Week #92: Keep Going, and Have Faith

Dear Family,

This week has been quite the week. We have a baptism this next week, and we are really trying to get more. This week 1 of 2 sisters is getting baptized. We are trying to get the other one to get baptized too. The goal is that on the fifteenth of Nov., that they be sealed to there parents. What a great goal, to be sealed for time and all eternity. That's nuts.

I have also been reading a book by Spencer W. Kimball called "The Miracle of Forgiveness." Ya, the book has some rough edges, but it's a really good book in general. I don't agree with everything, but one part i love is that he says  “Soul mates are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.”  He also says that an eternal marriage is something to fight for. In fact, its the greatest thing to fight for. Yes, we all have our differences, but what the Lord intended was a celestial unity. We could be as different as cats and dogs, but if we follow the gospel, we can over come everything and make it.

This week a lot of crazy things have happened, and I can't really disclose everything, but man, it's kinda been a hard week.  However, I feel that something I need more of is faith. I can admit it freely, I doubt. This week has been really hard for to say, "Man, I believe it will all work out."  Because honestly, sometimes I don't think it will. One thing I can change is my out look, my view on it. My faith. I rememeber before my mission, I said I had faith in everything. If you knew me before the mission, I said "Man have faith" a lot. Right now I am eating my own medicine. I need to have faith. Right now, it is a tad bit hard, but I am trying. I don't know if there is anyone out there that is feeling what I am feeling, but what I would say if there were, is to keep going and have faith. Faith that it will all work out. No one ever got anything done by quitting.

I love you all, and I hope that you are all having a great life.

Elder Buhler

Week 91: This week has been crazy!

Photos provided by http://taiwantaichungmission.blogspot.tw/ 

Dear family,

Whats up everyone!!! This week has been crazy. I will try to remember everything that has happened. I got to go on exchanges with Elder Pennington . He went to Alta, and was a captain of the football team, and was a total g. Pretty cool guy!!! We bonded pretty well. Super cool kid. This email will be pretty short . So the main story of the week is that this kid wandered into our church and started asking about how he could sell his soul to the devil and stuff. We all just looked at him like he was retarded.  We gave him a Book of Mormon, and sent him on his way. The feeling with him was super weird. But ya. Nothing new this week. We have some baptismal goals, so pretty sick about that. I got pretty emotional during a lesson about eternal families, but besides that, nothing new. I love you all. I have to go. Talk to you all next week.

The quote of the week is, "Come what may and love it."

Elder Josh Buhler

Week #90 Part B....Elder Buhler's Talks About Families and Temples....

Dear Everyone:

So today I got to go to the temple. Now for those of you who know me, you know that I was at first not the biggest fan of the temple, because I did not understand it all. However, now I love the temple. It is super peaceful. I actually get a lot of thinking done in there. I feel so calm that I can almost feel like something is there with me. So today was kinda cool. I got to watch sealings. This is when married people are sealed for all eternity. It was interesting. I have never really been a marriage kinda person. I kinda view it all as beyond me in a sense. This last week, I think in a sense, I am excited about marriage. Not for anything that you all might be thinking, but more for the idea of being a parent and a father. You all might be thinking, "Wait, aren't your parents getting a divorce?" Yes, they are, but that does not mean they have not done a good job parenting. I think with what they had, they did a fine job.  I am excited to be a parent, because my dad was the best dad for me, and i want to be like him. I know that sounds cheesy, but that's how I feel, and my mom is such a great mom. I wanna marry a girl like her. Plus idk, I think it would be cool to find someone you loved and be sealed for time and all eternity. That's my opinion, and it is cool to see people do that in the temple.

The talk is about a asian military officer who when questioned by the prophet, tells him that he will likely be kicked out of his home and banished and ridiculed, all because he joined the church, and then the prophet says it will be difficult will it not? The officer looks at him and says, well its true isn't it? BAM! Conviction . I don't have that conviction. I pray someday I do. I don't really have any where near that but I hope someday I do. You may be ridiculed because of standing up for something you believe in, or the church, or for something you know to be true. You face armies or even your own parents who disagree with what you say. All I can say is that the wicked or even the misled or even the lost do not like the truth because the truth hurts. it always does. Finding out on the mission that what I had believed before was not true and not what I truly believed hurt. Finding out that so and so in my 10 grade year did like me hurt . Finding out that I did not make grades to transfer to a higher school hurt, but it was the truth. Learning that my parents were getting a divorce hurt, but it was the truth.  You will be ridiculed . People will make fun of you for what you believe. They will say 50 million people do it they all can't be wrong, but Elder Nelson says, yes they can all be wrong, very, very, wrong. They will say the world is different, but we must remember we are not of the world, we are different. We are Mormons. Our standards tend to be a little bit higher. We are not better than them, we are just different. When you are getting yelled at by some people for your beliefs or when your parent is telling you divorce is valid, and telling you that you are wrong, or when your entire world is crumbling down. Stand firm in what you know to be true, and if not, then stand firm in what you believe. Remember, its true isn't it? Then thats all that matters.

I bear my testimony that this is true, I believe that this church true, and there is a God who loves us, and that marriage, though changed by man, and laws, and policies, is ordained of God from the beginning, and is intended for the eternities. One thing that has comforted me since day one of my mission, has been in preach my gospel about the Atonement. The Atonement makes it possible that in the next life all our losses will be made up. That it will be fixed. So take it. Perfection does not come in this life, only in the next life. I bear you this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Buhler

Week #90: General Conference was Amazing!

Dear Everyone,

This week has been awesome! First off, I want to say how amazing conference was!!! It was off the charts man!!!! So good. I felt like they all were preaching with fire, which is my favorite.

I want to share my favorite parts, which is from Thursday on. We actually teach a college class, like a legit class, and they even call me Professor Buhler. We teach English to them. It’s kinda cool.  This last week I taught them dating etiquette, which is funny, because I never went on dates. It was cool.

Friday was a national holiday for exercise and stuff which was pretty cool. We biked up this ridiculous mountain, and i was dying. I am so out of shape, it is ridiculous actually. Pretty disgusting. Then we hiked up these trails with all these whack looking spiders that make Shelob look like a puppy. Ah man, Mckray would have hated it. Then at the top, there was this cool stone path that you had to take your shoes off. It was kinda like an old school foot massage, but the thing was like crazy the more you walked on it. It hurt like crazy. It’s like life in a sense. Sometimes there is no support, and every further step you take it gets more painful and painful, but if you endure it well, all work out. I will elaborate later on that.

We had a basketball activity and man oh man was that a blast. Got a bunch of thugs in the building and when they walked in they said how weird that they felt so peaceful. Kinda cool. My comp and I balled hard!! He is a stud. His name is Lincoln Randall. He swam for BYU, but now he is with me. Super cool kid. Love him to death.

So I can't really describe to you all why I love conference, and why I think it was so awesome but it was. I loved it all. I love conference and how it has really influenced me a lot on my mission. Before my mission, I hated it. Now I have really grown to love it, ya know? I loved the Swedish guy who just told me to shut up and work out. Ahhah! Super duper funny! I really enjoyed Elder Ballard’s talk, and Elder Bednar. Ah man, it was all so good. I can't really write a lot right now. I will finish writing my full letter on Wednesday. Today we only get an hour because we have temple trip this week, but Wednesday I will finish.

Love you all. Bye.

Elder Buhler

Weeks # 88 & 89:89: Committed to Being Faithful Until the Very End

The last 6 weeks have been excruciatingly difficult for Elder Buhler as he has struggled with finding out that his mother has filed for divorce. Its really hard to understand that when you are 8000 miles away from home teaching about eternal families. After struggling with whether I should post this weekly update, I  (his mom) realized that in fairness to Josh, that we should post it. Its a part of his journey and to deny him that right to freely express himself would be unfair.

Dear Fam Bam,

My comp is a stud of a man, and has ignited a fire in me that I have not felt my entire mission. Even with my parents getting a divorce, I feel I have a desire to do the work! Divorce or not. I will give it my all for these last two months, and whatever happens, happens. He is a stud. We have worked a lot over this last week and I am not too tired to write in my journal. We had a baptism last week, and we have 8 goals. I am excited!

I have learned that I need to forgive, even when I clearly do not want to, but because Christ forgives me for constantly screwing up.

My comp is an inspiration to me. So this last week I have decided to get back into shape, and needless to say, it is hell. However, it will be worth it. I taught a lesson because my comp was gone. He had to teach another lesson, so I went to this member’s house, who the mom and dad want to go to the temple so bad so they can have an eternal family, and I was supposed to take a female member, but she brought all her friends, so I had about 7 piekes with me, and ah man, I thought this was gonna go downhill so quick. Everyone was talking. My teaching methods are always a bit unorthodox to say the least, but anyways, I tried everything. Magic tricks, ward testimonies, but in the end, it was all those girls, who were all like 30, telling that little 12 year old how awesome church is and how it can really help her. I told her about how at the age of 12, she does not really understand it all. When i was 14, my dad had cancer, and I did not understand till my coach, Coach Jensen, explained it all to me. I told her that someday, her parents would pass away, and through all of this she could see her family again. Finally, I told everyone to shut up and it got all quiet, and I asked her, “Look, I don't want you to get baptized cause your mom, or dad, or anyone else wants you too, I want you too because you want it. Do you?” It got quiet, then she nodded and gave a thumbs up, and I was like, “Alright!”
Everyone was leaving, and I asked the father to walk me out. As we were walking back to the church, the man started crying. All he could say was xie xie, and he just hugged me. Not many things will pull my heart strings, but that would do it. It was cool. The father wanted it so bad, so right now we are working for that.

We have a lot of goals. I am excited. I believe this place will be on fire. I truly believe that everyone will have times in life, and sometimes more than once, we will be faced with a choice to believe in god or not too. It is as simple as that in my situation. Even with my doubts, and my parents getting divorced, for at least these 2 move calls, I choose to believe. I promise, you will not find a more hardworking missionary, or one who will shy away from bearing his testimony, as small as it may be, and you will not find one who prays more than i do for a miracle here, and back at home with my parents.  I will work on humility. Elder Holland says to keep trying, and keep working, and moving forward. It will be all right in the end. Elder Wirthlin says come what may and love it. I remember when I found out i was leaving my area, and to leave my good friend Shen Bei Bei, that old man who I have so many pictures with. I realized I would never see him again in this life unless a miracle happened. But I knew that if anyone in this world deserved a body, it would be that old geezer. I realize that someday, if I play my cards right, I will see that happy old man, and we will be able to speak, and he will talk to me and walk, and run, and jump . Oh what a joyous day that will be.

Something important to know about Shen Bei Bei is that he does not care that he can't use his body like we can. He will find a way to do it. Shen Bei Bei doesn't care. He could stare the stain out of a shirt. He has tried, but I believe he is a perfect example of enduring to the end. Follow Shen Bei Bei, and find a way to get things done the right way.

I realize I have not always been the best example in everything, and even right now with my parents divorce. But I can liken myself to a quote by Winston Churchhill "You can always count on America to do the right thing. After all their resources have been exhausted." So, in this you can say you can always count on Josh Buhler to do the right thing after all my other resources have been exhausted. Well, here is my email. If you don't like it well than go to outer darkness. Ha ha I’m kidding.

Elder Buhler

I love my family, and I love my friends. I do not know everything, but I believe God is there, and Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God. I believe that Jesus somehow died for me, and I believe if everyone lived the gospel, the world would be a much better place. I actually know that if everyone follows the gospel, the world will be a better place. I love my mom and my dad equally, and my siblings. Something that Paul said, “When I was a child I spoke as a child. When I grew up and became a man, I put away childish things, and acted like a man.” I butchered that quote, but I need to grow up and be a man.

PS: There is always room for change, and its never too late to change your mind, no matter what.