Representative of Christ

Hey all :)

Well, we're coming towards the end of a transfer here in the Portugal Porto Mission. That means change. It's funny how when change used to be such a bad thing, you come to love the opportunity it gives you to grow as a missionary. It's an opportunity to get a fresh start. That's something I took away from our mission tour that we had with Elder Kearon yesterday. That I have the opportunity of a fresh start each and every day. It's incredible!

Whole Mission

And that's the beauty of the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of what he did, we can have a fresh start, as many times as we fall we can get back up! Through being baptized and then participating in the sacrament (or the remembrance of Christ) each Sunday, we can begin anew. And that is what I'm here to spread. That news. That truth. That we can be redeemed by and through Jesus Christ and His restored church.

I am a representative of Christ. I tell the world that every day I put on my nametag.

I want to make sure that all of you know, that I know that Jesus Christ Lives. That He is our Savior. And that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His complete church on the earth.

Have a great week! :) 

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Short, but Sweet!

Hello! 

This'll be a short one, I don't have much to report on! Just a regular old week...

We have a huge mission conference coming up this week, which is going to be awesome! The entire mission except for Maderia (the island) will be there! 120 something missionaries! haha :) President plans on being very strict on time and dress standards as an area 70 is coming! He's going to give a training, which will be very cool.

It's amazing how the weeks blur together, especially when I just sit at the computer all day, trying to write a manual to help future secretaries know how to perform tasks!

Elders Eldredge, Joao, Buchanan, and Humphrey

Dinner at the Ashby's

We have a cool event for Valentines Day coming up this weekend! I'll let you know how it goes! 

Have a great week!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Sometimes you feel like a nut, Sometimes you don't!

Almond Joy's got nuts, Mounds don't. :D

This week was highlighted by our trip into Porto to go to a restaurant called NUT which serves food revolving around nutella. The crepe with ice cream was pretty darn good actually. We went with our investigator José!

Interesting news about José! I don't think I've ever told y'all about him. He was found by or rather he found them) Elder Hicks(my comp from last transfer) back at the beginning of his mission when he served in Porto 1st. Well he wasn't able to get baptized because of special circumstances. SO he's been "investigating" the church for over a year! But President knew that he wanted to serve a mission and if he waits too much long, he'll become too old. So he's been trying to get approval for José to be baptized earlier and he just told us that it's almost for certain José can get baptized at the end of February! He also gave us a large order about José's baptism -- there must be 100 investigators there. WHOA!

So we've got some large plans to involve missionaries all over the Porto area, everyone José knows, and we're gonna do everything we can to not only have 100 investigators there, but to make it as special and spiritual of an experience as possible!

In other news, President has decided to change the make up of the office and dissolve my position and have it absorbed by a new position of an Administrative Assistant to the President. So I'm going to be spending the rest of the transfer here training Elder McColley on how to do stuff, and also writing (or rather finish writing) an executive secretary manual. So that'll be nice to finally be relived when this transfer gets over. I get to go to a new area and just be a normal missionary again, walk, not have to eat fast food due to lack of time...Maybe I'll lose some weight again...haha :) cuz unfortunately...I've gained some back. :'(

I don't really have any other news than that! So I hope y'all have a great week! I miss ya! I think of ya! 

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

La La How Life Goes On

The Beatles said it best :)

This week seemed to have dragged by and flew at the same time. It's amazing how fast 6pm shows up and then we're out working and then we're home and then its a new day (its a new dawn, its a new life! sorry...had to :) ). I've been dealing with some logistics this week. I was finishing stuff I didn't get done last week, and then working on stuff that needed to be done this week. 

Monday I got up early and stood in line with 3 missionaries (including my companion) so we go switch their American licenses for Portuguese ones. I'd been running around the end of last week prepping all the documents for that. So a few hours and a few lines later we managed to get them! (see how exciting my life is? haha) Something else I did which took way too long is up date the transfer boards. These show the whole mission, split into zones, and then Districts and then into areas with the two missionaries. We have three kinds: The digital one that is in the system we use, then there is the excel sheet we made to print out so we can see where everyone is with one look (hence it's name "one glance file") then we have the two white boards in President's office at the office and at the mission home that have little cards with missionary names, number of transfers in an area etc. that have to but updated by hand. That one was the worst. haha 

Elder Morrison is a really hard worker. He's only in his 5th transfer, and the poor guy got stuck in the office. He's doing well so far. We've had some cool experiences this week. So on Monday we go to contact this contact that the Sisters passed to us and he cancels on us as we show up for the appointment. So we go, "ok, well we're here so there must be a reason, lets go knock some doors." That night we met Nuno and Pedro who let us right in to teach them about The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! But the amazing part is that we came back 2 more times and met two more really cool people who let us teach them! He and I teach pretty well together, but to be honest it doesn't matter how we teach, it's if the Spirit is there, and we've been feeling it.

I had a long day yesterday, man. SEF, or residency is the worst thing in the world haha! But I know the process and how to make it easy if I ever decide to come back, right? ...kinda I guess.

I won't really talk about what else I've done in the office because it really isn't that interesting... :P

Today we took a p-day! Yay :) we're actually gonna go to a baptism here in a little bit so I'll have to wrap this up soon. But we decided to go down to the center of Porto! Which I've been to several times, but it was still fun. I think a lot of people were on a vacation or something, quite a few things closed. But Elder Morrison and I walked down to the river ( I'll send photos) and were on a bridge, I bought a post card and some cools ties on sale. So all in all a good day and week :)

Hope all y'all's week was great :) I miss you! Have a great week!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Head Exec Sec

Wow...

I can't believe that it's already Friday. This has been a very long and yet very short week!

Well, I'm the big cheese now! Everyone calls me for stuff, I've got the fancy phone, all the responsibility is on me! And man is it heavy haha :)

I've actually had to do some heavy lifting as I just got a brand new to the office comp, Elder Morrison. The kid is very funny. On the day of transfers though we ended up leaving him in the bus station for 3 hours because he was in the bathroom and I had to run to move more missionaries around, I felt bad haha :) But he was chill about it. This week has been crazy. A lot of stress, but luckily I have Elder Morrison. They kid can be chill and roll with the punches.

Elder Hicks and I took care of transfers Monday night, and then he went with me Tuesday morning to help pick up the missionaries leaving Madeira and then the incoming missionaries later. He said it was interesting to feel the burden of the Head Executive Secretary leave his shoulders and watch it drop onto mine :P haha 

We had the training meeting and I had to run around and take care of doctors appointments and drivers licenses and bags from hotels and paying for things and lets just say I'm very tired today :)

But things are well :) I wish I had more time and more energy. Also, My p-day writing next week will be on Saturday because I'll have to do SEF or residency for missionaries on Friday next week!

I miss you all!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Stolen from Facebook...

Left to Right:

Elder Peterson, Andrew Bateman (President and Sister Amorim's son in-law) Elders Buchanan and Elder Merkle

Wow! Faz Muito Tempo!

I just realized! I haven't written you all...since last year!!!! ;) hahaha :) But seriously. Sorry I haven't been writing a group letter :/ I was just being silly and didn't feel like writing.

This letter won't be too long ‘cuz I'm lame and only spend 3 ½ hours outside the office everyday! sooooo haha :)

You end up with cabin fever sometimes when you work inside the office, you miss spending all day outside and working hard, but then you get days where it's down pouring and then you’re glad your inside a warm office ;) haha :) Actually some days I'd prefer getting soaked knocking doors :) There's nothing better than teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Hicks and I are still working hard, trying to prep things, he's trying to make sure I know how to do everything before he leaves. Transfers are on Sunday and he's getting excited to leave and go serve somewhere else. The office is great, but it's hard on missionaries as well. He's hoping to go to Madeira, the island area.

I'm getting nervous that I might have to be the guy in charge. That's a scary prospect. Reminds me of what it was like to be left alone in my first area after my trainer left and having to be the missionary that knew everything. I was looking at my first planner last night, and the first page I ever wrote in and man it took me back. It was so strange. I could see it bright as day, it was my first night in the mission. I never thought I'd make it this far. Crazy!

Happy New Year!! It's 2016! I get to spend almost this entire year in this mission. That's so awesome to think about. I get to spend 2016 serving my neighbors out here. I love being a missionary. I was promised not long before I left, through the voice of a man who was ordained of God, that as I served I would know it is the best thing I can be doing at this time. And I can tell you all, that NOTHING I could be doing at home could be better than spending the last year of my life, speaking Portuguese, and talking to everyone I can and baring my testimony that I know this gospel is true :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Fantastic New Year! I miss you all! Have a great week! Talk to you soon!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Christmas Call

We had a one hour Skype call with Lucas on Christmas! It was so good to see him. He sounds good, looks good, is happy, and works very hard in the office as an executive secretary to the President.  He is training to take over for the head secretary. He leaves the office every day by 5:30  p.m. to go out and teach.  It was a little hectic with the echoes during the call and lots of people asking questions, but he seems very happy and it really made our Christmas Day!

Already Half Over?

Que estranho! I realized when I woke up in the morning yesterday that it was the day I went into the MTC. It was very strange. I can't believe that my mission is already half over. It's frightening and exciting. Frightening because of how fast it's gone by and exciting because of how much I still have to learn! I'm only half way! I still have plenty of time! :)

Sorry that the letter will be short this week, but I get to Skype with you next Friday :) For an hour!

Sounds like life is the usual Christmas business :) Making cookies, watching Christmas movies, raining like cats and dogs :) Fun stuff :) I miss that :) I haven't made my cookies yet, but I'll probably do that this week :) Seems like the Christmas season passes faster as a missionary. I love my 12 days of Christmas Nativity by the way :)

Thank you for the presents you sent me! I opened two just for fun :) The one that was obviously pringles :) My favorite flavor :) And two fabulous ties :)! Thank you :) I'm saving the rest for Christmas day :) Well, except one. That's for Christmas Eve :)

This week has been interesting. We had a really interesting lesson with an investigator names Flavio. He's a very intelligent guy and he's interested, but he ended up teaching us a little in the lesson! He told us we were being too stiff and that he wanted to see more of who we are. I thought that was interesting. Elder Hicks and I think that it was the Lord telling us that through an investigator! haha :)

We actually have been working without a car this week because one of the others got broken into and had a GPS stolen, so it's been an interesting time getting to our area by bus and such. A car certainly is a blessing.

Man...Star Wars. There's another one :) Gotta start writing things down on my trunky list (the list every missionary makes of cool things to check out after the mission) ‘Cuz I said I would never start one until I hit a year! I thought I never would reach a year in the mission. Crazy...

We went to Bolhão today, all the shops and such, window shopped. Bought a couple Christmas presents, had lunch at a really cool Asian food place called Wok to Walk. You choose your base, rice or noodles (and which kind) and then what you want in it and then your sauce. It was really good. Needed to be spicier though. :) Been a while since I had Chinese food that didn't make me sick.

I miss you lots! We just bought webcams for the office! :) I'm excited to see you :) I love you! Have a good week! Merry Christmas!!!!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan