October 15th 2012

 Part of an email from Elder Buhler last Monday:

It has been very busy for me and I have been learning a lot. So I told you last week that my trainer Elder Miller was transferred out of Covington, and he is now the zone leader in Athens. This was a surprise because he was supposed to train me for another 6 weeks. So now I have a new companion Elder Loader. He is pretty cool too. He is from Redding, California.  I don't have any pictures yet. I'm terrible with carrying my camera around.  I have been the leader this past week showing Elder Loader around Covington.  I have been planning our days out by myself which was tough at first but now I got the hang of it.  I really wasn't sure how to get to some places so we have gotten lost a couple of times. ha ha.   The first day of the transfer went pretty good but I felt like a lot of appointments fell through.  After Wednesday was over I planned out the next day.  The way I thought would be good.
    
   Before bed I prayed and asked Heavenly Father if he could make it a little bit easier for me, maybe some comfort that everything would be okay. So the next day I decided that we should bike to one of our investigators house. While we were biking I got a little lost and but I decided to bike in that neighborhood any way. We contacted a couple of people but nothing to good. So we continued on to the investigators house.  We got to our investigators neighborhood and as we were about to turn into her neighborhood, a lady yelled out to us and told us to stop. We waited for her to put her dogs in her house that were having a bathroom break.  She told us that she was a Jehovah's Witness, so we thought oh great she wants to bash.  She said she has been inactive in that church for a couple of months because she couldn't feel the spirit and she has been going around different churches trying to figure out which one was right. She told us that while she was taking her dogs out she was praying to heavenly father which church is right. Then about 30 sec. after she was done praying we pulled around the corner. She told us that she thought we were the answers to her prayers.... We then taught her the first lesson and she loved it and said that she could feel the spirit. She went to church with us last Sunday and she told us she loved it hearing the testimonies of other people. It just all worked out perfectly. She was the answer to my prayer as well. From that point on it has been much easier for me to be the leader.
  
    I also invited another investigator to be baptized her name is Wanda Morris, and she agreed to work toward November 3. So now we have 5 investigators with bap. dates. Her, Susan Jacobs Nov. 7, Chris Womack Nov. 7, Tommy Anderson Oct. 27, and Georgia. And we will have a date set for Pat Sweeny on Wednesday, the lady that called out to us.

October 1st

 Elder Buhler sent some pictures today but didn't explain any of them.  I thought that I'd post them and let you try to figure out what they're about with me.

This picture was probably taken while he was still at the MTC.  It looks like they are pointing to Georgia on the map.  They are showing us where they are heading to serve for two years.

This also looks like they are still in Utah,  probably outside the MTC.  We can guess this was taken the day before the group was to head to the SLC, UT airport.

When Elder Buhler first arrived in Atlanta Georgia, he was in a foursome.  There were not enough apartments for all the missionary companions to have separate apartments so they doubled up.  This could be a picture of that first group.

This looks like pictures of his apartment.  He has recently moved into an apartment with just his senior companion, Elder Miller.  Elder Miller is also a district leader and attends meetings at the mission home.  Elder Buhler goes on splits with the other missionaries on those days.  Whether these pictures are of his first apartment or where he is settled now,  you guess.

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 I'm not sure why pictures of old buildings and pulling them down are important unless this was one of the service projects that he participated in.

Some pictures from Georgia that Elder Buhler would like to share.

Sun sets on Georgia

 

 

 

Self portraits are always interesting.

Elder Buhler has been busy teaching several different people the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has challenged a mother and her daughter to be baptized.  He has shared his message with a preacher that he was helping in a service project.  He seemed to take the message well and like the missionaries. In Elder Buhler's own words, "That would be crazy to be able to baptize a preacher!!"

Always start a day of hard work with a hardy breakfast!

 Remember Elder Buhler and the good people of Georgia in your prayers.

Always start your day of hard work with a healthy breakfast!

 

Elder Buhler arrives in Georgia

 Elder Buhler leaves the MTC

August 28th at 6:00 AM  I received a call from Elder Buhler.  He was allowed to call form the SLC airport.  Of coarse he only had ten minutes before his flight left but it was good to hear his voice.  He told me that he was feeling well and was excited to get to Georgia and start preaching the gospel.

The state flag of Georgia.

I have this flag hanging in Elder Buhler's bedroom window.  A reminder of where his is serving.

  A map of the state of Georgia that is hanging in Elder Buhlers

old bedroom. The highest tack is where her spent his first night

and further south is the city of Covington. This is his first assign-

area.  He is staying in an apartment with his senior companion

Elder Miller and two other Elders.  In this area, the missionaries

use both bikes and cars to get around.

This is a map that Elder sent of the area of Georgia that his mission covers. He will be serving in the southern part of his mission.

Elder Buhler with the mission president and his wife

This is a picture of the seven new elders and two sisters that flew out to Georgia together from the MTC with the mission president and his wife in front of the mission home.

New missionaries are called "Greenies".  Yesterday I prepared a special package for Elder Buhler.  I hope he and his companions enjoy this fun treat when it arrives.

The "greenie" package.

Here is Elder Buhler's mission home address if anyone wants to sent him a letter and say, "hello".

MTC days with Elder Buhler

Kyle sent us some pictures from the (MTC) mission training center.  It looks like the first several pictures are of his sleeping accommodations.

I wonder how long it took him to get comfortable sleeping in the twin bed after being used to sleeping in the California king :)
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I wish I was there the day his name tag was officially put on his suit jacket.  A moving moment, I'm sure.

The next few pictures look like they were taken outside on the grounds of the MTC and a few in the classrooms.

                                                                          

Pictures at the Provo Temple

Elder Buhler and is companion Elder Oblad

Classroom studies at the mission training center.

Elder Buhler said this was a board where the missionaries could post their favorite quotes and scriptures.

 

Tools of the trade        

Information of his flight out of Salt Lake City airport to Georgia.

Looks like some self shots.





The one time that Elder Buhler did surprise me was with the information that he joined the choir while he was at the MTC.  He really enjoyed it too.  He sent actually sent a recording.  He also told us that the choir sang Happy Birthday to the President Monson, who had his birthday during Elder Buhler's three week stay at the MTC.   The spirit bears witness through song!

Georgia here I come!