Bret Bushman Family: February 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A letter about my wonderful parents

THANK YOU

Dear Searle Family & Friends:

We just wanted to say Thank You to all of you for sharing your parents/ grandparents/friends with us. It was a "WONDERFUL" gift.
We fell in love with them the instant we met them, when they stood up to bear their testimonies in our chapel in Queenstown, their first Sunday here. I cannot describe the feeling that came over me when they spoke. Anne of Green Gables would describe it well. I feel like we connected like kindred spirits.
Having the Searles be a part of our lives is a testament that God loves and cares for us in this little obscure corner of the world. He sent us these amazing people; to bless our lives and touch our hearts forever.
Sister Searle did not help with our futile efforts to lose weight, because the woman can cook! Her brownies are divine (each time we try to bake them, they come out mediocre, so we decided the recipe also requires a drop of Utah blood!) So our efforts are in vain. And her carrot cookies and pumpkin cake, I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture!
Elder Searle did "enlighten" our minds with inspiring stories of "Poncho Via" and "Washy, Washy, Washy!" And many others of the same calibre. We even know what dingleberries are now, and use the word effectively! We LOVE his sense of humour and mischievous spirit, because he speaks our "language." We see Eye to Eye on most things and poor Sister Searle is left alone in her Pollyanna world. But through all the wackiness, we KNOW how much Elder Searle LOVES the Lord and has a deep and abiding testimony of this Gospel. When our father wasn't around or needed another priesthood holder for blessings, he'd always be there to give comforting blessings. His prayers and talks testify that this is a man who has a personal relationship with the Lord. He has walked with Him through the darkest moments of his life and with Him through times of bounty.
We love Sister Searle just the same. So we don't mind taking a peek in Pollyanna world once in a while. Her enthusiasm for life is tangible! We admire how she always sees the Good in anyone. Ask Elder Searle about Anathi. While the rest of us are impatient with him, Sister Searle is always gracious and kind to him. Those are attributes that the rest of us imagine acquiring in the distant future; to Sister Searle they come with ease. We LOVE her and ADMIRE her for the strong woman that she is. She is compassionate, generous, hilarious, and is a testament of JOY. We know she has the gift of Joy that radiates within her because of the love she has for the Saviour, His children and the Gospel. We can all sense and feel that this Joy is her Anchor; it also helps to ground those that are within her sphere of influence.
It was very hard to know that they would be leaving soon. None of us wanted to let go, but I eventually realized that you all have "First Dibs!" so I have to let go. But when we do come visit in Utah, you must all know that YOU HAVE TO SHARE.
Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for knowing Larry and Ann Searle. They have irrevocably stolen our hearts. It is a blessing to have the privilege of knowing them. They are true Latter-day Saints, faithful servants of God who did all they could to serve Him and His children while they were here. One of the traits we admire about them is that they came here to LOVE and SERVE everybody, regardless of their race or socio-economic status. They opened their hearts to the destitute and sometimes their purse strings too (To Elder Searle's dismay at timesJ!), and opened their hearts to those with bounty.
They are beloved by all in the Queenstown Ward whether they are called the Searles, Sells or Seals.
We love them; words cannot express our gratitude to have known them. We cannot express our gratitude to you for sharing them with us for 18 months. May our Father in Heaven bless your family for that sacrifice.

In Love & Gratitude,
Pumza Sixishe on behalf of the Sixishes

I just had to share this amazing letter about my Mom and Dad, because anyone who knows my parents now this is true about them...I am so lucky they are my parents.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Mom and Dad's homecoming

Oh boy was the excitement in the air, we were so anxious to see Grandma and Grandpa,and Mom and Dad, Shauna Searle had bought all the kids a yellow balloon to hold, it was a sight to behold...their were people waiting just to see who we were waiting for because of our crowd and excitement...it was like a herd of cattle when we saw them walking down the hall, there were guards behind my dad, because some of us ran down the hall to hug him, it was so great to see my parents, even better to have them home.