July 5, 2016

Hey everyone! This last week was awesome! I will just write down some good stuff that happened!

Elder Garcia and I are working really hard. He is such a stud and I am so happy to be with him. This last Thursday we had divisions and I went to work in the area of the other elders and I worked with a new missionary who is in his training. We were working really well and having a ton of fun and that night we went to the house of a member to have a lesson with a recent convert in the house of this member. We entered the house and I started chatting it up with the mom of this family and we got along really well. She told me that her son had died in March from a freak church activity hike that he went on. They went to a volcano and there was a lake and he drowned in the lake. 

My heart sunk so deep for her. When she was telling me this story the recent convert showed up to the house and we said a prayer and I just started to share the plan of salvation with her. I asked a lot of inspired questions and taught her some things that she didn't know about the Plan of Salvation. I taught her that the Spirit World is here on this earth but we just can't see them but her son is here close to her always. It was the most spiritual lesson I've ever been in. 

She then started to tell me her dreams that she had been having and she said that the other night she had a dream that her son, who was 19 and preparing to receive his mission call, was in a wheelchair. She was pushing him in a wheelchair to a place where he wanted to go. The son told her that he needed to go to the bathroom so they stopped in front of the bathroom and she told him that she couldn't go in the boys bathroom and he told her that she couldn't go in the girls bathroom and they stood there and she woke up. 

It was the craziest thing ever but I just felt the answer to her dream. I asked, "Hermana Carina, your son has never gone through the temple to receive his endowments right?" And she said no and I was able to explain to her the dream that she had had. The son was handicapped because he never received his endowments. The bathroom represented the temple work. The mom couldn't do it for him but a man can. 

The recent convert who was with us was friends with her son and we challenged him to do the temple work for his friend which he will do this coming March. We were all in tears. After the lesson Carina invited me to talk with her brother who is troubling with the loss and I'll be going over this next week to hopefully help the brother out all well. It was a way spiritual experience. It feels good to give people the word of God that can heal them from their pains and losses. 

This week we also had a huge activity in the park of Chimaltenango where our zone put up stands with all the young adults in our stake and a stake nearby. We put up stands that said, "Will your family be eternal?" "Why do Mormons not drink coffee?" and a bunch of different questions like that. We had a great turn out and it was a ton of fun. We contacted so many people and received a ton of referrals. It was awesome. 

This last Sunday we also saw a ton of miracles. Elder Garcia and I have been working so hard but hadn't been able to see the results that we have wished. We went out Sunday morning to help our investigators and recent converts go to church and none of them came! We felt so sad! We got to church and found 2 investigators that had been going to church for a long time in the capital. We shared with them and 1 of them will be getting baptized this Sunday. We received a call from another investigator who went to church in another ward and she told us she received her answer and will get baptized tomorrow, and then we talked to another investigator who told us that he wants to get baptized this Sunday! It was so awesome! After the trial of your faith comes the blessings. We are way excited about the investigators that we have right now!

Well, iv said a ton. Love you guys!

Elder Buhrley

June 28, 2016

Hi Everyone!

This week was a ton of fun! Elder Garcia is such a great companion and we are already teaching great together. The zone is awesome and it feels good to be here:) 

The work is going really well in Chimaltenango and if all things go well we should be baptizing this weekend. We are working with some great people and it's a blast to teach the gospel to these chosen people!

I've now got a gym in my area. Elder Garcia and I are starting to go and for the first time in 16 months I entered a gym the other day. I am really hoping to shred some of these lb's that I've gained from all the deep fried food that I've eaten in Guatemala!

We receive a lot of help from the members here in my new area. It's so great to work with members because the investigators progress so much faster! All of us in the church are missionaries, and a lot of you may feel scared to share the gospel with others but don't worry! The best member missionary is an example of the believers. 

My companion and I are looking for new investigators in the areas where the members live. The first question I like to ask is, How are the family "gonzalez"? And then they for the most part respond that they are good and they have a strong family and stuff like that and then I can just testify that they too can have these things if they follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. When someone can see a good example it always makes them want to be better. We are all called by Christ to be a light to the world. Don't hide that light. Let it shine and touch other people. Let your example work wonders in the lives of the people who live around you. Be a true follower of Christ, and live the Gospel. 

I love you guys! Thanks for all the help and support! ENJOY THE SUMMER! 

Elder Buhrley 

Here's a foto of Elder Wilkes and me in one of
the few GNC's that exist here haha

June 22, 2016

Hi All!

I'm in Chimaltenango! I went even further in the mountains of Guatemala! I am so pumped for my new area and new zone! I am with Elder Garcia who is a complete stud! We get along soo well already. I am really excited for this change! 

It was way hard leaving everyone in Antigua! I love them all so much! I left a bunch of baptisms there so I feel at peace about leaving.

This last week was really crazy but full of experiences that I will never forget. This last week Elder Sorto and I were looking for a house in San Lucas and we found a house that was honestly a really nice house and Elder Sorto wanted to close the deal on it but I didn't feel right about it. I didn't know why but the spirit was telling me no. I thought, well maybe there is a sexual predator that lives by or maybe someone did demonic in this house before, but at the conclusion I just told Elder Sorto that I didn't feel good about it and he was really upset with me but we left the house and kept looking for houses. Not even 15 minutes later Elder Sorto and I were walking down a street and heard a lady screaming. We looked over and saw a guy over a lady in the street with a car parked off to the side.

The lady got out of the hands of the man and yelled at us and ran to us. The guy quickly got into his car and drove away. We thought that maybe it was a typical abusive relationship fights but when we started to talk with this young lady who was in tears she told us that she was just walking and a guy got out of his car and tried to kidnap her. I imagine that his plans were to kidnap, rape, kill and drop the body in a place were no one could find it. She was a member of the church, less active, and Elder Sorto and I were able to give her the words that could heal and help her in this moment. We walked her home and the next day she went to church. Elder Sorto and I went back to that house that I hadn't felt good about and this time I felt good about it and we closed the deal on the house. I have no idea what would have happened if Elder Sorto and I weren't there for this young lady but I am just happy I was able to follow the Spirit. I may not understand God's plans always but when I am following the Spirit everything just seems to work out perfectly. 

I love the Spirit. Here in the mission I have really come to hear and understand the voice of the Holy Ghost. He is a being without a body of flesh and bone. His purpose to help us. He is a perfect gentleman. He comes when called and leaves when we don't respect or listen to Him. Look and listen to His guidance in your life and I promise you that you will see that God is a lot more active in your life than you think. 

I love you all! Thanks for all the support! Keep being the great people that I know that you are! 

Elder Buhrley 

June 14, 2016

This week was a lot of fun! We saw a ton of miracles! We are working well and it just feels so good to see people who repent and start to change everything in their lives to follow Christ.

We baptized Tarzan! The missionaries have worked with him for over a year and we sealed the deal with him and I was able to baptize him.

My companion and I are working with Milton Perez who should be getting married and baptized the 18th! We are doing our best to get his papers sent from Nicaragua so that they can get married and baptized! I love doing weddings, sounds a bit feminine but it's really awesome. haha. Milton is such a great guy! He is an honest friend. We are also working with Cristian Garcia and his wife Egma. They are progressing so well and we have been having some of the most spiritual experiences with them. We want to baptize them this Sunday, but as the Guatemalans always say "let's see what God says". haha

I really hope my time in Antigua isn't up yet. We have changes this next week and I want to be able to stay for a change more but.... "Let's see what God says" ha

Doing service

I love you all so much! I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the kingdom of God here in the earth. I know that Christ organized this church so that we wouldn't be lost in confusion. He placed His church here so that we would know what we need to do in order to be happy. He placed his church here so that we may receive ordinances that save us and our happiness. Heaven won't be heaven without your family.

I love you all! Thanks for all the support.

Elder Buhrley

The lunch we made afterwards was prime

June 7, 2016

No time. God lives. I love you guys! We baptized Martin and we are going to baptize Tarzan this Sunday!  Let's keep it going!

June 1, 2016

Hi All!

This week was a good one! We are working with great people and it's getting really exciting! We are going to be baptizing every Sunday this month of June! We have really been focusing in on priesthood holders and it's paying off because we have 4 men who we are preparing. We finally have sealed the deal with Tarzan for the 12th so that was soo nice! It took a lot of spiritual experiences with him before it was finally closed. We are baptizing Martin this Sunday so that will be awesome! He is the dad of this family that Elder Guzman and I baptized 2 months ago. I'm way excited about my area right now!

This is my favorite scripture. Moroni 10:32

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.

I remember when I was maybe 14 or 15 and I read this scripture and no other scripture had ever impacted my life more than this one had. Sometimes we overthink the gospel.
1-Come unto Christ (Follow Christ and his commandments)
2-Deny yourselves of all ungodliness (Get rid of the things that holds you back)
3-Love God with all your might, mind, and strength
Then is his grace sufficient. Grace=The power that Christ has to save. The power that He gained when He took upon Him the consequences of our sins.
Let Him perfect you. We are not perfect, but we are seeking to perfect ourselves.


Thanks for all the support! I love you all! ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

Elder Buhrley

Guatemalan Smiles

May 24, 2016

Fellow family and friends!

This week was a lot of fun. We are seeing a lot of success and miracles. We havnt been able to seal the deal with Tarzan or Cristian but they are soo close! We are working a lot with them. Tarzan told us that he is really close to being baptizing! So we are working a lot with them! 

All is good is Zion! Zion prospers! ;) 

Something that President Markham told us that I liked:  What have you learned about Jesus Christ on your mission (or in your life)?

Are you learning about Him or becoming like Him?

If he saw you, would He address you as a stranger (Mosiah 5:13), a servant (DYC 1:17), a son or daughter (DYC 9:1, 25:1), or a friend (John 15:12-15, DYC 84:77)?

Is He your Savior and Redeemer?

Is it true?

Is it real?

Is it personal?

When He suffered and gave His life, it became personal to Him.

When will it become personal to you?

Christ engraved us on the palms of His hands. He will never forget us. It is something personal for Him. I love all of you so much! Keep being awesome! 

Elder Buhrley