Dear Family and Loved Ones,
This past week was the last week of school for Ben and Mari. They had a chance to sign yearbooks, take their finals and say good-bye to the many dear friends they have come to love at Los Alamitos High School. We are so proud of how well they adjusted to life here in the mission – their cooperation and support (as well as the support of our children at home) made it possible for us to have an incredible experience as a family.
Friday the counselor called from Bountiful High to register Ben and Mari for classes. They needed ten more new students to qualify for another teacher so they wanted to take care of their registration as soon as possible :) Ben and Mari were really pleased with the many electives they were able to consider. The schools in Southern California focus on core classes and don’t offer many electives so they are looking forward to a fun Senior year at BHS. The counselor had already selected the classes she thought Ben and Mari would like, it was obvious she doesn’t know them well . . . Ben was registered for three or four art classes, computer design etc. He was able to let the counselor know he has all of the art credits he needs so he would like to take classes to prepare for a medical career: Medical Anatomy, Sports Medicine, etc. Mari didn’t need to make as many adjustments but she is the one who loves to be creative and have a more hands on learning experience. They are both excited about Released Time Seminary!
Ted continues to spend long, long days with our missionaries in interviews and taking care of the ever present serious matters that are a natural part of looking after so many young men and young women. Mari said, “I’m going to call him the Phantom Father because I haven’t seen him for weeks.” He needs your prayers to have the physical, emotional and spiritual strength to make it through this very strenuous part of our mission. We have never had more missionaries and they have never needed him more!
Saturday night we were invited to speak in the Whittier Stake adult session of stake conference. We remembered when we first arrived in the mission we arrived late for our first stake conference in Whittier. To make it even more embarrassing they held the meeting for us! We thought we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there and since it was a Saturday night we didn’t anticipate any traffic. We got on the freeway and within a couple of minutes the traffic was at a complete standstill. Needless to say we are still remembered for arriving late. We have learned our lesson about California freeways – there is ALWAYS heavy traffic and you can never over estimate how much time you need to travel from point A to point B. There was a lot of traffic last night but we arrived fifteen minutes early :) One of the counselors in the stake presidency was cleaning out his garage and came across an old Church News with the announcement of our call in it. The photo was taken the fall of 2009, when Ted saw the photo he said, “I think mission presidents must age in dog years.” The announcement was made so long ago that one of our assistants saw it and said, “2009, I wasn’t even a member of the Church then!”
Church was great, two recently returned missionaries spoke, an Elder who served in Alabama and a Sister who was in the Netherlands. They both gave great talks on Christlike Attributes. We were in the ward when they left so it was fun to see how much their missions helped them to develop confidence and stronger testimonies. There was also an amazing musical number by a young single adult brother who is very talented. He sang “Come Thou Fount” The Father’s in the ward received a sweet serenade from the Primary children and a couple of cookies for Father’s Day. Ted and I will be in another stake for conference next Sunday so it was our last week in our home ward and it was very hard to say good-bye.
We invited Shelly and Ian for Sunday dinner to celebrate Ted on Father’s Day and to have a farewell dinner for the mission home. It was perfect to have them here with us since we shared many great memories in the mission home including their first dates and their open house following their temple sealing in Newport Beach Temple. Shelly wanted to take one last look at the balcony where she stood to throw her wedding bouquet. What wonderful memories!
Well, we can no longer be in denial about our mission coming to an end soon, we spent much of this week cleaning, organizing and packing. The movers come tomorrow to load up our personal items. We’ll be living out of our suitcases in a nearby hotel for our last two weeks here in Long Beach.
As I have been cleaning out closets and kitchen cabinets I have been thinking so much about the Tews. I can imagine how many wonderful experiences they will have here in the mission home – both with their family and their missionaries. It is fun to prepare for their arrival and also very sad. I had no idea how sad I would feel about leaving our mission since I’m so excited to be reunited with family and friends in Utah. It is an emotional time for us leaving behind our missionaries, friends and Ian and Shelly.
I also realized one of the things I will miss the most is the beautiful Spirit that is always present in the mission home. It is a sacred place, dedicated to the Lord’s work and we feel how special it is. Last week when President and Sister Devereaux were here for lunch President Devereaux said, “This home feels like the temple.” I couldn’t agree more – no wonder it’s hard to leave - it’s as though we have been living in the temple these past three years!
In the Bible Dictionary it says, “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” Whether we are living in the mission home or our home in West Bountiful, or wherever we find ourselves we want to make our home a sacred place.
I loved this little story from the Ensign, “Amy Adams of Washington, USA, was trying to decide which activities would be best for her three young children when a conversation with her mother changed her mind. ‘What if you gave your children something better than training in sports or dance?’ Amy’s mother asked. ‘What if by staying home, they could learn to feel the Spirit more?”
“Amy and her husband, Brett, prayed about and pondered this counsel and felt it would be a good idea for their family to spend more time together at home. For one year, they chose to forgo dance and sports; instead they prepared meals, learned Primary songs, visited museums, and played outdoors. ‘Our children were able to feel the Spirit … because we took the time to stop and listen,’ Amy says. Their children may not be the top sports and dance stars, she says, ‘but they have a testimony of the Savior.”
Of course wholesome recreational activities should play a part in our children’s development and every family’s capacity for interests outside of the home should match their energy levels and desires but I liked the thought that the more time our children spend in our homes the more chance they will have to feel the Spirit and to grow close to the Savior.
I’m so grateful on this Father’s Day to have grown up in a home where my Dad made sure we had many opportunities to feel the Spirit so we could come to know our Savior. He led our family by teaching and training us but it was his example that meant the most. We miss him terribly today (and every day) but his righteous influence lives on.
On this Father’s Day I couldn’t be more proud or grateful for the way that Ted has led our family, the youth he taught in Seminary and in his church callings. I’m especially amazed that over these past three years hundreds of missionaries have been forever changed through his testimony, love, patience, counseling, etc. His influence and teachings will have an impact on thousands in the future as our children and our missionaries form their families and pass on what he has taught them to their own children. What a beautiful legacy!
I’m grateful I have been able to share my weekly journal with each of you. We have felt your love, support, faith and prayers and can never than you enough for all you have done for us.
We love and appreciate each of you – and hope to see you soon!
The Long Beach Buberts
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Men and Women of Integrity
Dear Family and Loved Ones,
This was a very busy week and there will be no slowing down between now and the end of June. Monday night was our departure dinner, Tuesday twenty-seven new missionaries arrived, that night Mari had a dance show at the High School, we enjoyed visits from Shelly and the Sextons and we had Stake Conference in Cypress Stake this weekend.
Our departure dinner was really nice. There were ten Elders who finished their mission which is a perfect size for not feeling too overwhelmed and for having plenty of time for testimonies. The Elders who were going home were some of our extra special missionaries, they worked hard and were obedient. They returned to Utah, Kansas, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho and New Zealand. I could imagine their happy reunions and told them to remember that feeling because that’s what it will feel like to return home to Heavenly Father but even more amazing. It was very weird to think that it was our “funeral” dinner as well!
Tuesday we welcomed twenty-seven missionaries to our mission – twelve are Sisters :) They are very excited to be in Long Beach. Many of the missionaries mentioned they could immediately feel nice humid air when they got off the airplane. Those from humid areas said they were glad to be out of the dry climate of Utah. Long Beach weather really is nearly perfect! Orientation went well and after serving our new missionaries Costco pizza for lunch they were matched up with their trainers and sent out to work. Ted interviewed some of the new missionaries Tuesday and the rest on Wednesday. While they were waiting for their interviews they were trained by Elder Barlow (Senior missionary over cars and houses). Everyone seems to be settling in very quickly although we have already had a Sister fall from her bike and fracture her wrist and an Elder had to go home to take care of some personal issues.
Tuesday night Mari had a dance show at the High School. She did a great job and it was fun having once last chance to see her perform. The extracurricular activities at the High School here are exceptional.
Wednesday night Ted went out to Huntington Beach where he gathered a few zones of missionaries to talk with them about integrity. We are hoping to reinforce the importance of keeping the mission rules, especially the one regarding being responsible for your companion by always staying together. The next day he started interviews with the missionaries from the zones he gathered the night before. It is a great way to make sure that everyone gets the information and the individual attention they all need. He’ll continue with this pattern until he has spoken to and interviewed the entire mission of 233 missionaries.
Thursday we had wonderful time visiting with Shelly! We did some errands together then met Ian in Huntington Beach for dinner at Sanchos which was delicious and fun :)
Friday night President and Sister Sexton stopped by the mission home for a visit. The Sextons preceded us here in Long Beach. President Sexton works at BYUI and he had an assignment here in Southern California so they took a little tour of their old mission. It was really good to learn more about their experience, we had such a short time together when we arrived in Long Beach and to hear about many of our missionaries who have returned home.
We enjoyed Stake Conference in Cypress today. The theme of the conference was member missionary work (yeah!) and it was awesome. The stake presidency has just been in for six months but they are doing a great job. President Mackay was the last speaker. He invited his son and his son’s girlfriend, Carina, to join him on the stand while he asked them a few questions about Carina’s conversion. When President Mackay’s son started dating Carina President Mackay asked her, “Has my son told you about his standards”? When she answered that he had not he asked his son to invite her to have the missionary lessons in their home. Carina accepted the invitation to learn because as she said, “I wanted him to quit bugging me about it.” Carina quickly felt the Spirit and knew that the Church was true. She has been a member for nine months, recently received her Young Women’s medallion, will be attending BYUI this fall and is planning on serving a mission when she turns nineteen – all because she was invited to listen to the missionary lessons. It was very emotional to see a beautiful young lady whose life has been completely altered by accepting the Gospel.
After conference today we had President and Sister Devereaux over for lunch. We grilled chicken and had fried rice, strawberry salad and Marie Calendar pies :) President Devereaux has been Ted’s one and only counselor these past three years. We tease him and tell him that since he does the work of two there isn’t a need for a second counselor. Ted has always been on the lookout for another counselor but didn’t ever feel inspired to call anyone else. We enjoyed our visit and it was good to be able to thank the Devereauxs for their warm welcome when we first arrived in the mission and for all of their service to our missionaries.
This is a portion of a talk on integrity by Elder Tad Callister that Ted has been sharing with our missionaries before their interviews. “Today I would like to speak about becoming men and women of integrity. It is this attribute that often defines the greatness of a man or a woman.”
“What then is this integrity that is such a dominating force in determining greatness? Integrity is a purity of mind and heart that knows no deception, no excuses, no rationalization, nor any coloring of the facts. It is an absolute honesty with one’s self, with God, and with our fellowman. Even if God blinked or looked the other way for a moment, it would be choosing the right—not merely because God desires it but because our character demands it.”
“Integrity is the very core of our being. It is who we really are. When all the scaffolding is removed, it is our integrity that both defines us and identifies us. Men of integrity are like the Rock of Gibraltar—steadfast and immovable. Men without it are like the shifting sands on the Sahara Desert—tossed to and fro by every variant wind of life.”
“Integrity is the foundation upon which character and a Christlike life are built. If there are cracks in that foundation, then it will not support the weight of other Christlike attributes that must be built upon it. How can we be humble if we lack the integrity to acknowledge our own weaknesses? How can we develop charity for others if we are not totally honest in our dealings with them? How can we repent and be clean if we only partially disclose the truth to our bishop? At the root of every virtue is integrity.”
“Integrity is not doing just that which is legal but that which is moral or Christlike. It may be legal to have premarital relationships, it may be legal to commit adultery, it may be legal to gossip, but none of those actions is moral or Christlike. Integrity is not just adherence to the legal code; it is adherence to the higher moral code. It is as Abraham Lincoln suggested—living in accord with ‘the better angels of our nature’.”
“If someone only changes his behavior while a missionary, then, when he goes home, he will be the very same person he was when he left, subject to the same problems that plagued him before. But if someone changes his nature, he will go home a new man, with the power and discipline to conquer his old Goliaths. With the Lord’s help we can transform our natures.”
“King Benjamin told us how we might change our natures from a natural man to a spiritual man: ‘For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father’.”
“Changing our natures, not just our behaviors, is facilitated by an eternal perspective that we are the children of God, that we do have His spark of divinity within us, and that through the Atonement we can become like Him—the perfect model of integrity.”
We love and appreciate each of you and ask for your continued prayers – we need them now more than ever!
The Long Beach Buberts
This was a very busy week and there will be no slowing down between now and the end of June. Monday night was our departure dinner, Tuesday twenty-seven new missionaries arrived, that night Mari had a dance show at the High School, we enjoyed visits from Shelly and the Sextons and we had Stake Conference in Cypress Stake this weekend.
Our departure dinner was really nice. There were ten Elders who finished their mission which is a perfect size for not feeling too overwhelmed and for having plenty of time for testimonies. The Elders who were going home were some of our extra special missionaries, they worked hard and were obedient. They returned to Utah, Kansas, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho and New Zealand. I could imagine their happy reunions and told them to remember that feeling because that’s what it will feel like to return home to Heavenly Father but even more amazing. It was very weird to think that it was our “funeral” dinner as well!
Tuesday we welcomed twenty-seven missionaries to our mission – twelve are Sisters :) They are very excited to be in Long Beach. Many of the missionaries mentioned they could immediately feel nice humid air when they got off the airplane. Those from humid areas said they were glad to be out of the dry climate of Utah. Long Beach weather really is nearly perfect! Orientation went well and after serving our new missionaries Costco pizza for lunch they were matched up with their trainers and sent out to work. Ted interviewed some of the new missionaries Tuesday and the rest on Wednesday. While they were waiting for their interviews they were trained by Elder Barlow (Senior missionary over cars and houses). Everyone seems to be settling in very quickly although we have already had a Sister fall from her bike and fracture her wrist and an Elder had to go home to take care of some personal issues.
Tuesday night Mari had a dance show at the High School. She did a great job and it was fun having once last chance to see her perform. The extracurricular activities at the High School here are exceptional.
Wednesday night Ted went out to Huntington Beach where he gathered a few zones of missionaries to talk with them about integrity. We are hoping to reinforce the importance of keeping the mission rules, especially the one regarding being responsible for your companion by always staying together. The next day he started interviews with the missionaries from the zones he gathered the night before. It is a great way to make sure that everyone gets the information and the individual attention they all need. He’ll continue with this pattern until he has spoken to and interviewed the entire mission of 233 missionaries.
Thursday we had wonderful time visiting with Shelly! We did some errands together then met Ian in Huntington Beach for dinner at Sanchos which was delicious and fun :)
Friday night President and Sister Sexton stopped by the mission home for a visit. The Sextons preceded us here in Long Beach. President Sexton works at BYUI and he had an assignment here in Southern California so they took a little tour of their old mission. It was really good to learn more about their experience, we had such a short time together when we arrived in Long Beach and to hear about many of our missionaries who have returned home.
We enjoyed Stake Conference in Cypress today. The theme of the conference was member missionary work (yeah!) and it was awesome. The stake presidency has just been in for six months but they are doing a great job. President Mackay was the last speaker. He invited his son and his son’s girlfriend, Carina, to join him on the stand while he asked them a few questions about Carina’s conversion. When President Mackay’s son started dating Carina President Mackay asked her, “Has my son told you about his standards”? When she answered that he had not he asked his son to invite her to have the missionary lessons in their home. Carina accepted the invitation to learn because as she said, “I wanted him to quit bugging me about it.” Carina quickly felt the Spirit and knew that the Church was true. She has been a member for nine months, recently received her Young Women’s medallion, will be attending BYUI this fall and is planning on serving a mission when she turns nineteen – all because she was invited to listen to the missionary lessons. It was very emotional to see a beautiful young lady whose life has been completely altered by accepting the Gospel.
After conference today we had President and Sister Devereaux over for lunch. We grilled chicken and had fried rice, strawberry salad and Marie Calendar pies :) President Devereaux has been Ted’s one and only counselor these past three years. We tease him and tell him that since he does the work of two there isn’t a need for a second counselor. Ted has always been on the lookout for another counselor but didn’t ever feel inspired to call anyone else. We enjoyed our visit and it was good to be able to thank the Devereauxs for their warm welcome when we first arrived in the mission and for all of their service to our missionaries.
This is a portion of a talk on integrity by Elder Tad Callister that Ted has been sharing with our missionaries before their interviews. “Today I would like to speak about becoming men and women of integrity. It is this attribute that often defines the greatness of a man or a woman.”
“What then is this integrity that is such a dominating force in determining greatness? Integrity is a purity of mind and heart that knows no deception, no excuses, no rationalization, nor any coloring of the facts. It is an absolute honesty with one’s self, with God, and with our fellowman. Even if God blinked or looked the other way for a moment, it would be choosing the right—not merely because God desires it but because our character demands it.”
“Integrity is the very core of our being. It is who we really are. When all the scaffolding is removed, it is our integrity that both defines us and identifies us. Men of integrity are like the Rock of Gibraltar—steadfast and immovable. Men without it are like the shifting sands on the Sahara Desert—tossed to and fro by every variant wind of life.”
“Integrity is the foundation upon which character and a Christlike life are built. If there are cracks in that foundation, then it will not support the weight of other Christlike attributes that must be built upon it. How can we be humble if we lack the integrity to acknowledge our own weaknesses? How can we develop charity for others if we are not totally honest in our dealings with them? How can we repent and be clean if we only partially disclose the truth to our bishop? At the root of every virtue is integrity.”
“Integrity is not doing just that which is legal but that which is moral or Christlike. It may be legal to have premarital relationships, it may be legal to commit adultery, it may be legal to gossip, but none of those actions is moral or Christlike. Integrity is not just adherence to the legal code; it is adherence to the higher moral code. It is as Abraham Lincoln suggested—living in accord with ‘the better angels of our nature’.”
“If someone only changes his behavior while a missionary, then, when he goes home, he will be the very same person he was when he left, subject to the same problems that plagued him before. But if someone changes his nature, he will go home a new man, with the power and discipline to conquer his old Goliaths. With the Lord’s help we can transform our natures.”
“King Benjamin told us how we might change our natures from a natural man to a spiritual man: ‘For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father’.”
“Changing our natures, not just our behaviors, is facilitated by an eternal perspective that we are the children of God, that we do have His spark of divinity within us, and that through the Atonement we can become like Him—the perfect model of integrity.”
We love and appreciate each of you and ask for your continued prayers – we need them now more than ever!
The Long Beach Buberts
Monday, June 03, 2013
Perfect for Our Family
Dear Family and Loved Ones,
This past week was another very busy one, especially for Ted who besides taking care of many missionaries had to finish up a very complicated transfer. The transfer had to be done by Wednesday so leadership calls could be made that night.
Friday was MLC (mission leadership council). The sisters who have been invited to participate are adding so much and are eager to be a part of the leadership in the mission. Once our newest sister missionaries arrive tomorrow we will have enough sisters in our mission for them to go on exchanges, they are so excited about that opportunity.
This weekend was our stake conference. Ted was asked to participate in every meeting except the youth meeting. Elder Packer of the Seventy was our visiting authority, he is very energetic, loves people and is able to connect with everyone. Ted spoke for thirty minutes in the leadership portion of the conference. Originally he was asked to take fifteen minutes but the temple president wasn’t able to come so at the last minute they said please take thirty minutes! That would make me very nervous but Ted is amazing at being spontaneous.
Saturday night was the adult session of conference. It was great – especially the young single adult choir from the stake. Sunday morning we were invited to attend the youth session of conference. Although it was early many youth attended and were well rewarded. Two young men who leave soon for their missions spoke first. It was especially exciting that one of the two future missionaries was baptized just over a year ago. His parents are from Vietnam so he speaks Vietnamese but has been called to serve in Cambodia! He told how he was first introduced to the church because he noticed a girl in his Chemistry class who seemed to have a certain light about her. One of the first things he asked her was which church she belonged to. He was curious when she told him she was a Mormon. About the same time this girl’s brother was transferred into the young man’s math classes. They were able to have many gospel conversations and he soon began taking the missionary lessons in the home of this great family. Even though he liked what he was learning he didn’t feel the need to make a commitment to be baptized until he went on the stake pioneer trek. During the trek he took the time to really read and pray about the Book of Mormon, that’s when he got his confirmation that the Church was true and that he should be baptized. Elder Packer used this story as he talked to the youth, he reminded them that they are to be a light in the world, that others are looking to them for their example and that they can be a great influence for good. He also taught them about the importance of the Savior, repentance and commitment in their lives.
Elder Packer made a big fuss over Ben and Mari. He is a former mission president and said during one of the sessions of conference that his assignment as a mission president was his hardest church assignment times fifty :) There is no doubt it is challenging but the blessings are immense as well. He said to Ben and Mari, “I’m sure this wasn’t an easy adjustment for the two of you.” I loved Ben’s response, he said, “It was hard until we went to Church the first Sunday.” What an amazing tribute to the members of the Church here who were so welcoming and warm! We have been so blessed to serve where our family was immediately embraced by our ward and stake family!
The general session of conference was really good. I especially loved the counselor in the temple presidencies talk about the gifts we receive at the temple. Elder Packer called two young men from the audience to share their testimonies. Both young men have been less active but he had visited with them earlier that weekend and had encouraged them to be at conference. After the initial shock wore off (one looked like he was going to pass out when he heard his name) they both shared powerful testimonies. I’m sure it will be a life changing experience for those two special young men. All of the other talks were awesome as well and Ted shared a powerful testimony!
Last night was our last departure fireside. It was very well attended since we have ten missionaries finishing this transfer. They did a great job inviting their recent converts, investigators and friends from the wards where they have served. Since it was our last chance to share our testimonies at the fireside we asked Ben and Mari to participate as well. They were nervous about it but did an incredible job of expressing their feelings and their testimonies. We were so proud of them and continue to be amazed at what a blessing our mission has been for Ben and Mari. They have matured so much and have a great foundation for the future.
Ted did a great job as well but I felt totally inadequate at expressing all I was feeling and was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to really say even a fraction of what is in my heart. Oh well, everyone else more than made up for my weakness in public speaking and the testimony meeting was a big success.
We were asked to write a message for the mission newsletter, as are all of the missionaries who are finishing their missions each transfer. Here’s our message:
In February of 2010 we received our long awaited mission assignment. We had been called to preside over a Spanish speaking mission in October of 2009 and had been given a list of over thirty missions which would be available in 2010 – most of the missions were out of the States and since both President Bubert and I spoke Spanish we were certain we would be asked to serve in a foreign country, maybe we would go to Mexico, a country we had grown to love, or to Ecuador where we had served as young missionaries. When our assignment arrived we immediately found a quiet spot in President’s home office and opened our call. We quickly scanned the call from a Prophet of God. I spotted the assignment first and said out loud, almost in disbelief, “California Long Beach?” President Bubert thought I was joking and then he saw the assignment too. Even though I was surprised that we had been called to serve a state side mission I immediately felt an incredible peace that this was where the Lord wanted us to serve and I heard the words in my mind, “This mission will be perfect for your family.” From that moment on I have felt that confirmation over and over again.
Our call to the Great California Long Beach Mission has blessed our family in miraculous ways! It has blessed me personally with an increased understanding that Heavenly Father knows us, He loves us, He knows what is best for us and He is in the details of our lives. Elder Scott taught, “God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. He loves you to a depth and completeness you cannot conceive of in your mortal state. Indeed, were you to know His entire plan, you would never ask for that which is contrary to it even though your feelings tempt you to do so. Sincere faith gives understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own. We can accept His will with peace and assurance, confident that His infinite wisdom surpasses our own ability to comprehend fully His plan as it unfolds a piece at a time.” We can always trust our Heavenly Father!
Of course, the greatest blessing of having been called by God to serve here in the California Long Beach Mission is that each of you were called here as well. As we have watched you arrive at our adorable Long Beach Airport we recognized you as ours. We immediately loved you and felt that heavenly connection of being eternally bound together as fellow servants of the Lord. We have also been blessed to serve with angels in the form of senior couples (as well as Lisa and Amy) who have loved and ministered to our missionaries as they have served in our mission office. They are gifts from our loving Father in Heaven. We can never thank them enough for their selfless service – they are our heroes!
Elders and Sisters, this is the Lord’s work! I know it is a work of miracles both for our investigators and for each missionary. Heavenly Father lives, He is always available and we should pray to Him constantly. Jesus Christ is my Savior, I love Him and want to continue to serve throughout my life. I know that Joseph Smith, a young boy, saw the Father and the Son in answer to his humble prayer and that this was the beginning of the great and marvelous work of the restoration.
The blessings of the restoration are too numerous to recount here but for me one of the greatest is the restored Priesthood power which allows families and friendships to be eternal. So I start where I began, this mission has been perfect for our family, of which you are all now a special part. May God bless each of you is our constant prayer!
We were told at the beginning of our mission that the assignment for a mission president is a marathon not a sprint so we should take opportunities to rest and recover whenever we could (that happened occasionally). Now that we are nearing the end of our mission there is no doubt this has now become a sprint, there is so much to do in preparation for turning this mission over to President and Sister Tew. We are planning on running through the tape but need your continued faith and prayers!
We love each of you!
The Long Beach Buberts
This past week was another very busy one, especially for Ted who besides taking care of many missionaries had to finish up a very complicated transfer. The transfer had to be done by Wednesday so leadership calls could be made that night.
Friday was MLC (mission leadership council). The sisters who have been invited to participate are adding so much and are eager to be a part of the leadership in the mission. Once our newest sister missionaries arrive tomorrow we will have enough sisters in our mission for them to go on exchanges, they are so excited about that opportunity.
This weekend was our stake conference. Ted was asked to participate in every meeting except the youth meeting. Elder Packer of the Seventy was our visiting authority, he is very energetic, loves people and is able to connect with everyone. Ted spoke for thirty minutes in the leadership portion of the conference. Originally he was asked to take fifteen minutes but the temple president wasn’t able to come so at the last minute they said please take thirty minutes! That would make me very nervous but Ted is amazing at being spontaneous.
Saturday night was the adult session of conference. It was great – especially the young single adult choir from the stake. Sunday morning we were invited to attend the youth session of conference. Although it was early many youth attended and were well rewarded. Two young men who leave soon for their missions spoke first. It was especially exciting that one of the two future missionaries was baptized just over a year ago. His parents are from Vietnam so he speaks Vietnamese but has been called to serve in Cambodia! He told how he was first introduced to the church because he noticed a girl in his Chemistry class who seemed to have a certain light about her. One of the first things he asked her was which church she belonged to. He was curious when she told him she was a Mormon. About the same time this girl’s brother was transferred into the young man’s math classes. They were able to have many gospel conversations and he soon began taking the missionary lessons in the home of this great family. Even though he liked what he was learning he didn’t feel the need to make a commitment to be baptized until he went on the stake pioneer trek. During the trek he took the time to really read and pray about the Book of Mormon, that’s when he got his confirmation that the Church was true and that he should be baptized. Elder Packer used this story as he talked to the youth, he reminded them that they are to be a light in the world, that others are looking to them for their example and that they can be a great influence for good. He also taught them about the importance of the Savior, repentance and commitment in their lives.
Elder Packer made a big fuss over Ben and Mari. He is a former mission president and said during one of the sessions of conference that his assignment as a mission president was his hardest church assignment times fifty :) There is no doubt it is challenging but the blessings are immense as well. He said to Ben and Mari, “I’m sure this wasn’t an easy adjustment for the two of you.” I loved Ben’s response, he said, “It was hard until we went to Church the first Sunday.” What an amazing tribute to the members of the Church here who were so welcoming and warm! We have been so blessed to serve where our family was immediately embraced by our ward and stake family!
The general session of conference was really good. I especially loved the counselor in the temple presidencies talk about the gifts we receive at the temple. Elder Packer called two young men from the audience to share their testimonies. Both young men have been less active but he had visited with them earlier that weekend and had encouraged them to be at conference. After the initial shock wore off (one looked like he was going to pass out when he heard his name) they both shared powerful testimonies. I’m sure it will be a life changing experience for those two special young men. All of the other talks were awesome as well and Ted shared a powerful testimony!
Last night was our last departure fireside. It was very well attended since we have ten missionaries finishing this transfer. They did a great job inviting their recent converts, investigators and friends from the wards where they have served. Since it was our last chance to share our testimonies at the fireside we asked Ben and Mari to participate as well. They were nervous about it but did an incredible job of expressing their feelings and their testimonies. We were so proud of them and continue to be amazed at what a blessing our mission has been for Ben and Mari. They have matured so much and have a great foundation for the future.
Ted did a great job as well but I felt totally inadequate at expressing all I was feeling and was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to really say even a fraction of what is in my heart. Oh well, everyone else more than made up for my weakness in public speaking and the testimony meeting was a big success.
We were asked to write a message for the mission newsletter, as are all of the missionaries who are finishing their missions each transfer. Here’s our message:
In February of 2010 we received our long awaited mission assignment. We had been called to preside over a Spanish speaking mission in October of 2009 and had been given a list of over thirty missions which would be available in 2010 – most of the missions were out of the States and since both President Bubert and I spoke Spanish we were certain we would be asked to serve in a foreign country, maybe we would go to Mexico, a country we had grown to love, or to Ecuador where we had served as young missionaries. When our assignment arrived we immediately found a quiet spot in President’s home office and opened our call. We quickly scanned the call from a Prophet of God. I spotted the assignment first and said out loud, almost in disbelief, “California Long Beach?” President Bubert thought I was joking and then he saw the assignment too. Even though I was surprised that we had been called to serve a state side mission I immediately felt an incredible peace that this was where the Lord wanted us to serve and I heard the words in my mind, “This mission will be perfect for your family.” From that moment on I have felt that confirmation over and over again.
Our call to the Great California Long Beach Mission has blessed our family in miraculous ways! It has blessed me personally with an increased understanding that Heavenly Father knows us, He loves us, He knows what is best for us and He is in the details of our lives. Elder Scott taught, “God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. He loves you to a depth and completeness you cannot conceive of in your mortal state. Indeed, were you to know His entire plan, you would never ask for that which is contrary to it even though your feelings tempt you to do so. Sincere faith gives understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own. We can accept His will with peace and assurance, confident that His infinite wisdom surpasses our own ability to comprehend fully His plan as it unfolds a piece at a time.” We can always trust our Heavenly Father!
Of course, the greatest blessing of having been called by God to serve here in the California Long Beach Mission is that each of you were called here as well. As we have watched you arrive at our adorable Long Beach Airport we recognized you as ours. We immediately loved you and felt that heavenly connection of being eternally bound together as fellow servants of the Lord. We have also been blessed to serve with angels in the form of senior couples (as well as Lisa and Amy) who have loved and ministered to our missionaries as they have served in our mission office. They are gifts from our loving Father in Heaven. We can never thank them enough for their selfless service – they are our heroes!
Elders and Sisters, this is the Lord’s work! I know it is a work of miracles both for our investigators and for each missionary. Heavenly Father lives, He is always available and we should pray to Him constantly. Jesus Christ is my Savior, I love Him and want to continue to serve throughout my life. I know that Joseph Smith, a young boy, saw the Father and the Son in answer to his humble prayer and that this was the beginning of the great and marvelous work of the restoration.
The blessings of the restoration are too numerous to recount here but for me one of the greatest is the restored Priesthood power which allows families and friendships to be eternal. So I start where I began, this mission has been perfect for our family, of which you are all now a special part. May God bless each of you is our constant prayer!
We were told at the beginning of our mission that the assignment for a mission president is a marathon not a sprint so we should take opportunities to rest and recover whenever we could (that happened occasionally). Now that we are nearing the end of our mission there is no doubt this has now become a sprint, there is so much to do in preparation for turning this mission over to President and Sister Tew. We are planning on running through the tape but need your continued faith and prayers!
We love each of you!
The Long Beach Buberts
Monday, May 27, 2013
Courage Brethren!
Dear Family and Loved Ones,
Wow what a week! This was a week of highs and lows for our mission. We spent the week in zone conferences which are always amazing. The trainings for our conferences were some of my favorite ever. The topics are always the same but each day different zones meet together until we have met with all 10 zones in the mission. Assignments for talks, trainings, prayers, etc. are given to missionaries in whichever zones are meeting that day. It’s amazing how different and how good the presentations are. Some of the topics for the conference were: We Invite, They Commit, We Follow Up, sacred studies, The Doctrine of Christ, etc. Ted gave an amazing training on repentance! It really didn’t feel like it was our last zone conferences – we must be in denial.
I was so impressed with the many wonderful missionaries who took care of every aspect of each conference; music, talks, prayers, trainings, etc. These young missionaries are so capable and dedicated to doing the Lord’s work. As always each stake Relief Society fed our missionaries a delicious lunch (except for Tuesday when we provided pizza). Again the variety of meals was impressive, each was different but all were thoroughly enjoyed by our hungry missionaries. One stake served lasagna and green salad, another served delicious sandwiches from a local Italian deli, we had burritos, rice and beans for one of the other conferences. As I said, each menu was different and each was very much appreciated and enjoyed! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful members who willingly serve our missionaries.
Tuesday we received a new Cambodian speaking Elder. He was the first missionary to arrive in Long Beach who we weren’t able to be at the airport to greet. The assistants picked up our new Elder and brought him to our zone conference where we met him for the first time. He seems like another outstanding missionary who will bless many lives in the Park Ward.
Ben and Mari had a lot of testing at school during the week so their schedules were adjusted with either late starts or early outs. It’s really helpful that Ben can drive on those days, especially when we are not available because of our conferences. These tests were to certify that the school is teaching the proper curriculum so they didn’t need to study for the test but it was still a draining week for them. Friday was their last day of early morning seminary – we are all excited to sleep in until 6:00 a.m. for the rest of the school year!
There were some very difficult events in our mission this week. Ted has had many long, long days sorting through the heartbreaking decisions that had to be made because of these serious situations. Friday night as we were feeling very low we saw our ward missionaries parking their bikes and approaching the front door of the mission home. They didn’t have an appointment and we were frankly not in the mood for company but we did our best to welcome them into the mission home. As soon as these two angels sat down the gloom we were feeling lifted and we were reminded of the hundreds of valiant missionaries we have known and loved here in our mission. We can’t let a few who have let us down take away from that. We visited for a few minutes then Elder Eto (from Japan) asked if he could share one of his favorite scriptures with us. He then read D&C 128:22, “Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad.” What a timely message from two humble servants of the Lord who felt prompted to stop at the mission home to share a quick lesson with us. There is no doubt that we are doing the Lord’s work and even when we stumble or others let us down we must pick ourselves up and continue to do all we can to move His work forward.
We love each of you and need your prayers,
The Long Beach Buberts
Wow what a week! This was a week of highs and lows for our mission. We spent the week in zone conferences which are always amazing. The trainings for our conferences were some of my favorite ever. The topics are always the same but each day different zones meet together until we have met with all 10 zones in the mission. Assignments for talks, trainings, prayers, etc. are given to missionaries in whichever zones are meeting that day. It’s amazing how different and how good the presentations are. Some of the topics for the conference were: We Invite, They Commit, We Follow Up, sacred studies, The Doctrine of Christ, etc. Ted gave an amazing training on repentance! It really didn’t feel like it was our last zone conferences – we must be in denial.
I was so impressed with the many wonderful missionaries who took care of every aspect of each conference; music, talks, prayers, trainings, etc. These young missionaries are so capable and dedicated to doing the Lord’s work. As always each stake Relief Society fed our missionaries a delicious lunch (except for Tuesday when we provided pizza). Again the variety of meals was impressive, each was different but all were thoroughly enjoyed by our hungry missionaries. One stake served lasagna and green salad, another served delicious sandwiches from a local Italian deli, we had burritos, rice and beans for one of the other conferences. As I said, each menu was different and each was very much appreciated and enjoyed! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful members who willingly serve our missionaries.
Tuesday we received a new Cambodian speaking Elder. He was the first missionary to arrive in Long Beach who we weren’t able to be at the airport to greet. The assistants picked up our new Elder and brought him to our zone conference where we met him for the first time. He seems like another outstanding missionary who will bless many lives in the Park Ward.
Ben and Mari had a lot of testing at school during the week so their schedules were adjusted with either late starts or early outs. It’s really helpful that Ben can drive on those days, especially when we are not available because of our conferences. These tests were to certify that the school is teaching the proper curriculum so they didn’t need to study for the test but it was still a draining week for them. Friday was their last day of early morning seminary – we are all excited to sleep in until 6:00 a.m. for the rest of the school year!
There were some very difficult events in our mission this week. Ted has had many long, long days sorting through the heartbreaking decisions that had to be made because of these serious situations. Friday night as we were feeling very low we saw our ward missionaries parking their bikes and approaching the front door of the mission home. They didn’t have an appointment and we were frankly not in the mood for company but we did our best to welcome them into the mission home. As soon as these two angels sat down the gloom we were feeling lifted and we were reminded of the hundreds of valiant missionaries we have known and loved here in our mission. We can’t let a few who have let us down take away from that. We visited for a few minutes then Elder Eto (from Japan) asked if he could share one of his favorite scriptures with us. He then read D&C 128:22, “Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad.” What a timely message from two humble servants of the Lord who felt prompted to stop at the mission home to share a quick lesson with us. There is no doubt that we are doing the Lord’s work and even when we stumble or others let us down we must pick ourselves up and continue to do all we can to move His work forward.
We love each of you and need your prayers,
The Long Beach Buberts
Sunday, May 19, 2013
God's Handiwork
Dear Family and Loved Ones,
We had a very special week enjoying a visit with from our family here in Long Beach!
We didn’t have everyone together for long since Scott had to return back to Utah Sunday for work and school – the rest of us enjoyed a great day at Disneyland Monday. What a wonderful, magical place :) I’m always grateful to have little ones along at theme parks since I’m not a fan of the scary rides and they provide a good reason to stick with the kiddie rides. Pearl had a goal to ride It’s a Small World four times. We only made it three times but she seemed satisfied with that. It was actually one of the best and coolest rides in the park since there was record heat on Monday with temperatures over 100 degrees! The rest of the family were able to get on most of their favorite rides including Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain (which fortunately reopened just in time for our visit), etc.
The rest of the week was spent at the beach, Signal Hill, eating out and spending precious time together – what a blessing!
Ted was able to join us on Monday but had a lot of heavy duty missionary related issues to take care of. He joined us whenever possible but was also able to take care of our missionaries throughout the week.
Mari had her dance show at the High School this week as well. The dance program and Los Al High is very well respected and the dancers performed to four sold out shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It was great to see Mari having so much fun on stage, she is a natural performer. It was especially gratifying for her to be able to participate this year since she was injured last year on the way to the dress rehearsal for the January dance show and had to withdraw from dance for the rest of the year while she recuperated.
We attended stake conference in the Cerritos Stake this weekend – we realized we only have five Sundays left and will be attending stake conference every week except one. The Cerritos Stake is so special. Ted likes to tell the missionaries that serve there that when they meet Heavenly Father someday they will find out that He is a lot like President Nunley (the Cerritos Stake President). He is such a kind, gentle and thoughtful man. He is also very spiritual and gives great instruction to his stake. President Nunley’s wife passed away a little over a year ago but he continues to serve faithfully. The conference today was great. The music and talks were all excellent but we especially loved a talk given by a sister from the stake on member missionary work. We asked her if she could get us a copy of it and she handed us hers, she said she had it saved to her computer.
Ted is now off to an area council meeting with our new Area Seventy, Elder Acosta and the seven Stake Presidents from our mission. He loves meeting with the local Church leaders and always expresses his admiration for them.
We didn’t have to suffer with the heat too long by Wednesday our perfect Long Beach weather returned. This is such a beautiful time of year in Southern California. I’ve been waiting for the Jacaranda trees to bloom since they are my favorites and they are finally in full bloom. The Jacaranda blossoms are the most beautiful periwinkle color and the trees are loaded with flowers. Jacaranda trees often line city streets and are planted heavily in the local parks – when there are many trees planted closely together, all in bloom it is breathtaking!
I often think of a Relief Society/Priesthood lesson that was given a few years ago. I always enjoy having the same topic for both the men and women because it is interesting to find out how different the lessons turn out in each organization. The lesson I was thinking about lately was on the topic of the creation. When I asked Ted how their lesson went he mentioned a comment from Brother Beattie who said that as he was reading through the lesson it struck him that one of the Lord’s purposes in creating our beautiful world was to simply delight us, His children. That makes a lot of sense to me, thinking of the creation as an expression of our Father’s love and desire to bring us joy makes me appreciate our beautiful world even more. In Genesis 2:9 we read that God “made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight” and in Psalms 19:1 we read, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.”
When we first arrived in Long Beach we all made a pledge that we would never become complacent about the beautiful place we would be spending the next three years. Hopefully we have fully appreciated the wonderful creations that we have been able to enjoy, they truly are an evidence that God lives and loves us enough to bless us with so much to delight us each day.
We love and appreciate each of you!
The Long Beach Buberts
We had a very special week enjoying a visit with from our family here in Long Beach!
We didn’t have everyone together for long since Scott had to return back to Utah Sunday for work and school – the rest of us enjoyed a great day at Disneyland Monday. What a wonderful, magical place :) I’m always grateful to have little ones along at theme parks since I’m not a fan of the scary rides and they provide a good reason to stick with the kiddie rides. Pearl had a goal to ride It’s a Small World four times. We only made it three times but she seemed satisfied with that. It was actually one of the best and coolest rides in the park since there was record heat on Monday with temperatures over 100 degrees! The rest of the family were able to get on most of their favorite rides including Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain (which fortunately reopened just in time for our visit), etc.
The rest of the week was spent at the beach, Signal Hill, eating out and spending precious time together – what a blessing!
Ted was able to join us on Monday but had a lot of heavy duty missionary related issues to take care of. He joined us whenever possible but was also able to take care of our missionaries throughout the week.
Mari had her dance show at the High School this week as well. The dance program and Los Al High is very well respected and the dancers performed to four sold out shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It was great to see Mari having so much fun on stage, she is a natural performer. It was especially gratifying for her to be able to participate this year since she was injured last year on the way to the dress rehearsal for the January dance show and had to withdraw from dance for the rest of the year while she recuperated.
We attended stake conference in the Cerritos Stake this weekend – we realized we only have five Sundays left and will be attending stake conference every week except one. The Cerritos Stake is so special. Ted likes to tell the missionaries that serve there that when they meet Heavenly Father someday they will find out that He is a lot like President Nunley (the Cerritos Stake President). He is such a kind, gentle and thoughtful man. He is also very spiritual and gives great instruction to his stake. President Nunley’s wife passed away a little over a year ago but he continues to serve faithfully. The conference today was great. The music and talks were all excellent but we especially loved a talk given by a sister from the stake on member missionary work. We asked her if she could get us a copy of it and she handed us hers, she said she had it saved to her computer.
Ted is now off to an area council meeting with our new Area Seventy, Elder Acosta and the seven Stake Presidents from our mission. He loves meeting with the local Church leaders and always expresses his admiration for them.
We didn’t have to suffer with the heat too long by Wednesday our perfect Long Beach weather returned. This is such a beautiful time of year in Southern California. I’ve been waiting for the Jacaranda trees to bloom since they are my favorites and they are finally in full bloom. The Jacaranda blossoms are the most beautiful periwinkle color and the trees are loaded with flowers. Jacaranda trees often line city streets and are planted heavily in the local parks – when there are many trees planted closely together, all in bloom it is breathtaking!
I often think of a Relief Society/Priesthood lesson that was given a few years ago. I always enjoy having the same topic for both the men and women because it is interesting to find out how different the lessons turn out in each organization. The lesson I was thinking about lately was on the topic of the creation. When I asked Ted how their lesson went he mentioned a comment from Brother Beattie who said that as he was reading through the lesson it struck him that one of the Lord’s purposes in creating our beautiful world was to simply delight us, His children. That makes a lot of sense to me, thinking of the creation as an expression of our Father’s love and desire to bring us joy makes me appreciate our beautiful world even more. In Genesis 2:9 we read that God “made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight” and in Psalms 19:1 we read, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.”
When we first arrived in Long Beach we all made a pledge that we would never become complacent about the beautiful place we would be spending the next three years. Hopefully we have fully appreciated the wonderful creations that we have been able to enjoy, they truly are an evidence that God lives and loves us enough to bless us with so much to delight us each day.
We love and appreciate each of you!
The Long Beach Buberts
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)