Lemon Leaves 5/16/2016

This past week was good. First off, we are teaching this lady T who is very prepared for the restored gospel. She is currently a single mother and is constantly running back and forth trying to do all of the daily chores of life. She has realized that she can't do it by herself and needs God's hand in her life. Not only is she doing the mother part on her own, but she is also trying to finish school and is working on top of it all. Yesterday, when we went to teach her, T told us of all that she was trying to get done and that she had been running around all day long. Immediately, I remembered a video clip that the church put out called "You Never Know." After we watched the clip, T mentioned how much it related to her life. Elder Strong and I helped her understand that in life sometimes the best thing to do is to step back and look at all we have accomplished and not to let the little things get us carried away. I think that this is a principle that all of us can apply in our lives when we are feeling overwhelmed.  

A cheesy story from knocking doors and how God works through us.

While knocking Elder Strong and I talked to this lady who was weeding her garden and asked if we could help her. She allowed us to help her and in return she gave me some herbal leaves that smelled like lemons. —They smelled super good by the way! Anyway, we continued on and I had a handful of leaves that smelled like lemons and thought to myself… "What do I do with these?" Well, of course, I turned to Elder Strong and told him that I was going to do a demonstration at one of the doors and somehow relate the gospel to these leaves! A few doors down, a lady named A answered and asked if we were collecting flowers on the way. I was so glad that she asked and immediately I went into my analogy. Not really believing that it would work I asked her if she would ever believe that these leaves smelled like lemons. Out of curiosity, she smelled them and was able to see that they really did smell like lemons! Then I shared with her that it takes faith to partake of something that you are unfamiliar with. It takes faith to believe someone when they tell you something. Just like it took faith for her to know that the leaves smelled like lemons. It takes faith for some to believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We invited her to read it and to our surprise she said yes! She told us that her mother-in-law had recently converted and that her life was completely changed around. She told us that because of this she has become more open and is willing to look for herself. We look forward to meeting with A again and helping her see these same changes take place in her life.

Last update, just got back from golfing for my third time and I am getting better! And this time was a blast because the member of our church who took us rented a golf cart! That was probably the most fun part!! I will post the pictures below. Love and hope you all have a great week! 

—Elder Bullough

If you want to watch the video "You Never Know," click here: www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/you-never-know

Golfing today for P-day:

Me driving the golf cart!

This sweet chair that we found!

All of us Golfing! Brother and Sister Price are on the right

The Lord is My Shepherd! 5/9/2016

This week not too much happened. Elder Strong and I spent a lot of time contacting people and teaching lessons. But there is one experience that happened this week that reminded me that this is the Lord's work and He does guide us. On Friday, we planned to see Jo___, someone who we had been working with a few months ago, but since he wasn't home we decide to knock [in the neighborhood] around his house. This area that we were knocking was a richer area. For those of you who know missionary work, you know that wealthy areas are harder to find people. Well, Elder Strong and I went forward with faith and continued to knock around the area. At the last house that we knocked on, a lady opened the door and said she didn't have time because she was busy with a loss in the family. We showed our sorrow for her and asked if we could offer her a prayer of comfort. Immediately after the prayer she said to us, "You can come back next Friday!" This was great because we were looking for that one person who was prepared, and because we followed the prompting to knock that street, we were able to find Ja___! I know that the Lord was able to lead us that day to her so that we could help bring her to the truth! 

Well, yesterday was Mother's Day and that was super fun because the bishop in our ward had all of the men fill the roles in the meetings. And I guess I drew the short stick so I was the chorister... and if any of you know me, at least a little bit, you know that I am not musically talented at all when it comes to singing! So that was kind of a disaster, but other than my hands swinging around in an unorganized way the hymns went pretty well. Then, Elder Strong and I were able to go to primary last hour and that was fun because it was full of screaming children and I think that we are just lucky that nobody was hurt or hospitalized! Haha. But all in all, church was a success and the men were able to take over for a day.

Well I love and hope you all have a great week! 

Elder Bullough

Elder Bullough talking with his family via Skype on Mother's Day!

Mt. Rainier

A Week of Highs & Lows 5/2/2016

Last week started off pretty well. Last Monday evening, we had a family over at a member's home in our ward for some fun and games. P is our maintenance guy at our apartment. Both him and his wife and their son, V, joined us at the members. P and his wife are both members of the church but they haven't been in a while so we are trying to help them find friends in the ward. The only thing is that P's wife doesn't speak very much English, so the lesson quickly turned from English to Spanish. Surprisingly, I was able to understand the gist of what was being said and was able to teach with P translating for me. It was a neat experience for both families, and they were able to form a friendship fairly easily, especially because V is about the same age as the other boys. Well P's wife was able to come out to church yesterday with Sister G, the member, and really enjoyed it. 

Later, throughout the week, it seemed like everything was falling through. J, wasn't able to get baptized because he didn't feel quite ready so we postponed that. Then a few of the people we were teaching dropped us. So looking forward to Sunday, Elder Strong and I wondered if we would have anyone at church. Well, Saturday came and we were determined to go out and fill the holes. We worked hard and it did pay off. By the end of Saturday, we were led to many people who needed our message at that exact time. We not only filled the holes, but we were able to find more people than we lost. I think back to a story in the Bible that I have been pondering all week. In John, the Lord comes to his disciples who have been fishing all night and asks them if they have caught any. To which they respond to the stranger in the distance that they had not. Then Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the side of the boat and "ye shall find." When the disciples followed the Savior’s direction, their nets were filled so full that they weren't able to lift it back into the boat. I feel like the Savior taught me this lesson. When it seemed like we were having no luck we had to listen to to the Spirit and cast our spiritual nets where the Savior would have us. In return, as we followed the Savior’s direction—just as the disciples did, our nets were filled.

Last night, our stake had a fireside. J, our recent convert was asked to speak and share his conversion story. It was so cool to hear his side of the story and how he explained that he wanted nothing more than to scare us away with his pit bulls when we came to his house. But as time went on he learned the Savior’s love for him and found purpose to his life and is a part of something greater. Those who came out were truly touched by the sincerity of his testimony. It is so cool that not more than three months ago J was sitting on his porch confused and wondering where his life was going, and now he was able to get up in front of the the whole stake and share what he knew to be true. This gospel does change people and it is true. 

Have a great week and love you all!

Elder Bullough

Parkland District Meeting

Elder Bullough with his new companion, Elder Strong

"Why I Believe" Missionary Music Fireside ~ May 1, 2016

Busy Week, Busy Work! 4/25/2016

This past week has been great. It was transfers this past Tuesday. My new companion is Elder Strong. He is from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Elder Strong is great and loves to work hard, so we have been super busy especially with the transition. He is already loving this area. By way of busy, we literally had to run from place to place a couple of times this week. If you imagined two young men in white shirts and ties running down a long road with no sidewalks, and trees on both sides, then you probably imagined something close to what it looked like. However, busy is good because that means that we are teaching lessons! We have had the chance to teach a lot of lessons this week. It was nice to see the balance in the lessons as we taught, and we have only been together for a little less than a week, so there is only room to progress. I definitely know that our success this week can be traced back to God. 

Update on a couple of people we are teaching. First, J came to church. It was kind of funny because we sat outside of his house for like a half hour to give him a shirt and tie so he could come to church. It was definitely worth giving him one of the shirts and ties in the apartment because he came to church and now he has told us that he would like to be baptized next Sunday! Second, we are teaching a young boy named V. A member in our ward invited his family to family home evening at their house tonight, so that should be fun and help them make some friendships in the ward. And last, A, a young 9 year old boy who we have been teaching, is just waiting for permission from his father to be baptized. The hold up is that his dad wants him to be more in the bible and to know more and to be more dedicated. However, while teaching this young boy he has shown to know the bible very well and is at times quoting from the Book of Revelation!? So we are still trying to work with the father and hoping he will soften his heart. 

We received a phone call this week from a lady who we gave our card to. She is at a breaking point in her life and and is looking for happiness. Elder Strong and I were able to testify to her that this is the path that God wants for each of us, and it is the path that will bring lasting happiness to our lives. It is so great to see those who want to change and are looking for help. I read a verse in the Book of Mormon this morning that goes right along with those who are willing to change their lives to be more in line with God. 

"Blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more." 2 Nephi 28:30

To explain a little bit. This is Jesus Christ talking to his prophet, Nephi. He tells him that those who are willing to hear his word and act upon it, are those who will be blessed and receive the happiness that comes from living the gospel.

Below is the picture of my new companion Elder Strong. Well I hope that you all have a great week! Love you all! 

Elder Bullough

Elder Strong and Elder Bullough

A picture from last week in the WA-TAC mission.

Lakewood Saturday Conference & Ice Cream Party (4/23/2016):

6 Months & Transfers!

This past week I hit my 6 month mark! It is crazy to think that I am a fourth of the way done. I am starting to think that the more my mission goes on, the less I will want it to be over. I have grown to love a lot of the ward that I am serving in and also the people that I have seen come unto Christ. Looking back, I have learned to love the work so much over the past six months. I have learned a lot of life skills as well that I am sure I will have for the rest of my life. And most of all I have learned of the love that my Savior has for me and how He truly knows me personally and knows my potential. 

Update on the week:  

This past week was transfer calls and Elder Dale is being transferred to the Summit ward which happens to be our neighboring ward just across the street hahah! As for me, I am staying in Parkland and getting Elder Strong. I am excited to take over the area and continue to serve in the Parkland ward. I have really come to love the members in Parkland. They are all so helpful and loving. My favorite part about this ward is how unified it is. It is like a family!

A couple of miracles:

While knocking an apartment complex, Elder Dale and I knocked on a door and a young teenage boy opened up. Some background information— up to this point, no one had been too interested in talking with us— and seeing that we were losing his attention I quickly opened the scriptures and flipped to the first verse that I saw. I looked at it and realized that it was one that I was familiar with. I then asked him if he knew why Jesus Christ had to be baptized...to which he replied that he didn't know. I then was able to read him the scripture and explained why it was important not only for Jesus Christ, but that it is also important for each of us to be baptized. Right then his mom yelled from behind the door, "Are you gonna let them in or not?" We proceeded to go in and visit with him and his mother—both non-members. Then come to find out, they are very familiar with the church and her other son had been baptized almost a year ago and she wanted to start going out to church again!

Yesterday, Elder Dale and I went to visit a family in our church. They are all members of the church except for the youngest child who is nine years old. The dad has been waiting to baptize his son because he wants him to know more and be ready. While conversing with the girlfriend, she told us that the boy, A, had been praying to be baptized. She told us that he mentioned this to her many times and shared his desire with her to be baptized! I can't think of a more pure-hearted little kid! I mean at age nine I was more worried about playing sports or hanging out with my friends. But this young boy new that God would answer his prayer and help him get baptized. I look forward to working with the H family and their son A.

Well I hope that you all have a great week! 

With Love,

Elder Bullough

Yes that is a canoe! hahah!

Faith is Needed! 4/11/2016

Last week was full of many let downs and unfortunate events. I will briefly tell you about some of them. First off, J, a lady we have been teaching was supposed to get baptized this past Sunday. She was living with a member in the ward. Well, on Thursday, Elder Dale and I received a call that she had left in the middle of the night and that no one knew where she took off to. Without the contact we weren't able to find out where she ended up, all we could do was pray for her and hope that she is okay. It is unfortunate that she wasn't able to receive the blessings from baptism, but I know that in the lessons we taught her she did learn that she has a purpose and that God will always be there for her when she is ready to turn her life around. Then, later that day, Elder Dale and I went to our other investigator and found out that he was actually a member and was baptized at a young age. So that took baptism out of the question, but we are still working at getting him and his fiancé active in the church. I guess it was just a week that I needed to be tested on my patience. There is a good saying-- "Don't ask God for patience." That is very true! 

After it seemed that nothing was working in our direction, Elder Dale and I decided to go forward with faith and talk to everyone. Through doing this, we were able to find two new people to fill the holes. J is a guy who happened to be standing out his apartment door. (Had he not been standing outside I think we would have missed him because his door was hidden). We were able to teach him and put him on date to be baptized right there. It was definitely right place, right time! Then later that day we found a guy, N, who was in need of the gospel at that time. He has been lacking happiness in his life and wants change. We explained that this happiness can be restored to his life through the gospel and the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Immediately, he began to have hope restored to his face. I know without a doubt that there are people who are ready to hear the good news that Jesus Christ did face all of the challenges in life and overcame each one of our pains, and afflictions. I know that I needed faith to find these people, and with that faith, God made it possible. "It is by faith that miracles are wrought."

Well, I hope that you all have a great week! It is crazy to think, but here in a couple days, I will have been out six months! 6 months down and loving it!

With Love,

Elder Bullough

General Conference & a Baptism! 4/4/2016

This past week has just flown by! In fact, these past almost 6 months have flown by, but anyway such is life. Last week was full of great sunshine during this conference week. For those who don't know or aren't familiar, General Conference is held two times a year in April and then again in October. It is a conference where the Prophet of the Church, also known as President Thomas S. Monson, and the twelve apostles speak to us. This conference is broadcast worldwide online and over television. The reason so many members and non-members all over the world tune in is to listen and receive guidance in their lives. As I watched each session this past weekend, I was able to hear the words speak not only to me but also to all those who I was with. I know that each of the speakers that spoke over the weekend were inspired by God and had spoken to the exact needs in our lives today. 

After the last session of Conference on Sunday, Elder Dale and I had to rush to the chapel for the baptism of R.  R is a great guy who we have been teaching. He is a single dad who loves to play the drums in a rock band and works each day driving a shuttle for work. He had recently moved into an apartment that was later knocked on by missionaries. He let them in and allowed them to share the message. At the end he invited them back and told them he wanted to learn more. That week R came to church, and Elder Dale and I were able to meet him. We then set up a time to come back and share more with him. Each lesson went great and he kept each of his commitments to read and pray to know for himself. A member from the ward volunteered to come with us when we would teach him. This was great because they were able to form a friendship and whenever R had a question he could go to us or even him for an answer. Not only did R have a member from the ward helping him, but he also had many friends from work who were members of the church that helped him along this new path. Well, at the baptism each of these friends from work came out to support him; and the ward member, Brother Beagley, was able to baptize him. R had previously told us that he wanted change in his life. He wanted to have stability as a single father trying to do the daily chores of life. R had seen the stability in the families that came to church each week. He was able to see the joy in the hearts of the members. And yesterday I think that he was able to get a taste of this joy that is found through being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

I have not always had my eyes open to the joy that comes from this Gospel, but as I have made mistakes and grown from them I have seen that living within God's plan does offer joy. One thought that I would like to share that has stuck out to me this week-- being a Mormon is fun, don't let the adversary tell you otherwise.

Hope that you all enjoyed General Conference this past week! Love you all.

Elder Bullough 

In a letter to his parents, Elder Bullough said the following about the baptisms he has been able to be a part of:

"So I think a key to all of the baptisms that we have had, definitely is due to the retention in this ward. 1- the ward is very diverse and the most unified ward I have ever served in. Just as Alma had taught his people to be unified, this is a key to new members staying active. 2- member missionary work, this means that members are there to welcome and answer any of the questions that the investigator may have, and above all, someone to be a friend. This is the purpose of the ward—is to be a family. One thing that helps is by having members go to the lessons with the missionaries or hosting lessons in their homes. It takes the auxiliary leaders and also just every member reaching out. Yes Aunt Sheryl is very right, wards outside and even in Utah become your family."

AND:

"I never understood what you [Dad] meant when you told me that I would have prepared people on my mission. I kid you not this has been precise! Most of my baptisms have been the Lord's doing, he has prepared them and I have simply just been in the right place at the right time."

D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

R's Baptism:

Elder Bullough, Elder Enosa, Brother Beagley, R, Elder Dale, Elder Irava

Elder Bullough, Brother Beagley, R, and Elder Dale

Central Zone Conference: