July 20, 2018

Hello! Nauvoo is crazy around pageant time. let me give you an example of what our days are like here! I will use yesterday as an example....

I woke up at 7am, said a sleepy prayer. 

I got ready for the day, ate breakfast and listened to a conference talk before we went to a zone meeting at 745 at the chapel. Then we zoomed over to john Taylor's home, cleaned the site and almost died while killing a huge spider! There wasn't a senior sister with us, so after reading a verse or two in the book of mormon, sister Moss and I started giving tours. (930am) we continued to give tours to larger and larger groups of people, and it almost never stopped. There were always crowds waiting outside the door to learn about john taylor and see his home. We had just a few minutes to scarf down our lunch around 1 and then answer the door again. We kept up a good pace until 530 when we closed the site. I probably sat down twice. My feet hurt, I was surrounded by flies, my voice was almost gone from talking so much, I hadn't seen my companion most of the day, I had to deal with rowdy kids, bored teenagers, and large groups. I didn't have time to drink as much water as I wanted so my body was dehydrated and I had a pressing headache. We count up the numbers (50 tours, a total of 480 people! One tour of 30 peoole i did by myself....) After closing up the site, we rushed home, found nothing in the mailroom, made a quick dinner, ate it and changed quickly just as we heard a tornado warning. So we waited to see what would happen and then headed over to pageant in our rain jackets and umbrellas to hand out newspapers and greet people as they showed up to pageant. I forgot bugspray.... We tried to not get stressed by the protesters and their anti-mormon newspapers as we welcomed families and youth groups. Then we went to a singing practice at the visitors center. Last of all my companion and i came home to write in our journals, read a couple scriptures and say a prayer of gratitude before falling into bed. (1130pm). 

After all this exhausting work, day after day and week after week - I am still smiling! And it isn't a fake smile plastered to my face because I'm a "tour guide". It is a real live actual genuine smile. One that you don't have to think about or force. One that starts comfortably in your chest and then springs to your face and is evident in your eyes. One that can only come from pure joy. That joy is fuelled when I feel the spirit testify to people through me. Or when I tell an inspiring story of the saints that changes someone's life, or a youth bears their testimony to me or I hear pageant music. 

So yes, I am exhausted haha. But there is an amazing energy that comes from living as Christ would. His atonement empowers me and His true doctrine lifts me up, filling my soul with a happiness that can only be found by living the gospel. I'm so grateful to be a missionary. Smiling has never been so easy! 

So if you feel exhausted, whether physically, spiritually or mentally (which I feel all three) my advice is the same. Rely on the Savior Jesus Christ. With Him you can be truly happy. This doesn't mean you won't face disappointments or challenges, but it does mean that you can find joy in any circumstance! I invite you to do something this week to focus on the joy of following Christ. I can promise that you will experience a deep and abiding happiness that will carry you through your hard days (: I can promise that not only because I have experienced it, but because I am a representative of Him. 

Keep pressing on! 

Yours truly, 

Sister Bush

Email to family:

on saturday we served at the log school and home with sister Judd. she is hilarious. one of her quotes is that she told us that on the mission, "boys are trees. youd look pretty dumb talking to one." hahaha idk why but that made me laugh. i love serving with the seniors and getting to know them. elderly people are my favorite and are becoming some of my greatest friends! 

also on saturday on pageant grounds we got to talk to a lady for a longer time than usual because her knees hurt and she was just watching her grandkids play. so we got to get more in depth than just like the normal conversations we have. she began to feel more comfortable with us and told us what she is struggling with. so we were able to testify of the savior and encourage her along her way. it was really cool. i dont know if ill ever see her again but i know that i was an instrument in the Lords hand in that moment! and thats all that matters to me.

so lately we havent been riding our bikes because we dont have time. cuz we close the sites at 530 and need to be leaving our house for pageant at 630ish and that gives us an hour to go home, make dinner, eat it, change and stuff. so riding our bikes would take away like 20 minutes of our hour so we usually just ride in the car with sis T and B. 

wearing only 2 outfits and not washing them is sometimes annoying but it is also easier because i dont have to worry about choosing what to wear in the morning. i only have to decide what to wear for pageant. and about the boot thing, im sure the ones you picked out mom will be perfect. they look good. i cant wait to get them! i always look forward and hope for mail haha if i get anything at all, it always makes my week. im grateful for anything you decide to send me haha

sister moss and i get along sooooooo good. i love her dearly. we are worried about transfers haha

on sunday, my companion and i taught sunday school. which has like all the missionaries so it was almost like doing a mission training haha with some guests there too. we taught about temples! i loved it because i love temples. we learned about solomans temple and read some of his dedicatory prayer and then applied it to us and read some of the nauvoo temple dedicatory prayer. then we got a discussion going and it was just super awesome. at the end we sang i love to see the temple. i was happy with how it went! 

okay so monday was wacko. there was a huge mixup on where we were serving. our schedule said wagon rides. and for wagon rides you dont have to be there until 945 instead of 845 so we were excited to have some extra study time. so i studied while sis moss showered and then we would switch and then go. well, at 840 as im wrapping up my study and sis moss is getting out of the shower we get a call that our schedule is changed and we need to be at the family living center in 5 minutes. so in a flurry of activity and we made it there on time. except that we didnt have time to make our lunches. and when we got to flc, the seniors had more than enough people for the stations. so they were confused. so we hung out there for an hour and then went and asked wagon what was going on and they said that they could use us. but because it wasnt busy in the morning they said to go make our lunches and come back before it got busy. so we got permission from a sister at family living to go make our lunches and then came back and the site coordinator was mad at us for leaving and long story short it was a crazy day. plus sister moss wacked her head on a poll haha. so it was just a wack day.

plus that night sis T broke out her sloth mask and was going crazy and everyone was doing weird stuff and trying to scare sis moss and I! it was just a weird day haha. hence the title of this email. 

so on tuesday, wednesday and thursday we have been serving at the John Taylor home. boy do i love their stories. him and his wife are so cool. the problem with serving there is how busy we are! haha on wednesday we had 63 tours- 450 people came through. on thursday we had 50 tours- 480 people came through. yesterday i led a tour of 30 people through the house on my own. cuz when it gets that busy, sis Moss and i have to split up and not do tours together. its sad but its just the way it is on the mission here! so yep life is crazy haha. if you knew how small the john taylor home was i think those numbers would be even more astounding to you!! pageant season is pretty hectic. but i just like to think about how many people the savior met and taught when we came to the americas. 2,500 souls right? and each one her ministered to personally so that they could feel his love. i dont have time in a tour to do that when others are waiting, but these past couple days ive really been putting in an effort to love every single visitor that comes through the doors. to love them, listen to them, and give them the best quality tour that i can in the time that i have, as if they were friends or family. speaking of friends and family i ran into samantha mitchell! which was so cool haha. i only got to talk to her for like 2 minutes on pageant grounds but it was so cool to see her. i also got to give a tour to the smiths from el paso. they were so shocked to see me haha

this week i got my first contact! i met a nonmember in John Taylors home, her name is Ashlee Ren. i will soon be friends with her on facebook. we had a good tour, a nice discussion after and then we met her at pageant that night and watched it with her. she left quickly so i didnt get to find out what she thought but hopefully we will stay in touch and she may take the discussions! that would be cool. 

pageant! pageant is going great. there are ups and downs to it haha. i get to see the work of the Lord being furthered but also the adversary. there are these people called hecklers, and they stand just off pageant grounds and they give out anti-mormon stuff and are not... nice. theres two types. theres the friendly ones that give out fake nauvoo pageant newspapers and talk nicely and then get the youth into conversations about Mormonism and stuff. then there are the crazy ones who have disgusting signs and yell terrible stuff. also they try to video the missioanries to get them to say something wrong and all sorts of stuff like that. its pretty stressful to be assigned to an entrance because you have to deal with that. but anyways. back to the good stuff! pageant is wonderful. i have recently downloaded the music and can listen to it all the time! the actors and actresses are amazingly talented and i just love what they do. testifying about the gospel through song and dancing is so powerful. plus the whole thing uses preach my gospel principles! it uses pmgs tips and tactics for teaching about the doctrines of the gospel. its the best. ive had the privilege of watching many times, singing in British pageant, talking to people and seeing hearts changed. lives influenced and decisions made. amazing. there is a line in nauvoo pageant where parley p pratt says "when youre here, were here." and i love it. because its true. we can really feel the saints here with us. and im lucky to not only be here but be a missionary here because that means i am working along side the saints. and i can feel them because we all have the same purpose here. it is here in nauvoo that the prophecy "millions shall know brother Joseph again" is coming true. because so many people each day are coming to actually know him and the type of person he is. 

"Are you exhausted?" BOY AM I! YOU BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR! haha its insane how pageant season can drain you. but also energize you! ill be talking about it in my weekly(:   

soooooooo i love you. just in case you needed the reminder, it is always there. i think and pray for you guys every day. and i cant wait for you to come to nauvoo and see how amazing it is someday. 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH 

SO MUCH

SO SO MUCH

yours truly,

Sister Bush

July 13, 2018

WELL I CAN COUNT TO 200!!

I held a raccoon this week! our neighbor has tame baby raccoons and they are soooo cute. it pooed on sister Moss and that was funny! it didnt poo on me, it gave me kisses. so i guess im a raccoon tamer (; 

- pageant officially started on tuesday! and so that is super sweet. my favorite part of both pageants is when we get to go up on stage and sing, to represent the Lords missionaries. its a powerful moment to bear testimony through song! also, as i get to know the characters in pageant i am planning on writing some historical fiction about Nauvoo! just short stories(: so that is going to be awesome. ya know, when i find the time haha

- the bugs are terrible here. i have 31 bug bites on my legs and yes i was taking every precaution i could think of haha. 

- kids are so cute. my spiritual thought comes from a kid we met at pageant. our conversation was very short. all i know about him is that he is 7 years old, played the stick-pull with his brother and lost. and right as he left he said "yeah but i can count to 200!" his enthusiasm and confidence made me laugh. and so somtimes when i think of something hard for me i just remember "well i can count to 200! so maybe i can do this!" haha so i just want to remind you guys that you can do hard things. and maybe when you are struggling with something, remember something hard youve accomplished in the past! and i know that as you remember your strengths and triumphs, it will give you extra motivation and power to overcome more hard things. 

you are all super great! have a wonderful week.

sincerely, 

Sister Bush

email to parents:

i love those amazing quotes mom, thanks for sharing! ill have to re-look at that conference talk, i remember it being great. speaking of conference talks im so impressed with your entertainment fast! what made Jonas invite you guys to do that? it sounds like the blessings you have received out-weigh the costs. ive noticed that in my life as well. i dont constantly have headphones in or am wanting to watch a movie. it makes a big difference in my connections with people as well as how productive i feel during the day! how long is your entertainment fast going to be for? 

conference talks are really my favorite. during pageant season we barely have any time to do anything for ourselves, including study. so conference talks while i get ready in the morning have been a lifesaver! another reason im grateful that this is a smart phone mission. 

first patient today!!!! whoop whoop!! im so so proud of you dad. im so proud of our family. i remember when you werent sure if you could start your own practice or not, i remember when you were trying to decide if you should wait or do it right away and all those uncertainties you had. in my brain i thought to myself "i bet that hes going to just fly with this and he will start just as im getting out on my mission. hes going to do great." and i was right! here you are! im so happy for you, i know you will be helping so many people. 

utter nonsense sounds fun! you and the kids should either make a nauvoo one or a missionary one and send it so me and my district can have a jolly ol good time! sounds like a bunch of fun. you should also send videos of the kids doing it haha

im glad you guys live close to a temple now! you should go once a week. or try to. we are allowed to go every pday and ive made it a goal to make sure i go every pday. even if its just to sit in the celestial room or something. this week ive been learning a lot about temples (probably because of the sites ive been in, the pageant and also the sunday school lesson we have to teach on sunday is about temples) and its been awesome! i love the temple so much and i know that one of the reasons i am in this mission is because Heavenly Father knew that i would want to go to the temple every week. 

so on pday i pulled a mom and re-arranged the house we live in hahaha. its cuz FM had crammed sis beckwith and sis teauge in a small room and had put all the dressers in the big room. sis teauge wanted to fix that and switch all the furniture and so while she was at her doctors apt i decided to do it for her haha. sis Beckwith helped me, it was hard work! we moved all the dressers and suitcases into my room, then moved the two beds into that room. then we moved the dressers into the empty room. then we decorated their new room. after that we put the spare bed that was in my room (from sis Jones) into the dresser room. then we re-arranged me and sis moss beds to not be awkward and also decorated! which explains the pictures i sent of a few of my mormon-ads on the wall and also pictures of the family. so that made our house more homey and lovely to come home to. not that we get to spend much time at home anyways haha but its nice.

that night we had an amazing district meeting about praying with faith. i loved it. ive been changing my prayers and they have been a lot more meaningful, thanks to the tips in preach my gospel! i love it. after the meeting, i wanted to go to bed but sis Moss had a breakdown about what shes going through so i just decided to listen. she loves pictures, and had put all her pictures up. she was crying and looking at the wall, saying "this is gods plan for me." i agreed. she felt like she didnt understand why she was going through such a hard time though. and then the spirit whispered something very profound to me, which was helpful for both of us. the spirit told me to tell her that life was like that. she had a wall filled with good memories right now, but back in the day when she struggled before she didnt know what it would look like. i told her to imagine another blank wall. the blank wall is the future. faith is waiting and trusting that the wall will be filled someday. one picture/moment/memory/answer at a time. just thought you might like that(:

this week we have been serving at land and records. the first day was hard because there are some things in there that dont feel like missionary things. computer stuff, record keeping and sending and other crap like that. i felt like i was at work, using a screen for a few hours. but when i was able to focus on the times when i could connect with people and help them find their ancestors and stuff it became way more enjoyable! i love serving there because you can watch the spirit of elija in action! yeaaaa Also! found out im related to William Gheen and his house is still here! so yep i took a picture in front of it(: so recently ive been changing my mindset, like when people ask me what my favorite site to serve in, i just choose whatever site im in that day! cuz when i decide the one im in right now is my favorite then i start acting like it- which helps the guests to feel like it might be their favorite too! 

pageant officially started on tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!! it was quite a new experience for me haha. we pre-greeted and post-greeted. its exhausting but its also super duper cool. pageant changes people! especially the family casts. ive heard it described as a family efy. so thats cool. the bugs however. are not cool. I HAVE 31 CHIGGER BITES ON MY LEGS. that was from the night id been taking vitamin E pills for two weeks, i used bugspray all over, i wore a long dress and i didnt let my feet touch the grass when i was sitting down. and i still got bit. what. i just cant win haha. so now ive just been trying as many solutions as i can. i went to walmart today and they didnt have any womans boots so please send me some. so that i can stop getting bit. usually size 7. use my account. ps the vitamin E pills are the catfood pills. weve nicknamed them that because they smell like catfood haha. 

 

i love singing at the end of british pageant! it is so powerful and amazing! i love bearing testimony to people through song. i love representing missionaries to huge crowds. i love sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. so this is awesome. 

my schedule right now is wack though. what do you think of it? any suggestions on how to not be so drained yet still go the extra mile and do everything im asked to? 

okay. my spiritual thought is Isaiah 53. the whole chapter. or mosiah 14. im highlighting the whole thing in my little book of mormon. plus mosiah 8:8. but thats a different story. 

this is what Elder Holland said: "surely the most sublime, the lengthiest and most lyrical declaration of the life, death and atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is that found in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, quoted in its entirety in the Book of Mormon by Abinidi as he stood in chains before king Noah." 

it is so powerful. since i discovered its amazingness yesterday night ive already re-read it like 4 times. i love it so much. so my invitation is for you to read it with new eyes. and see what the spirit can teach you about our Savior. 

i love you guys so much. getting those letters from some of the kids this week was a blessing! i am doing so well here. i really am changing so much, and its in a good way. Christ is making more of me than i even knew was possible! i love it! and i love you guys! and i love nauvoo! 

sincerely yours

sister Bush

July 6, 2018

Hello! Quick highlights! 

This week I got to spend some time in the bakery- which in case some of you don't know, is one of the busiest sites here in Nauvoo. That probably doesn't have anything to do with the free cookies we hand out. I'm sure it's because of how amazing of a man L. N. Scovil was. anyways, we were so busy on the 4th of July. We gave over 48 tours and handed out more than 500 cookies. The cool thing is that also means I was able to bear my testimony to more than 500 people. I'm grateful for these opportunities to serve the Lord! (Even though it can be exhausting sometimes haha) 

Also on the 4th of July, we got to celebrate a little! We got some sparklers and enjoyed them on our roof! What a fun night with my companion and other members of my district! I'll send pictures!) 

Spiritual thought: "Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships—in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? Isn’t the measure of the level of your conversion how you treat others? The person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about." 

- Elder Whetten 

I love this quote!! Because of it I've been trying harder to treat visitors the way Christ would every day (: 

Pageant starts soon and that's exciting!!! Come and see it and me if you can! Dates are from July 10 to August 4. 

(Ps this month I have a new pday- it's Friday this month.) 

Have a great week! 

Sister Bush

Email to family:

this week has been crazy. fast sunday was great. i decided to fast to become more selfless. during that fast i had many opportunities to practice! haha when my comp sis Moss was tired and needed some rest and food from fasting, (around lunch) even though all i wanted to do was rest for 20 minutes before heading to the log school house (our site for the day), i made her some food and helped her out.  its what the savior would do. i now try to jump at any opportunity to serve- no matter how small it is. sometimes its just running downstairs to grab something someone forgot before getting in bed or being the one to clear the table. whatever it is, i try to jump up and help because i know it is how the Savior would treat His companion. 

that fast sunday we had dinner with the Cordons. they are hilarious!!! elder cordons favorite scripture is 2 Ne 9:34. he told us that if he could pick his job after this life, he would want to be the thruster. read the scripture and it will make sense haha. he wants me to make a tshirt for him about it. 

on sunday night we watched the performance "Our story goes on" by the people who do Pageant. they did so good! it was about the plan of salvation and a familys role in that plan. it almost made me cry. i loved it. 

so this week ive been serving in the bakery and the lucy mac smith home! the bakery is one of the busiest sites in nauvoo. because we hand out free cookies after the tour. so everyone goes there. on the fourth of july we had more than 48 tours. we gave out like more than 500 cookies. it was insane. i was on my feet all day and we were both exhausted haha. the plus side is that means that on the fourth of july i was able to bear my testimony to more than 500 people as well! which is way cooler than handing out cookies. 

also on the 4th, we got sparklers and went out on the roof of our house and lit them! you probably saw the pictures and stuff. that was super fun. we didnt get to see fireworks but i think we will on saturday. we shall see!! i missed you guys a bit more on the 4th but it turned out just fine cuz of sparklers and prayers(; 

yesterday we were in the lucy mack smith home (and will be tomorrow). i love lucy mack smith. it totally makes sense that we named Lucy after her because mother smith was such a loving and loyal person. just like lucy. ive learned so many cool things about her! and best of all, felt her spirit and it seems that ive kinda got to know her while serving in her house, sharing her testimony with visitors, watching sister Archibald portray her and reading her stories. what an amazing woman with a firey testimony! so something really cool about that is that she was called mother smith. and that was not only because she was the mother of the prophet. she was also in a way the mother of the church. another thing is that she was called a mother in israel.  heres what the site guide says:

"the term mother in israel harkens back to the strong faithful women of the old testament, particularly Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Deborah. (see Judg 5:2-31; 2 sam 20:19) among the saints, the title was bestowed on exceptional women, usually through patriarchal or other blessings. these women were honored for their strength of character, devotion to family, virtue, spiritual gifts, charitable acts, and leadership. lucy mack smith was foremost among them."

btw this week i think ive hit my eating groove! i used to have an eating groove and budgeting that groove, but it was not a super healthy groove haha. right now i only have pasta like once or twice a week. how crazy is that for me to say! for lunches and dinners i usually have eggs, salads, soups, yogurts and fruits, veggies and chicken! my body feels healthier and i love it. also this week ive been taking vitamin E pills and i think its been helping with the bugs. with Pageant starting so soon, the bugs will really be an issue. cuz before the shows start we pre-greet and then after it ends we try to have faith building conversations with people. (post-greet). all this while we will be in the long grass at night. the STLs told us to get boots and socks..... so i need a good pair of boots and long socks haha. ill look today at walmart today cuz i am returning my fit bit and should have the money for it. but if i dont send a picture of my boots and socks today that means i need you to look for me mom! with pageant starting our schedule is changing. we will be getting up at 7, (half of the week we have meetings at 8,) then be at the sites from 9 to 530 and then dinner before being at pageant from 630 till like 1030 or 1045.... most nights we wont watch the whole thing and take a break at the visitors center to study (cuz we need personal study and companion study haha) but thats gonna be how it is in the summer! we wake up at 7 because of how late we get to bed every night. how hectic is that?! its so wack. i know it will be hard to just be going going going but im excited to serve and do my best. its just crazy cuz its like no other mission in the world!! 

this morning we did sealings as a district in the Nauvoo temple. I LOVE ITTTT 

im so grateful for you guys you have no idea. i love you so much, more and more each day. you two really are the best. 

love love love love love love love love love love 

Sister Bush 

MIRACLES HAPPEN HERE!!! i wish i had all the time in the world to tell you about them!