The Last Melon

Well this is it friends. This is my last week here as a missionary in Liberia. It has been a great run with a lot of laughs, trials, triumphs, challenges, lows, highs, frustrations, successes, and most of all, fulfillment. I think that is what I feel most as I reflect back on my mission. I haven't been the greatest, most obedient, smartest, most well spoken or intelligent missionary, but I have felt fulfillment in my missionary work. I have felt that it has changed me and also it has changed others and I am so grateful for that. I don't mean to excuse myself of my imperfections or to say that I wasn't obedient, but I know and acknowledge that I was not perfect. Despite my imperfections and shortcomings however, I have felt the Lord's hand in my work,  and in my life, because I am continually striving to improve. The Lord constantly helped me to make myself better and was always willing to forgive me for whatever mistakes I had made. That is why I feel that I was successful. I believe it is when we fall short and determine to remain buried in our shortcomings that we fail. I know that what I have done here is what I was asked to do, and who I was asked to become. I hope to continue to carry on these things as I now prepare to go home. 

I am grateful for the service that I was able to provide. I don't know if I can really say that I loved my mission the entire time like other missionaries say because it was really hard and there were many times that I hated it. However, I am so grateful for all the things that I have learned and how I have been able to grow from my experiences. There will never be anything I do in my life that will be as good and true as what I have done for the past 2 years. This is the Lord's work. 

I know that the church is true. I know that the gospel is true and that the plan of salvation is the Lord's plan for us. My testimony has grown each and every day and I invite you to strengthen your own or gain your own if need be. I know the Savior lives. 

Much love!!

Elder Bush

See you soon!!

Countdown Continues

I golfed in Africa today. What did you do today? I bet you didn't golf in Africa. Take that one my people.

Everything is pretty alright here. I'm fighting each day to stay focused and work hard until my time is over. Things have been getting pretty difficult lately but I'm grateful for the work that I am doing. I just hope I'm doing enough.

We had a difficult time meeting with people this week to teach them. We're trying to figure out how we should spend our time in the area because it is very big and sometimes it is difficult to cover the parts that we want to and see the people at the times they are available. But it is nothing too challenging. Just trying to manage our time well that's all!

Not much else is really going on. We should be having a baptism soon... Bishop gave us a ton of food on Sunday I almost died. Not really but it was a lot. Great guy.

Love you all, can't wait to see you soon.



Elder Bush

Stay Strong

Hello my people,

This week was great. Not small tired. I can be tired though, but we fighting it each day. My new companion Elder Cook is really cool and we're getting along very well. The only thing was that this week we were very busy! We kept getting back to our apartment super late and I just wanted to get to bed early but I never could. I think we were really blessed in the area however.

On Wednesday we had MLC (Missionary Leadership Council). By God's grace my name got on the whiteboard. The whiteboard is where they write the names of all the missionaries that are going home... Well, I am going home and my name was on the board. You don't know how long I have been waiting for my name to be on that board. Sweet hallelujah. MLC was cool, I only have one left though! We just talked about how we can improve the mission and stuff. A lot of missionaries are really tired because they are going home. Just trying to find a way to encourage them and help them to keep going! I can't stop now I've been doing this for like 34 years now so I need to finish strong.

The rest of the week was pretty normal. Elder Cook and I teach really well together. We have nice unity and he is a really good teacher. We had an amazing lesson with a man named Emmanuel and his wife Patience. They were a referral from Brother Tweh in our ward who we haven't been able to meet for a long time because the man has been kind of busy. They have been having some issues with their church and haven't been going recently and the man is having some free time now. It was the perfect opportunity! So we went to his house and brought Brother Tweh's wife to teach them. Brother Tweh and his wife are both returned missionaries so that is nice. We taught Brother Emmanuel and his wife about How Christ's church was built, fell and was restored on the earth today. It went so well and we told them we would come back and teach them this week. I love when members give us referrals and even more when they give us good referrals! They're legally married so that is a bonus.;)

Today we went to a breakfast buffet and played basketball again. So much fun. Probably my last time playing basketball in Liberia. Thank heavens... The courts here are so bad I fall every time because the ground is slick. 

I love you all and can't wait to see you soon!!

Elder Bush

Views From the 6

Well, I still haven't listened to Drake's album Views from the 6 (yes that's how long I've been gone), but I do have 6 weeks left and that's the point of view I'm looking from now. Starting to feel a little bit weird, but I'm really excited for this last transfer!

Transfer news came and mine is pretty sweet, I can't complain! I am going to stay in Banjor and end my mission as an eternal zone leader. That part is kind of a bummer, but I'm not too upset with it. I kind of thought this might happen from the time I was called, so oh well. I get a cool companion though! Elder Cook is my new companion and he is from Washington. We just barely got together today so I honestly don't know too much else about him. He's going to be my last companion though so that is exciting. I think he's a cool guy. He goes home in August so he doesn't have too much time left. 

This week was great! We had a lot of people come to church on Sunday. Everyone wants to start the New Year right by coming to church so tons of people came. It was really great. I hope that we will be able to work hard this week to keep up the retention! 

Not too much else though, I'm a little short on time. But I love you all and I can't wait to see you soon. I think this last 6 weeks is going to fly by. The area is doing alright, my companion is good and the apartment is great! Couldn't ask for more! 

Love you all! Have a great week.

Elder Bush