WEEK #5: Elder Buhler Got His Travel Plans!!!!!

Dear Everyone:

Hello one and all, I would just like to start off with I got my travel plans today!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESYEYSYEYSEYSEYSEYESYSEYYESYES, We leave Oct 7 at 8:15 P.M. to LAX then we fly to Fiji, then arrive in Kiribati on Oct 9. Couldn't be more excited!!! Cause actually we just Skype taught this lady from Kiribati last night and most of the time had idea what she was talking about, which I was kind of bummed about at the time, but now that I look back on that it is absolutely wonderful, because that means that I still have a lot of things I need to work on! Like right now I'm so pumped about leaving, I mean I love the MTC, but it's time to get out of here and teach! Well for the first few weeks, probably won't be contributing much to lessons, but still! Getting better at the language, I am always trying to push myself, but I sound so American when I speak and it is kind of depressing. But I have grown so much in the language in the last 2 weeks it's honestly incredible.

Ok a quick side note, I can not emphasize enough how much prayer has helped me in my life. I have had so many of my prayers answered, not always in the way that I want/expected, but still just so good. If there is any advice I can give to anyone it is to prayer more often, and more wholeheartedly. God wants to here from us, that's why he gave us prayer. He gave us the ability to speak with him at anytime, and in anyplace! Think about it, the Supreme Creator of anything and everything, wants to help YOU! Literally blows me away.

So today I got to be companions with Elder Weenig (Love him) because all the guys in my district were gone. Elder Young is from Australia so he got to go to do a session at the SLC temple with all the other internationals. And then E. Aliksa, Carrington, Morley were all at choir ( they get to sing in the Priesthood session of Conference next week) So we have just been doing our own thing all day, super chill.

But ok then Elder Weenig wanted to alter some of his shirts so we went to the dry cleaning place at the MTC and they referred us to the front desk people, who then gave us a pass to go off campus!! I don't think I have felt more uncomfortable then when I walked off MTC property to go to the Dry cleaning place. Walking down 900 East and seeing New Heritage and all of Provo was so weird for both of us (he went to BYU in the Spring and Summer terms) and we talked to these girls at the Dry Cleaning place, which was weird. And when we were walking back to the MTC we were walking and on the other side of the road was this beautiful girl running the other way. I don't know if I have ever had a more uncomfortable reaction to an encounter with a women (even from that distance) because I let out an audible yelp, and so as we walked by we both had heads turned in the complete opposite direction making sure we both stayed pure, continually asking each other if the other had looked! Elder Weenig and I experienced the outside world. Which was super weird, I am just excited to get out of here!! Love my dudes in here, and I feel like it's really boring to tell stories about the MTC, but I bet everyone has similar ones.

But what everyone should do is send me mail and packages before I leave, and I guess after I leave too. But I also want to thank Britt and friends for sending us the cookies, and my mom for the Einstein Bagels. I started a thing with the guys in my district where every night we read two verses each in our Kiribati BOM (Because D&C and Pearl of Great Price can't be translated), and now it's expanded to most of the Marshallese Elders and all the Tongans and Fijians Elders. It's pretty official now, we start with a prayer and then we go around reading a verse at a time in our separate languages and each read two verses and then I assign someone to give us a spiritual thought. It's my turn tonight. But honestly the Spirit is so strong in that room every night, and then if I have treats I share with everybody. I love my Zone.

But anyways, no scriptures this week because I frankly forgot my BOM, Journal, Notebook all back at the residence, but I am so excited to serve the Lord, yes it's been hard. and only one quote, from Sanctify Yourselves by my boy Jeff H.

“To every man there comes …that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

I hope I can be prepared when my moment comes.

God Bless,

E. Buhler

Week #4: Elder Buhler Is Having the Time of His Life!

Approximately day 23 here in the MTC and i'm starting to lose my ability to speak coherent English, my vocabulary has been taking a dive. Which makes me really sad, because language is so much more beautiful and eloquent when using a wide variety of words. The "cools, awesome, and sweet" are so boring. But in other news my language has been coming along really really well! I can formulate my own sentences and respond to questions during lessons pretty well now. I mean obviously it's still pretty basic, and when I reach the field I will get straight up wrecked, but for now i'm pretty content with where I am at! I have become pretty good at just sitting there and learning a concept or a set of words and picking them up, the other day I kept repeating the first vision, and it took me about 35 minutes but I got it down! and the other day we were speaking only Kiribati all day and I felt actually kind of ok about it! But it's not because of me, I know that for sure. The gift of tongues literally has been saving my life. Except for I can't roll my r's my tongue isn't quite that gifted I guess!

Funny story, I go to the mail office to send a letter, and I looked the guy straight in the eye and said "will you letter this for me?" and I have never seen someone so utterly confused. I felt really stupid, but i realized pretty quickly and we laughed pretty hard about it.

Also I wanted to make sure I thanked the Frixiones and I think the Keenes and Grassely's and actually a few other people who sent packages but didn't leave a note for there sincerity! My zone loves it, I am really good about sharing it all. And especially the Frixiones, your smore thing mixed with peanut butter is the bomb!

Well anyways i'm District Leader now. Which is cool I guess. I get the right to....NAY the privilege of obtaining the mail for my district as well as going to meetings on Sunday while everyone just chills. But it's still kind of cool. 

Something I started up in my room is reading from the Kiribati BOM every morning and night at least 2 verses each and then at nights somebody gives a quick spiritual thought. It started with the guys in my district and now has extended to the Fijians, some of the Tongans, and Marshallese. You can feel the spirit so strong in the room, and hearing these absolutely profound thoughts from kids your age is literally so humbling. I am in the presence of spiritual giants here. Most have gone through a lot to get here. There is also this Elder that is going to Fiji who is from Kiribati, so he helps us with the language so that's been super helpful.

Watched the Restoration movie on Sunday night and the Spirit was so freaking strong, it was like whoa. Nako tongo. And it's crazy how I had seen that video a bunch of times, but this time seemed like an entirely different movie, I got so many different and better things out of it! 

Few quotes I really liked, they weren't exact, but they could probably be looked up for exact quotes and some are a probably what they sounded like they meant to me.

"The Lord calls us in our weakness, but qualifies us for his work."

"God speaks to us not spake, we have more need of revelation now than ever."

"We will oft question how, but it shouldn't matter when we already know why."

and there is this part where I was so close to straight crying my eyes out. Joseph Smith Jr. is taking care of his dad and he says "You have watched over us our whole lives..." and his dad says, "That's what Fathers do." and literally that was the most tender moment. I can't imagine how heartbreaking that would be. 

Oh also on Tuesday RICHARD G. SCOTT CAME TO THE MTC TO SPEAK TO US!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was fan girling so hard. It was hard to take notes with stuff he was saying, because all of it was literally spiritual gold. And the greatest part was, 95% of his 40 minute or so talk ended up being personal answers to prayers I had given. The other 5% was conjunctions. But for real it was so good, I was writing stuff he was saying, and then all of a sudden I had this feeling that I should write what I was feeling instead and so I just started writing what I was feeling and I had never written so quickly fervently and with passion. I felt so spiritually edified. A few quotes from my main man Richy G!

"Don't just have a good mission, have a BLAST!"

"Stop praying to confirm your own desires, learn to listen to what God would have us do, and pray for the strength to do it."

"Answers to prayers come in 3 ways. 1. Through peace and feelt at rest (Yes) 2. Unsettled feelings, stupor of thought (No) 3. We might feel nothing...here we must excercise faith. Always proceed with a trust in God because eventually through fasting and prayer it will become a #1 or #2." 

"Prayers aren't always answered in the time/way we anticipate, but they come when we need it the most." -David O. Mckay.

Yeah so I love it here and we got this white dude that's a Nazi of a Zone leader so that kind of sucks. Our last white zone leader frequently swore, and this one is just awful to be around. So I love the islanders that much more. Way more loving.

In short just wanted to say I am beginning to feel like a missionary, and more than anything I love my chill frisbee seshs at the field by the temple with my Elders, i'm actually getting pretty good too! I also run over there around the field, because I refuse to be fat. In closing I just want to say I appreciate you all so much for being apart of my life. 

No scripture reference this week, hope to have a few more next week.

Tiabo Rimwi

Elder Buhler

Week #3: Loving the MTC Experience!

Hello all, just sent like a ton of pictures to my mom to post on my little blog thingy, elderjacobbuhler.blogspot.com so if you want to see a day in the life check it out.


First off, congrats to my boy D Wattykins! Love that dude to death, and I can't wait for him to begin serving!!

Well I just got back from the chillest of frisbee sesh's over on that field by the temple, today was the most beautiful day. I love it here, so dang much. My district consists of 5 elders and 3 sisters. Elder Carrington, Elder Morley my companions and then Elder Aliksa and Elder Young. Sister Tiatia, Sister Lowary and sister Nena. But I feel like I am progressing really well in the language, I am beginning to think and dream in Kiribati, so that's actually pretty dope. We have started doing tons of mock investigator roleplay things that are pretty tough, on wednesday we have two of them and the first one was so bad, like SO BAD. I had the worst headache and felt sick and we just rambled as a companionship, but then the second investigator we had we freaking killed it!! I definitely knew it wasn't me teaching. The Spirit was like, "Yo Elders, let me take this one, you've done enough I GOT YOU!" and then literally everything was free flow, I was understanding most of it, and I was using fluent sentences, I mean they are still basic sentences, but I am using words we haven't learned yet because I try to study on my own sometimes. So it opens up the discussions even more. Hope that doesn't sound like bragging at all, because literally that lesson was all taught by the Spirit. I am like the crappiest missionary, but I boast of the strength of my God. They told us to gain as much knowledge as possible which I am definitely trying to do. 

We were doing some personal study the other day and we found some pretty accurate scriptures. What we call the MTC cafeteria scripture, and what soon will be our entire mission scripture.

Jerimiah 4:19

LOOK IT UP! I was literally crying when I read it.

But also Elder Young was reading in Alma and he got to 

Alma 12:21-22

Once you read it read on....

Basically Alma is having a stand off with some dude and the dude says something in verse 21, and the the first sentence of two from verse 22 in laymens terms, at least we think is, if you would just SHUT UP for two seconds I would tell you!! You had to be there, but ya know sometimes Prophets can get some sass too. I mean it would kind of stink knowing you are a prophet of God and you are trying to save everyone and at every turn people keep questioning you. Bet it would be pretty frustating

But on another note there have been so many awesome quotes from speeches given here at the MTC. I usually write down quotes, because I think they are so interesting. Here are just a few and some are from prophets and stuff, but still way good.

"You don't need to know everything, you just need to be an example"

"When you are on the Lords errand you are entitled to his help"

"Mission is where you find out what Atonement and Jesus Christ Means to you"

"Gospel is the best gift you can offer and receive"

Beginning with the end in mind will help you choose your path"

"You need to earn your name"

"Circumstances don't make the man. It reveals him."

"Reconvert yourself each lesson"

"If you don't get an answer to your prayer, don't stop asking"


So yeah, I mean I haven't had any completely sucky days, but I have had rough patches in my days, but I can't emphasize this enough. A humble Prayer to your Heavenly Father can solve anything and everything. I don't sleep very well here, but I love it here. Well except the food, the Temple Cafeteria every week gets me so emotional, it's so much better than the MTC food. I refuse to get fat so I run basically everyday. Scott Heatons Dad gave a devotional here the other night and it was super good, I thought it was so good because he barely did any talking. He just got converts who used to not believe in God come up and tell their story, through guided questions. The Spirit was so strong. We are started to get pounded with lessons. It's like God is saying, yeah so now that you are going to get comfortable you can handle 6 lessons right? But it's good because that's how the field will be like.

I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but our teacher went deaf in one ear from a virus he caught while he was there. We have two teachers and they have told a bunch of crazy stories. But basically pretty often we will drink water with ants or worms in it. Just because it's from members and we don't want to offend them. But that's just one of the weirder things that we will do. They told us that Kiribati is supposed to be the hardest place in the world to reach.

But that's it from me this week. Again check out the pics on elderjacobbuhler.blogspot.com the pics on there are a mix of people from my district and the marshallese district, but our zone is the bomb even though I don't have pictures we have the Tongans, Samoans, Fijians, Marshallese, and Kiribati.

Love you all, please write me. 

Getting handwritten or homemade stuff is the greatest thing.

Elder Buhler

Week #2: The Temple Cafeteria is the The Greatest Place

Yo what up crew!!! The MTC is the greatest place, actually scratch that the temple cafeteria is the greatest place, like honestly it is the greatest reprieve from the food here. I feel like the food there is ordained from God. For real my testimony has grown so much through those waffles. hahaha. But so much has happened this week, at first I was getting my butt kicked by the language, but then I have actually been doing really well with it, well as well as I feel like I can be. I can't roll my R's very well and I already have been messing up my english. But in Kiribati, I feel confident doing a prayer and testimony, and doing a very basic first lesson. But my zone here is the bomb. I can't figure out how to upload the pictures here yet, but they are pretty great I think. The MTC truly is the greatest place.

Hahaha funny story. So I usually do a pretty good job with just being like oh that sister is cute/ not even looking at them. "Don't lust after the Harlot Isabel." But anyways. I was walking out of my building that I have class in and I saw the most beautiful sister. Oh my gosh... and then as she was walking by and then she said something in French. I melted. She was looking so right!...righteous ;) so very spiritual. She's the one, let me tell you, that's the one you wait for. 

But other than that little 20 second sidetrack, the MTC has been awesome, I feel like I am learning really well and even though it comes slow, the spiritual growth is incredible. My companions are awesome, they want to work really hard, and I have been practicing up on my australian accent. But it sounds more like John Lennon. But it's awesome my companions are the bomb, I mean they aren't the most talkative guys, but every lesson we all have three different approaches that work really well together, plus we win all the language games we have in class. So whats good!! I have so many stories and experiences that I don't really don't know what to share with you. My zone is really awesome, and my district is the freaking bomb too. I continue to see my friends and work really hard. I get really tired during the personal study so I often drop whatever I am reading and fall asleep in the same motion. Hopefully that means I am working hard...but anyway I learn so many new things every day and if anyone is thinking about serving a mission, I admonish them to do it. You grow so much, and I honestly am at a loss for words with what I would want to share with you. I appreciate all the love that is being sent my way. I have the utmost faith in the lord and although we may face trials we can always turn to Christ. Mosiah 4:9. He sees the big picture and knows how it feels to be and face the same trials we did. The experiences here and friend I have here are literally priceless. I know this is kind a crappy email, and the only thing I was able to share this week was about a girl. But there is just so much that I don't know what to say, and with only a moment left, and at a loss for words I would just like to say that I love you all so very much. You made me who I am today, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I am here to share the gospel. Alma 5:49. I have been so happy my entire life, with a few hiccups, but now the people of Kiribati need to here the message. So even though I feel underprepared, don't have the resources or skill set. I am going to learn and give it everything I got so that DC 84:85 can happen. "The spirit can't draqw from an empty well" as Elder Young said. I have learned more about myself in the past week in a half then at any time period in my life. I love the Gospel. Literally love it. No matter what happens in the church or my life etc. I know that man may make mistakes, but the Gospel is the truth. I hope to hear from all of you again soon, if I wasn't able to respond to your email, get my address from my mom and send me a letter.

Congrats to Kayci Griffin on her call to Chile. You're going to straight kill it!

I found out that when we ship out that I will stop in Hawaii for the night, so I am hopeful that I will get to see elder Park. I am trying to figure out how to upload the pictures we took today at the temple, and I will try to get it to work. But until next week...

I ataia bwa e kouau te ekaretia aio ao maiu Iesu Kristo ao Te Atua. I ataia bwa e kouau abotoro ao te burabeti ao kiraki iroun tamnei ae raoiroi n aran Iesu Kristo amen I love my mission. Like literally love it. I miss home, but I can't go home until I can bring the knowledge of their eternal home to the people of Kiribati.

I tangira kam

Elder Buhler

Getting Some Pictures!

Today we have had the pleasant surprise of getting 2 pictures of Jacob! He looks so happy and full of the Spirit in these pictures. Thanks to Perry's mom for sending the picture!

We are so grateful that Jacob has had such wonderful friends growing up. He ran into some of these friends at the MTC.  We only wish that Justin Botcherby were at the MTC in Provo as well!

Mission Photos

We were able to take Family Photos before Jacob left, and we also took some Missionary photos of Jacob.  He didn't want any "Cheesy Mission Photos" so this is what we got.

We are so thankful to Photos by Kimber for these lovely photos. We love our family, and we love our missionaries!

Week #1 Hurrah for Israel

So basically you are the entirety of the emails that I figured/know. Fridays are my P-day. And I will be writing generally sometime between 1-4 I think. So I am just kind of going to ramble for a while because I don't really know what else to do. Been in the MTC for a few days now, and to sum up my thoughts on day 1...AAAHHHHHHHHHH! That's a pretty accurate description of what my mind was doing at the time. Everything is so fast and scheduled here, but honestly it is hard and the days are long. But I really do love it here. I'm in the cutest tripanionship there has ever been. Me and my two gingers, Elder Morley and Elder Carrington both from Utah. The other two elders are Elder Young from Hawaii and Elder Aliska from Hawaii. They are generally pretty quite, but we had a nice bro talk today and for me it was like, these dudes are the bomb. Honestly have been through so much. We also have 3 sister missionaries, but they kind of do their own thing. So yeah my district is tight. I am senior companion, which in the MTC basically means you have to follow the rules just like everyone else. I like to think of it like HS student council, you have a title, but no real authority. I have already had some pretty spiritual experiences and have already seen the Spirit work in my life in so many ways, seeing the gospel and scriptures and phrases I have seen a million times take on entirely knew meaning. 

It's also been really cool, because in the first few days I have seen SO MANY people I know. Elder Critchfield, Elder Manwaring, Elder Weenig, Elder Stone, Sister Frederickson, Chris that lives in the Belmont with Josh Hunter, a few people from my YSA ward at BYU, Elder Whitlock, Elder Jensen, Elder Gardner, and Elder Perkins to name a few.

Seeing Elder Gardner and Jensen was like the best day ever! I love those guys so much, I made my companions and I come eat lunch with them and Elder Perkins (Love that guy too), and we literally just talked and it's times like those that you realize you are a missionary and you can only talk to them for like 20 minutes before you have to go. We took a picture mom, on I think owens camera so email him if you want that picture. I also kind of ate lunch with Elder Whitlock, and he is killing it. Idk what it is, but you can just tell by talking to and looking at him that he is ready to head out into the field. He got mad at me for reasons connected to his good ol' GF rbing. But it was in good fun. Elder Perkins led me around the first day and it was so good to see that guy. He is so freaking nice to me and honestly the man. And mom I want that picture you took of us, and if you could send that picture to my friend Elena that would be great. 

My zone is freaking crazy and fun because it's the islander one with Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Samoa. So lights out isn't even a thing I feel like. It's pushups, rap battles, singing and just having a good time. Gym time is my literal salvation because as much as I love my gingers, they are the most obedient missionaries of all time and stay within about 15 feet of me at all times. So gym time I get to talk to someone super chill and who I knew before in Elder Weenig, or Sweenig as he is more commonly called. We just run around the track and talk about life. He is such a chill dude and I literally love my running time with him so much. We can see BYU from there so that and going to the temple are the weirdest things of all time, like I just feel weird thinking of life outside the MTC. 

The language 2 days in is pretty tough, I feel like I can't make noises like that with my mouth but I know that if I do my best and take the yoke of Christ upon me all will be good. Ngai Arau Elder Buhler, is my name is elder Buhler, and the "NG" is said like the "NG" at the end of song and then ai. So it's pretty weird. Our teachers are really nice and are coaxing us through the process. One of the teachers Elder Birrell, I think is how you spell it. Is deaf in one of his ears from a virus he contracted while he was there....But it doesn't shake my convictions and testimony one bit. The next two years are going to be freaking hard. I know that because the first few days have already been hard, but super rewarding. I meant to bring my preach my gospel, which is where I keep most of my notes to the lab, but I forgot it. 

Some of the rules here are wack. I know they are for our good, but they keep getting mad at me for saying bros, dudes, my dawgs, friends, and guys. 

"You are Elders"  the mission Presidents wife said.

"Do you know where those you call guys are? They are at home dating your Girlfriends." I thought that was pretty funny. 

For me the hardest thing is trying to balance studying hard and knowing when to just chill. I feel like everyone told me if you work your hardest then you are a successful missionary. But all my companions ever want to do, which is good is personal study, language study, and plan. I already feel like in the first two days I am driving myself into the ground. Sleeping at night is weird, because I am exhausted, but can never sleep. So sometimes I am just exhausted, but I don't want God to think I am being a wuss so I just keep going and if I ever shut my eyes, it's because I'm meditating. 

A thought that I was thinking about when reading the quotes at the back of Preach my Gospel chapter 1 is something about how we have the thing they (investigators need). So I don't know I think the two things I have said the most here is "I love you Elder Morley" and "We are here to learn to preach the thing that everybody needs, they just don't know it yet." Which is why I think I am here on a mission. Literally there are people out there whose eternal salvation hangs in the balance. So I think that's why I try to keep working hard and sometimes have to "meditate" to power through. I feel like I have already begun to say things that I know that as incredibly talented, intelligent, and good looking as I am ;) just playin momma, are not of my own design. The Lord is speaking through me and by the spirit I am making manifest of them. 

I am bummed that Sunday is like the busiest day and unfortunately naps are nonexistent. The food isn't bad and I have been eating a decent amount. Lots of bananas, and I figured that I would be losing tons of weight anyway and I use gym time pretty effectively, and I don't feel fatter, but I guess that may change. Still have yet to cry, which probably isn't a good thing. I feel like one day I am just going to lose it over a some bad tasting powerade and everyone is going to be like what the freak is going on with this kid. 

I only have a few minutes left and I apologize for the long email, I literally have been typing every thought I have had. The weird thing is that there is so much more I wish to say. There is a scripture that says it better than I do. Maybe I'll find it and send it to you.

All the Elders I mentioned are freaking killin it, you can definitely see the change in the Elders about to leave. Whitlock, Jensen, Gardner, Manwaring, and Perkins. They have the light of Christ about them and they are going to rock it in the field. Not sure who I am going to eat lunch with when they are gone. When I sit alone with my companions, it's basically silent and I feel so uncomfortable that I constantly drink my powerade so I can step away for a moment. But truly I have a great district, especially my companions they are so freaking spiritual and they want to work hard, and I hope to keep up with them spiritually. 

I miss you all, you have all prepared me for these next two years. I'm glad most of us in this thread are doing the work and being where we need to be. The Computer I am at doesn't have an SD card adapter so I guess I won't be sending any pictures. But I haven't taken that many anyway and they are kind of blurry.

Email me!

This is the place I need to be and I really do love it here even though it's hard.

With Christ ye shall never fail

Elder Jacob Buhler