Armies of Helaman

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

We had a wonderful week:  Our five new Elders are amazing, Ben and Mari enjoyed a great ward Christmas Party, Stake Conference in Cerritos Stake was wonderful and our Christmas decorations are all in place.

Every six weeks when our missionaries depart and arrive we have a couple very busy, long days.  Monday morning the departing missionaries come to the mission home for their final interview with their Mission President, they have served diligently and are anxious to hear the words "well done". We hold our farewell dinner Monday night, complete with china, linen napkins, etc. (they are our honored guests after serving so faithfully for 18 months or two years).  Dinner is followed by a most amazing testimony meeting!  Their companions pick them up around 9:00, we quickly clean and set the table for the lunch we will have the following day when our new missionaries arrive.  The missionaries who depart leave Long Beach at 6:30 a.m. that means we wake up at 4:30 a.m. to meet our departing missionaries at the airport.  Because we are so close to SLC we only have a few hours to prepare for our new arrivals, they land at our wonderful Long Beach Airport (VERY small and efficient) at 9:30 a.m.  After a quick trip to Signal Hill to overlook the mission we bring them back to the mission home for training and lunch.  Trainers have been selected but assignments are not made until Ted interviews and observes the new missionaries during training and lunch.  The inspiration comes as to who the trainer for each new missionary should be. They are out working by late afternoon.  I love calling the new missionary's familiy to let them know that their missionary has arrived and where they will be serving.  Each parent gets emotional and you can feel the great love and pride they feel for their son or daughter. 

Stake Conference in Cerritos Stake was awesome. We love and admire each of the Stake Presidents we work with.  Each is unique in their personality and characteristics, all are talented and dedicated to the Lord's work.

I take Ben and Mari to early morning seminary each school day.  We leave the house about 6:20 a.m.  I wait in the church parking lot for them, listening to conference CD's or reading my scriptures.  If I'm not preparing for a talk I like to let my scriptures fall open.  Often they seem to open to a passage that seems particularly meaningful or timely.  Last week I opened to Alma 56, the story of Helaman and his Stripling Warriors.  This chapter has always been a favorite but on this particular morning it hit me with such power.  I could see our little army of Missionary Warriors, the Elders in their white shirts and ties, the Sisters smiling brightly, armed only with their testimonies and their scriptures. They serve just as valiantly as Helaman's army, they serve with courage, faith and strength. I love the description of the Stripling Warriors in Alma:58:40  . . . "they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong . . ."  Just as Helaman saw miracles performed by his little army, we see miracles each day - it is because of their faith and obedience and also because of the love, support and faith of their families and the members of the Church who continually pray for them. 

Hope you are enjoying this sacred Holiday Season.

We love you all!  

The Long Beach Buberts