Almost the End of January

Dear Family,
How are you all? I'm doing quite well and am really happy. These past week has had its ups and downs. I won't really go into the downs much because that's really depressing and not the purpose of this email. I will say though that we are having much difficulty teaching Martha. We only saw her once and she is having a lot of problems stopping drinking coffee. It seems that the adversary is working quite a lot on her. She feels pressured by her addiction and those around her and it seems that she has given into the temptation for momentary pleasure and to relieve her stress for the moment. So it doesn't seem like she will be baptized this Sunday. We continue to work with Chris to encourage his mom by teaching him from Preach My Gospel. That's the main low.
Back to the ups. So last week on Thursday we decided to walk around and talk to people, but it didn't seem like anyone wanting to stop and listen except for really two people and guess who they were . . . ministers from other churches. The first one was from the Free Church of Scotland and we talked a bit and gave him a Book of Mormon. He said that he really wouldn't have much time to read with all the other stuff he does. No matter, maybe that book will bless him or someone else. The other was a priest in the Episcopal Church. He was really nice and we talked about the Trinity and the Book of Mormon and he graciously accepted a copy and said that we could come over to his home for a "brew." I hope that doesn't mean a beer. Hopefully just coffee or tea, but of course we'll just take hot chocolate or something. It was very interesting to talk to him and hope that we could have a good discussion with him this week. So I think this might be a record of giving two copies of the Book of Mormon to ministers of other faiths in one day!
Antonio is doing really well. He's excited for his baptism and Chris Thomas will baptized him. He has even invited a relative who lives in Lossiemouth and she will come to his baptism. He is also going to invite her to the Burns Supper on Friday that will be held at the church. Burns night is on the 25th of January, but you can really celebrate it on any day around it. I hope that it will be good and fun. Yesterday I was sitting with Antonio after sacrament meeting and he asked if he could get a scripture case and I told him he could look it up online how much it is and so will I. So you can tell that he is really looking forward to being baptized.
Also yesterday we were so few in numbers that I was asked to give a talk ten minutes before sacrament meeting started. So as I continued to prepared the sacrament and greet people as they came in I started thinking of a personal story that I could share and I decided upon when I ripped my mirror off backing out of the garage. I was planning to link it into to repentance and that's all I could think of doing so I decided to do that and then follow the Spirit from then on out. So I got up when it was my turn. I shared the story (everybody laughed which was a great accomplishment), shared D&C 58:42-23 about repentance and then I took off from there and shared about the Alma and his conversion and how then they became great missionaries. Finally I read "I Stand All Amazed" out of the Hymn Book. Then I was just about going to end, I got a note which read "END." So I closed as I planned and sat down. When I looked up at the clock I had spoken for about 15 minutes. To me this is a great accomplishment. Not only did I deliver to talk on the spot, but I was able to speak longer than I ever had and so much so that I was told to sit down. I would never have been able to do this back home. The Church is true. This is one reason that I was so happy. Later on yesterday we had a cottage evening at the Hopkirks and watched the Testaments. Chris and Antonio were there. It was good and I'm glad that they were able to do that.
Next week we start sacrament meeting last. This was the way it was in Ayr, so I'm used to it. That was an interesting movie that you watched. Bonnie means pretty or beautiful in Scottish. As far as my suit is concerned, it's actually in pretty good condition and I think I actually going to give it to Chris Thomas since he doesn't have one along with one of my white shirts. Since I bought my new one here, it don't really need it anymore, and he needs it much more than I do so he can participate in his priesthood duties. He normally comes in a T-shirt and jeans. This will make him look a lot better. I hope that everything goes well for everyone this week. We are really excited for Antonio's upcoming baptism. I would just like to remind everyone to send all mail to the mission home if you are planning to write this week. Next week is transfer week and who knows if I'll be transferred. I'll tell you next Wednesday. Adios. Hasta luego.

Love,
Elder Buxton

Warmer Weather

Dear Family,
The weather is getting warmer for the time being. The past couple of days it has gotten up to about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F). So that has been wonderful to enjoy the good weather. We are really excited as that Antonio and Martha are getting close to their baptisms. They both passed their interviews on Friday! Now if they continue to stay worthy everything will be fine for their baptism. In branch council on Tuesday we were discussing about their baptisms and also holding a Burn's Supper (to celebrate the famous Scottish poet and eat haggis) and we decided to hold the baptisms on Sunday morning and a Burn's Supper on the Friday. Also they are changing the order of church back to the way it was about a year ago with Sacrament Meeting last starting on the 30th. We are excited for this so that more people can potentially come who need to take public transportation since they can't get there on time if they take a bus. This means that more people will be able to attend sacrament meeting. Even though I like having sacrament first, I like it this way for the missionary aspect so that if investigators don't show up the 1st hour, you can call and see where they are and if they are coming and maybe even get someone to go and pick them up.
So, Martha Thomas and Antonio D'alioia are doing quite well and continuing to progress in the gospel. Also the other good news is that Chris Thomas is going to baptize them both which will be a great experience for him. On Tuesday we had a lesson with Martha and Chris and we had built up throughout the week that we were going to be giving her a surprise on this day. So what we did was we got some chocolate since she really like chocolate and said that if she danced around for 10 seconds that she could get the surprise (now she didn't know what it was, only that it would be really good). So she did and we gave her the box and she was really pleased. Then we related this to baptism how in just a simple act we can receive great blessings. So then we uncovered the font. If you noticed from Google Earth or Maps or whatever, you'll notice that the building isn't very big and that the chapel is a multipurpose room used for sacrament meeting, priesthood, and relief society and other activities throughout the week. It also holds the baptismal font which is in the floor covered by pieces of wood with carpet on top. So we covered that and showed it to her and then demonstrated how we are baptized. This took some of the pressure off and she realized how simple it really is. She actually thought we would be swimming around in a swimming pool! The only thing really holding her back now is that she wants to call her sister in Mexico and tell her and her family that she is getting baptized and nothing they say can make her change.
There really isn't much to say about Antonio other than he is doing quite well. He is planning on inviting some of his relatives who live in Lossiemouth to come and he has even set aside money for his tithing that he really can't wait to pay on the 30th when he is baptized.
I'm really glad that my package finally arrived and I hope that you enjoy the gifts in them. Next year I'll have to send it much earlier to make sure that it gets there. The funny thing is that I'm still getting Christmas cards sent a month ago so it's both ways that were delayed. I'm really glad that Zach got his mission call. Did you know though that I'm at a higher latitude than Moscow? Fun fact for ya. That's really all for this week folks, but have you thought about the kilt from Brother King yet? Maybe we could just get it when you come to pick me up. I'm sure that we'd probably be traveling through Aberdeen plus I think there is great discount for returned missionaries (I think I would fall under that). Well, have a good week and talk to you later.

Love,
Elder Buxton

More Snow

Dear Family,
I hope that all of you are doing well back home. I am doing quite well. The people we are teaching are doing alright. Antonio is doing quite well. He is reading from the Book of Mormon and came to church on Sunday and he is excited for his baptism and is looking forward to it and has less fears this time around. We meet with him tonight and he will hopefully pass his interview this Friday. Martha has been off and on. She was good in the beginning of the week, but things have slipped down a slope and we are trying to get her back on track starting tonight. We are also teaching another lady named Kareen. She lives in Rothes which is ten miles south of Elgin. He is really good and really accepting of the message we presented to her. She is conditionally scheduled for the 12th of February. We just tried by her on Sunday after we went to the Johnsons for dinner and she let us in so we taught her and we hope that we can bring her closer to the Savior.
So speaking of church. We had church on Sunday even though it snowed Friday night. So Elder Erickson and I went and got some snow shovels (amazingly we found some after a guy told us while we were in another store looking for them) and plowed it Saturday morning and again in the evening and gritted it so that there wouldn't be an excuse for us not to come to church. We were pleased that it wasn't canceled after all that we did. The snow is somewhat melting now and we hear that it will be quite warm this week, which is good so that more people will likely stop and listen to us.
Today we went to Aberdeen because Elder Sindylek had a meeting and we tagged along to hang out with the missionaries there.
I did get your letter this past week and hopefully the package and the letter arrive this week. It would seem that the weather here in the UK wouldn't be much hinderance, but you never know behind the scenes unless you were actually there. So that's it for now. I hope that each of you have a wonderful week full of good bits.

Love,
Elder Buxton

New Year

Dear Family,

How are you all? I am doing quite well and we have seen some miracles these past couple of days. This email won't be very long as I am sending you a letter that I wrote on Monday that contains in good detail what happened last week. In brief we went by this former investigator, Antonio D'alioia. He was taught by Elder Stewart way back in August. He was ready to be baptized, but felt rushed, so he dropped them. We went by and he let us in and said that now would be a good time to start investigating. So we invited him to church and he came and enjoyed it. Then on Monday we were able to go by him and schedule him for baptism! We set the date of the 29th of this month so that he doesn't feel rushed. He agreed and we're excited to teach him. Also on Sunday we were able to go by Martha Thomas and went through the qualifications of baptism with her and we helped her set a goal to be baptized on 22nd of this month. We will see her tonight and help her on her way. We are really excited for these things that happened. Other than that, not much has happend and you'll have to wait for my letter. We did have church on Sunday because all of the snow melted. It was wonderful and full of the Spirit. I was so glad to come to church once again. This also means that it is a bit warmer now, but not much, so no, I'm not freezing to death. Oh and the reason that I am email today is because Monday and Tuesday were bank holidays and the library was closed until today. So this all that you get this week until my letter comes, which might be next week, but be patient and it will come along with my package as long as customs doesn't hold it up much. So I love you all and I am excited for this week as we hope to help Martha and Antonio prepared to be baptized.

Love,
Elder Buxton

After Christmas Email

Dear Family,
How are you since we last spoke? The reason that we are emailing today is because the library has been closed Monday and Tuesday because of Christmas and Boxing Day (Since they were on the weekend they give people the next weekday off). This will be the case next week as well I believe because of New Year's. Apparently New Year's and New Year's Eve which they call Hogmanay is bigger than Christmas which basically means that it's another excuse to drink. I plan on joining in on the fun this year and toasting my drink with them (of fizzy juice of course). I will give more information on how they celebrate it next week. So I guess there isn't much to write in this email other than what has happened since Christmas. Sunday, Boxing Day, we went over to the Wares and baked cookies for the Butlers (the elderly couple we visit and give the sacrament to). They didn't have any chocolate chips so we took some small candy bars and cut them up into small pieces and put them into the chocolate chip recipe that I somewhat remembered from home. They turned out alright, but the true test is when the Butler actually consume them. Then we went and shoveled two member's footpaths for them before going over to the Stobbarts for dinner.
On Monday we had a meeting in Aberdeen followed by an activity. For the activity we went to a place called the Sizzling Wok where you pick up your meats and vegetables and they fry them for you and then you can up on your rice or noodles. It was quite good and I was full for the rest of the day (Aren't we creative in our activities?). Then we went and found Brother King's tilt shop, but it was closed so no kilt yet. When we returned we went by this man named Craig who we found 2 weeks ago and said that he wasn't too interested, but his partner was. We asked if we could come in and talk with and him and amazingly, you could see his desire to learn flowing out of his eyes. He has been prepared. His partner wasn't there so we set up to see them on Thursday. We are really excited to teach them and help them progress on their way to the Savior.
Yesterday Elder Erickson woke up quite ill with a cold and a massive headache so we stayed in. It was quite a boring day and I am excited to get out and do missionary work today.
The snow is melting and the forecast from what we hear just has rain so we will hopefully have church this Sunday. This is bittersweet since I really want to go to church to partake of the sacrament and rejoice with the saints here, but his foils my plans to go less-active while on my mission (don't worry, I'm not really planning on going less-active, but if church was canceled once more we could say that we were). We hope that with this better weather that the missionary work will go forward and that more people will be willing to speak with us and come to church. I love you and hope the best for you. Tell people that I say hi and that I am doing well. Thankfully I haven't picked up Elder Erickson's cold yet. All the Best.

Love,
Elder Buxton

Almost Christmas

Dear Family,

How are you? I hope that you are enjoying the Christmas season. I am even though everyone claims to be really "busy" as they say and to come back after the new year. We press onward though. So neither Elder Erickson or I were transferred. We are both going to be in Elgin until February at least. We are going to President Johnson's for Christmas. I called him today and he says that we can make it there and that the boys will clear a parking space for us. He has skype, but i don't know his email address, but maybe you could find him on facebook or his wife or sin son, ythan. (Oh, and this sister in the branch is going to email you wanting the pork chop recipe. Her name is Sister Sylvia Stobbart and you could ask her as well). I bet that we could do on Christmas if you don't befriend him before that. It shouldn't take long from what Michelle says. I think that it would be best if we did it at about 9 am your time. This means that it's 5pm my time which would give us enough time to chat and get home safely. This means that Michelle, you need to get up earlier than usual, but just remember that your talking to your brother and it will be your last chance this year, so deal with it. We are planning on going to Edinburgh today for zone conference tomorrow and i will get your package there. Hopefully it has arrived. With the Christmas season and the inclement weather, post has been quite slow, but hopefully my package will get there on time. I sent it on the 5th and they said that it would be get there in time ( I confirmed that with them), then I saw the post man take it out to his van so it has been sent, it's just a matter of getting there. I tried to get each of you something Scottish looking and that's the only clue you're going to get.

It snowed again this past week and the weather from what we hear includes much more snow. Our driving is alright and the car works fine in it. It's not the best of course since it's a 2 wheel drive, 1.4 liter Vauxhaul Meriva (you should look it up on the Internet). We get stuck sometimes, but my driving in the snow has improved as I have learned from Elder Erickson. The road clearing here is rubbish though. The plows don't really scrape the roads. They have this rubber thing on the bottom that doesn't do anything. They grit the roads nicely and hope that will melt the snow. They only plow the main roads so all of the side roads are still covered in snow. So we try to the best of our ability to park in places we can get out of easily.

So in things that happened this week. We still struggle to see Martha Thomas and David Nain. We saw Sister Thomas once and the other times we set up to see here, she didn't come so we had lessons with her son, Chris. Brother Nain's daughter is feeling better and he says that we will be able to see him this week since he took the entire week off. Angus Waterson dropped us this week which was a big blow. We had arranged some nice lessons with him, but he says that he wants to stay with his own church. We plan on going by him on Wednesday to see if he has given any thought about learning again. We didn't have church again this week because of all the snow. The churches in Aberdeen didn't either, but Inverness did. Hopefully we can have it next week so we can have some sort of Christmas program. They were talking about doing a Sacrament meeting and then a munch and mingle afterwards while they put on the 1st presidency christmas devotional. So we shall see. I am looking forward to hearing from you and hope that everying works out for it. I wish you all the best and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (the library is closed next monday, so I don't know if I'll be able to email you).

Love,

Elder Buxton

Loch Ness

Dear Family,
You might be wondering why I am emailing latter than usual. That's because today, Elder Erickson and I traveled to Loch Ness today. We took a train this morning to Inverness and then a bus to a town called Drumnadrochit where we got off and looked around. We spent some time in a gift shop and I found some stuff of the McMillan clan and then we walked around. Sorry I don't have any pictures to send home today; I left my camera in the car. So, tune in next week when you can see pictures of it. So we got back about an hour ago and went shopping and now I am emailing you. So that was a lot of fun, it was too bad though that we couldn't spend more time there to look around especially at Urquart Castle. Well this just means that one day I should go back and see more. It was a lot of fun to see something that's one everyone's minds as they bring up Scotland after kilts and bagpipes. No, I didn't see the Loch Ness monster. It alluded me this time.
In other things that happened. We had church on Sunday! It was sacrament meeting only. So Thursday somebody (nobody know who, not even President Johnson) plowed the car park and then Thursday night all of the snow melted and it continued to melt over Friday and Saturday. So this means that there currently isn't any snow in Elgin at the moment which is fabulous. Although I hear that more is coming =(. Anyways, we had church, but we went into the church on Friday to salt the car park and went inside to find that the heating wasn't working. So we went and told Brother Cumming (he's in the branch presidency) about it and he sent and email to some person over facilities and thankfully someone came out on Saturday to look at it and fixed the heating so now it's working fine. Because there was such a late notice about church, there wasn't really a program. So we sang many Christmas hymns and some people were invited to bear their testimonies. It was really good and I am sure the Spirit was there. It was so good to take the Sacrament once again.
So about Christmas. We are going to President Johnson's house, weather permitting. So about calling home, we have a few options. You can call me on my cell phone, which is (I don't know the country code) 07800614765. I can call you on President Johnson's phone if that's what he wants us to do, or if he has skype, I can skype you. However, we get our moves call on Tuesday to know if we are transferred or not, so that could change all plans altogether. We get moved on Friday if we are. So I'll really let you know what the plan will be. I really don't know how skype works, but if you need the Johnson's name, it is Gary and Julie Johnson. As far as Christmas goes in Scotland. It's not as decorated as it is in the states. They seem to hold back a bit. From what I hear people celebrate New Year's and New Year's Eve more. So that's what's up with that. I had some black pudding today. It wasn't that good. Bearable, but now really to my liking. Haggis is good though. We were going to have a Christmas party last Saturday, but due to the weather that proceeded it in the week, it got canceled. I don't know if they are going to hold another one.
We continue to teach the same people. We taught Sister Thomas and she seems to be doing well. Brother Waterson is still struggling. Like in week's past he still struggles witht the Word of Wisdom, but for some reason has been reading more and more out of the Book of Mormon. We hope that by including more of the branch that he will feel at home when he comes to church. We still haven't been able to meet with David Nain. He daughter has still been ill, but we set up an appointment with him for Thursday. We haven't really been teaching anyone new, but we hope to go out this week and find the Lord's elect.
I am glad that you noticed that my plaque isn't there. My favorite scripture is John 16:33. Pick a good picture because a lot of people will be looking at it.
I hope that everyone that is taking finals this week does well and have a safe journey home. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love,
Elder Buxton