A Natural

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

     We have felt guilty about our sunny weather this week while seeing photos of snow in Utah. The native Southern Californians have actually been complaining about the cold since it got all the way down to sixty degrees :) It’s cute to see how much everyone bundles up if the temperatures dip below sixty-five degrees. One of the crossing guards we pass on the way to school wears ear muffs, a wool scarf, boots, a hat and a coat! The weather should warm up this week so we can shed our jackets for a little longer. We wish we could send some of our perfect weather to our family and friends in Utah.

     Tuesday we had a great morning at the temple with our departing missionaries. We had planned on going to the Newport Beach Temple but found that most of the Elders in the group didn’t get the message to bring their white pants (a few admitted that they had outgrown them), so we went to LA Temple instead. Traffic was heavier than normal which means that all SEVEN lanes were crawling along so we missed the session. We were able to do initiatory work instead which turned out to be just perfect! It was a perfect day for photos on the beautiful temple grounds. We returned to Long Beach in time for a quick lunch with our missionaries and for Ted to arrive on time for his afternoon of interviews.

     Wednesday was the last day of interviews for Ted but there was no time to rest – transfers needed to be completed so leadership calls could be made that night. Somehow Ted got it all done just in time to phone the new district leaders, zone leaders and trainers.

     Thursday the sisters in our ward called to ask if they could have a lesson in our home with one of our investigators. Ted was off meeting with one of our Stake Presidents so he missed out on an amazing experience. The sister being taught is so prepared to receive the Gospel. She has a few friends and family members who are members of the Church, one of them invited her to watch General Conference in October. This beautiful sister loved what she saw and heard and decided to attend church the very next week. She also began reading the Book of Mormon someone had given to her on a flight between SLC and Long Beach. When she opened the Book of Mormon to start reading it the business card of the man who shared the Book of Mormon with her fell out. They have been e-mailing and he is so excited to think that he is a part of her conversion. The next Sunday she introduced herself to the missionaries and told them she wanted to become a member of the Church (every missionary’s dream)! She has accepted every invitation the sisters have extended to her to prepare herself for baptism. She will be baptized in December when her cousin who lives in Missouri is able to attend. Throughout the lesson she said over and over again, “it’s not like I’m learning anything new, I’m just being reminded of things I already know in my heart.” She is a natural and it will be a joy to watch her grow in the Gospel.

     Friday Ted trained the new zone leaders, district leaders and trainers. We also will have a new assistant this transfer which is always a little bit hard. We do get very attached to our assistants – they make a big difference in how smoothly the mission runs. It is so important that the other missionaries can look to them for their example. We will miss Elder C but luckily he has a few more transfers and will continue to work hard in his new area!

     Last night was our departure fireside which is always a highlight. The music was great and the testimonies were good but we realize we need to train a little more on keeping testimonies to the point and testifying rather than making it a “thankimony” or a travel log. It is amazing the power of pure testimony and when it becomes diluted it quickly goes downhill. There was a great turnout of members and investigators to support the missionaries who will be finishing their missions tomorrow.

     We have an incredibly busy week ahead of us but one we are really looking forward to. We have our “funeral dinner” tonight, tomorrow we will say good bye to some great missionaries and welcome in ten new missionaries including four visa waiters. Elder and Sister Porter arrive on Thursday for a two day mission tour. We would appreciate some extra faith and prayers this week so we can be equal to our responsibilities and will have the Spirit in our meetings with Elder and Sister Porter. We are anxious for our missionaries to feel the importance of their calls to represent our Savior Jesus Christ. They have been invited in their recent interviews to be exactly obedient. We are hoping that our mission tour will give them the strength and desire to keep their commitment and to serve the Lord whole heartedly.



We love and appreciate each of you,

The Long Beach Buberts