Dear Family and Loved Ones,
I can’t believe May is nearly over! We still have two more weeks of school but are finished with early morning seminary – which means we get to sleep in until 5:45 a.m. Our summer calendar is already filling up with Missionary activities, Stake Pioneer Trek, Girls Camp, driving lessons and dance and football clinics.
We had some great training meetings this week with our District Leaders and Zone Leaders. We also provided lunch for the leaders and office missionaries (52 missionaries). When preparing the lunch for Thursday it seemed like everything went wrong: the propane ran out in the middle of grilling the chicken, the oven took forever to heat, I left the watermelon slices in the fridge at the mission home, etc. When I finally arrived at the mission office, where the lunch was going to be served I thought “this is going to be a disaster”. Fortunately I was greeted by my cousin, Kurt Anderson’s wife (Shauna), the office secretaries and Sister Blickenstaff (one of our senior sisters). With their help in a matter of minutes the tables were covered, the food, plates and utensils were on the serving table and water was poured . . . just in time for 50 hungry missionaries to arrive in the cultural hall to eat.
Shauna and I had fun visiting in the kitchen as we replenished food and water. What a blessing to have the Andersons living here in our mission! As the Elders headed back to the chapel for their afternoon training meeting nearly all of them popped their head in the kitchen and with a big smile said, “thank you” or “that was delicious”. Shauna said, “no wonder you love feeding these young men.” So, the disaster was tempered by good natured gratitude and thoughtful helpers.
We had a combined Priesthood and Relief Society Meeting today at Church. Our brand new Bishopric each took ten minutes to teach us. They hadn’t coordinated topics but each chose to speak about something that they felt inspired to share, it was great. Last week our Sunday School lesson was on the Prodigal Son. The Bishop’s wife, Sister Cardon, was sitting next to me and following the lesson she said, “my husband is the prodigal son”. She shared some of his story. She told me that our Bishop is originally from a rural, farming town near Logan, Utah. He left home to pursue a sales career right out of high school and had a lot of success – he also began to make choices that took him far from the Gospel path. Over the years many home teachers would visit him and invite him to come back to church and nearly every Sunday Bishop Cardon’s Dad would call to check in and ask, “how was church today”. Bishop Cardon’s Dad knew his son wasn’t attending his church meetings so this was his way of lovingly and gently reminding him of what they hoped he would do. Sister Cardon was not a member of the Church but wanted religion in their home so they decided to try their local ward. Sister Cardon immediately felt the Spirit, she knew there was something special about the Church. After taking the missionary lessons she was baptized and before long they were both actively attending and serving in many callings and we are now blessed to have Bishop Cardon as our Bishop. The Bishop expresses a powerful testimony of the Savior and His Atonement. He says, “I know the Lord gives us second chances and third chances and as many chances as we need”.
President Hinckley said, “I know of no more beautiful story in all literature than that found in the 15th chapter of Luke. It is the story of a repentant son and a forgiving father. It is the story of a son who wasted his inheritance in riotous living, rejecting his father’s counsel, spurning those who loved him. When he had spent all, he was hungry and friendless, and ‘when he came to himself’ (Luke 15:17), he turned back to his father, who, on seeing him afar off, ‘ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him’ (Luke 15:20)”.
“I ask you to read that story. It is large enough to encompass every household, and enough larger than that to encompass all mankind, for are we not all prodigal sons and daughters who need to repent and partake of the forgiving mercy of our Heavenly Father and then follow His example”?
We are so blessed to have the Gospel Plan and the Atonement of our loving, merciful Savior which make it possible for each of us to return to our Heavenly Father!
Thank you for all you do!
The Long Beach Buberts
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