The Best Kind of Busy

Hello! This was a week of firsts:

-I attended my first funeral and saw a dead body close-up for the first time.

-I ate okra for the first time.

-I am sending a companion home for the first time.

-I contacted a church referral from Mormon.org for the first time.

Needless to say, it's been a great week! We've had some great things happen, but Sunday is always the best day, so I'm going to just write about Sunday this week:

So yesterday was the craziest day I've had in a long time. It was such a blessing to be so busy because we were able to help so many people and get so much done. I was asked to give a talk during Sacrament Meeting about John 21:15-17 (I think that's the reference) where Christ asks Peter 3 times if he loves Him, then asks him to feed His sheep. Preparing for the talk was such a great study and one I'd suggest to everyone. Elder Holland gave a talk about it in October 2012. Study it! It helps put everything into perspective and prepare for the day when we return to live with Jesus Christ. One thing that I said in my talk was, "If we want to be on the Savior's side when we return to Heaven, we need to walk by His side here on Earth." I voice-recorded the talk, and I'll try to send it next week.

Anyway, then my companions and I sang "Come Unto Christ" (the youth song this year) and it was really beautiful. We got a couple teary-eyes, including our own ;) Then we ran back and finished translating the talks. We also taughtSunday School, and invited everyone there to be baptized. We are hoping that Adalberto will be baptized soon. The other missionaries found him and referred him to us because he speaks Spanish. After only an invitation over the phone, he has come to church twice and he came to the English class we give every Wednesday night. He is incredible. The only problem has been finding time to teach him because he is very busy. He's got so much faith and has been looking for some guidance in his life... I know he's found it and he's so happy here :) There are also some little (in stature) big (in number) families that we've found who came to church on Sunday. We can't wait to continue teaching them and bring them the blessings of the Gospel and of an eternal family. I love working with the Spanish-speaking people of this area. They love God and most of them just want to do what's right in His eyes. They are a humble and teachable people. We're looking forward to working hard this transfer to hopefully form a group/branch of Hispanics :) :) :) I know we can do it! Please pray for the Lord's help in this area to make it happen! That way we wouldn't have to translate all the meetings and they can worship in their own native language. Also, they'd have a lot more fellow-shipping opportunities.

Bueno, after church we went to a Pentecostal (we think) funeral of the mother of a member of the ward. We 7 missionaries sang a few songs. There was a lot of yelling and good 'ole southern preachin. I loved it. It's always good to experience different things and keep ya on yer toes.

Then we put on an amazing Member Missionary Training Center night for the ward. We had 3 workshops (one for each companionship) and the members rotated around and learned more about how to be member missionaries. We talked about Preach My Gospel, getting involved in the community, and talking with everyone. At the end, President Nolan from the mission presidency came and gave an enthusiastic lesson about how to use Mormon.org profiles to introduce the Gospel to those you talk with. Did you know you can print off "business cards" with your profile link on them so that people don't have to listen to your testimony, but they can just go on later and read about it? That's totally inspired! He is great.

Then we ran to a dinner appointment that had been made like 3 weeks ago that we forgot about. It was DELICIOUS. Sister Painter grows all her own food and it was such a fresh, nice dinner. It was also great company. She and her husband are very laid-back and loving. Once we got home, we were on the phone with President Hanks and then with some other mission peeps, and we finally got a second around 10:25 pm to sit down, look at each other, and say, "Great job singing today." What an awesome, full, enlightening, enlivening, crazy Sunday.

This week we're looking forward to moving into our new apartment and travelling to Birmingham for transfer meeting. I love it here. 

Que Dios les bendiga!

Hermanita Busath

-We're allowed to wear sunglasses here! And we have a car! Blessings.

-Ice cream is the only way to cool off. It's so hot here!

-We went to Boneyard BBQ (Alabama Style) with our neighbors who've never really wanted to talk about the gospel with us. They are a great family!

-Sometimes we wear sombreros.

-Caught in a rainstorm on the way home!

-I love Sister Child!

-Translating for the Hispanics aaaallll day during church. Except during our Gospel Principles Sunday School Class, which we taught in Spanish due to the incredibly large number of Hispanic investigators and less-active members that came Sunday!

-All 7 missionaries in our ward. A couple are being transferred out/going home this week :(

-Our new apartment!

Miracle Monday

I cannot express how much I love being here. The people, the accent, my companions, my mission president and his wife, our sweet investigators, the Latinos, the peace I feel here, Bluebell Ice Cream, inviting others to learn more, the hat and sunglasses I get to wear tracting, my new magnet nametag (that I'll get on Wed), our car, teaching sometimes in English, the encouragement from my companions... The list goes on and on! I'm falling in love with the South, and I feel more than ever like I am really doing the work that Christ would do if He were walking these streets with me. My companions Hermana Krage and Hermana Child make that so easy. They are so Christlike and charitable. An hour doesn't pass by that they don't compliment me on something or encourage me or give me a sincere compliment. They are going to be some of my best friends, just as all mission companions. Except these ones at least live within a few thousand miles of me and are more relatable because they're North American. We have gotten so close in just these few days... I love them so much. The other night after planning, we took funny pictures and laughed for half an hour, just having fun and being silly. And we can actually talk about things because there is no language barrier. And we can joke, which we do all the time. It is so much less stressful because I have such great friends at my side every minute of every day!! I love them so much.

Sister Krage goes home in a week, and it'll just be Sister Child and me for at least one transfer. I've been able to use a lot of the techniques and other things that I've learned in Ecuador here in the mission field. My companions are always so amazed by the ways that I teach and study and talk to people. I really can't take any credit for that, because it was all my leaders on my mission who taught me everything I know. I'm just grateful to be able to help other missionaries be successful and enjoy the mission experience.

I have learned so much from them, too. Like I said, they are just so service-oriented and really love to uplift others. They always look for the good in everyone and make whoever they talk to feel like they're extremely important. They're also so enthusiastic about the work! There's never a dull moment, and they've taught me to be excited even when I feel tired or spent. They've taught me so much about not only teaching of Christ, but acting like Him-- serving and loving every person. I am learning so much about how to follow His example through the examples of my companions.

So the missionary work here is different. I knew it would be. In our ward, we have 7 missionaries. There are 2 English elders, 2 English sisters, and us 3 Spanish sisters. We all live in different parts of the ward boundaries, so we mostly stick to close to where we live. Except when the other missionaries find someone who only speaks Spanish, then we travel to wherever they are and teach them. Our companionship can teach in either English or Spanish, and we have investigators who speak both languages. We've been finding a lot in the Latino areas and trying to teach as many of them as we can. Most are from Mexico and Guatemala. It's cool because the hermana I trained in Ecuador is from Guatemala :) It's so fun to see their surprised faces when we start to speak Spanish with them!

So our ward is in English, and when the Hispanics come, we have to translate for them. We have headsets, but didn't have to use them yesterday because there was only one woman who needed it. That was a really special experience and helped me to recognize how much the Lord has blessed me by helping me to learn Spanish so that I can be of so much service to His children. Sometimes I think I'm actually learning a third language here with the thick southern accent that everyone has and the funny things they say. Here are some of the things I've heard this week. Say them all in your head with a southern accent: "We all stayed in the same dwellin'" "We gonna have a ward outta my kinfolk!" (She is introducing the gospel to her relatives) "She liked 'em! Course their house didn't smell too good, but we put up with it." "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Look who's here!" I'm soaking it in! I love it!

To end off my letter, I'd like to share not the least of the many miracles we have seen this week. I know that they come as a direct relation to our obedience and desire to serve and love these people. Here are two experiences I had yesterday and today:

-Yesterday we went tracting in a country-side area. The houses were really far apart, it was really hot and we all really needed to go to the bathroom. As we made it back to our car, we walked past a house that caught my attention. I heard in my mind, "You need to stop here." Just then, I saw what appeared to be a huge black dog sleeping on their front lawn. We kept walking as my companion was talking, but I kept my eyes fixed on that house. Just as we were about to walk completely past the house, I saw that the 'black dog' was actually a black net on the ground. Then the voice came again, "That was Satan trying to prevent you from knocking this door. You need to stop here." So I went up to that door with so much zeal, knowing that I was fooling Satan's plan. We met a family (Maria and Juan) there searching for a church to join and who accepted our message immediately. We invited them to be baptized, and they agreed to be if they felt it was right after learning more. Incredible!

-Usually when I wake up I'm hungry within 30 minutes. This morning I wasn't hungry at all! I felt prompted to fast today, but it was an experience I've never had before. I knew I needed to fast, but I didn't know what for. So I prayed that Heavenly Father would guide me to what needed to be done today or give me knowledge that I would need or prepare me for something that was to come, and that He would let me know why I needed this fast today. Later, we met with an investigator named Allen. His wife was recently baptized, but he has avoided joining the church because he feels comfortable in his own beliefs. I think that he doesn't like to talk about serious gospel doctrine very much, but is content the way he lives. Well, we started right into asking him about when he'd be baptized, and long story short, the Spirit was so powerful in that lesson. We knew he felt it. He didn't agree to be baptized, but he promised us that if he received the answer from God that he needed to do it, he'd call us and have it done. He also agreed to read the Book of Mormon every day that he could (because of his health) and told us he'd read 2 Nephi 31 by sundown. Before we left, we knelt and asked him to pray specifically to know if it was the will of the Lord for him to be baptized now. He told us he'd do it later tonight, not right now. We waited in anticipation as he prayed for health, his family, the missionaries, etc. Then right before ending it, he sincerely asked if he should be baptized. Then he paused. I know that he received his answer. He ended his prayer and I knew he was pondering what he had just received. I know he will be calling us soon :)

I know that this is the way to live. I've been reminded this week about our purpose here on Earth-- we're here to progress and learn and act according to the guidance that Heavenly Father gives us. That guidance includes spiritual promptings, teachings of the Savior in the scriptures, teachings of our prophet Joseph Smith, and every good guidance we receive. I know that He watches over and loves each of us. Sometimes it's hard to see it. But during the hard times, we are being prepared for something we will need in the future. I can see that now as I reflect on my experiences as a missionary in Ecuador. I passed through some of the hardest experiences of my life there. But now I am grateful because I know the Lord was preparing me. He loves each of us and doesn't hide Himself from us when we need Him! His will is what will bring us the most happiness and peace in life. Find it, follow it, and you will be blessed!!

Love,

Hermanita Busath

Alabama Birmingham Mission

Steadfast in Christ

PICTURES!!!

-My first few hours in the mission-- mission office with President and Sister Hanks

-We get a lot of tornadoes here apparently... that is what the wind did to the tree in front of the church. (But don't worry, mom. We have a weather radio and a basement at a member's house close by and the tornado season pretty much just ended!)

-Our trio! Hna Child, yo, y Hna Krage

-HUGE zuccini from a member family. We've been baking some of it little by little.

-Sisters Brassfield and Madsen on the way to the temple. They're the other sisters in our ward and are so fun!

-Sister Krage and me at the temple

-Our trio with President and Sister Hanks at the temple. And that was the better of the two pictures that the elder took....

-Sister Child and me at the temple

-Sister Child and me at Panera

-A group of sisters who all went to Panera after the temple

-Car ride back to Boaz! The sister on the right in the backseat is also named Sister Madsen.

-An abandoned gas station where the plants are growing wild INSIDE the place! Oh yeah, and Alabama football is HUGE here.

-Sister Child is hilarious. We have this game where we yell out the window when we pass by some cows and count how many look.

-We wrote inspirational notes to one of our investigators to help him stop smoking and put them all around his house. I put one in his shower :)

-4 pictures of us having fun after nightly planning

-We bought so much food today! Our fridge was full! It was a great day.

SWEET new HOME in ALABAMA!!

A Great Big HOLA Y'ALL!!!

I LOVE THIS MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Okay, calm down. So I am in a companionship with Hermana Child and another Hermana. I forgot her name but it would be really awkward to look at her name tag right now. Anyway, they are awesome!!! I am having the time of my life. I just feel like I am hanging out with friends, contacting people and teaching the gospel. They are spiritual powerhouses and really know how to contact people well. They are good at just starting to talk to people in Walmart and stuff. That's where we went today to buy groceries. We contacted about 6 people and invited them all to listen to our message. A few accepted, and I feel like we are really getting the ball rolling! They are enthusiastic about everything and I love it. They're both going home soon, one in two weeks (at the end of this transfer) and the other after the next transfer after that. I'll be here in Boaz to see the one go, then I'll most likely be here for the next transfer to see the other off. And, they have 3 baptisms planned for these next couple weeks! What an amazing companionship! We're seriously having so much fun. I have a feeling my companions here are going to feel a lot more like "sisters" to me :)

Oh my gosh. President Hanks and his wife are AMAZING. (Sorry for all the caps in this email... I just LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!) They helped me feel so at home and so loved. I know that I can go to them with anything. I was able to talk to them about my concerns and some problems that I had had in the past, and they could not have made me feel better. It's like a dream come true here. I'm not kidding.

Our companionship has a car! Our area is really big, but we only have a certain amount of miles, so we try to conserve them. I'll be fine though with my knee and stuff. Oh and I got the bike! All spick and span! AND we have a washer and dryer in our apartment!!!! What. A. Blessing. Also, everyone here calls each other darlin', honey, sweetie... stuff like that. Like my comps even say that kind of stuff to women in the store. And their hair stands as tall as the tornadoes! Oh and one good thing is that we have a weather-watcher thing in our apartment that warns us of bad thunderstorms and tornadoes. So I'm totally safe. I just know I'm going to be happy here!!

We have a few investigators right now, and we'll have some new ones soon because we contacted some really open people today. I haven't met any of the people yet the sisters have been working with, but we're heading over soon. They're mostly elderly people and sound really great. They're pretty much all English-speakers. My comps are hoping to work more with the Latinos now that I'm here. Their Spanish is really good! I hope to find some great Latinos soon.

This mission could not be more different from my mission in Ecuador, in every single way possible. I am falling in love with it so fast. Ecuador holds a special place in my heart, and now I have another mission that is so awesome too. I know I'm going to enjoy every day of this mission. I just know it. I just feel something different and I know this is the work of the Lord.

I'll have more time to write next week! Can't wait to hear from you all and get some real letters in the mail!! :D Love y'all!

Love,

Hermana Busath

Please write to me or send me a surprise!! 

Hermana Busath

3100 Lorna Rd, suite 102

Birmingham, AL 35216

Sister Child, me, and Sister Krage

A change of plans......

 Angela came home from Ecuador (a surprise to all of us, including her) on March 27, 2014. This was due to a couple of medical issues she was having. First, her knee was hurting and she had an MRI in Guayaquil, from which the doctors there concluded she would need surgery. They advised her she had torn her meniscus. They had restricted her to only walking a maximum of 2 hours a day at that time.
She also had a lot of foot pain, especially in her left foot, where she has a bunion on the inside as well as on the outside of her foot.

She was not sure if she would return to Ecuador, or if she would finish out her mission in the states.
After consulting with an orthopedic sports specialist, he determined she had not torn the meniscus and did not need surgery. He prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy to strengthen her muscles surrounding her knee, which she completed. The foot surgeon gave her the option of having the bunions removed now or later. She decided later, and felt strongly directed to go back out into the mission field and complete her mission.

After submitting the recommendation from the doctor that she be reassigned to the states (in the event she needed further medical attention for her knee) to our ecclesiastical leader, her request to go back out on the mission was granted and she was reassigned to the Alabama Birmingham mission.

The following letters will be from her new mission areas, in Alabama. She will be released to come home in early December.

Signing off for now,
Becky Busath
(Angela's Mom)

La Luz de Su Amor

Well, we had 2 more baptisms this week! what a wonderful day it was. Children are so sweet an innocent-- I have always loved working with them and I really understand why Jesus Christ always invites us to become as little children.

I know that Heavenly Father watches over us. When we are obedient, He makes everything happen in a way that always leads us to happiness. Sometimes the journey is a little rocky, and we may not understand why certain things happen the way that they do. But I know and testify that God has His hand in everything that happens in the lives of His faithful children. The experiences may be hard and may really test our strength and faith. Sometimes we feel as though we cannot make it through life´s tests, and we don´t see the light at the end of the tunnel. But have faith and trust that there IS a Light. There is an End. There is Help and there is happiness waiting for us, just over the horizon. Jesus Christ is Him who awaits us. I firmly believe that the harder our experiences here in this life, the greater our reward in Heaven will be when we return back to the presence of our Father. I am grateful for the challenges I face in this life because I know that they are preparing me to receive that eternal give of life eternal with my Older Brother and Savior, Jesus Christ. Enos 1:27

I love you all! See you "ya mismo".

-Hermana Busath

¡Que Chévere!

Okay, tons of pictures! Here`s a little recap of what happened the last couple weeks in the pictures...

-Making lemon juice... oh yeah it`s called lemonade in English haha

-Saw Hermana Nazer and practically my whole group from the MTC at Consejo de Líderes!

-Hermanas Ynoñan, Macahuachi, and Ureta the night I left for Machala from Huancavilca. 

Hermana Ureta was really sad :( haha

-The 4 of us from Huancavilca with our awesome zone leaders, Elders Arriaga and Gates, in the bus station when I was leaving

-Me with the nurses from my zone

-Hermanas Llacsa, Peralta, me, and my compy Hermana Roncal with our Ecuador fútbol team shirts that we bought

-Me washing my clothes by hand. Every week. It`s torture. Thankfully I have a loving companion who usually comes to the rescue as my fingers start to bleed... haha! Kidding, mom! (Not really. They really bleed.)

-Me and my darling companion HErmana Roncal. SHe is awesome. We have so much fun together! ONe of the best companions I`ve had. I really love her so much. She`s from Peru :)

-I took a picture of something I`m pretty sure doesn`t exist in the states. Here, the people hang huge chunks of meat, sometimes whole dead chickens, and other parts of animals, in their little stores, or in their cart and just leave it there all day. The flies really love it. It`s pretty gross. This one is pretty clean-looking. I love Ecuador!

-I had a little photo-shoot in a dress that Hermana Paralta lent me. Definitely going to Centro (the center of Machala) to the sketchy huge markets today to buy some dresses. THey`re awesome. Happy birthday to me! 

-Hermana Balladares, me, Hermana Roncal, and Hermana Paralta. Great day :)

-BAPTISM! Mayra Jaramillo got baptized this week. She`s 14 years old and her mom is less-active. She is such a sweet girl and the baptism was awesome. We had tons of youth there, and it was just a really special day. I love Saturdays! Baptism days! :D

In other news, I am almost at 10 months on the mission! Crazy! Like my mom said, it`s going to go by so fast from here. I just know it. I`m going to take advantage of every minute I have left here. I really love being able to serve my Savior in such a dedicated way. I know that He lives and can change lives if we give up our will to follow His. 

Love you all very much!!!

-Hermana Busath