Dear Family and Loved Ones,
This past week was spent catching up and preparing for many upcoming events which will take place the first week of May: Sister’s Training (lunch at the mission home), three days of Zone Conferences and family arriving to celebrate our granddaughter, Violet’s first birthday.
We have all been anticipating for weeks the arrival of Elder Perry and Elder Clayton to our mission. They spent all last week speaking to ten different missions in Southern California and the corresponding Church leaders. Each day they would gather together the missionaries from two missions for a two hour meeting held in the early afternoon. In the evening the Priesthood Leaders from the Stakes, belonging to the two missions, gathered for training presented by Elder Perry and Elder Clayton. Our California, Long Beach Mission was combined with the California, Anaheim Mission, our meeting was held on Thursday, April 28th.
Elder Clayton taught us about finding those who are ready to hear the Gospel message. He had great participation from the missionaries as they read and commented on a few scriptures from D&C 42:6-8. It was amazing how many insights were found in those few scriptures by the wonderful missionaries in the audience.
Elder Perry’s wife spoke about the importance of remembering. She taught from Helaman 5:6-12, great scriptures teaching us to remember our Savior Jesus Christ, His Atonement and to build upon Him, our sure foundation. She is such a sweet lady from Cokeville, Wyoming. This is Elder Perry’s second marriage, the day they were with us was their thirty-fourth wedding anniversary. Elder Perry was teasing her that he had gathered all of the missionaries together to celebrate their anniversary. Everyone had a good laugh when he couldn’t remember the date of when they had met – it was a blind date set up by her nephew.
Elder Perry is nearly ninety years old, yet he is energetic, enthusiastic and filled with the Spirit. One of the things that impressed our missionaries the most is that he knows how to use an I-pad!
Elder Perry talked about some of the individuals who played a supporting role in the translation of the Book of Mormon, Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris. Elder Perry grew up in Logan, Utah. His Dad was the Bishop and would take the young men in the ward on many outings. One of the outings was to the Clarkston cemetery where Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon is buried. A brother named William Pilkington met the young men at the cemetery, next to Martin Harris’ headstone. He told them about his experience with Martin Harris. Elder Perry repeated in first person the account of William Pilkington, who as a young man worked at Martin Harris Junior’s farm in Clarkston. William spent many hours with Martin Harris who lived at the farm the last few years of his life. William often heard him share his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Elder Perry said, “Just imagine, I was just one generation removed from Martin Harris. I heard the testimony of William Pilkington who heard the testimony of Martin Harris”. It was very powerful!
Our Ward in Los Alamitos was reorganized today, our good Bishop was released and a wonderful new Bishop sustained. One of the great testimonies of the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are the men and women who give their time and talents to serve in the Church. An impressive man, who is investigating the Church said, "We have a new Bishop and he doesn’t even get paid”.
We are so blessed by your faith and prayers and hope you know we love you and pray for you too!
The Long Beach Buberts
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