Elder Mitchell Rush: May 2016

Happy Birthday Elder Rush

Happy Belated Mothers Day!
Hello Everyone!
Hope you had a great week!
This one was good for us! We traveled a lot! But the week went really fast!
We had a cool experience in Cokeville! We meet a family that is all non Mormon! Now Cokeville is 99% Latter day Saint so finding people that are not members is pretty rare. So we met Amanda outside her house. She has two little kids 1 and 6. Anyways she started the conversation with I am not Mormon and not interested. So we got to know her and shared with her that she can have an eternal family. That she could live with her little kids and husband forever. And that she will be reunited with love ones that have past away! We told her about Family History Work and Temple work for those that have past on. She actually talked to us for 45 minutes or so. We are going back next week! Another awesome experience. I asked our District Leader, Elder Beck, to give me a blessing because I was in need of some direction! During the blessing I learned that I need to work on remembering our Savior more, my pride, and gratitude to God. I made some plans to improve. I read Elder Gong's talk from last General Conference! It was great! I invite you to read it again! Here are some great quotes!

"Prophets ancient and modern implore us not to let human foibles, faults, or weaknesses—others’ or our own—cause us to miss the truths, covenants, and redeeming power in His restored gospel. This is especially important in a church where we each grow through our imperfect participation. The Prophet Joseph said, “I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.”

"Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness invites us to be humbly at peace on our life’s journey to someday become perfected in Christ, not constantly worried, frustrated, or unhappy in our imperfections today. Remember, He knows all the things we don’t want anyone else to know about us—and loves us still."

I love it! Another thing I did was write down the tender mercies I experienced during the day! That helped me feel and think more gratefully!

So we had a good week and It is always nice to talk to my family on Mother's Day! Thank you mothers for being awesome! Thank you for your eternal maternal role in God's plan!

Hope you have a great week! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Rush

A quick letter to me from Elder Rush!😍 Boy do I feel loved!

Thank you for being the best MOM in the whole entire world! I love you so much and cannot wait to see you! I will talk to President Hancock on Wednesday about extending! I feel that I will not be extending but I am not 100% sure yet! I realized I probably gave people the wrong phone number for you the whole time I was in Pocatello this last time! I love you so much! The Vilts do have a hat collection and that is their house!

I love you so much!

Love,

Elder Rush

The many hats of Elder Rush.

The Vilt's hat collection and our birthday boy!

Elder Rush and the Sorters. Happy Birthday to you!🎉

Same suit, one is turning purple from 1 3/4 years of constant wear.

Family Skype session with our Elder Rush! Best day ever!

I Ended Up in Montpelier

Hello Everyone!
Hope you had a really really good week.
Our week was pretty good. We had transfers this last week!
I ended up in Montpelier South with Elder Johnson. He is from Missouri
and has been out on his mission for 1 year. He is an awesome guy. I
have definitely learned from him the importance of humility and the
willingness to change. I am excited for this transfer. Montpelier is a
small town with 2500 people. We cover Dingle, Geneva, Pegram and
Cokeville. All these areas are farming communities. Super small.
Everyone knows everyone and they are all related! It is quite a lovely
place. I have learned that I like populated areas. Like California.
The graduating classes here are 30 or less. People are shocked when I
tell them I had a small graduating class of 300. The people here are
so willing to help the missionaries. We had fast and testimony meeting
yesterday. One of our investigators actually got up in front of the
ward and bore her testimony. It was awesome! I had the chance to go up
and bear my testimony and guess what I cried. Super Manly I know. But
I shared with them that April 30, 2 days ago Miles Murdoch the lady
that was baptized back in my first area, Pocatello West II, was sealed
to her husband in the Logan Utah Temple. I was so excited and still
am. I felt so comforted and reassured that families can be together
forever if we follow Heavenly Father's Plan. Obedience to the
commandments not only bring blessings but they bring eternal Families!
I know that God lives and loves us so so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much! I hope you
take the time to figure that out for yourself. And if you already know
figure it out again. I know I am a child of God and I matter to Him.
This has given me a purpose and a direction to my life. I know this is
true because of the Book of Mormon. I invite you to find out for
yourself to know it it true!
I love you all so much!
Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Rush

Alma 34:32-41

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God;
yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their
labors.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many
witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do notprocrastinate the
day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life,
which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not
improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness
wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I
will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this;
for that same spirit which doth possessyour bodies at the time that ye
go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your
body in that eternal world.

35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance
even until death, behold, ye have becomesubjected to the spirit of the
devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord
hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath
all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in
unholy temples, but in the hearts of therighteous doth he dwell; yea,
and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom,
to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through
theblood of the Lamb.

37 And now, my beloved brethren, I desire that ye should remember
these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear
before God, and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ;

38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye
receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble
yourselves even to the dust, and worshipGod, in whatsoever place ye
may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving
daily, for the manymercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon
you.

39 Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye bewatchful unto
prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of
the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his
subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.

40 And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience,
and that ye bear with all manner ofafflictions; that ye do not revile
against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty,
lest ye become sinners like unto them;

41 But that ye have patience, and bear with thoseafflictions, with a
firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.

Elder Rush and some monkey friends

Elder Rush found a look alike Butterscotch! (His dog)

Elder Johnson and the monkey friends!

I'm Going to Bear Lake!

Hello Everyone!

This week was pretty good. Elder Dalling and I dropped everything that was holding us back this week and God blessed us a lot. He placed 9 new investigators in our path! That was awesome and we were able to set up 15 lessons for Elder Dalling and Elder Welling this week! So that means I am getting transferred on Wednesday. The first time in 8 months! I will be going to the Montpelier South Stake. So I will be covering the east side of Bear Lake, all the way to Cokeville, Wyoming!

It will be pretty exciting! Elder Johnson will be my companion! We said good bye to people and taught people. Hopefully we can have a good week! Hope you have a great week! We have to prepare for transfers now!

Love you,

Elder Rush

“Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. … Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

–President Gordon B. Hinckley

President and Sister Hancock. The sisters that went home.