Easter and the Walkin Week

Dearest Family of Mine :)How are you doing :) Goodness the Mammoth trip sounded like it was sooooo peaceful and amazing. We most definitely have to do that soon after my return eh :) I'm so glad you had such a good time. Spence, that sounds like such a good time, running up the steep mountain and just looking out over the beauitful Mammoth forest. Mmmm. And Bro don't worry about trunkin me out- I'm always aces when it comes to hearing about what's going on at home. I do tell you though- my heart hurts when I think that I won't get to see you play any shows- please please have someone record these things ok?!!! I'm dying to see it. How cool is that that you get to play with Paper Mache. Legit ha. When and where is that? Lemme know :) Sarah, sooo good scoring those goals and basically rocking life right about now. I love you sis. Annie, Easter sounds like it was so fun! I'm glad you're doing so good with your contacts, I can only imagine how pretty you look without your glasses. I bet you love it :) So great! I love you too sister :) Ma and pa- thank yous o much for the e-mails. They mean the world to me. I love the words of elder Neil A. Anderson as well, when he said "I know I am not yet who I should be." I especially have been feeling that this last week. I feel the weight of everything I could improve on, weighing on my chest. I'll eventually be able to lift it, slowly, but surely. I know it may sound ridiculous and that I'm stressing myself out, but I really don't feel to much stress. Just the fact that I can always speak this labarynth-like language better, I can always know more scriptures, teach better and be a better leader. It's a lot to juggle and I always feel that I could do a better job, but I know the Lord knows I'm working on it. I've been better at studying new words and implementing grammar I've learned, making new and improved formats for studying as to get the most out of it that I can impliment into teaching. I know where I want to be and only the Lord knows where I could be- I'm just trying to give enough so that the Lord can take me to that level, where I am that smooth, refined, sharp and reliable tool that the Lord needs. I am so far from the afore mentioned lol. But I will keep trying. You can count on that.This week was a different one. Probably one of the most difficult I've experienced thus far. We found a step tracker in our house a week ago. Just yesterday we walked 14 miles. 14. 3 other days this week I walked at least that much lol. It was mostly difficult because we set up with a few people who I thought would for sure be there, and not flake our meeting (which happens all the time). I was convinced they would be there. They weren't lol. I was on exchanges with an Elder Brewster from Szczecin, while E.Jones was up there. We got flaked 4 times with no other plans. So we walked the city of Bydgoszcz a couple of times :) It was actually way nice to walk and see the whole city. We talked to same really really nice and promising people and I had a chance to get to know Elder Brewster better which was way cool. E. Jones always says I get too disappointed when a meeting doesn't show up. I do get disappointed - how can I not get disappointed when a person says their ready to meet and I call them the day before to make sure and they say they'll be there, and I have such high hopes for them, and they don't show up lol. I don't let it wear on me, I just have high hopes that these people could be the ones ready to recieve the Gospel at this time. It's like you said Pop, there are people who are ready here- this place is so promising. We just got to find em.We got into contact with a man, Marek is his name, 3 days ago. We had met with him once and he seemed Golden, and after that it seemed like a hopeless effort to get in touch again. I just felt like I should call him Saturday night. I did, and he answered and set up for Easter Sunday. We met and it was great. He is really neat- he doesn't know if he believes it enough to get baptized, but he will pray about it, and we're meeting with him again tomorrow. He smells a tad, and is a bit eccentric. But he deseres the Gospel just like any of us do. I hope the Branch accepts him alright. The Branch here is so strong, and they are all best friends; it can be tough for a new member to break into that circle- it's hard to imagine Branches this small- I don't know if I could have properly, had someone asked me to, pre-mish. It's hard for a new member to gain the trust of all of these long time, solid and dependable members. I know there's been a few cases of people joining the church for money, and the branch is now aware of people like that- so it just takes a while for a new person to really become part of the group. In a way it's sad- it bums me out that they could maybe not completely accept Marek, but I think they will. I know the Lord will make a way for those who are ready. At one time this week, when E.Brewster went back to Szczecin, and Jones was coming back, I was alone for 6 hours lol. It was crazy. In our mission, because we have the entire country, when people travel for exchanges and other random things, they can travel alone. So I was left companionless for 6 hours. It was different for sure, but I made good use of the time- I deep cleaned our apartment lol. It looked so good. I was proud of my work for sure. :P I wrote a couple letters and then picked up E.Jones from the train station. Tomorrow morning I go to Poznan on exchanges. I hear it's one of the most beautiful cities in Poland. I look forward to telling you all about it :)Next e-mail I send will be next Monday. Zone Conference is next Tuesday, in Gdansk. We're having Zone P-day the day before in Gdansk, and so I'll be e-mailing you from there. I love the fact that I didn't travel one smidgen in the first 6 months of my mission and now I've spent so much time on a train I can't even tell you :) O!! President Banks, the former District President, who's wife and kids E.McRae and I worked with in Primary, called this week. There was a dillema when his son was going to get baptize, because he didn't really want to get baptized here in Poland, where he doesn't understand many people and none of his family are here. There was a point where he contemplated getting baptized IF E.McRae and I could come. But this week I got a phone call, saying that The Bank's grandparents are coming up this month, and Joseph, the boy with the pending baptism, decided to get Baptized, but ONLY if McRae and I could be there. President Banks called Pres. Enjbjerg and got the Ok :) So the 26 of April I'm going back down to Warsaw for a baptism lol. Maybe not exactly the kind I hoped I'd be going back to Warsaw for, but it'll be an amazing experience. I feel honored to get to go. They are an amazing family. I hope you get to meet them someday. EASTER! I almost forgot easter. How could I lol. I think it's because, Easter here is something else. It's a three-day holiday, starting on Saturday, spanning through Monday. There were some people out on the Streets on Saturday, not many, but a few. On Sunday, it was a ghost town. It was INSANE. Nothing like i've ever experienced before. Every store closed. I mean NO ONE on the street. In the afternoon, people started trickling onto the street, coming to and from the Catholic Churches, carrying their baskets of eggs, to have them blessed by the priest. It's something else lol. Everyone was with their families that day- which was comforting to know. Everyone took the time to actually spend some quality time with the fam. Easter Church was nice. A few really nice talks (i'm really starting to understand almost 99% of everything that is said on the topic of religion). The Elders in teh District got together and we made a Pork Roast, mashed potatoes and I made...probably close to 100 chocolate cookies. A feast to say the least. It was a grand easter- I think the first one I've ever had from home. Crazy. This next week should be a winner for sure :) I have no doubt. Please keep praying for the people of Poland; i Know there are those who are ready. Just gotta keep searching and teaching. :) I love you so much fam. I am so blessed to be born into the family I was- I couldn't be any happier with any group of people ever. You all are the cream of the crop :) True story. Have an amazing week. Remember how much the Lord loves you and knows you. I'll do my best to do the same :) To next week!! so much Love,Starszy Michael Rushton p.s. PLEASE if you get Kory's letters, or if you can, please send those to me. I've been dying to hear how he is doing. I miss him tons.