Week #95: Elder Buhler Had A Great Week in a Three-Some!

Dear family and friends: 

My new companion is super cool.  His name is Elder Otte. He is an awesome missionary from Washington, just totally a great guy. Its been crazy.  I have spent the last week with the other elders in a 3 man which was a blast. This entire week I have not gone to bed until past 1 in the morning we just talk about everything. Elder Pennington is a total beast and Elder Andy is hilarious. Well ya its been a ride. We found a bunch of golden people like B for example. He is a Protestant and man oh man he has a lot of questions. He is golden we actually have a lot of people lined up for my last week of the mission. Dec 13th  so hopefully they all work out. Looking back on my mission I realize all the hard moments on my mission are some of the most beloved.  I am at the point where I even look back at the MTC with fondness haha. 

Ok my last comp dropped an article of clothing on a ledge 30 feet below and instead of being mature and going down and grabbing it we decided to maneuver the entire situation and tied 3 jump ropes together to a hook.  We just fished it up  and it was totally interesting thing. super fun. well we have had a pretty crazy week but all in all its been worth it I can' really delve it a lot of it but just know that its been great. Pray for B, H, A and A and A.

I bear you my testimony that families are ordained of God that they are eternal that they were meant that way in the beginning.  God is the same now, then, and forever. Man may change laws but he has no authority to change God's laws. I believe that God listens to our prayers and even though sometimes we fall short or realize that maybe God might not give us what he wants, the fact is He listens. Reading the Book of Mormon has been a sense of hope for me and that the primary hymns have so much meaning to me . The lyrics "Heavenly father are you really there and do you hear and answer every child's prayer."  I also love the words to" How could the Father tell the world." 

How could God do all of that I don't know how but I believe God loves and cares for us. I believe that O have a huge capacity to doubt but I have also a huge capacity to believe for without doubt there can not be belief.  I bear you my humble testimony in the name of Jesus, my brother and my friend. 

Amen

Week #94: Elder Buhler Shares His Testimony of Joseph Smith. He Has No Food but He Loves His Companion

Dear family and friends:

This week had a crazy activity where we invited literally everyone we knew and watched the Joseph Smith movie which was pretty cool.  Most people have never seen it, and at the end of it I played "Praise to the Man"  and the congregation sang it. So thank you Tracy Young for teaching how to play the piano. It was beautiful. I think everyone should go watch it.  Its truly an amazing movie. I think a lot of people should realize Joseph Smith really did something amazing. The things he did are simply amazing and not many people realize this. Also to make a point he was tarred and feathered  and not once during all the trials did he ever say "OK, uncle. I give up. I made it up." 

All his closest friends left and his life was just falling apart but not once did the guy say I made it up. and then above all he died for it  which is crazy. I feel people who think the BOM is just something made up should actually read it and see the utter complexity of the entire thing. Its truly a beautiful book. 

Well for the rest of the week. we moved apartments!!! It was crazy!! We moved from our small humble abode to a huge vast kingdom apartment. I can jump rope all I want on the deck... well not anymore... the land lord chewed me out and said I can't anymore... but ya there is no food.  We have food but it is in the form of Reese's pieces ahahha but we had no food on Sunday so we ended up eating moldy bread but it was pretty good if anything it was a good weight loss thing. 
Well I got to go. I would just like to say I love my comp Elder Randall and he is a total stud  and I respect and love him. 

I would like to bear my testimony and saying that this work will go forth boldly and nobly tell everyone hears it. I would also like to say I know that families are the most important thing ever and an eternal marriage is not something to be taken lightly and if we follow the gospel nothing will ever go permanently wrong.  We just have to hold onto to the rod like this necklace which my mom gave me. It says hold to the rod. Do not look at the world in the building and keep your eyes firm on the tree ... 

I love you all

J. R. Buhler

Week #93: Baptisms

Dear fam bam,

This week was pretty alright. I got to go on some pretty gnarly exchanges with some pretty cool elders. This week has been very cool, because of how much I have relied on prayer. I feel that even if you don't believe, it's always good to pray. It makes you feel good. This email will be short. I actually got to help baptize 2 people and man oh man, it was awesome! I loved it. It's cool too see all the cool things that happen on the mission. Well, i will talk more next week . Super excited to see you all! Can't wait. Be safe!!!

Elder J. R. Buhler

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