Ask and ye shall receive

This week was good for me. We had transfers like I told you last week. My new comp is just great. we get along awesome and teach well together too. He was just called to be a zone leader so is a little nervous but he is doing great. 

Just something cool that happened this last week. A couple weeks ago we met this guy named Kirya as he was walking out of his house. We just planned to contact him and make an appointment to come back but as soon as we said our names he invited us inside. We got to know him a bit and just gave him a brief overview of our purpose and how it will help him and set a return appointment. We met him a couple days later and shared about the Restoration of the Gospel. The spirit was amazingly strong and my companion and I noticed that we had been able to teach him at that time very simply and unified like we haven't done with other people. He just understood. He accepted a baptismal date for the 29th of March. 

A couple days later we met him again and shared the Plan of Salvation in much the same way as with the Restoration. Simple, unified, and with the spirit. He understood perfectly yet had a question about being baptized a second time. We met him on Friday again to share the Doctrine of Christ. When we got to baptism and Receiving the Holy Ghost he wasn't understanding the answer that he needed to be baptized by the Priesthood and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

After a few scriptures it was obvious that we couldn't convince him. I asked him to kneel down with us and ask God what HE wanted him to do. He accepted. When he ended his prayer. the room was completely silent. We asked him how he felt. All he could say in response was, "My whole life has been changed." Elder Mothajana and I started bearing testimony of all that he has learned and he recommitted himself for baptism. Not because We said it was a good idea but because his loving Father in Heaven told him he needed to. 

"Ask and ye shall receive, Seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened unto you." God loves us. We are his children.  I hope everyone has a good week. Love ya.

Elder E.E. Buyers

14th Transfer Almost Done

Today we got transfer news. I am staying which I knew because Elder Latola is going home. My new companion is Elder Mothajana. We know each other really well from Lira. He is an awesome guy. We actually have the same exact birthday. haha. He has been serving in Seeta which is in my Zone so we have gotten to be around each other a lot and now he is called to be a new Zone Leader and we are companions. We are pretty excited. He is a powerful guy. Man I love him. He is going to be a great ZL. We had a slow transfer these past 6 weeks but now we are really to run and miracles will happen. (Ether 12:12) 

I love you all and I hope the week will go well for ya.

Elder E.E. Buyers

Helping Hands

The week was good on my side. We were busy and saw some miracles happen. On Friday in my personal study I ready a lot about prayer. The section in Preach My Gospel in Ch. 4 on Pray with faith really hit me this time as I went through it and as we went through the day I tried to focus on that. It is amazing  the feeling that can come as you focus more when you are praying and when you pray specifically as the Spirit gives you utterance. I know that when we pray we are really talking to God. He hears us and will Give us all that we ask him If you ask in faith and as pressed upon by the Spirit. I love you all. Have a good week.

Elder E.E. Buyers

P.S. Attached are some pictures of a service project that we did on Saturday for Mormon Helping Hands. We were doing it for a hospital in Lugazi.

Merry Christmas from Uganda

It was good to talk to all of you for sure. I pretty much told you all that was going on. I'm glad that you had a good Christmas with everyone. Christmas morning when we woke up I got dressed up as UKM (Uganda Kampala Mission) Clause and Delivered gifts to all the good little elders and sisters in Mukono District. haha. 

We had a really good time. The shirt is a gift that we all got from President and Sister Chatfield. It has all of our names in a map of Africa on the back of it. Those suspenders got put to use after one year. haha. It was a good time.

Elder E.E. Buyers

The Gift

Hey Everyone,

The season is here again. From the pictures I've seen there is snow on the ground. Not here but that is OK. Enjoy it for me. haha. As I have thought about Christmas lately there is a certain picture that keeps coming into my head. It is a picture that we were shown a few weeks ago. It is of two people, a mother and a father, sitting on hay in a barn. In their arms they hold a new born babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. 

Perhaps one of the greatest blessings of being so far away from home during this season, at least as a missionary, is you gain a new understanding on what is truly important. On what this season is really for. On what we should be celebrating. That is the true gift.

He is Jesus Christ,

He is our savior

He is our Lord.

He once died for us,

He once bled for us.

He has felt our pains, 

He has felt our sorrows.

He knows our joy,

He knows our potential.

He has our salvation,

He wants our heart.

He now lives for us,

He now pleads us.

HE is The Gift!

I hope this season we can all stay focused on The Gift. I know Christ is the Son of God. He is our Savior. He loves us. He is there for us. He has given us EVERYTHING.  Let us give him some time for a change!  I love you all and I hope that you have a vary Marry Christmas. 

Elder E.E. Buyers

Happy Thanksgiving from Uganda

We had a really good week as well. On Tuesday we were back in Lugazi for exchanges. I wasn't in my old area but was still able to see a couple people that I know. Friday we had MLC (mission leaders council) It was a awesome meeting. It is just all the zone leaders and president Chatfield. Man, he is a powerful guy. He never ceases to amaze me with the things he says. We set a mission baptismal goal for 2015 of 1275. We shouldn’t have much of a problem achieving that if everyone does the work that they are supposed to.

Well we didn't do much for Thanksgiving on Thursday... but that is only because of time and stuff. We destroyed some food on Sunday though. Elder Wightman and I teamed up and made the works. Chicken, deviled eggs, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and all other things. We even pulled out a homemade pumpkin pie. It was for sure a thanksgiving to remember. Mom, I hope you are proud. :)

It was fantastic. The sisters had been making fun of us because we burnt rice a few weeks ago but after this they said they would shut up haha. 

As you can see the chickens were still kicking when we got them. It is all from scratch. 

It was a good week I love you guys and hope everything is well.

Elder E.E. Buyers

Zone Conference & DLC

This week was good. On Thursday we had a Zone conference in Kampala. Elder Ellis came to speak to us. He is in the first quorum of the 70. He was a really powerful guy. It was cool. 

We spent the rest of the day in the Hospital in Kampala. Me companion woke up last Tuesday with his leg hurting. By Thursday it was too much to bear. 

We came back Friday and worked. 

Saturday we met with all the district leaders is the zone and had a DLC (district leaders council). It was a really good meeting. The leaders here are powerful and for sure called of God. 

Today again we spent almost all day in the hospital with my comp. They still aren't sure so we are staying in Kampala again so we can return tomorrow. All in all it's been a lot of driving. 

As a Zone Leader there is a lot more to do yet still all the regular missionary duties. It's busy and tough but I’m enjoying it. I love the work that I have been called to do. I know that it is God's work. I know the church is true. I know we are God's children. 

Have a good week all. Love ya.
Elder E.E. Buyers

Learning to Drive

The week was good here. I got to my area on Wednesday. I'm excited for it. It is a good place. My companion is great. We get along very well. The biggest problem was driving. It was like learning to drive all over again and the traffic and the roads here are terrible. It took me about a day to get used to it but we are doing good now. I didn't kill anyone so I think it was a success. 

Friday we went to Kampala for a Mission Leaders Council (MLC). It is for the zone leaders only basically with President Chatfield. It was a really powerful meeting. 

Saturday morning we had another meeting in Kampala that took most of the day and then we had to take books and stuff around to the different districts. We had a lot to do this week and even this coming week we have a lot to do. All is well though. I love it. I'm learning a lot and enjoying every minute of it.

Elder E.E. Buyers