i was on the wagon! i worked on making puns for people to laugh but also making it personal. that way they can see my testimony as i talk about all the different saints and their homes. it was lots of fun, just cold! 

it is getting chilly out. im not used to wearing sunday clothes all the time so im not sure how to stay warm... i know i need a coat for sure. and some other winter accessories like beanie hats and scarves. im planning on buying these next pday maybe, but you can research online too! send me pictures of things you are considering, and if i like it you can use my card to buy it. speaking of, how much is on my personal card? and savings? cuz president said we will probably go somewhere cold on outbound haha so i want to be prepared. 

on sunday, my companion gave a talk too! her talk was about revelation and it was super super good. sis swaney is still the Alma to my Amulek! im hoping she will finish typing it up so you can read it too. then we served at family living center with sister Jones and Yamamoto! we only had one tour. and it was at 4:55.  we spent some time studying of course and then when we got tired of that we learned how to sing different hymns and such in different languages! ill send you the video of us singing i am a child of God in english, japanese, spanish(; and french haha. oh plus we had a mini pretzel food fight. the sites can be boring haha but im glad i got to give that one tour to that family that came in at the very end. im grateful for every opportunity to give tours!

then we had the sunday concert! us young sisters have been working on this for awhile. and on sunday we got to perform! we pretty much teach the first lesson, the restoration in song form. we read scriptures or quotes that work with each topic in between songs. these are the songs we sing: (check out PMG if you dont know all the points in order for the lesson) 

God is love, love at home, I saw a mighty angel fly, i stand all amazed, where can i turn for peace, Joseph Smiths first prayer, the iron rod, sweet hour of prayer, i believe in Christ.  it is amazing and i love it so much. i quite enjoy singing to testify(:

i love love love love love love love love love love love you both so so so so much!! haha 

Sister Bush 

September 17, 2018

Leslie Bush	Mon, Sep 17, 3:12 PM (6 days ago)
to me

Hello all! 

It's been a little while since I wrote! Here are some highlights: 

- I gave a tour to Elder Quentin L Cook and his wife! 

- I had the opportunity to teach someone about our beliefs in a lesson

- I've spent a lot of time in the temple before it closed, so that was nice (: 

- my companion had some family come to visit 

And last of all, I have once again discovered the power of music. 

"The only thing stronger than truth is truth in a musical setting" is something I learned from sister Cook. 

So this week I've spent a lot of time with music. I listened to hymns, wrote new verses to some that reflected my personal feelings, and made medleys of some together! I also had the wonderful opportunity to listen to some talented musicians play this week and I always left feeling uplifted and inspired! 

The reason music can be so beautiful is because it can be a form of prayer. And this week I gave a lot of musical prayers, so certain songs have become sacred to me. I guess I'm just rambling on about music and how much I love it but I want to testify of how it can heal our souls and give us strength! Why? Because it is a way of connecting with the Heavens, and when we connect with the Heavens we will find answers, peace, comfort, love, joy, strength, wisdom and inspiration. He loves us. He loves you. 

If you want, email me back with one of your favorite songs and why! How it has helped you in some way-  it doesn't have to be a hymn, just tell me about a song that has touched you, some music that has been a medicine to you (: 

Until next week! 

Sister Bush

September 13, 2018

Hello!!! 

Sorry for all the typos I was working fast haha 

People keep asking if i got to see Elder Cook lol. Oh boy did i!! So on Sunday we had to leave church early (my comp and i) and go to our site. They asked us to be videoed by the people that make the World Report!! So look out for me at conference haha. I was already anxious about that, so yep. Sister Swaney and I planned out the whole entire tour to be perfect. We practiced for like an hour! I had a joke planned and we had decided who would do what And everything. And then all these cars showed up. And then all the sudden my mission president is knocking on the door and says "hey just give them a tour of the gardens! You'll do great!"

In my head I'm going oh shoot I know nothing about the gardens. It isn't in our site guide! So we walk outside like what? And then Elder Cook and his wife are there! Walking up to us!! He shook our hands, said our names, asked where they are from and yeah! They were both so sweet. The way that they both smiled at me i could just tell that they really cared about us. And so we gave them a tour, showed them around, and it was just amazing!!! They loved looking at the flowers, the butterflies, peppers, and especially the gourds! They were so cool! AND THEN we got to be at the face to face that night, shake their hands again, and then the next morning we had a mission training with the Cooks and got to shake their hands again!! So wow!! It was such a cool experience. I'm so blessed!!

The face to face was awesome. My biggest take away was that the Church and our history can withstand scrutiny. Everything has been led by God. The saints weren't perfect but this church is! And the more we take the time to research the history and get to know the early members of the church, we can more fully understand our Savior who is the same yesterday today and forever. 

I also loved how they talked about how the past is a foreign country! Cuz it really is. So I have been called foreign, there are so many things I'm learning and having to adjust to. (I can't imagine how hard it is for sister Yamamoto hahaha)

The mission training with the Cooks was amazing. First of all he gave a very inspired message to us missionaries that was needed in this mission. A lot of people here have issues and concerns and trials associated with home and family. And he promised us that everyone we love will be blessed for our service, and all the concerns we have about home will be taken care of. And I thought of you dad, and your practice. The spirit spoke to me and testified that one of the reasons your practice will work out is because of my service here. An apostle promised that. So I know it will work out! Also, I put your name on the Nauvoo temple prayer roll. So it'll stay there until the temple closes for matinence(: 

More holiness give me! I did a lot of pondering about this hymn and seeing what those words meant to me. So the song I sent was kinda the crowning thing I learned about what those words meant to me. So thank you mom so much for giving me that idea! It's really helped me these past couple days to feel the spirit. Im sorry you've been sick with migraines!! Just know you are awesome even when you are sick. You still do such amazing things just by being yourself!! Love you so much. 

This week I served in the cultural hall for the first time and that was neat. 

I felt impressed to Call Heidi, and i found out that that day the doctors said that she decided that her daughter probably has cancer. But Heidi had a response similar to jobs: "till I die I will not remove my integrity from me" which is awesome. She is pressing forward! And can use prayers still. 

Sister Moss has been struggling a little bit too. We haven't really gotten to talk cuz of how busy we've been (sites, teaching appointments, meetings galore!) 

This week I also served in the Family living center! I enjoyed making bread again, and also learned a new skill of weaving! So I'm going to weave a bag for myself the next time I serve there:D 

We taught three lessons since sunday,  to the seniors so we can practice and also uplift them. Weve had some awesome experiences with that. 

Sometimes sis swaney and i have a Difference of opinions, but other than that I think we've achieved a pretty good unity in our companionship. And the differences aren't huge or anything, for example she made a goal of running for 30 minutes every day on the treadmill and it interfered with the singing practice for the sisters (We have a Sunday concert) and my opinion was oh well, just stay sing and support and her opinion was I need to stick with my goal and be consistant. Both good things and not a huge deal but every once and awhile we don't see eye to eye. That's okay tho! We are working on it haha. 

We also served at the Bakery this week and I loooove telling lucius Scovils story. He is inspiring. 

So! I apoligize for the pday switch. Agaib. Sister Swaneys grandparents decided to surprise her and come visit! They just showed up at the bakery yesterday so sis Swaney got permission to switch pdays with another companionship so that we can spend time with her grandma and grandpa. She gave them a tour of Carthage after serving at the sites yesterday and then they took us to dinner at el Camino real. Then because it's our pday we did a session at the temple with them and did some gift shopping and then lunch together. Then My comp and i went to the grocery store while they toured a little bit of Nauvoo and we will get together to tour with them a bit more before our pday ends. Then tomorrow her grandparents will leave and we will go back to normal missionary life! 

It's so weird when family visits, but it's also an amazing experience you can't get in any other way or any other place. President always talks about how much of a blessing it can be to see your missionary being a missionary. Because you sorta see it from emails and you receive blessings from their service, but when you come to Nauvoo to visit you have the unique opportunity to not only be served by them but see how they serve others. And that is just so cool. I hope that I get a chance to show some family what I do here either before outbound or next spring, summer or fall. Because it is way cool. And it's not as much of a distraction as I expected haha. So that's cool. I'm just supporting sis Swaney so she can spend time with her grandma and grandpa and have that cool experience. 

Sorry my email is shorter today. It's cuz we've been touring a lot with her grandparents. Good news is, my pday is changing to Monday  (hahahahaha I know) so it should stay Monday the rest of this month. Should. Who knows. 

I love the temple!!! I got to go one last time today before it closes. We did a session this morning and I saw a film I've never seen! Finally haha I've seen all of them now I think. But I went in fasting and praying for an answer and it was amazing. Super eye opening and a blessing to receive answers in the celestial room. This temple is becoming very special to me. I've had so many wonderful experiences there.

Sorry I typed this up all day and I just finally got wifi. Love you both so much 

Sincerely 

Sister Bush

September 8, 2018

Hello all(: 

Sorry it's been awhile since I emailed, my pday has been weird! This month it's Saturday. Unless it changes randomly haha. Who knows.

This week has been an adventure! Full of surprises since I moved back to Nauvoo. I've enjoyed moments of peace, been inspired by those around me, biked in the rain, felt love for people I've never met before, ate too many cookies, learned more about Jesus Christ and have spent quite a few hours in a site bundled up to stay warm as I read the book called SAINTS. maybe you've read it, maybe you haven't even heard of it! This book helps me remember the history of the Church and discover the stories of those pioneers who went before me. They are real people! Real people. And I've learned a lot from them. I encourage you to try reading it, because it is amazing. Inspired I will even say. 

Aaaaand that's about all I got. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Sincerely, 

Sister Bush 

I'm actually sending pictures this week! Haha 

There's some of me at Lake Linda and then some from carthage.