Jan 29, 2013

Dear Family,

This past week has been fairly slow :). I am at the library right now in Winder.  I am actually living in Winder, GA.  They split the Winder ward a few years ago and called the other ward Fort Yargo. Winder got the better end of the deal, ha-ha. I like this area, there is plenty of work to do. No one is out walking, this time of year.  It is cold here so we have been tracting and using that harvesting tool I was telling you about.

We had some success with the harvesting tool. We knocked on one door and a lady answered. We asked if we could come in and bless her home, she said yes. It turned out that her mother was very sick and her kids were sick also. They actually just got back from the hospital. We were able to bless her home and leave the Savior’s peace and comfort. We also asked to leave a blessing on her mother and kids. She told us that she was happy we came and that she could feel the spirit.  We told her that she could feel the spirit more often in her life by meeting with us and learning how to make covenants with Heavenly Father. She accepted and we have an appointment to see her tomorrow. So we have her as an investigator now. 

We also had a guy named Sal text us and tell us that he found a card in his room that he got from a missionary during the summer.  He had a prompting to text the number on the card. We made an appointment with him and it was a very spiritual experience. He doesn't go to a church but reads from the King James Bible. He doesn't have all the false teachings that come from a preacher, so everything that he believes in about God is true and what we believe in. He loves reading. He has been in and out of prison.  Recently he wanted to put God and Jesus Christ first. We answered his questions and introduced him to the Book of Mormon. He accepted it willingly and is very excited to read it. I showed him a scripture that had to do with his situation and he knew right then and there that it was the word of God. I shared with him. Ether 12: 27-29, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble;

and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."He has been through a lot and knows that he had those weaknesses in the past so he could find God and Jesus and know that They live. He is our top investigator and we are very excited about him. He is a really good person, just hasn't made all the right decisions in his life, just like everybody else, and just wants to put the lord first in his life.

Well I'm getting along well with Elder Rogers and we are starting to get things going again here in Fort Yargo. Good things are starting to come.  We just need to keep our heads up and keep going. Oh and just in case you were wondering I have been taking advantage of the workout time between 6:30 and 7:00 :)Ha-ha.  Well, that's all I for this week. 

You are in my prayers.  Drive safe in the bad weather in Utah and stay in doors. Sounds like the smog is going to kill everyone. Thanks again for all that you do and have done for me.

Love, Elder Kyle Buhler.

Jan 21, 2013

I have edited some names in this post and the last one.

Dear Family,
This past week has been a CRAZY one again.  Elder C. is now home.  He went home this past Friday,  as well as his past companion Elder H.   Elder C. was out for about 16 months and Elder H. for about 9.  Elder H. is being sent home for not being within sight and sound of his companion.  If he was,  he would have been able to stop whatever happened that caused Elder C. to be sent home.  Elder H. can come back to Georgia in 6 months if he chooses to do so.  Elder C. does not have that option.  I'm happy for Elder C. and that he made the right decision.

Okay enough about that.  So I have now been transferred to Fort Yargo in the Athens Zone to replace Elder H.  I'm now serving with Elder Rogers who has been on his mission just over 18 months.  Elder Rogers had only been in Fort Yargo for a week when I got here.  We are doing something called whitewashing.  This is done there isn't an Elder in the area that was previously there.  So, we are here without any investigators because whomever the previous Elders were,  they didn't do very much.  We are basically starting from scratch.  For the past couple of days we have both been trying to get back on our feet, and back to work.  I miss Coal Mountain.  The ward is like a Utah Ward but in Georgia.  It was great while it lasted.  Fort Yargo Ward is more like Covington.  There are only 100 members that attend sacrament meeting and only 8 in gospel doctrine class and in priesthood quorum.  Well, nothing else really happened this week.  We are just looking for some new investigators.

Love, Elder Buhler

Elder Loader and me on transfer day.  He had to step forward so he didn't look so short. 

                                                             Coal Mountain Apartment.

January 17,2013

Hey, Everybody

This past week has been a crazy week! Well, I made it to Coal Mountain okay accept some how my pillow got lost in the mix of all things. Ha, ha I have no clue were it went. Elder C. has many talents. He plays the piano very well. He plays the guitar, sings and many other talents. The Coal Mountain ward is a lot different than Covington. I still miss Covington but there are a lot more people here. There is a member in this ward, Sister Mulbery. She picked us up from the Stake center on transfer day. She took us out to this nice restaurant. It was a Japanese Steakhouse. The first one that I have ever been to. I didn't want her to spend so much money on us but I didn't know what to do. We ate there anyway.  I tried Octopus for the first time and it was nasty chewy, and I will never eat it again. The meal that I got was very good. She stopped at a store on the way home and told us that we could get anything that we needed, I didn't want her to pay for a ton of stuff so I let her get me some laundry detergent. 

The ward is very nice and loves to do missionary work. There are a lot more young couples. 

Here's what has happened this past week. I have been having a hard time with my companion. The problem with Elder C. is that he doesn't like to follow most of the mission rules. For example, internet usage, music, movies, and he has an iPhone. Ha,ha. So to make a long story short, this week has been hard. I guess he hasn't worked very hard in Coal Mountain. I basically told him he couldn’t do anything to get me sent home and he had go out at 10 am and finish at 9 pm, and he accepted. I'm grateful for that. We have been working hard despite the things that he does. Remember the harvesting tool that I was telling you about where we leave the Savior’s peace and blessing on people’s homes. Well, in order for the spirit to be there it is required that you are obedient and this poses a problem doesn't it. Ha, ha. I could sense that Elder C. was not feeling that he deserved to work hard and covert and leave blessings on peoples homes. I could sense it just by being around him. I can’t explain the feeling. It’s almost like a nervous feeling. It eventually led to Elder C. scheduling an appointment with the mission president for an interview. And know that I didn't make him do it, he did it on his own.  He has done some bad things on his mission. Which has resulted in him having to go home this Wednesday. Sad story but it was for the best. He will be missed. We can always be grateful for the Atonement, and it just goes to show that good will always prevail over evil. I don't know if I will be staying here in Coal Mountain or not. The problem is that there are no other missionaries available to be my companion. Well see what happens.

But its funny the way things work. We have been getting in with investigators that missionaries haven't been able to get in for a long time.  I have able to share powerful messages with them. Some have accepted baptismal commitments. Its crazy how being obedient to the commandments and mission rules brings blessings.

Well I hope that you all are doing well. I will be fine and the mission is good. I love the mission. I have learned so much and have had many opportunities to learn. I love you all. And thank you for all of your love and support. 

This Scripture has been in my head the past week.

 30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

 31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

 32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and Love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become Holy without spot.

Love, Elder Kyle Buhler

January 7,2013

December 31^st, 2012

Hello

It was good to be able to see and talk you all on Tuesday. I felt like there was so much to talk about, in so little time. Ha-ha, but it was fun. Thank-you all for the gifts and sorry I didn't have the package with the reindeer rapping paper on it till after Christmas to thank you when I face-timed home.

 After the call home we had a big lunch at a members home and then a few hours later we ate dinner at the Payne's. I ate so much that day. I had Cornish Hens for the first time. They were pretty good.

This week was pretty slow though for missionary work, being in between holidays. Basically no one was interested. But there are new ways of tracting that we were just informed about, and about 80 % of the time the families let you in.  Basically, you just bless their home with the Savior’s spirit and comfort. They than feel the spirit very strongly and they invite you to teach them. We tell them that they will be able to feel the spirit more often if they let us teach them and it will bless their family. Because it will!! It works and its pretty legit.

One experience we had, we ended up kneeling and praying with a family of 6 around their sick mother’s bed. It was a pretty spiritual experience.

Another cool experience we had was when we were on a team up with Bro. Montana (the member I called home from) and went to visit a less active the day after Christmas. The family we visited was not in the best living conditions insomuch that we could tell that their children didn't get a Christmas. Well long story short, we ended up going to Wal-Mart and  Brother Montana bought them toys, candy, diapers and a space heater.  Bro. Montana let us take their toys to them. I will always remember the look on their faces it brought me so much joy, seeing them so happy and excited. I will never forget that experience.

Well that's all I have for you this week, sorry so short. Tonight for New Years Eve we are going to the Hiat’s house, an elderly couple and they are making us home made ice cream.

I love you all. Thank you so much for all that you do. And I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Love, Elder Buhler

January 7, 2013

Hello,

Today was transfer day. I'm getting transferred to Coal Mountain ward, and I'm going to be with Elder Beanfield.  He is as tall as I am.  I will still be in a car area. I heard that it is a pretty cool area and it has the Mall of Georgia in it.  There are bigger hills too. So I'm pretty excited. I wanted to stay in Covington unti the next transfer date.  There are a lot of things going on here in Covington. We are teaching a family named the Boles and they are very interested in what we are teaching them. They are good at keeping the commitments that we give them and they actually came to church on Sunday and enjoyed it. They are looking for a good religion for their son to grow up in and our church is perfect. They are pretty sweet. They will most likely be joining the church sometime soon.  There is another young family that is looking for a new church that we have been teaching. The father’s name is Wayne. They are pretty great as well. Wayne has some problems and he wants to overcome those things to live a better life. There are some good things happening here in Covington. I guess I’m being transferred now to learn that you need to work hard all the time. And it doesn't matter if you are there the whole time to see your investigators get baptized as long as you do what you are supposed to do to bring them closer to Christ and the church. I'm going to miss seeing them get baptized.  That doesn't matter as long as I was a part of their conversion.

My health has been good.   There is nothing holding me back from being the missionary I strive to be. Well that is all for this week. Thanks for all that you do.

Love, Elder Kyle Buhler

Mosiah 4:11-12

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.