Week 9: Patience

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for all your love, letters, pictures and support. I really appreciate it.

This week was slow but extremely fast! Elder Downey was captured by the bed monster again. Poor guy just can't catch a break. The work has been moving forward people still hate us and love to slam doors in our faces. It is quite funny when we walk down the street people will fake like they are busy doing something or run in fear. Really has been testing my patience. I devised a plan to focus on one Christlike attribute each transfer and this transfer has been patience. I have been praying for more patience and the result has been less patience. The little things I was able to deal with before are getting on my nerves. It is funny when we try to improve ourselves that is when we are tested more. I see that as I develop patience I will become more humble, diligent, hopeful and faithful.

There is this super cool talk I have been reading.This is the link to it.http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966

I recommend reading it. Sorry for the short letter, do not have much time this week.

Love you all.

Keep Praying and reading. 

Do not give up hope. 

Please keep me updated.
Elder Rush

                                     Ukulele time!                                                 

Week 8: Do Not Forget to Pray

Hello Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well. Thank you for the emails/letters and pictures. Miss you all! And for the people of Idaho's sake I will change all their names because I heard a story of a man leaving the church because his missionary wrote home about him and posted it on the internet.

This week started off awesome. Monday, we taught four lessons in a matter of hours. We usually are unable to teach that many in a whole day. From that experience, I though the week was going to be awesome, that everything would be turning around. Nope I was wrong. Elder Downey has started this program called "Elder Downey Be quiet days" On those days he does not talk and I am in charge of all the decisions we make, lessons we teach and talking to people. Tuesday was one of those days and everything went wrong that could go wrong. All our appointments cancelled, people were slamming door after door and the people we talked to told us to go away. We worked our tails off to find someone or at least do some service for someone. Absolutely nothing! That was a downer of a day. That night, when I was getting ready for bed I did not want to go to sleep. My desire to go out and keep serving was too great to let me sleep, so that night I did not. Sadly once the sun goes down no one will open their doors even though it is only 6 or 7 o'clock.  Wednesday we met a woman named Angela. She called the bishop of one of our wards telling him she wanted to learn more about the Church. She is a super nice lady. She has had a rough past. Drug addiction,  abusive marriage, been to jail, not fun stuff. She has been searching for God and understanding and relief in her life. So we met with her at noon. ( Elder Downey was in bed all day Wednesday so we did emergency exchanges to be able to teach her.) We went through the restoration of the Gospel and the Joseph Smith Story. She absorbed everything. At the end she said the restoration made sense because she was being restored as well. She has been keeping her commitments. She is set to be baptized  on November 22 at 2:00. She was/is totally prepared by Heavenly Father, no doubt about it. It showed me that when we work hard having faith in the Lord that He will provide, He will. We may not always see the fruits of our labor but they are there. Other than that this week was spent in our house. WE left for a total of 77 minutes in 2 days. Elder Downey has been really sick. We have been praying to have the strength to go out and the little time we were, we did a lot! Saturday Elder Downey felt better but lost his voice. I taught lessons by myself. It was crazy! Great Learning experience. Sunday Elder Downey was back in bed home sick with Elder Blake that had the flu. So I went out with Elder Simmons. We had to give a talk in one of their wards. I prepared a 20 minute talk in an hour. Since I was helping the other missionaries it was a very long Sunday. We were at a church building at 8 am and ran from building to building until 4 pm. 8 hours of church takes a toll on you. For some reason I was very contentious for part of the remaining hours we were out. Everything was annoying me. We taught a less active family around 7:30. We discussed the atonement and everything that Christ has done for me in my life. It rejuvenated me and I felt the Spirit working through me. I was so comforted and happy after that. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. He suffered all our pains and sorrows to help me get through my struggles. I am so grateful for everything He has done for me. 

Hope you all have a great week! Do not forget to pray or study the scriptures!

I suggest you read Alma 31:26-38! It is AWESOME!

Elder Rush

Elder Rush is a little taller than his fridge!

Week 7: We Made Applesauce

Elder Rush and Elder Downey making applesauce! 

Good knowledge to have. 

Now they won't ever starve!

Hello everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! I am doing great, the weather is getting cold, and the leaves are starting to fall! So this week was fun. Monday last week we went bowling! It was pretty exciting and I got 5 strikes in a row. 

Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday were spent helping members with missionary work. We have been trying to get the people here excited to spread the Gospel but most spend their weekends hunting. Geez Priorities. We actually learned the order of salvation this last week. It goes chile, laundry, tv, and then eternal progression. It is pretty funny what we get blown off for. Each of those nights we talked with someone that was having a struggle with life and if we weren't there bad things might have happened, it was pretty cool! Tuesday night for dinner, we met with a family that has a daughter who became addicted to drugs and other things. She has been going through rehab but relapsing. We were sharing a spiritual thought before we left and this scripture just popped in my head! D&C 121:7-9 So I shared and she broke out in tears and said thank you. Sunday her mom bore her testimony about Christ helping us through our trials and shared that her daughter has been doing great and it made me feel good inside. It is important that we act upon the promptings of the Spirit even when we are afraid or unsure. It is heavenly direction that needs to be followed!

On Thursday we were planning this upcoming week and we realized we have no one to teach because no one will listen. It is sad but I still get to do the Lord's work everyday, which makes me really happy! We have been thinking of new ways to help our area so we had a blitz that covered all the people that have ever been taught in our area. It yielded very little results but the results are enough to get us going. We now have people to teach! That night we went to visit a less active family that just moved in. Elder Downey has been having quite days so I have to talk to everyone. The family we went to visit opened the door. I said hello and my mind went blank! I could not think of a single word to say, so I awkwardly stared. But we got in and they weren't interested haha. 

Sunday night we put on a musical fireside. We organized it all which people thought was pretty cool. We actually filled the entire chapel, overflow and part of the gym. It was amazing.

This week I invite you all to read the monthly Ensign! Monthly scripture from the prophet need to be read. I read a story a day and the insight from it is amazing! People do not realize that we have a PROPHET OF GOD on the earth it is a really really really big deal! Continue to read the Book of Mormon daily. It is the foundation to everything! 

Love you all, 

Elder Rush

My Elder Rush with Elder Downey, Sister Manymules and Sister Hill after the musical fireside they organized and put on.

The scripture Mitchell is referring to:  D&C 121  7-9

 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

 9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

The "Little Mitchell" paper doll that will be going everywhere with us for the next two years. Until our Elder Rush returns home.

Week 6: The Weather was Bipolar!

Oct. 6, 2014

Hello Everyone!

How are you all doing? Hope everyone is doing well! Thank you for all being awesome and doing fabulous things. 

So once again there is not much to write about. I cannot believe that General Conference has already come and gone! It was so amazing and I hope you were able to see all the sessions. Every one of them had such important points to teach us.

The weather this week was bi polar it poured one day and the next it was a sauna. Monday we finally were able to make it to our first p-day activity. We played football on the ISU rugby field and let's just say it was not a field but more of a pool. We were slipping and sliding all over the field. My previously white shirt was no longer white. It was an excellent session of stress relief. 

 I had the opportunity to go on my 3rd and 4th exchange this week. My companion went to a different area and I stayed in my area with a different companion that had never been here before. Let's  just say it was a learning experience. On my 3rd exchange we had a zone fast in order to get the missionary work going in our zone. West Pocatello has three types of people: Members who are active or inactive due to hunting on the weekends, very very very anti mormons, and people who know about the church but are not interested. That makes it tough to find people. Anyway as we fasted, we talked to everyone, it was tough for me. I am still trying to get use to walking up to people and inviting them to come unto Christ. I know everyone needs to hear the Word of God and HE prepares people to be taught. So as we fasted our zone was able to set 6 baptismal dates! It was awesome. Elder Downey and I still do not have much success lots of closed doors or people fleeing in fear. I am happy to be here and learn so much everyday! I know that as we go forth with faith we will be given the strength and guidance needed to make it through our days. Continue to read from the Book of Mormon and ponder it in your heart and mind. Pray if it is true and you will be blessed with the answers you need.

"...peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." D&C 121:7-9

We saw Meet The Mormons on Tuesday! Make sure to go see it this weekend! It was awesome!

Thank you for the Letters too!

Mitchell has some entertaining eating expressions! Looks like he's enjoying those Idaho potatoes!

It looks like Elder Rush and Elder Downey can't wait for the snow to come, so they made their own!

                                                        Snowball Fight!

Watching General Conference at the Church. Such a spiritual feast!

General Conference is a semiannual gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, held every April and October at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our church leaders, men and women speak to us with uplifting spiritual messages.  It is broadcast thru out the world on TV, internet and radio. Their messages inspire me to be a better person.