Pictures of Elder Bullough 2/13/2017

The following pictures were posted on the Washington Tacoma Mission blog at calledtoservewa-tac.blogspot.com: 

Mission Leadership Conference ~ February 3, 2017

Transfer Day ~ February 7, 2017

New Missionaries meet their Trainers:

Elder Sheffield (new missionary)

Elder Bullough, Elder Sheffield, Elder Sutton, Elder Stapely

There is No Growth in the Comfort Zone! 1/30/2017

This week was great. The craziest part about the week was that on Wednesday all of the missions around the world received a training from the leaders of the church about the change in the missionary schedule. The changes are very small but still are quite a change from what I have been used to for the past 15 months. One of the coolest changes is that preparation day is now longer!! I am sure that every missionary in the world is happy about that change! 

This week Elder Lund and I had some awesome experiences teaching lessons and each lesson varied so much!

Earlier in the week, we had a chance to meet with C and her family. We mainly just answered concerns and focused on how they can get an answer to their prayers. At the end of the lesson we committed them to pray about baptism. Well this Sunday they came to church and we followed up on their prayer and C said that she feels like she is getting closer to being ready. She asked us if we could come over more during the week to get her questions answered. We gladly accepted and told her we would! 

Then Elder Lund and I went over to our ward mission leader's house because he and his brother invited their friend B to listen to our message. We ate brisket and then taught B the restoration. The best part of the lesson was when Josh, who is a member, shared his testimony with B in a powerful way and promised him so many blessings! It was amazing how real and how bold his testimony was to B and it brought such a powerful influence of the Spirit. B accepted our invitation to read the Book of Mormon and come to church! -The power of friendship in conversion!

And last but not least, we taught D the plan of salvation last night and it went great! It was also a lot of fun because we used flashcards to teach the lesson. I personally think that everyone there learned a lot because of the visual aids that helped us teach! It was so funny because she called it the "Jesus Puzzle" haha! We liked that spin on it.

Well hope that you all have a great day and enjoy the week!

Love,
Elder Bullough

Thy God Reigneth! 1/23/2017

This week was awesome! Elder Lund and I saw so many blessings this week!

First off, Elder Lund and I have been fasting each Sunday for a miracle to happen and it is so cool because each time we have done this we have seen so many miracles happen— even that day! This Sunday, when we fasted, it was awesome because 7 of the people that we have been meeting with came to church!! We were so excited because C, who we have been working with for a long time, read 2 Nephi 31 this past week. She just opened to that chapter and loved it, especially verse 17! If you are a member of the church and read the Book of Mormon you will understand why this was such a great place for her to start reading. Then she came to church and brought her two daughters and they loved it as well! 

Second, last week our Bishop gave us a great referral and told us about this lady who has been coming to church with a member of our ward for 5 years! D has down syndrome but comes to church each week with them and loves it. Anyway we went over last night and taught her the first lesson. It was so awesome and the Spirit was so strong! During the lesson when we got to the part about the first vision, D spoke up and said that she could feel the Spirit really strongly! What a testimony builder. That was such a good reminder to me that the Holy Ghost truly is the teacher. To say the least, that was one of the most spiritual lessons that I have had on my mission. I am so grateful that we missionaries have the Spirit to back us up! 

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."-John 14:26

Also, last week Elder Lund and I painted mugs so I thought I would post the finished product. Here you go:

2 Nephi 31:17:

"Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost."

Short and Sweet 1/17/2017

This week was good. We went to the Seattle Temple as a mission which was so awesome! That was a great day.

To be honest, I don't remember much of this last week other than Sunday. On Sunday we had some people fall through that were supposed to come to church, so that was devastating. At the last moment before the meeting started, B walked in with his friend's son L. Both of them are non-members that we have been working with so we were excited to see them and they were like a ray of sunlight to our morning. The sacrament meeting was very good and you could tell that the talks that were given spoke right to B and resonated with him. Then, after the meeting, we showed them the baptismal font and they were excited to see it, so we are hoping that things go well and that we are able to work with them and help them join the church!  

Sorry this week's email is kind of short but have a great week! 

-Elder Bullough

Elder Bullough & Elder Lund are on the 5th row back, far left side

The Seattle Temple

Elder Bullough is the one on the far left with his head out the window

Great Week here in Gig Harbor! 1/9/2017

This week was great, A was confirmed in church. She was so excited to become a member of the church and was really looking forward to this. It was a great experience because I was privileged to be the one to confirm her. I can certainly say that the Lord is very happy for her to be in the church. She is already absorbing everything like a sponge and is loving every minute of it. A shocked both Elder Lund and I when she told us that she is planning to help her friend in Germany find out about the church. A told us that she has been talking with her about her own conversion, and chuckled a little when she told us that she had told her friend that she would make a great Mormon. --Already a missionary!! Anyway she is doing great and looks so happy and content now. 

I am looking forward to this next week, our mission is taking a trip to the temple!! I always look forward to these trips because it is such a great time to ponder questions and receive answers from God! I also enjoy the Spirit that I feel when I am there, it is really a place away from the world. Many of you who attend the temple know what I mean, so I would challenge you, if you have a temple recommend and are able-- go to the temple this week!

Well hope that you all have a great week! 

-Elder Bullough

Here is a picture of the beautiful view of the Puget Sound:

Elder Bullough & his companions had a fun time making this Christmas card:

New Year Miracle! 1/2/2017

To start off, I can't believe that it is already 2017!? Wow this last year went by quick! I had a blast this last year and am super excited for the rest of this year, and even better the days are getting longer, brighter and hopefully warmer! 

The New Year Miracle:

Elder Lund and I were privileged to see the baptism of A! Last week, I explained briefly that we had met A and that she was going to be baptized on the 30th. We went back this past week to meet with her and she had read and was already making changes in her life and seemed to be so happy and excited with all of the great changes in her life. When we went over with Sister Grover from the ward we taught her about the Word of Wisdom. As part of the policy, she wasn't able to be baptized on the scheduled day because she had drank coffee within the last five days. But when she heard that this was the rule she gladly gave it up and threw out all of her coffee. Because of this we pushed her baptism date back to January 1st, which was such a sweet experience for her. Almost every day last week we went over and taught A, and brought a member to meet with her. A couple days before her baptism, A mentioned the pain that she was in because of the coffee withdrawals (ie: head and body aches). However when we went over Saturday to visit, A said something very profound, she mentioned that all of her pain had gone away, and then she said, "if I knew that coffee would do that to me I never would have started in the first place."-- So true, we don't often see the harmful affects until further down the road. Anyway, A was able to have a wonderful baptism on January 1st of this new year! And to put the cherry on top, A ran into an old friend that she had through her care-giving service and didn't even know that she was in the ward until she came to the baptism. They had a great time reuniting and talking all about how A had come to know that the church was true! 

Here is a picture for you all and have a great week!

Me, A, and Elder Lund

Happy New Year!!

-Elder Bullough

A White Christmas!! 12/26/2016

This past week was a blast and too fast!! It is so crazy to think that this is my last Christmas on the mission! I have definitely loved Christmas out here and it has become my favorite day out here! This Christmas we saw a ton of miracles!! We also got our transfer calls this past Saturday: Elder Lund and I are going to be staying here in Gig Harbor together and our boys got their visas and are headed down to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow at like 2 in the morning!? It is going to definitely be weird just having two of us in the companionship now, but I am super excited that both Elder Lund and I are staying in the area. 

Christmas Miracles-

First, this past week we got a call from a member saying that her friend, A, wanted to meet with us. So we called A and set up a time to meet with her that day. It was one of the most Spirit-filled lessons that I have been in. Anyway long story short, A has been friends with the Hamilton family for years and has always seen the support that the church has given her and loved how close that we are as members. After talking for a minute, A asked us how she could be a part of this and that at age 70 she is looking for something more in life and wants to be a part of something bigger than her. We explained that the way to become a part of the church is through baptism, and she readily accepted! A is excited for her baptism this week on the 30th. While we were talking, A told us how she had gone to God in prayer one night asking what she needed to do and why she is still here. She told us that she got her answer that she needed to call up her old friend and ask to talk to the missionaries. --Wow! As you can assume I was so impressed! Keep her in your prayers and hope all goes well this week for the baptism!

Second, last night after eating dinner we went to the Van Duker's Christmas party. They are a member of our ward and had invited us to come over for some dessert. At the party they had invited their friends from Ukraine to join. They are not members of our church but are very interested in it and even came to church earlier that day. Of course, with missionaries present, we got to talking about the church and shared the message of the Restoration. Keep in mind that they spoke very little English and we would translate through the Van Duker's son who went to Ukraine on his mission. It was definitely one of my most memorable lessons because even though we had a language barrier between us we could feel the Spirit very strongly! We are planning on meeting with them throughout this next week and hope to help them learn more about the gospel. My favorite part of the lesson was when we invited V, the father, to say the closing prayer for us and he accepted! We knelt down and he offered the prayer for us and many whom he had just met that night. That takes some courage! 

Here are some pics for ya!

Elder Bullough & Elder Lund with Christmas packages that President &
Sister Blatter delivered from the missionaries' families back home.

Missionaries participating in the Nativity at the bishop's home on Christmas Eve:

Elder Bullough played the part of King Herod

 

Elder Bullough on Christmas morning!

Elder Bullough and Elder Lund on Christmas Day