Comfort Their Souls

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

   This past week was one of many highs but also a few lows. 

 Monday night we said good-bye to three fantastic Elders.  They each served faithfully and will be a great strength in their home wards in Boston, Chile and Idaho.  It is so wonderful when our Elders and Sister finish knowing they have served well, they are confident they have pleased the Lord.  We are so grateful for their service.

 Tuesday we welcomed one amazing sister, six great Elders and a new office couple (yeah!).  We will be losing so many missionaries in May and June but it seems like the last two groups of missionaries to arrive in Long Beach are extra prepared to take on the challenge of quickly becoming senior companions and leaders.   This is the Lord’s work, and we know it will continue to move forward.

 We had given up on having a couple come to take the place of our office couple who return to Idaho in May, but we got a call from the MTC a week ago, they asked about Long Beach and the Mission Office.  They needed to place a couple who needed to be in a mission where they could get around easily.  Our Mission is perfect for our new couple and our new couple is perfect for our mission!  We are so grateful we didn’t have to take any more Elders away from missionary work to be in the office.

 There have been challenges this week.  At any given time there are missionaries who aren’t sure they want to stay in the mission.  Most often it is because of homesickness, they are able to work through it and soon adjust.  Sometimes there is a lack of faith or health challenges.  Currently there are several missionaries in Long Beach who are struggling.  Ted has spent MANY hours counseling with these missionaries, their families and their priesthood leaders.  Our Assistants became aware of our deep concerns, one of the Assistants told Ted he hadn’t been able to sleep because of the worry he was feeling.  He suggested a mission wide fast and testimony meeting in each zone as a way to strengthen the faith in our mission.  We agreed that it was an inspired idea and an answer to many prayers.  We all had a wonderful fast and tonight (Sunday) around the mission each zone gathered to share testimony and to strengthen each other. We are hoping and praying for miracles to take place.  We love our missionaries we want them to keep their covenants, to give their all to the Lord and His Kingdom so they can feel the same joy we saw in the shining faces of the three Elders who finished in April with honor.

 Thursday night as we were reading scriptures as a family the words of Alma touched my heart, they express our desire for our Elders and Sisters.  Alma is praying for the missionaries he will preside over as they begin their missionary labors:  “O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me . . . even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord.  Yea wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ.  Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions.”  (Alma 31:32-33)


Please continue to pray for our missionaries that they will be strong, faithful and able to overcome their challenges.



We love and appreciate you all!

The Long Beach Buberts